// Estel's Choice. //

You are surrounded by boys fighting and asking questions about you.
What do you do?

[Estel Check Equipment.]

Ornament changing her original hair color. [Currently in Use.]

Sack of gold coins given by Leanne.
[Can be thrown as a distraction but will only cause more danger.]

Call for Aisha help
[Unavailable due to the danger of being exposed.]

In Estel's mind, she could only panic as there was nothing available for her to use.

[Come on, Estel...
You're a genius thief, who outsmarted villains.
There has to be a way out of this!?]

//-Check Ability-//

Use 『Light Magic』?
[Error: possibility of catching unnecessary attention imminent.]

Use 『Worldly Threads.』?

[Why was this the last thing on my mind!?] She complained.
________________________________________________________________________________

// Unexpected development. //

In a few moments, Estel sticked a thread on the soft ground and attached it on the prince behind her. As he was dragged by some abnormal force. Alex who was laughing at him soon, were the next to feel a sudden drag of force as he was pulled off from his horse, heading towards the muddy ground.

"What the heck is going on!" The two princes cried out.

During this moment, her knight swiftly moved to help her steer her horse.
As Estel, herself had no idea how to control it.

Meanwhile, on another horse, Leanne and Lana were laughing at them.
"Come on, boys.
What are you two doing falling off of your own horses like that?"

Misfortune struck them with dirt and poop stuck to their clothes as she said those words.
Prince Alex guard who was watching from afar then came after him.

"Your Highness is everything, alright?"

"Ugh... I'm gonna need a bath," he replied.
While Jake could only groan as stand-in both confusion and in puzzlement.
The hour soon ended with them leaving to take a bath and change of clothes.

As the next class soon approached.

Leanne could only laugh a bit and say.
"That was quite cruel of you, Luria.
He was earnestly asking about it too."

Estel exhaled deeply.
In the end, the pocket watch jewelry was still in her pockets.
He didn't take it from her, but hesitated and waited for her answer first.
"He's going to pester me about this again, isn't he?"

Lana replied with a wide grin.
"Aren't you a popular girl having two princes fight over, you."

But Estel was troubled by such words as she said with embarrassment.
"That wasn't my intention at all!
He was the one who took my hand, all of a sudden.
I couldn't properly reject or give me the chance to properly retort to him."

Leanne then replied.
"But still...
This is your only chance to get a prince."

She flatly retorts her as Estel said.
"I highly doubt, they even have the guts to face my own father!
It takes at least the courage of a hero to able to ask for my hand."

As Estel said these words, Leanne and Lana simply laughed.
"Your completely right!"

As they soon reached the destination.
10:00 am - 12:00am = Weapon and Arms Practices.
Location: Training Building.

As they entered the place, there were a few students practicing.
Her grandfather then appeared as he called out to them.

"Over here," he shouted.

He scratches his face as he then pulled her closer to him as she whispered in her ears.
"Hmmm? I expected you to be alone.
Though, do your friends already know about your special ability?"

"What special ability?"

"What else, but the special threads which your mother usually use."

Estel then exhaled, as he told him.
"I've already used it on them,
There's no reason for me to hide it."

He nods to her as he then waved his hands at Leanne and Lana.
"Follow us." As they followed, Seid remained outside guarding the door as it closed.

But as they entered the room, everyone felt something odd about their surrounding the moment they entered a room. Weapons of many varieties were all around them and pieces of arms were prepared in a single wide room. However, they soon noticed the usual sound they once heard around them had vanished.

The three understood they have entered some kind of barrier.

"I used a spell to conceal our presence,
Right now we are in a mirror dimension of the room we are in.
Since you two came here as well, I suppose it's fine for you guys to join in."
As he told them this, he then cried out to Estel.

"Estel!? prepare yourself.
Your mother had only taught you the basics,
It's time to put that ability to the test."

As he said those words,
Estel felt unease yet...
It was something that she had been thinking for a long time.

[In order to protect my peaceful life,
I need to become stronger than this!] were her thoughts.

Estel had already resolved herself, there was no longer a point in complaining.
The fact she was a half-white dragon, did not change.
The fact she was the demon-king daughter, did not change.

She wanted to be a maid, live a simple and easy going life.
In order to lead such a peaceful life,
She required strength to repel the threats that came after her.
And thus, she accepted his training with an eagerness in mind.

[I know full well, you're doing this in order to hatch the egg of my grandmother.
My familiar had already warned me many times, this blood flowing inside me, will inevitably draw attention. Eventually, I will be discovered.

And when that time comes, I want to be prepared for it.
There are still so many things for me to discover,
I refuse to just turn into their main dish!

I'll rather fight,
For the sake of that peaceful life,
I'll conquer this training and live my own life!]

As Estel thought of these words, she manipulated the armor in the room and controlled at least five puppets. While her grandfather snapped his finger, as murky undead were called forth in front of him.

Leanne and Lana were repulsed by its presence as they said.
"Aren't those the undead that attacked us, back at home!?"

A voice then echoed from a sack on his waist.
"Of course it is.
You nitwits!
I cannot believe my plans were ruined just like that!

Count yourself, lucky you little kittens.
Your mother's body would have been, MINE!
Had this man not interfered with my work." As the sack cried out in his pocket.

Her grandfather then pulled out, the object in front of them.
As Leanne and Lana paled recognizing it's shape and color.
He then said.
"I'm borrowing the power of this lich, to help you train.
Try to defend for as long as you can Estel.
Don't use your magic, no matter what happens.
I'll observe how long you will last."

As he then pointed at the two.

"You two, pick up a weapon or two.
Since you joined in her training.
This will be a great experience for both of you as well."

As he said these words, Leanne and Lana swiftly grabbed a weapon as they came closer to Estel.
Undead then began to sprawl across the room, without end.

The Idol in his hand then cried out to them.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!
Welcome to paradise!
Little Girls!"

Within those two hours, Estel, Leanne, and Lana were subjected to a grueling battle.
However, they simply lasted for at least an hour before collapsing.
With Lana, the only one left standing.

With sweat and a bit of torn clothes, Lana's exasperated inhaled and exhaled as she defended the two who are no longer able to move. She was forced to perform an icy nova around her to defend them, while creating statues of the ghoulish undead that was used for the practice at the moment the training was put to a halt.

He then sealed the Idol's power as the undead faded in a single moment as he told her.

"Impressive, your still standing.
For a human, your not half-bad."

Leanne and Estel were on the ground gasping for air, unable to move.
Lana was still standing, but she then bowed to her grandfather.

"Haa...
Though I never expected to experience this kind of training.
Haa...
From a great dragon such as yourself.
Haah...
This is undoubtedly a valuable experience, thank you for your training."

As she bowed to him in response,
He nods to her as he said.

"Polite as well,
Though my granddaughter did great at the beginning.
She seems to lack endurance, though it's not really that strange.

Being cooped up in that castle for years must have done this to her."

In a flick of his finger, the area that surrounded them swiftly returned to normal.
As the echoes of training students returned in their surroundings.
And their once damaged clothing was instantly repaired.

"Feel free to use the rest of this hour to recover.
Take a break, the next lesson is practical's on magic.

If you two still intend to join,
Then I advise bringing drinks.
It's going to be one long session."

He then left them in the room,
With sweat and drained expressions.
Lana was the only one who could still stand.

Estel at that moment could only say.
"Haa...
That was more than I expected."

"Agreed," Leanne replied.

Her grandfather then requested Seid for a few cushions for them to rest in.
As he left to feed his pet Ashes.
Seid guarded them while Leanne and Estel took a long rest.

Lana who had the strength to spare then spoke to him.
"Your Estel's knight, right?
How strong are you compared to the other knights?"

"..."

"..."

he was silent.
After a few moments Lana frowned at him, but then he spoke.
"I am the weakest among them,
But that doesn't mean, I am incapable of bringing them down.
Each knight specializes in different things,
That I am unfortunately unable to tell you." He said in honesty.

Lana then curiously asked.

"Then...
Why were you chosen?
If you were the weakest." she asks.

He then replied. "Let's just say...
I got involved in an accident involving her.
After that, I got offered to become a knight as compensation.

Though, my face got completely wrecked in the process.
Because I mistook her for someone else."

"Mistook her? for someone else."

"That's private.
You should rest, as well.
I'll keep watch from here."

Lana then teased him.
"Three girls are going to be asleep.
Are you sure, you're not going to do anything shameless?"

"I'd probably be fed to Ashes If I had that kind of guts."

Lana laughed in his response, as she moved to one of the cushions he prepared for them.
Giving him a wink she then said.
"We'll be in your care then." At that moment she shut her eyes to rest.

As he whispered to himself.
"You could have at least amused me, a bit longer." while he returned to his duty.

________________________________________________________________________________

// The two princes and bath. //

After the two were plunged into a muddy and dirty fall.
Alex invited Jake to his dorm.
It was close to the stable and the thought of a prince walking around with muddy clothes felt wrong to him. As he then asked, while bathing in a gigantic bathhouse.

"So, tell me.
Who exactly is that girl you seemed to be attached to?"

"Tch!," clicking his tongue he then answered.

"She was once Leanne's maid.
But all of a sudden, she suddenly has a knight attached to her.
It appears something happened all of a sudden after leaving the academy for a few weeks."

Alex shook in irritation as he heard it.
"Did I heard that correctly?
Did you just said, that girl was once a maid."

He nods to him.
"She's had quite a mystery to her," But then pointed at him with a complaint.

"I was asking her something crucial like why on earth does she have a knight.
Until you decided to interrupt us, with your own curiosity." he said in frustration, as Alex was speechless.

But he then calmed down as he said.
"Well... I can always try and find her again.
After all, she is still carrying my family heirloom."

Alex then asked.
"You're not saying "That" heirloom that you only give to your betrothed."

"It's exactly "That".

Originally I gave it to her when she was a maid.
Because she was particularly interesting.

But now that she has a knight with her.
Things might be more complicated than I imagined." As he exhaled deeply.

Alex then said to him,
"Why would you come after a maid?
Weren't you looking for someone to save your kingdom."

"Originally that was the plan,
But... things just got out of hand."
[Note: He wasn't able to explain to him, that he wasn't aware of the curse.]

Alex then stood in front of him as he said.
"What a cunning maid she has...
Then isn't it only wise to expose her as a maid pretending to be a noble?"

But Jake retorts.
"What if she isn't just a maid?"

But Alex assured him.
"There wasn't any news of a princess from another nation arriving this place.
Aside from strange rumors of a giant monster appearing in the night.
So rest assured."

He then confidently said.

"This time, I'll show that wily Leanne her place.
Fuhahahahaha."

Jake could only groan as he sunk himself deeper in the water.
He then thought.
[I just wanted to have her explain things a bit,
Also to have her return that heirloom.]

Little did the prince know...
Everything regarding Estel true identity had been completely been silenced by the Headmaster.
She had applied in the school as a VIP, as well as a person to keep watch.

As guards were ordered to put down any conflicts that could possibly expose her existence or any curious student are to be brought directly to the headmaster giving them a direct warning from him.