Adrian watched Prince Yuasa run laps around the field. A red-haired girl stood beside him.
"You're amazing, Adrian. I think that with the way you're training Prince Yuasa, he can definitely get into the Academy," Rosaline praised him for his first success in improving Prince Yuasa's stamina.
"That's all because Prince Yuasa himself has been working so hard," Adrian replied. He stared intently at Rosaline as if he wanted to record everything he was seeing at that moment.
"Do you like Prince Yuasa?" Adrian asked, wanting to make sure.
Rosaline gave Adrian a strange look, then burst out laughing.
"No way. You must be joking. In any case, Prince Yuasa is my master. I'll protect him and look after him because it's my duty. There's nothing more to it, of course. I know my place. I'm aware of that," Rosaline replied.
Adrian smiled. At least now he knew that whatever he had seen yesterday probably wouldn't develop into anything. If Rosaline didn't like Prince Yuasa, then he still had a chance.
"So, is there still a place for me?" Adrian asked directly.
"Adrian..." Rosaline let out a long sigh and turned toward him. "You already know the answer."
"I haven't given up, Rosaline. You're the only one in my heart," Adrian whispered in Rosaline's ear.
They looked close. Adrian's whispering looked different from Prince Yuasa, who was running nearby. His thoughts drifted aimlessly.
"Do they have a special relationship?" Prince Yuasa wondered.
His pace began to slow. He didn't know what kind of relationship existed between Adrian and Rosaline. But their closeness made Prince Yuasa jealous.
Prince Yuasa shook his head, dismissing all his thoughts, then refocused on running until he finished his ten laps.
"Rest for now. Then we'll train again," Adrian ordered when Prince Yuasa finished running.
"Thank you," Prince Yuasa replied.
He sat beside Rosaline, and the girl held out some drinking water to him.
"Thank you," Prince Yuasa said. Prince Yuasa drank all the water.
"Isn't this too much? What if the Prince doesn't need to go to the Academy?" Rosaline suggested.
"You already know, don't you, Rosaline? This is the only way they'll change their perspective. I don't want to be the subject of gossip forever, either. Father and Mother have had to bear the burden of my weakness. Because I was weak, the two of them were once forced to separate. Rosaline, I don't want to make either of them sad again. They've worked so hard to preserve my place. At the very least, I can make them a little proud," Prince Yuasa answered.
"Isn't there another way?" Rosaline fell silent for a moment before continuing. She took a careful look at the young man beside her, who was watching her.
"The Prince could become a great healer. With the special ability you possess, you could be a healer instead of a fighter," Rosaline continued.
She was always uneasy whenever Prince Yuasa was injured during training. It felt as though she could feel the pain and sting of those wounds herself. Prince Yuasa smiled at Rosaline's words.
"Yes, becoming a healer would be more comfortable, but that would only make things worse. No matter how great a healer I eventually became, they'd only say it was what I should have been all along. I'm the owner of a yellow crystal, so it's only natural that I would become a healer. That isn't an achievement that will make them stop talking." Prince Yuasa stood after answering Rosaline. He walked toward Adrian to continue his training.
"It's time to practice something else." Adrian held out a sword, and Prince Yuasa immediately accepted it. He felt the weight of the sword. It wasn't too heavy, but if he used it for a long time, he would feel just how heavy it was.
"Swing the sword one thousand times," Adrian ordered.
"One thousand?" Prince Yuasa repeated, as if he had misheard.
"Yes, one thousand times, and start over if you miscount," Adrian replied.
"Adrian!" Rosaline shouted.
"I won't accept any complaints. If you want to protest, then go find another trainer," Adrian threatened, seeing Rosaline's objection.
Rosaline fell silent. She wanted to protect Prince Yuasa, not injure him. But she also couldn't let Adrian stop being his trainer.
Prince Yuasa began swinging his sword and counting every swing. The sun began to hide, and it was clear that Prince Yuasa still hadn't finished even after a thousand swings.
"That's enough!" Rosaline tried to stop Prince Yuasa's training.
"Stop!" Adrian prevented her.
"You!" Rosaline glared at Adrian, and a few seconds later, her trembling voice rang out. "Do you have a grudge against the Prince?" Rosaline protested, clenching her fists as she tried to keep herself from punching Adrian.
"We're running out of time. Can he become proficient with a sword in less than a year and a half? Think about it!" Adrian replied, raising his voice slightly.
Rosaline herself knew that swordsmanship couldn't be mastered in a short time. A year and a half wasn't enough to master swordsmanship, let alone become proficient.
Rosaline walked toward Prince Yuasa.
"Prince, it'll be night soon," Rosaline murmured when she saw blood beginning to appear on Prince Yuasa's hands.
"Just a little longer, Rosaline," Prince Yuasa replied, having reached count 890.
Night had shown its face by the time he reached an even thousand. Prince Yuasa released the sword in his hand. Red welts were clearly visible from swinging the sword for too long.
"Prince, heal your wounds immediately," Rosaline said when she saw them.
"Wait. Don't heal them," Adrian stopped her.
Rosaline glared at Adrian angrily and went straight over to him. She grabbed his collar and was about to punch him in the face when Prince Yuasa stopped her.
"Stop! Let's go home, Rosaline," Prince Yuasa ordered.
"You're lucky today," Rosaline said angrily. She released Adrian and went home with Prince Yuasa.