I thought dying was terrible, but not working out took the cake. I finished my final lap, placing my hands on my knees, and my lungs were burning. I heard some laughter in the distance, and I looked over to see some knights glancing over at me, whispering among themselves.

 

"If you want, I can jump them?" Luna said. She was glaring at the knights as she was clenching her sweater. She removed what she called a hoodie, claiming that she was getting overheated looking at me. She was wearing a white shirt that was pressed tight against her body. I suppressed a groan avoiding looking at how the shirt hugged her body perfectly.

 

"Leave them. They always hated me," I said, walking over to the rag on top of the wooden dummy.

 

"Why?" Luna asked, floating next to me.

 

"I have a question. How come nobody sees you?" I asked.

 

"Oh, I don't want people to see me. If I want people to see me, I will make myself known," Luna said.

 

"Wouldn't people think it is odd that I am talking to myself?" I asked, wiping my face and tossing it in the bucket beside me.

 

"Are you forgetting that I am a magical being?" Luna asked.

 

"Well, it is not hard to forget when you are floating all the time and the strange clothes you wear," I commented.

 

"There are not strange. They are just not from your era, but whatever, I can use my powers to hide the fact that you are talking to me. So what everyone sees is just you standing there," she said. That is pretty impressive when you think about it. I wonder what else she can do? I walked over to the wooden swords picking one up. I approached the dummy and heard a knight clear his throat behind me.

 

"Excuse me, your highness. Would you like help with learning the basics of the sword?" The knight said. I glanced over at him, and he looked at me smugly. Just the thought of the knights not respecting me made my blood boil, but I had to keep reminding myself if I wanted not to be the tyrant I was in my last life. I need to stay calm. I glanced at Luna, and she was frowning at the knight.

 

"Luna, you are going to burn a hole in his forehead if you keep staring like that," I said.

 

"Well, I can't help it! I despise people who look down on others because of their skill set," Luna said. I looked at the knight again, giving him a bright smile. If I wanted to be a fair ruler, I needed to gain the respect of the knights who protected me and prove to them that I was not a joke.

 

"I think I will be fine. Thank you for the offer," I said, causing the knight to frown.

 

"Are you sure? I am only asking because I know from experience that it would be difficult for you since you are a novice," he said. There was some laughter scattered throughout the group of knights. I looked at the knight, and he wasn't much taller than I, but he made that up in size. Everything about him was big, from his considerable muscles to his bushy eye brown. I tried to remember who he was from my last life until it finally clicked. If I want respect, I need also to make sure that I mean business; thankfully, he volunteers himself.

 

"Talc, am I correct? Only sibling, right? You lived life as a commoner until you were granted a spot in the academy and ended up passing your swordsmanship course at almost the top of your class, correct?" I asked.

 

"Y- yes," He said.

 

"I have heard a lot about you, and I said when I see you, I can tell you that I was not impressed at all," I said, swinging the sword on my shoulder. Talc looked at me like I had just struck him in the face with the sword I held.

 

"I- I'm sorry," Talc asked once he had gotten past his initial shock.

 

"Well, let's evaluate, shall we? You passed your swordsmanship training with full marks, which you should be proud of, but when it came down to your academic learning, you ended up with the short stick. You were in danger of failing. You would have been kicked out if your mentor didn't vouch for you and insisted that you could graduate from the academy with the hope of joining the imperial army. Normally, I wouldn't bring up a person's past. Still, you have insulted me by walking up to me, a member of the imperial family and not addressing me properly, and insulting my training. Now how should I punish you?" I started, and Talc fell to his knees.

 

"I- I- am sorry, your highness," Talc muttered.

 

"You know, any other time, I would just let it go, but I cannot take that lightly when you insult the crown prince. The punishment for insulting a member of the royal family is being stripped of your title and locked away. I believe," I said, scanning the area, and the rest of the knights were practically shaking in fear. I looked down a Talc, and he was on the verge of tears.

 

"B- but Magus talks to you in the same way, so I thought-" Talc said but shut his mouth when my wooden sword sunk into the ground inches before him.

 

"You thought what? You thought that if one knight is doing it, you can do it too? Well, let me tell you, this Magus will be demoted from my knight. If I find out any other knights talking about the royal family like such, they will be stripped of their titles. As for you, Talc, I will let this slide, but remember that if you disrespect me again, I will expect your head instead of your title stripped. Understand?" I said, and Talc nodded.

 

"Y- yes, your Highness," Talc said.

 

"Good, now go and reflect on what you have done," I said, and Talc jumped to his feet running off. I grabbed my sword and walked back to the dummy. I heard Luna let out a low whistle, and I looked up, and she was smirking at me.

 

"Wow! Now that was hardcore," Luna said.

 

"Well, I hope that they know that I am not a person they can mess with anymore," I said, swinging at the dummy.

 

"You are doing it wrong," Luna said.

 

"What?" I said, looking at her. Luna rolled her eyes, groaning at me before floating toward me. She stopped flying and stood there looking at me before moving behind me. Before I could ask what she was doing, she placed her hand on my shoulders.  

 

"Your stance is off. You need to square your shoulders, and then you have to separate your legs like this and make sure your waist is like this. Now try it," Luna said, stepping back. Taking a deep breath, I swung the wooden sword, and it connected with the wooden dummy with a solid crack. I gasped, looking at Luna, who was beaming at me.

 

"Since when did you know about sword training?" I asked, giving the dummy another solid whack.

 

"Well, I have been around for a while, and I have picked up sword training to the point where I mastered it," Luna said.

 

"How old are you?" I asked, and she frowned.

 

"You know you are not supposed to ask a woman of her age, but if you must know, I am 120 years old," Luna said. I felt my sword almost slip out of my hand. Is she 120 years old? She doesn't even look at it.

 

"Wow," I said, swinging at my sword again.

 

"Wow? That is all you can say? Let me guess. I bet you are wondering how I look like this?" She said.

 

"Well, yes. I barely know how a person becomes a magical being, let alone look like you haven't aged a day over 19," I said, whacking the dummy a little harder.

 

"All guides look like the age they choose to be guides. I accepted the role when I was 20, and I don't age until my contract is up," she moved behind me to adjust me to another position. "Now switch from those two positions," Luna said. To my surprise, I started working on what Luna taught me, and I quickly picked it up. I usually take some time to pick something up, but I have to admit Luna is making it seem pretty easy to learn.

 

"You are a pretty good teacher," I looked up at her, and her hair turned pink again. "Are you blushing, Luna?" I asked, and she punched me in the arm, causing me to lose my balance.

 

"Shut up. I never told you to stop," she said, and I tried to hold in my laughter and started to swing again. I think that me and Luna are going to get along just fine.