Morning Practice with Aran
As usual, I woke up at six bells and went for a walk to the kitchen.
Looking out the window, I saw Aran heading somewhere.
Even though it was lightly snowing this morning, where could he be going? Over there, there’s only the training grounds and the private guard dormitory.
Curious, I put on my coat and followed him.
Aran was at the training grounds practicing his sword swings. His expression was serious, completely different from his casual demeanor yesterday, as he swung his sword.
Wow, what beautiful sword movements...
Compared to him, I’m still shaky and constantly getting scolded by Nancy.
He’s nothing like his carefree self from yesterday.
Those focused eyes… so cool...
While I was staring absentmindedly, Aran noticed me.
“What are you doing up so early?”
“Oh, g-good morning, Aran. I saw you heading out, so I got curious and followed you. Sorry.”
“Good morning. Is that so? You don’t need to apologize; I welcome the support of a cute girl.”
Saying that with a wink, Aran sat on a nearby bench—a leftover log from the BBQ—and wiped his sweat with a towel.
“Ah, here, take this.”
I pulled out a towel and a special sports drink from my storage and handed them to him.
“Oh, thanks. Wow, it’s cold… from your storage, right?”
“Yes, my storage has an S-grade time-stopping feature.”
“Wow, you’ve got an amazing skill. Oh, if you don’t mind, sit next to me… Gulp… This is good. What’s in it?”
Feeling a bit nervous, I sat beside Aran.
“Uh, it’s a special sports drink I made. It has rimon, honey, and salt. When you sweat, it’s better to replenish salt along with fluids.”
“Hmm, I see. Can you teach me how to make this drink later?”
Aran tilts his head while asking—so sly.
That’s just unfair.
“Y-yeah, of course. Um, I’d like to ask you something too. How can I get my sword movements as clean as yours?”
“Oh, so you’ve been training too? What kind of training are you doing right now?”
“Well, I run 10 laps around the training grounds, do 100 push-ups, 100 leg-raise sit-ups in three sets, and practice 50 swings with a one-handed sword for both hands.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. But my swings are always off, and Nancy keeps correcting me. I want to be like you, Aran.”
“I think you’re already doing plenty for a five-year-old. Your swings are off because your core is weak. Try swinging for me.”
I took out my favorite one-handed sword from storage and demonstrated my swing. But as usual, the blade wobbled.
“Yeah, your body is swaying too much, and you’re putting too much strength into your shoulders. Swing like this.”
Aran explained while lightly holding the sword with my hands, guiding my movements from behind.
Wait a second, isn’t this literally the “hands-on guidance” situation!?
Aran is just trying to help, but I can feel my face getting red. This is so embarrassing!
Calm down, calm down. Stay composed. Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu...
“Hey, Joan, are you listening?”
Aran whispered in my ear.
“Eep!”
Oh no, oh no… Whispering in my ear is not fair.
My poor heart can’t handle this.
“Hahaha, your ears are bright red. Cute.”
“Ugh, Brother Aran, stop teasing me!”
“Ahahaha. I like that—‘Brother Aran.’ Call me that from now on. Anyway, you should work on strengthening your core. Haha.”
Unbeknownst to us, someone had been watching.
“Hey, isn’t that Miss Joan? What’s she doing up so early?”
Martin spotted me.
“Huh? Wait, she’s with someone. A guy?”
Martin’s comment made Gan look out as well.
“What!? Sitting that close… Who is that guy?”
“He’s even helping her practice sword swings… W-wait, why is he hugging her from behind!?”
“Hey, hey! Back off! I’m going over there—”
“What are you guys yelling about so early in the morning?”
Nat came over, scratching his head.
“Um, it’s just that some guy is with Miss Joan…”
Martin explained to Nat.
“Huh? Where? Where’s Miss Joan?”
“Look, over there, by the log.”
Gan pointed outside.
“Wait, what? Why is he here?”
“Huh? Nat, you know him?”
“Yeah, he’s a year below me at the academy. That’s Arandolph, the eldest son of Count Longest.”
“”Count…?””
Hearing this, the commoner-born Martin and Gan fell silent.
Nat headed outside, with Martin and Gan following behind.
“Hey, Aran! Miss Joan! What are you two doing?”
“Oh, Nat. Good morning. Martin and Gan, good morning too.”
“”“Good morning, Miss Joan.”””
The three greeted me.
“Oh, it’s Nat. Good morning.”
“So, what are you doing here, Aran?”
“Didn’t I mention? Joan is my cousin.”
“””C-cousin~~~!?”””
The three were shocked.
“Huh? I didn’t hear anything about that? Did you come with Old Master and the others yesterday?”
“That’s right. And so, I was teaching her sword swings during my morning practice.”
“”Hah~ Sword swings, huh…””
Martin and Gan muttered in unison.
“Who are they?”
Aran looked at Martin and Gan.
“Oh, this is Gan, Brother Noel’s classmate. And this is Martin, Brother Gene’s classmate. Both are part of the private guard.”
“I’m Gan. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Martin. Pleased to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. I hear you’re looking after Noel, Gene , and Joan. Let’s get along.”
“”Yes! Thank you very much.””
“If Brother Aran bullies you, let me know immediately!”
“And what would you do about it, Joan?”
Aran said while gently pinching my cheek.
“Hmm, I can’t beat him, so… I’ll tell Grandmother!”
“H-hey, that’s cheating! Wait, come back here!”
“See you later, Nat, Gan, Martin. Ahahaha.”
Aran chased after me as I ran back to the mansion.
Watching us leave, Nat muttered.
“I’ve never seen Aran like that…”
“Huh?”
“That guy’s from a count’s family, and with that face, he’s insanely popular with girls. They’re always waiting with letters and gifts for him. At first, I thought he was an arrogant jerk. But he never accepts any of it. Instead, he does morning training like this every day, ignoring the girls entirely. Because of his water attribute, he’s called the ‘Ice Prince’ in the knight course.”
“The ‘Ice Prince’…”
“I’ve heard of him. They say he’s one of the top students in the knight course.”
Gan remembered.
“Yeah, that’s him. But just now, with Joan, he looked like a regular guy his age. That smile of his… surprising.”
What do you think about this chapter?
