“W-Well, Lieselotte’s wedding ceremony had to be pushed forward because of the goddess’s sudden revival, so she’s been busy lately,” Fiene said. “The royal palace may be huge, but it’s still in the city, so she can’t make much noise there. She’s finally getting a break and a chance to relieve stress, so Sir Bal’s doing his best to help her...I guess?”
She tried to make sense of the fierce battle playing out before her eyes.
“Yep, Lieselotte looks like she’s having a ton of fun! So it’s fine...or maybe it’s not. She insists any injuries can be healed, but I don’t know if she should be going berserk like that when she’s going to be crown princess soon. Or maybe the point is to get it out of the way before becoming crown princess? Actually, now I feel like the real issue is that Prince Siegwald doesn’t get to see how much fun Lieselotte’s having. He can be surprisingly narrow-minded...”
Lieselotte and Baldur’s duel intensified.
“Oh. They started using magic. Well, that’s dangerous. Then again, they were fighting seriously from the start, so it wasn’t safe to begin with. I’m sure they know each other’s strength, and they aren’t the type to be too careless...but if something really bad happens, will I be able to handle it by myself?”
Fiene clapped her hands, realizing something.
“Wait, can’t they just do this at the royal palace, where there are a lot of people who are good at healing magic? It also has a bigger yard than the Riefenstahl branch family’s estate, and they could always just blame the noise on the knights. That way, Prince Siegwald could watch too. Well, I guess Lieselotte doesn’t want him to see her like this...”
After all that grumbling, a gentle smile came to her face.
“But if he were to see her so lively and gorgeous, I’m sure he’d fall in love with her all over again. Ahhh, she really is gallant. I wish I could fight beautifully like her...”
Fiene sighed dreamily and nodded as she watched Lieselotte.
“I really think His Highness should see her fierce and beautiful fighting style. It’s too bad he can’t join us this time because he has to prepare for graduation and his upcoming royal duties while also coordinating a last-minute wedding. Maybe I should ask father if Lieselotte can join the knights’ training drills at the palace sometime? His Highness is probably sulking because he can’t see her.”
Having come to a conclusion, Fiene finally took her eyes off the two cousins, who were now hitting each other with the strongest spells they had. She looked to the other side of the training ground, where the kids were gathered around the fresh snow.
“We’re going to build a snowman. That’s what Fabian said, so that’s that.”
“Cecilie, I get that the guest’s opinion is important, but with this many people, we could set our sights a lot higher. If we’re going to make something, it should at least be a snow hut.”
“Wait, Katrina. Can’t we get Fabian to bring all the snow together into a mountain with his magic? Then we can go sledding or skiing.”
“You’re a genius, Adelina! We can even take it from the front of the castle, and that’ll take care of the snow removal!”
“Right?”
“Adelina, Katrina, don’t try to take advantage of Fabian,” Cecilie said. “He’s not like the savages of House Riefenstahl. He’s a real prodigy and he’s going to create a work of art. If you cause a ruckus, I’ll kill you.”
“No, um, I’m fine with anything...” Fabian said.
“Whoa, did you just say you’d kill us?” Katrina winced. “Who’s the real savage here, Cechy?”
Cecilie glared at her. “Don’t call me Cechy. My name is Cecilie!”
“Calm down, Cechy,” Adelina said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“If it’s a fight you want, bring it on,” Cecilie said in a low voice.
The twins snickered.
“Hey, Katrina, don’t you think our baby sister, who was calling herself ‘Cechy’ until recently because she couldn’t pronounce her own name properly, is awfully cheeky now that she has a fiancé?”
“Why yes, Adelina. The lazy and spoiled Cecilie, who always runs away from training and studying sessions to take afternoon naps, has been trying to show off in front of her crush, huh?”
Cecilie glared at her sisters. “As Riefenstahls, it’s in our nature to change when we’ve decided who to protect. I’m not Cechy anymore. I became a knight-in-training before either of you, with the approval of father and His Majesty, and I’m even going to the royal capital. Isn’t it disgraceful to keep bringing up the past just because you could only win against me back then?”
“Excuse me?” Adelina said. “Don’t you think you’re getting too carried away? Oh, did you forget how strong the Riefenstahls are while you were playing with the scrubs in the capital?”
“Maybe playing pretend knight in a casual environment with barely any monsters made her think she was especially strong,” Katrina said. “I think it’s time for her mighty sisters to put her in her place.”
The twins returned Cecilie’s glare with icy ones of their own. The mana being channeled by the three sisters collided midair in a flurry of sparks.
“Yikes, them too?” Fiene gave a stiff smile. “The Riefenstahls sure are hot-blooded. Then again, maybe this is a military family’s way of communication? They let their fists do the talking, and the more they fight, the better they get along. They seem to be enjoying themselves, but it’s scary to watch. I really don’t like it.”
“Let’s have a snowball fight!” Fabian ran between the three girls. “We shouldn’t use magic against each other. If you want to fight, let’s use the snow to settle it. We can do it tournament-style, with me and Ceci versus Miss Adelina and Miss Katrina. Um, I think the court is supposed to look something like this? Oh, and we need flags, don’t we?”
As he waved his wand, the snow danced in the air and changed color, quickly shaping itself into a symmetrical court with a centerline, back lines, end lines, and several scattered shelters. Cecilie grinned proudly, while Adelina and Katrina looked on in awe.
The moment he finished, Cecilie applauded. “You really are a genius, Fabian. Not only are you blessed with a vast mana pool, you also have exquisite control over it. I love you so much.”
“Th-Thanks, Ceci. It wasn’t that big of a deal, though.”
“Only a true genius would be able to say it wasn’t a big deal. Marry me, Fabian.”
“Yes, let’s get married one day. We’re already formally engaged through our families, so it’d actually be a problem if you didn’t marry me.”
“All right, enough with the flirting, you two,” Adelina said.
“We found some flags over there,” Katrina said. “Will these work?”
The twins were holding red and blue flags they had apparently found in the equipment storeroom.
“Oh, they’re perfect!” Fabian took them. “Thank you.” He passed by Cecilie—who was sulking since they’d been interrupted—and put the finishing touches on the court with his magic. “Umm, this goes here, that goes there... I think that should be it? Since I made the field, you two can decide which side you want. I did try to make them the same, though.”
“I’m fine with either,” Adelina said. “Which should we choose, Katrina?”
“Hmm, let’s go with red!” Katrina said.
“We’ll be blue, then.” Cecilie giggled. “Fabian and I both have blue eyes. I like that. I’ll protect our flag to the bitter end!”
“Ceci, regardless of whether we win or lose, I’m going to clear out the snow for the sake of helping the staff,” Fabian said. “I’ll make the mountain, and we can build the snowman afterwards.”
“Yes, I’m going to protect you to the bitter end too, Fabian!”
“As usual, she isn’t listening.” Fabian gave a strained laugh. “Ceci always loses her composure all of a sudden when it comes to me, huh?” He turned to Adelina and Katrina and smiled. “Ceci seems to be all fired up, but I just want to have fun, so let’s get along, all right? No offensive magic allowed in this snowball fight.”
“What?!”
“But then we won’t be able to beat Cecilie up!”
Fabian grinned even wider. “Please don’t try to beat up my cute fiancée. Just so you know, if offensive magic were allowed, I’d be able to bury this whole area under an avalanche. You two would be killed in an instant.”
“Ahhh, Fabian, you’re sooo cool!” Cecilie squealed. “I love you! Marry me right this instant!”
“I appreciate your feelings, but I don’t think we legally can right now...”
The twins were not impressed.
“This is kind of annoying, Adelina.”
“Yes, Katrina. Fabian’s almost as much of a brat as Cechy.”
“We’ll just have to beat him so badly, he’ll regret giving us a handicap.”
“Exactly. He thinks too lowly of us. Banning offensive magic means physical buffs are fair game, right?”
Cecilie smirked. “Heh, you’re the ones who shouldn’t be underestimating Fabian. My beloved husband is strong even when he’s on the defense.”
Fabian forced a smile. “We aren’t married yet, Ceci. Hmm, but you’re right. I bet I could even kill them with a barrier. I should put my wand away, then. Oh, Miss Fiene, could you hold my wand?”
“What?! This cheeky brat! You think you can fight us without a wand? Katrina, we’re taking them down!”
“Yes, Adelina, let’s give them a thorough beating! Their carelessness will be their death!”
“Aha ha, even without a wand, I can share my mana with Ceci by touching her!” Fabian said.
“Even if you don’t do anything, your mere presence makes me invincible,” Cecilie said. “I will protect you no matter what. This is my lifelong vow!”
The four kids scattered around the court, leaving a bewildered Fiene with Fabian’s wand.
“Oooh...wow. Fabby-boo left his wand behind to go play!”
Fiene stiffened upon hearing the voice of Shihono Kobayashi, a goddess from a foreign realm. “Uh, what?! It’s been ages since I last heard you! Wait, why are you here? Oh, is it because Lieselotte and Sir Bal are here?! Oh no, but His Highness is stuck elsewhere! He’s going to be so upset if he finds out about this!”