Gilbert coughed and quickly regained his composure.
"So, according to usual practice, as a prince who has yet to reach adulthood, you will have a professional teaching team to ensure that you will benefit from your lessons in grammar, etiquette, and more …
"One or two attendants …"
"A certain number of personal protectors …"
Thales took a sip of tea and used it to tidy up his emotions.
"It sounds very familiar."
Gilbert nodded. He seemed to be a little sentimental.
"Of course, six years ago, due to the urgency of the situation, everything was simplified. We were unable to provide you with the best and most suitable personnel.
"Later, the development of the situation disrupted our plans. When you were in the north, it was difficult for us to send you the manpower that Eckstedt accepted. I am deeply sorry for this …"
Gilbert's words were filled with deep regret.
"Not entirely."
Thales shook his head and subconsciously curled up his lips.
"As a teacher, Putray might have disappeared for a few years and was unforgiving with his words, but he was indeed knowledgeable and had a unique way of thinking. He helped me along the way and taught me a lot."
It was hard to imagine that the sinister little old man who smoked his pipe in the corner, occasionally made you choke on your words, and always jumped out when you least expected it …
He was actually good friends with the dignified, courteous, thorough, and reliable Gilbert.
He was even a classmate who was taught by a home tutor.
"As for the attendant, Wya was loyal, hardworking, and responsible over the past six years. He was a prince's attendant that was hard to come by."
Thales keenly noticed that when Wya was mentioned, Gilbert's expression darkened again.
The prince could not help but feel sentimental.
Six years ago, when he met Wya, he thought that he was a little rigid and stern, but now …
Thales discreetly glanced at the expressionless Star Lake Guards around him.
He sighed slightly in his heart.
There were some things that one should not care about when one was blessed.
"Then there was the protector. Yes, Aida …"
Thales suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Hmm … as the prince's protector, she …"
He sighed and said awkwardly,
"Very … lively?"
As the prince narrated, Gilbert seemed to have sunk into his memories. His gaze moved slightly.
"Besides," Thales snapped out of his daze and said with a smile,
"Didn't you invite Old Crow for me in the last year?"
When this nickname was mentioned, Gilbert's expression brightened, and he beamed with joy.
"And I hope Mr. Hicks can be of some help to you."
"Phew, of course he does." Thales shrugged. He thought of that special teacher, the stubborn veteran in Shield District who was physically and mentally disabled, but had a strong will. He also thought of the bond between them and his mysterious mother.
"And the help he gave me …"
"You can't imagine."
There was a moment of silence in the living room. Neither of them spoke. During this time, the servants served tea and snacks under the company of the royal guards.
"I promise you, Your Highness."
Gilbert looked at Thales again. His tone was gentle.
"Since you have returned to Eternal Star City and have been promoted to a duke, you should have received a noble and effective education."
"The knowledgeable people appointed by His Majesty and I will do our best for your learning. We will start with setting up your daily schedule and planning your daily life …"
His daily routine …
Thales could not help but scratch his head when he heard this.
"In truth, I have been used to studying by myself for the past six years. You know, there is a huge library in Heroic Spirit Palace …"
But Gilbert shook his finger, as if he was prepared for this.
"Being forced to study by yourself behind closed doors due to limited conditions and having resources but not using them are two different things."
"Also," Gilbert changed the topic, and he became stern and serious.
"If you know anything about learning, Your Highness, then you will know."
"Aside from memorizing things by rote and accumulating knowledge effortlessly …
"Nothing can be learned by oneself."
Thales stared at him in a daze.
Gilbert raised his fingers and tried to persuade Thales earnestly with good intentions.
"You need someone to guide you, discuss with you, ask for your advice, supervise you, stimulate you, encourage you, help you, and respond to your learning results. These are things that cold, hard books cannot give you …"
"Alright, alright, I understand," Thales interrupted him, feeling a headache coming on. He gestured with his finger, as if he had given up on himself.
"Learning, lessons, and all that. Alright, come on, come on."
'Forget it.
Besides, it's just a lesson.
'Aside from ghosts and crabs, I have never been afraid of anything in my life!'
Gilbert nodded with a smile.
"Very well. That is why I want to discuss with you today and sort out your learning schedule from now on …"
Constellation's Cunning Fox raised his glasses again. At the same time, he picked up a pen with his right hand and wrote something on a piece of paper on his knees.
Thales, who could not fight for a free life as a worm, stared at him in boredom.
"Then, grammar, etiquette, history, military affairs …"
Gilbert narrowed his eyes and looked up.
"Among these four, what did you learn in Eckstedt?"
Thales raised his head and thought.
'The days in Heroic Spirit Palace and Saroma's study room … Hmm …
'Grammar, etiquette, history, military affairs.'
"They did not categorize things this way …"
"But let us skip grammar and etiquette first," Thales said, feeling a headache coming on.
"First, history."
Thales tapped his fingers as he recalled.
"In the past six years, they changed many history teachers, from scholars, nobles to priests and priests of the temple. Count Lisban even personally taught them when he was free."
"Ciel Lisban … I remember that Lord Dragon's Eye." Gilbert's eyes focused.
"Eighteen years ago, during the peace talks at the fortress, he was a difficult opponent."
When he remembered Regent Lisban's eyes, which seemed to be able to see through his thoughts, Thales nodded with lingering fear.
"Rather than calling it history, the Northlanders, especially the nobles, should be called … a traditional lesson."
Gilbert's gaze flickered.
"Traditional?"
Thales nodded.
"From the ancient Northland countries, Takhmu's Alliance of Ten Thousand Beasts, to the Iron Blood King's' Human's Last Line of Defense ', the completion of the Temple of Knights, the kings working together to launch the Holiness Exorcism Campaign …
"Then, the kings fighting against each other, the birth of the Pegasus, the award of honor in blood, the conquest of the Empire …
"Then, the King of Rebellion rebelled against the Empire, the independence of Northland, the duel between the six kings, the eastward migration of the Mountain Elves …
"Then, the collapse of the Empire in modern times, the orcs marching south during the 'Moonless Midwinter', the restoration of the last line of defense, the restoration of the Thirty-Eight Sentry Grounds …"
Thales counted one by one. Gilbert also scribbled something down on a piece of paper.
The duke sighed.
"I'm just short of saying that the entire Ancient Empire was built because of the invincible Northland knights, and then it was overthrown by them. In the end, we still have to rely on them to protect the human world …"
There was resignation in Thales' tone.
"But, until Raikaru overturned Cold Wind and the Ten Knights stood side by side in Eckstedt, if you listen to it more, you will realize …"
The duke's gaze gradually became serious.
"Rather than saying that they remember history, it would be more accurate to say that they want to remember the unique traditions of the Northland: survival, blood and iron, joint rule, duel, war, and glory."
Gilbert thought deeply for a while before he continued.
"Or perhaps it is their laws and orthodoxy."
Thales narrowed his eyes and nodded.
Or to sum it up in one sentence:
'Eat, sleep, fight orcs.
'The last one can be replaced with' Empire 'or' Constellation 'at any time.
'Hmm, who knows, it might be changed to' Thales' one day. '
The Duke of Star Lake swept away unnecessary thoughts and returned to the main topic.
"Then, it is Northland's etiquette class.
"Yes, you heard it right. The Northland nobles also have etiquette classes. How to meet, greet, greet, get along, woo … and of course, how to duel."
Thales sighed.
"The Northland etiquette of insanity … The higher the status of the nobles, the more so."
"Etiquette …" Gilbert pondered and mulled over the word.
"Regardless of the aspect, the more people who dislike the Empire despise it, the more they look up to the former great Empire, such as etiquette."
Thales recalled some past events and sneered.
"Believe it or not, in a certain version of the story, Northland's tradition of dueling originated from a pair of brothers in ancient times. Legend has it that they fell in love with the same woman."
Just like lions, in order to fight for the damned …
Right to mate in a pack.
Thales pursed his lips.
In fact, during his first year in Dragon Clouds City, Thales, who did not know the ropes, received friendly and eager duel requests from various Eckstedtian nobles.
Fortunately, his status was high enough (he was a prince), and fortunately, his backing was strong enough (the archduchess), and even more so, he was thick-skinned enough. Thales lived through his first year in peace, and swore not to walk together with Saroma in public. "She was the one who came to hold my hand first!" Late at night, the nine-year-old Thales complained to his pillow, feeling wronged.
"Apart from that, they would also explain religion and beliefs during etiquette classes."
Thales recalled.
"From the worship of ancestors in ancient times, to the belief in the mountains in modern times, to the Church of Holy Sun in modern times, to the Bright Moon and the Setting Sun today, to the Throne and the Great Dragon after the Battle of Eradication, Northland's etiquette and beliefs are inseparable."
Gilbert made a few notes, nodded, and said,
"This is probably due to the influence of the Empire's legacy."
"A few hundred years ago, when the Church of Holy Sun was still the Empire's state religion, almost all the secretaries and scholars under the nobles of the Empire came from the church's school. Almost every noble family had their own priests, and the belief in the Holy Sun was a compulsory lesson, second only to loyalty to the Minister. In fact, religious etiquette and knight etiquette have quite a lot in common. "
Thales shrugged. He did not know whether he agreed or felt helpless.
"Aside from history and etiquette, there are also lessons on governance.
"As the name suggests, it teaches a suzerain's heir how to govern his territory. Of course, only noble families with counts and above would have such lessons."
Thales recalled with a headache.
"It includes financial calculation, agriculture, business administration, human relations, etiquette, nobles' marriage relationships, and so on … There are many and complicated things."
Gilbert seemed to be deep in thought.
"But do you know what's the most interesting thing?"
Thales exhaled. His tone was one of mockery and one of disdain.
"Under normal circumstances, women do not have the right to listen to this lesson. They are only prepared for male heirs."
Of course, in the past few hundred years, Eckstedt had never produced a female heir who could be put on the table.
That was why he had the honor of accompanying a certain someone to attend the lesson. Ironically, Thales was more capable than his female deskmate in stimulating the teacher's desire to guide him in this lesson.
"But in fact, the contents of the Northland Governance Lesson, whether it be the measurement of income and expenditure, the management of household affairs, the analysis of human relations, the arrangement of banquets, or the arrangement of marriages according to etiquette, especially the parts related to numbers and marriage alliances, are all managed by the mistress after marriage. This is especially so for some nobles who only know how to drink and hunt, but are not very good at arithmetic."
Thales tilted his head and thought for a while. He thought of Nicholas.
"In fact, there are quite a lot of men like this in Northland.
"So, among the many lessons that the Archduchess and I have to attend, the inexplicable Governance Lesson is actually the one that the nobles in Dragon Clouds City will not dispute the most. Because she is a girl, after all. She will have to learn these things after she gets married, but I am a man. It is useless for me to learn these things."
The prince said in disdain.
Gilbert smiled at him.
"During the chaotic era of multiple kings, wives and daughters were only the ties that connected families to families, and cities to cities. They had no status to speak of.
"Only since the fall of the Empire did intelligent women have their own stage: a good girl can become a good wife to her future husband, sharing the responsibilities of the man's shoulders, instead of being a beauty in a portrait."
"From this, it can be seen that the advancement of the status of the noble ladies depends on the maturity of the external conditions and environment. Only when the chaos of war is gone, the granaries are full, production is restored, the rule is stable, the warhorses are useless, the weapons are ownerless, the physical work is reduced, and there are more mental tasks, will the disadvantages of women's bodies be reduced, and their intellect can be put to use."
Gilbert added another sentence with a seemingly profound meaning.
"If the world has not reached that day, then it will be futile for you to stand up for your schoolmates in Dragon Clouds City."
However, Thales' interest was piqued.
"So, if the external conditions are never ripe, such as production is not developed, the economy is backward, the political situation is unstable, and wars are frequent; if the world will never reach that day, such as people still relying on their physical strength and strength to work … then should women be subservient and continue living like this forever?"
Gilbert raised the spectacles in his hands.
"It is a pity, but this is an obvious and objective fact. We are powerless to do anything about it."
Thales stared at him and suddenly smiled.
"Reality and ought to be."
Gilbert was taken aback.
"What?"
"You gave me an 'is' answer, Gilbert." The young duke sighed.
"To answer my 'ought' question."
"That is not right."
Gilbert was stunned at first, then came to a realization.
"Looks like we can improve our grammar lessons a little." The Foreign Affairs Minister smiled gently.
"Especially the logical part."
Thales smiled to go along with him.
"But before we solve this age-old problem, let us return to the main topic." Gilbert wisely did not linger on this topic anymore.
"Then, aside from history, etiquette, and governance?"
Thales blew hard, but he did not manage to make a sound.
But this did not affect the complicated feelings he had towards the next answer.
"Lastly, and also the most distinctive part of the North.
The Northlanders' …
"Military lessons."
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