To gain more of her mother’s attention, Edwina still planned to continue her scheme of matchmaking Caine and Corellia.
Showing up today, she had originally intended to ask Corellia if she had any special arrangements coming up. If there were travel plans, she intended to pluck up her courage and strongly suggest that Corellia take Caine along.
After all, feelings would only develop if they had more opportunities to interact. Both Corellia and Caine were the types who disliked getting close to others and preferred solitude; without her acting as a go-between, it would be difficult for them to have any intersection. Even if the two of them were actually very similar, their different identities created a sense of distance that made it hard for them to cross paths.
…Or so she thought.
To her surprise, Caine and Corellia seemed to be interacting even without her interference. Although she didn’t know who was the proactive one, this situation was certainly not a bad thing for Edwina.
Especially after Edwina stated she didn’t have any major business and just wanted to report her recent study results (as for her original goal, she postponed it for later since Caine was present). Corellia said it was a rare opportunity and suggested Caine witness the results as well.
This made Edwina even happier.
As mother and daughter, Corellia’s concern for Edwina was essentially the bare minimum, and within that minimum, arranging her curriculum was undoubtedly included. Besides arts and literature, Edwina was also taking magic and swordsmanship classes. Since Edwina said her courses had reached a stopping point, Corellia had her demonstrate what she had learned in the training hall.
Incidentally, Vanessa was also continuing her education. However, compared to magic classes which didn’t require going out much, she took more swordsmanship and practical combat courses. She wasn’t significantly better than Edwina; her obvious confidence was simply due to her natural personality.
In any case, the three of them soon moved to the training room reserved for the royalty in the Royal Palace. Armed with a magic sword and under the gaze of Caine and Corellia, Edwina began her performance against a magically created golem in the training hall.
Although the original work was a romance game, combat scenes frequently appeared due to the world’s setting. It was only because Caine was staying in the Royal Capital and the Royal Palace that he rarely saw combat. Now that the princess adopted by Her Majesty the Queen was conducting a practical exercise against a golem, Caine wasn’t entirely disinterested. He might even end up fighting another princess, so understanding Edwina’s level now could be considered intelligence gathering.
Despite Edwina’s usual quiet, melancholy, and reserved demeanor, she was surprisingly decisive in battle. Usually, a mage wouldn’t need to stand on the front lines; they just fired spells from a distance. But as royalty, Edwina was required to possess at least a minimum level of close-quarters combat proficiency. This was so she wouldn’t be helpless if she encountered a situation where magic was ineffective or if she lost her mana for some reason.
The golem Edwina was training against was sturdy, with high defense and magic resistance. It wasn’t particularly slow either; it was at least mid-tier, making it a good opponent. Such golems also had a significant weakness: hitting their magic core would cause massive damage, and if the core shattered, it would stop functioning.
Typically, a golem’s core was exposed on the surface, but this high-grade golem’s core was hidden inside its body. To hit that core buried who-knows-where, Edwina fought with earnest concentration. She would work incredibly hard to earn her mother’s praise.
“…What do you think, Caine?”
While Edwina was still fighting the golem, Corellia’s calm and indifferent voice suddenly came from Caine’s side.
‘What do I think? I’m watching with my eyes.’
Caine, who almost blurted that out, hesitated. Thinking that such a response would be too casual, he finally replied politely and courteously.
“…If you’re referring to Edwina’s skills, Corellia, I think her close-combat level is quite excellent for a mage.”
Caine wasn’t just being polite. Edwina looked to be around sixteen years old and wasn’t a pure swordsman. For a mage to have this level of melee skill was already quite impressive. Because Caine had gained experience with magic and weapons, he was naturally much stronger than Edwina.
But the previous Caine would have been thrashed by the current Edwina. The gap between a modern ordinary person who had never touched a sword and a martial artist living in a chaotic era was exactly the gap between the old Caine and Edwina—perhaps even larger. Setting aside physical fitness, in this fantasy world with magic, a three-hundred-pound strongman relying on raw strength really couldn’t compare to a thirty-pound little girl who knew how to use reinforcement magic to bolster her physical stats.
Of course, that didn’t mean physical fitness was useless. All other things being equal, the one with better physical fitness would definitely be stronger. It was just that improving one’s physical body wasn’t as cost-effective as increasing mana. Altina, a swordsmanship master, was a classic example. Her muscles were certainly more developed than an average person’s, but not to the extent of having an eight-pack. She looked like a regular fitness enthusiast with distinct and sexy abdominal lines.
Although Caine didn’t know if Corellia was satisfied, he would certainly be pleased with his daughter’s performance if he were the parent.
“…Is that so.”
Hearing Caine’s evaluation, Corellia expressed neither agreement nor disagreement. She gave Caine a cold response and then shifted her gaze back to her daughter.
This behavior left Caine feeling somewhat helpless. ‘What? This level isn’t good enough? Surely she doesn’t expect a mage like Edwina to be on the same level as a magic swordsman like Vanessa?’
Despite his helplessness, looking at Corellia’s cold and beautiful profile, Caine ultimately said nothing. Like Corellia, he refocused on the daughter’s performance. Corellia wasn’t a fool; she shouldn’t be thinking that way.
***
About two minutes later, Edwina caught the golem’s recovery animation after an attack. She quickly circled behind it and then thrust forward at a specific spot on its body, producing a crisp cracking sound.
As the magic core shattered, the massive golem stopped moving almost instantly and collapsed on the spot. On Edwina’s side, her clothes were slightly dirty—meaning her skirt looked a bit dusty. That was proof she had almost been hit by the golem during those few minutes of fighting.
Although the fight seemed to take a while and she nearly had her mana barrier breached, Edwina’s performance was definitely passing. For a magic-specialist princess to have this level of melee skill was already great; what more could one ask for? The only reason it took so long was because the core wasn’t visible from the outside. If it had been, the fight would have ended in thirty seconds.
“…Phew.”
Looking at her fallen opponent, Edwina let out a soft breath and slowly retracted her magic sword. Although the battle was over, Edwina’s nervous heart didn’t calm down. On the contrary, she became even more tense. She even subconsciously pursed her lips, which were painted with a pale purple lipstick in imitation of her mother. Before hearing her mother’s evaluation, she appeared visibly awkward and at a loss.
“…Well done, Edwina.”
When her mother’s rare voice of approval reached her ears, Edwina was first stunned. Then, a bright expression of heartfelt joy instantly bloomed on her face, making her look like a different person.
“Ah… Yes! Mother!”
Having received her mother’s recognition, the melancholy princess lost her usual gloom and quietness, smiling vibrantly like an ordinary child.
“…Good work, Edwina. The fight just now was not only brilliant but also quite beautiful and pleasing to the eye. I am sincerely happy for your growth.”
Since the real adoptive mother had expressed her approval, Caine, the ‘fake adoptive mother,’ naturally smiled and praised the daughter’s performance as well. As for how much of this was sincere and how much was politeness, Caine figured it was about a four-to-six ratio, with politeness taking the larger share.
“He-hehe, thank you, Mother.”
Already happy from her mother’s approval, Edwina’s pure and lovely face flushed a deep red when she heard Caine speak. Her eyes drifted elsewhere, though this time not from a lack of confidence, but from embarrassment. Her lack of confidence stemmed from comparisons with Vanessa, but once she gained her mother’s recognition, she temporarily forgot about that.
Now, she had received approval from her female Mother and praise from her male Mother. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was the happiest moment of her life. She even felt as if she had been born just for this moment. While her whole body felt hot, Edwina felt light and airy, as if she might float away if she wasn’t careful. At this moment, she was truly happy.
…However, happy times are always fleeting. In a difficult life, hardships tend to occupy more time.
Along with a discordant sound of stones clashing, the pile of golem parts that had collapsed because of the core shattering stood back up. Edwina naturally noticed it and looked puzzled.
The person who restored the shattered core was none other than its creator, Corellia herself. Corellia simply extended her right hand toward the golem. As her hand glowed with mana, the golem—its core restored—stood up once again.
Though no one had spoken yet, the confused Edwina seemed to understand something. Her expression became serious, showing a desire to try even harder and a craving for more praise.
‘She knows! Mother must want her to perform one more time! No problem! This time, she will achieve a perfect victory without a single mistake! And then she’ll get even more praise from her mothers!’
“…While you did reasonably well, do not be arrogant. Your mistakes were avoidable, Edwina. As a reference, I will fight the golem next.”
…Eh?
But as her mother’s cold, usual voice reached her ears, Edwina froze once more. Caine was equally stunned. He looked at the Ice Queen with undisguised surprise as she walked toward her daughter.
‘Huh? While I can understand teaching her how to avoid mistakes, is it really necessary to demonstrate in person?’
‘Of course there is a need. If even her daughter’s immature display could earn Caine’s praise and admiration, then why shouldn’t she put on a performance of her own?’
Corellia’s face remained cold as she walked toward her daughter, as if she were doing this solely out of concern for her.