Ch. 5 Gaining Strength

The next morning was rinse and repeat. I once again circled the village, while Deia did laps around the house. Dad used to do his morning workouts in the forest just north of the village, but now he started training in the yard. According to my sister, it was terrifying.

When it came to weapons training, we'd practice one move again and again until dad was satisfied. But, even if we did it right, he'd still make us repeat hundreds of times more.

While I practiced my sword, my sister would rest. We'd take breaks during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but other than that, it was all practice.

Dad received an impressive pension from his work in the military, so he could spend all day torturing us. Despite our protests, mother insisted on helping too. She took over Deia's chores and my vegetables, so we could focus solely on training.

My dreams of starting a farm seemed like a distant dream, and all I could see now were hay dummies and sweat.

After about a week, just as our bodies adjusted, dad upped the ante. During the morning run, he made my sister carry a small quiver of arrows, and me a belt with 5 razor sharp throwing knives.

Deia used to shoot her crossbow from around 50 ft, but now she had to do it from 90. I went from throwing knives from 10 feet away to now doing it from around 20.

Still, it wasn't that much harder. Within a day, my body adjusted, and I could hit rather accurately. On the other hand, Deia was thrilled with every bit of progress she made. She had been nagging dad to teach her moves since she was 5.

As for melee weapons, dad drilled us on stances and basic steps till we were sick of it. He started attacking Deia from different angles and added simple feints into the mix. Instead of practicing my thrusts and cuts in the air, I now had to use my spear on a wooden dummy. Every hit reverberated through my body, so it was exhausting.

Finally, instead of practicing all kinds of different sword techniques, dad reduced them to just thrusts and a single vertical cut from a high stance. It was slow and grueling work, but as more weeks trickled by, we could see the results.

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Amara Ariti's POV:

"Dinner is ready, your highness." Said my maid.

"You're late. Are you trying to starve your queen?"

"I wouldn't dare, your highness. The cooks were just a bit tardy. I'll make sure they get reprimanded."

"No need. Did they at least prepare what I wanted?"

"Of course, your highness. Tonight's roast beef is delightful."

'Well, at least something's going right.'

These past few weeks had been one bad news after another. Brigand activities increased in the countryside. One of our biggest cities declared itself an independent state, and a long time ally was asking for our help.

'We also need to send some adventurers to Tartarus. At this rate, even those filthy brigands will be better equipped than our soldiers.'

Of course, me rambling in my head wasn't going to solve anything. All I could do was dress pretty and leave it to my husband.

The meal was late, and I had to waste more time on my outfit and makeup, so he was understandably annoyed. Sadly, I was past the age where a loving smile could excuse me.

Now, it would only irritate him, so I didn't even bother. I gave my formal greeting and sat at the other end of the table.

"Another delegation from Dayuan arrived this morning." He said. "Those bastards think an army can be gathered in days."

"Not an army, but we could send a platoon of mages to…"

"And leave us defenseless? What if Pelion decides to expand its borders? Dayuan's royalty needs to stop depending on me as if I'm their daddy."

'So, you're already recognizing Pelion as a separate state.'

"If they're so keen on us solving their problems, they should just swear fealty and let us take over."

"If only things were as simple." I muttered.

"But, worry not dear wife. I've already sent captain Hector and his men to Tartarus to gather more cores. If they bring back enough, maybe we can spare a few soldiers to help Dayuan."

I tried numerous times to convince dear husband to leave monster hunting to the adventurers, but he's as stubborn as a mule. On the battlefield, our troops would mow down adventurers like weeds. But inside Tartarus, where hordes of mutated creatures roamed everywhere, staying hidden was paramount.

He thought it was shameful for the king's men to hide, so he'd send larger and larger teams to fight directly with the monsters.

'How many people will die this time, I wonder? 20, 30? We'll be lucky to break even.'

Soon, our meal was brought on a large golden platter. The smell was enough to forget my concerns. Our cooks truly outdid themselves.

"What is this? Didn't I tell you imbeciles I can't stand beef? It's the third time!"

"Don't worry dear husband, I've sent word for the cook to be severely punished. I doubt he'll get such bright ideas again."

"Good. This is ridiculous. It's like everything's going to hell."

"There is no hell dear, only Tartarus."

The rest of the meal was uneventful. Fortunately, I could placate my husband with his favorite wine. I had my maid prepare it herself.

As he took the first sip, I could hear a cold chuckle inside my mind. Fortunately, years of training helped me keep my composure.

That night, I would once again fall asleep to the sounds of my husband enjoying himself with some tramp in the next room. But for once, this didn't seem to bother me. In fact, I slept like a baby.

In 3 days time, he would leave for his annual spa retreat with his council. There, the traitorous nobles would poison my love, and our loyal general would have no choice but to execute them all on the spot.

I will be devastated, bedridden for days. But, just as our nation starts to lose hope, their queen will recover and reluctantly take over.

'You should have waited a bit longer.' Said the voice inside my head. 'A loyal wife mourning for 5 years sounds good to commoners, but the nobles won't be so patient.'

'No problem, I'll be too busy with the war to entertain suitors.'

'What war? The competition will sta…'

'It will start when I want it to start. If you think I need 5 years to prepare this country, you're sorely underestimating my abilities.'