What is His Highness Arnold doing here? Formal knight training aside, I can’t believe the Crown Prince came to train the cadets!!

Even Theodore said that Arnold would never visit this training ground.

However, there was no way she could mistake the figure of the beautiful man standing in front of her.

“…………”

“…………”

Arnold stared at her silently and she felt cold sweat trickle down her face.

Has only a second passed? It might be as short as a blink of an eye to others, but to Rishe, it felt quite longer.

In her knight’s life, there were times when she could see the scene around her slowly during tense battles, but what was this tension where she couldn’t even hold a sword in her hand?

“―― ……”

By the time Rishe braced herself…

Arnold suddenly took his gaze off of her and ordered his vassal standing next to him.

“Rovine, start training quickly.”

… Huh?!

Contrary to Rishe’s anticlimactic feelings, Arnold continued to speak nonchalantly, “I want to see the trainees in action. What are the training drills?”

“Ha, we’ve already done one-on-one combat. It was implemented after flexibility and running. After that, they’re supposed to train their muscles. How about it?”

“Then make adjustments after the match. Make sure that your body is sufficiently relaxed and free of physical exhaustion.”

The trainees seemed to have grown taller just from Arnold’s speech. Arnold didn’t even look at Rishe the rest of the time, except for the one time earlier.

I-I don’t think I’ve been discovered….!

— No, that can’t be true.

She vehemently corrected the wishful thinking that sprang up in her mind.

Even though she was wearing a short wig, her face was only slightly altered with make up to give her a different impression. Anyone who knew Rishe would recognize her at a glance.

Above all, even if she changed her appearance drastically in some way, her opponent was Arnold.

The way she stood and walked, she felt that he’d spot her with the slightest quirk or something.

Still, I should have just gotten away with it for ten days! How I could encounter His Royal Highness Arnold, who is so busy with his official duties, here ……!

Following Arnold’s command, Rovine instructed the cadets.

“Then, as always, start with flexibility. Don’t get carried away just because His Highness Arnold is here.”

“Yes!”

They replied in unison, each scattering to their usual places. Rishe also rushed to the corner of the training grounds while silently searching for any sign of Arnold.

“Hey, Lu, it’s terrific! That, His Royal Highness Arnold, he’s the real deal!?”

“U-Uh-huh, good for you, Fritz.”

With a cramped smile, Rishe embraced another wishful thinking.

Maybe he missed it.

Maybe he didn’t notice Rishe’s existence and wouldn’t say anything.

If that was the case, Rishe could also continue her training here.

She wondered if she could somehow preserve the terms with Theodore; to keep this secret from Arnold until the training is over and let him be present when the truth got revealed afterwards.

With a glimmer of hope, she completed the usual training and sparring.

****

“……….So?”

“………………”

When Rishe was called to the back of the training grounds, she fell into despair, sandwiched between the wall and Arnold.

Throughout the training, Arnold hadn’t bothered Rishe at all, but had examined the trainees’ conditions together with Rovine.

She’d been hoping that everything would end up uneventful, but those thoughts were understandably shattered.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Uh, uhm, ……”

With him looking at her up so close, Rishe was unable to see Arnold’s face properly. With her back to the wall, she looked away awkwardly.

“Y-You look in good spirits, Your Royal Highness……. I’m extremely delighted that you’re speaking to a mere cadet….”

“…. Ho?”

Knowing that she was barefaced, she’d pretend to be a trainee for a while. Besides, there were no signs of anyone else around, but she didn’t want to be overheard having an awkward conversation.

“Got it.”

Hearing Rishe’s reply, Arnold stretched out his hand.

Arnold had been wearing black gloves lately, but his hands were now bare.

Against all odds and expectations, Arnold wrapped his hands around Rishe’s face and squeezed her cheeks.

“Mmm?!”

“If you’re not the person I think you are, then I suppose you won’t mind me touching you directly.”

“!!”