9 Chapter 8: Winter in Neuchatel (2/2)
”You see,” she said with her face suddenly turned serious, ”the Kriegsschule is not somewhere you go on a whim or just to have fun. It is a long-term commitment and basically a life contract with the Kingdom of Lacrimosa. Under this contract, you are not allowed to travel to another country without the Kingdom's written authorization and this is one of the reasons why only citizens of Lacrimosa with real verified proof of residence and ID from the Kingdom can enroll there. When you pass the exams, you have to pledge your allegiance to the King of Lacrimosa and you will officially become cadets of the Lacrimosian Armed Forces. This means that you can enjoy amenities only available to the military and your conduct is judged according to the military justice system. That also implies that you will be called to the battlefield if the need arises. If you're ready for that kind of things, the Kriegsschule is for you!”
Her face reverted to the relaxed expression she had earlier and she continued cuddling my face as if nothing happened. My body was still very tense from her constantly rubbing her assets on my back.
”Fortunately,” I thought again, ”my body is only that of a six years old child.”
”Can you tell me how life is there?” I asked. ”I wanna apply when I'll turn 12.”
”Really, Freddie?” She asked me using my pet name with an excited voice. ”You're really considering going to the Kriegsschule?”
”If I pass the examinations, I guess.”
”Wow, that's amazing!” She exclaimed. ”The scion of the protégée of the Laurelian High Command and one of the top generals of the Lacrimosian Land Forces is going to the Kriegsschule! I can't wait to see how good you will be!”
”Ummm…” I was kind of crushed by the pressure. ”You have so much expectation for me, lady Chambéry!” I cried, making sure she sees some tears under my eyes. Instead, she completely ignored what I said and continued her explanation.
”Alright, little Freddie, listen well,” she said, ”If you do make it to the Kriegsschule, your first two years will be some of the most boring you'll ever live, trust me. They say it's Military strategy, but you know what are the courses? It's all things like history, geography, philosophy, rhetoric, geometry, fortification, grammar, Lacrimosian, fighting, dancing, and horsemanship! Real military tactics and strategies are ONLY taught at the start of the 3rd year after you have already chosen your branch. Since there are only around 100 students every year who pass, the classes during the first two years will be 4 classes of 25 students, each class represented by an instructor. Believe it or not, the homeroom instructors will play a very important role in your time at the Kriegsschule, so you have to pray to have a good one. Each class will sleep in a dorm, with the girls in one section of the building and boys in the other. Since there aren't many students per class and the tuition fees are on the higher side even after major government subsidies, all cadets have their own room in their respective dormitories. Even better, the rooms all have a bathroom with a bath and running water. You'll have to bring your own chamber pots, though, since it's incredibly gross to use the ones from the school. During the first 2 years, you'll be staying with the same class and after that, you'll move to your respective departments with their own sets of dormitories and facilities. The Artillery, for example, has better dormitories than that of the infantry officers and we enjoy better food. The downside is that we have more theoretical courses and the only physical training we get are the common bayonet fighting courses and the artillery shooting courses. The rest is boring stuff like math and geography. The elite artillery classes are no different. We just learn to use more complex artillery guns and we also learn some engineer topics. The most rewarding of all is, of course, the mobile artillery classes, where we have advanced horsemanship and shooting classes combined. As for the vibe there, I can only speak of the artillery, though. Since we aren't many people in the first place, we kind of develop strong ties to one another and everyone ends up becoming friends, I guess.”
After that, we spent some time in some pleasant chatter and soon, we had to leave since it was time for supper.
...
Yules was walking with Frederick through the long hallways in the Montpensier mansion when a guard stopped in front of her and saluted.
”Captain,” he announced, ”Her Highness the princess and your sister have arrived!”