Chapter 60
I have three sons, each of which are outstanding. I’m extremely proud of them all. However, my youngest child, my only daughter, has grown up to be very selfish and willful. But because she’s so cute I can’t help but want to spoil her anyway.
That all changed the year that Alicia turned 7 years old though. Without any apparent reason, that girl who for the longest time had preferred to laze around and indulge herself day after day suddenly insisted on learning swordsmanship and started reading avidly.
As always, I let her do as she wished, thinking that she would soon grow tired of such endeavors, but she never did. It almost seemed as if something had possessed her, she had changed so completely overnight.
Her sword skills grew incredibly quickly. And in a short amount of time she had already amassed a vast knowledge on a diverse array of topics as well as cultivated an understanding and creativity that were simply astounding for a child her age.
I started to worry that she might have gotten sick and that somehow spurred her to make all these changes, but when I suggested calling for a doctor, Alicia was vehemently against it. Wishing to respect her opinion, I let the matter drop.
It wasn’t until she said that she wanted to take the sword skills exam that I knew I needed to start limiting her actions. There’s no way I could allow her to take that test.
Of course, there are no rules prohibiting women from taking the exam, but Alicia had already far surpassed the skills of the other nobility who would be in attendance to the point that they’d no longer be her match. And although it’s understandable that she’d want to evaluate her abilities, since she doesn’t seem to have realized just how proficient she’s become, allowing her to attend would undoubtedly throw Alicia into the center of attention. And I believe that standing out to that degree at such a young age would likely be dangerous for her, so I prohibited her from going.
I explained as much to my oldest son, Albert, who thankfully he agreed with me. And after a prolonged battle, Alicia finally agreed to wait as well when I promised to tell her the reason when she became 15, the age to enroll in the magic academy.
But once again, the situation has suddenly changed.
Although she’s still only 10, the other day we confirmed that she’s already able to use magic.
Once we had verified her abilities personally, we convened an emergency meeting of the five great noble houses.
“I never thought she’d really be able to use magic…..” Neville mutters while stroking his beard.
“Finding a 10-year-old capable of using magic, this must be the first time……”
“No, it’s not the first.”
Johan interrupts before Derek has the chance to finish speaking.
“True. I believe there should have been one other person in the past who had accomplished that.”
“What ended up happening to that kid anyway?”
“He lost the ability to use magic.”
At Luke’s words, the room falls deathly silent.
Luke is what we call the king of this country. His full name is Luke Seeker.
“Then, does that mean that there’s a chance that might happen to Alicia as well?” Neville asks with furrowed brows.
“No, as long as she doesn’t try to skip any levels, that shouldn’t happen.”
“I see.”
Considering Alicia’s childhood, I never could have foreseen that she would become an enfant terrible. The reason that I always let her have her way was because I just wanted her to be happy.
“Luke, it may be unprecedented, but what if we let Alicia matriculate into the magic academy early?”
At Johan’s proposal, I want to doubt my own ears.
“Alicia’s only ten!”
“Taking such a precaution is the safest option.”
While that’s true, I never wanted this for her. I wanted to give her a normal life if possible. Though, knowing that girl, she might actually be happy for the chance to enroll early.
I’d like to respect her opinion and let her make the final decision, but ten is still too young.
“At least wait until she’s 13.”
“Hmm, that seems reasonable. And waiting until she’s 13 might be a more appropriate time for her to enroll anyway. What’s your opinion, Luke?”
Luke lowers his head, eyes closed, a frown firmly etched into his face. This is how he tends to look when he’s thinking deeply about something.
After a long moment of silence, Luke looks up.
“How is the current situation regarding Liz Cather?”
T/N: I remember there were a lot of unhappy comments regarding the dad’s decision to prevent her from taking the sword skills exam, but his decision seems pretty reasonable when you see it from his perspective! What do you think? Anybody change their opinion/still don’t think it was right?
Also, way to drop the ball, “Luke.” We all wanted to hear about Alicia! Why are you changing the subject? Haha, I also can’t get over the fact that it’s Luke and Duke. Alicia’s family is practically all A names (except for Henry of course) and now we have our royals Luke and Duke…. At least they’re all easy to translate XD