A few days later, Jeanette once again arrived at the royal palace. Of course, this time she had no need to sneak in. Instead, she was granted official permission to visit as Dr. Jaquilla’s assistant. Jaquilla, who was nominally her instructor, stayed by her side so as not to raise any doubts.
“I still can’t believe it!” he said with a grin on his face. “Do you really plan to start today?”
“Yes! Sorry to trouble you, but if you think it goes too far at any point, please step in!” Jeanette requested, vigorously thumping her chest. Then, in a quieter voice, she added, “And, um... Please keep Their Majesties at bay if you can...”
If Their Majesties were to find out that Jeanette was ordering their daughter around, they might faint from shock (especially in the case of the queen). But Jeanette couldn’t let them stop her at this stage.
“Mm-hmm, leave it to me. And as a doctor, I’m also very curious to see the results of your plan, Miss Jeanette,” Jaquilla whispered back.
The two were collaborating for their own reasons: Jeanette in order to get Claus back, and Jaquilla to satisfy his curiosity as a doctor. As a side note, Matheson Trading had also begun selling Anemia-Be-Gone, and a share of the proceeds went to Jaquilla as the physician in charge of supervising the tonic. Ever since they’d made this deal, Jaquilla had become extremely cooperative.
“Thank you, Dr. Jaquilla. I’m sure we’ll be able to improve Lady Tia’s constitution,” said the grinning Claus. It wasn’t time for him to tutor Meltia, yet he’d shown up anyway and sneakily took his place by Jeanette’s side.
Meltia glared at them.
“So what am I supposed to do?” she grumbled.
“First things first, please change into this!” Jeanette said cheerfully, holding a set of clothes out to the princess. “Your dress is gorgeous, but exercising in it would be difficult. That’s why I prepared this for your use exclusively!”
“Humph, fin— Wait, what’s with this outfit?!” Meltia asked as she looked it over.
Jeanette had arranged for an all-white set of clothes which exuded a distinctly oriental aura. Instead of a shirt, the top resembled a bathrobe. There was also a large belt called an obi used to secure the clothes in place.
“Are these pants?! You seriously expect me to put this on?!” Meltia spluttered.
“Yes! Pants are perfect for exercising. They’re easy to move around in, and there’s no risk of stepping on the hem and tripping like with a dress,” Jeanette explained.
“No! I refuse! These clothes are weird!”
“Huh? Really?” Jeanette asked while unceremoniously slipping off her own dress.
“What are you—?! Oh, you’re wearing them too...”
Beneath her dress, Jeanette was wearing the exact same outfit she’d handed to Meltia. Claus smiled at the sight.
“Everything you wear suits you, Jeanette. This is such a fresh look too—you look adorable,” he said.
For some reason, this caused Meltia to jolt.
“Humph, I’ll put this on then... I need to change, so you need to leave the room. But if you want to look, you can stay, Lord Claus,” she said, casting him a flirtatious glance.
Claus thoroughly ignored her.
“Come on,” he said while putting his hand on Jeanette’s arm. “Let’s give her some space.”
“Okay!”
“Ugh!”
With the princess’s groan echoing behind them, the couple stepped out of the room along with Dr. Jaquilla.
“This is so convenient!” Jeanette whispered to Claus while they waited. “The princess is willing to do anything for you. Dr. Jaquilla is pleased too.” But then Jeanette gasped. “I’m so sorry! I feel like I’m just taking advantage of you...”
“I don’t mind. Besides, if it can get me free, I’ll go along with anything,” Claus responded. “In fact, you had to get involved because I’m so spineless... I’m sorry, Jeanette.”
“No need to apologize, Lord Claus! None of this is your fault! And I’ll do anything to get you back home safe and sound!” she responded emphatically, causing Claus to smile.
“Thank you. You’re right—the most important thing is for us to go back to our home as soon as possible. By the way, are you okay, Jeanette?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.
Claus looked at her as if trying to sound her out.
“I know we agreed to it in advance, but I fed the tonic to the princess by hand, and I’m supposed to dance with her... Doesn’t any of that annoy you?”
“Nope! It’s part of our strategy, after all!” Jeanette proclaimed spiritedly.
“I see...” For a moment, Claus was lost in thought. Not long after, he suddenly pulled Jeanette closer and kissed her forehead.
“Wah?!”
“It’s been so long since we got to talk like this, just the two of us...”
“R-Right... I missed you a lot during this past month and a half, Lord Claus,” Jeanette admitted, her cheeks flushed.
Claus hugged her even more tightly.
“I missed you too. I felt like I was going crazy. That’s why when we finally met, I couldn’t stop myself.”
Jeanette blushed even more at the memory of the passionate kiss they’d shared in front of everyone a few days ago.
“S-So that’s why...! I was convinced it was a part of your strategy to shake up the princess.”
“No, I’m afraid not. I just did that because I wanted to.”
“Because you wanted to...?” Jeanette echoed bashfully. But right then...
Clang!
...the door flew open and the head maid peeked out from the other side to glare at the couple.
“The princess has finished changing.”
“R-Right!” Jeanette said, following the maid into the chamber.
In spite of her obvious dislike, Meltia had properly put on the outfit. The somewhat angular, squarish sleeves of the robe weren’t particularly glamorous. If anything, the clothes looked almost masculine and powerful. Yet the princess, with her pale skin and slender frame, looked borderline divine in them.
“You look good in anything, Your Highness!” Jeanette exclaimed.
“Wearing pants feels so weird. I can’t get used to the feel of them around my legs,” Meltia complained, glaring at the offending material. “Anyway, now what?”
“Now it’s time for the warm-up!” Jeanette decided.
“Warm-up?”
“Yes! Whether exercising or going for a walk, the first step is to relax your muscles! They say that if you skip the warm-up, you’re more likely to get injured!” Jeanette said, then raised both of her arms in the air. “Let’s start with the arms! Clasp your hands together, and stretch them aaall the way up like this! No need to rush—please go slowly and follow my example!”
“Hmm...?” Meltia watched Jeanette suspiciously, but tried imitating her.
After lifting their arms, they tilted their bodies to the left and right. Once that was done, they put their hands on their hips and leaned forward, then back. It wasn’t long before the princess was out of breath, panting as she cast Jeanette a look.
“H-Hey... Is this really...a warm-up?”
Jeanette giggled.
“Yes, it is. Does your body feel hot already?”
“Y-Yes... I feel a bit hot...”
“Excuse me! Are you sure you’re all right, Your Highness?! I won’t allow you to push her too far!” the head maid shouted, having grown worried for Meltia. She glared at Jeanette accusingly, but the latter just smiled.
“She’s okay. I won’t go too far. Now, Your Highness—the warm-up is done, so let’s move on to the real deal. But you must promise me one thing.”
“Huh?”
“What I’m about to teach you is a secret technique which mustn’t be disclosed to the public. I’d like you to keep it a secret from Their Majesties too.”
“What?! You’re trying to hide this from Their Majesties?! I knew it! It’s something dangerous after all!” the head maid screeched.
“Very well,” Meltia replied.
“What?! Your Highness?!” The woman whipped around at the sound of the princess’s quick approval.
“Well, a secret technique’s a secret technique. Besides, mama and papa are going to make a fuss and try to stop me if I tell them about it. So keep it a secret from them, okay?” Meltia asked the maids.
“I... F-Fine, if that’s your desire...!” the head maid relented, unable to oppose the princess.
“Now, hurry up and teach me.” Meltia turned to look at Jeanette. Surprisingly, she’d embraced the idea rather quickly.
“All right! First, tighten your fists like this!” As she spoke, Jeanette stood with her knees apart and held out both of her tightened fists. Meltia did the same. “And then...” Jeanette inhaled deeply, and then the look in her eyes sharpened. “Stance!!!” she yelled so loudly that Meltia and the maids flinched.
But Jeanette paid them no heed. With a grand movement, she widened her stance and bent her knees so that she was half crouching. At the same time, she kept her left hand close to her body while pushing her right arm forward.
“G-Goodness!” shouted the head maid. “Your legs are spread apart—how disgraceful! I can’t allow the princess to do such a thing!”
Indeed, Jeanette’s legs were spread apart in this pose. However, she wasn’t about to give up.
“What are you talking about? This is a splendid form called the Straddle Stance! It’s the key to strengthening your legs!”
“St-Straddle...?”
“This is what we got these clothes for! And the pants! And this room! Now, Your Highness, go ahead! You want to dance with Lord Claus, right?!” Jeanette exclaimed, her eyes glinting with fiery passion, as though she’d been possessed by something. “Keep your legs open to twice the width of your shoulders! Bend your knees and move your hips down!”
“H-Huuuh...?” Even though Meltia felt overwhelmed, she tried to mimic the pose.
Jeanette smiled.
“Very good! Now, stay in this position! Time for the thrusting technique! Sei!”
With her legs apart, this time Jeanette thrust out her left arm, while pressing her right arm close to her body.
“Now do as I do! Sei! Sei! Sei! Sei!”
Each time she cried out, she thrust out one arm and withdrew the other.
Meltia watched her with her mouth hanging open.
“But...what even is this?!”
“It’s karate!” Jeanette replied, still doing the exercises as she grinned broadly.
“K-Karate?”
“Yes! It’s a type of martial art from the Far Eastern islands, characterized by its striking techniques! It’s a great form of self-defense which uses your whole body and is perfect for building up your strength!”