I slept like a log at night and woke up very refreshed the next morning. Since I always started my days by working out at the local gym, my biological clock was set to waking up at 6 AM. I was proud of myself, I was sure that the prince and his knights would appreciate my effort. Boy, was I wrong!

I went down to the training grounds Dorian showed me yesterday and saw that the training was already in session. Dozens of knights yielding swords at each other, all tall and sturdy. I was following their movements - calculated and precise, it almost seemed as if all of it was just a stage play. I don't know how long I had been standing there watching before I heard a familiar voice calling for me.

- Miss Yoona? You're kinda late.

I turned around and saw Raphel standing in front of me. It was obvious he had been training for a while, his face was red, he was dripping with sweat and his breath was irregular.

"I bet I could hear his heart racing like a horse if I put my hand on his chest."

I caught myself staring at Raphael's chest and covered my face with my hand.

"Gosh, Yoo Na, pull yourself together!"

- How long have you been training already?

- We've been up since 4:30, it's our usual schedule.

- USUAL?!

As much as I respected the early birds, 4:30 in the morning was still too early for exercising. I turned again to have another look at the knights but I couldn't tell whether they looked exhausted or not.

- God, and I thought I was the one to be early today. I guess being an imperial knight is a whole other level. Anyway, prince Dorian told me you would have everything ready for me to begin.

- Yes, I have prepared everything. Let us go down.

He led me down the wooden stairs right into the training field. Some of the knights noticed me right away, the others were still immersed in the sparring. Raphael shouted something incomprehensible and the clanking of the swords stopped. I noticed how quiet it had become without the sounds of the clashing metal.

The knights looked at Raphael and straightened their postures.

"This guy's authority is something else."

- This is Miss Yoona, she is the disciple of the Goddess Ariana. She was summoned to help us train in preparation for the upcoming war. Since she is a master of physical... education, she will be in charge of any additional training she will deem necessary. Miss Yoona will help us develop the necessary level of physical endurance we need to succeed on the battlefield. His Majesty Prince Dorian has approved her himself so you'll need to listen to everything she will have to say and do everything she would want you to do.

God, that sounded weird. Raphael continued.

- Miss Yoona, do you have anything to say before we start?

- Uhm... Hi everyone! I'm not good at speeches like sir Raphael here, but it's nice to meet you, and let's take care of each other, alright?

I looked at the knights' poker faces and smiled awkwardly.

- Ah! And please just call me Yoona, I don't need any titles in front of my name, thanks!

Raphael looked at me with a questioning look as if to encourage me to keep talking. I looked back at him with my eyes rounded when it finally hit me.

- Oh my! Sorry! Well, uhm... Can all the knights please line up in front of me and sir Raphael so we can do some examination and questioning? I will just have to take your body measurements and ask you some questions about your physical state.

I smiled again and looked at Raphael. He gave me an approving look and waved at the knights commanding them to make a line in front of us. Two knights brought out a small wooden desk and a chair for me to sit on. I felt like a doctor examining the patients, it felt good!

Two hours later, when I barely managed to finish the examination of fifty knights from the remaining 100, my enthusiasm started to decline. I was hungry and kinda dehydrated when I realized that Raphael wanted me to finish the examination in one go which meant I had to skip at least two meals and be stuck in the training grounds till late afternoon.

"Damn it, I like breakfasts!"

- Miss Yoona, is something wrong?

Raphael leaned down to me and whispered.

- Uhm, I'm kinda hungry and really need to have some water.

He looked at me with a surprised look and sighed.

- I'm sorry. The knights usually skip their breakfast since they train until lunchtime.

- What?! What about water?

- They can drink water during small breaks.

"Well, at least that."

- But sir Raphael, how can you train effectively when your knights are underfed?

Another dumbfounded look in my direction.

- Ugh, I'll have to take it with the prince and emphasize the importance of a healthy eating schedule.

- If you're hungry, I can ask Aurora to bring your breakfast here.

- I can't eat in front of one hundred hungry knights, it's unfair!

Raphael chuckled a little and nodded his head. He waved at his knights signaling them to look at us.

- Everyone! Miss Yoona wants us to have breakfast so we will continue after we've finished with our meals. Proceed to the knights' kitchen and tell the cook I ordered him to serve you breakfast.

The knights seemed to look surprised. They all turned their eyes on me almost simultaneously as if trying to receive my confirmation. I closed my eyes and nodded my head slowly. Once they were sure that breakfast is indeed happening, they almost ran away from the field.

"Everybody loves breakfast, no wonder they ran away from here so fast."

- Miss Yoona, since it might take some time, I think we can meet His Majesty now and have his examination too.

I looked at him with a pleading look, like a hungry puppy asking for treats. Raphael sighed.

- The breakfast will be served in His Majesty's room.

- Great! Let's go then!

When we entered the prince's room, he was already all dressed up and sipping breakfast tea. I looked at the table the breakfast was placed on - muffins, fruit salads, some kind of porridge, and cheese. I recalled the breakfast I usually had after my workout - a cup of coffee and a turkey sandwich, sometimes followed by a protein bar if I felt particularly exhausted.

- Miss Yoona, you're back early! Have you finished already?

- We decided to take a break and eat, working so hard on an empty stomach is ridiculously dangerous. Especially in this summer heat.

Raphael looked at the prince and shrugged his shoulders.

- So what would be your early evaluation of our knights?

Dorian took a bowl of fruit salad and started eating. I wiped my mouth subtly in fear that I was drooling.

- Well, most of the knights I've checked so far are quite muscular and have low to almost no percentage of body fat, however, a lot of them said that they experience symptoms of physical exhaustion and low energy levels. I suspect it's because they do not receive enough nutrition or even skip meals.

I hesitated and looked at Raphael, his eyes were closed. I turned back to look at His Majesty but he remained silent. I sighed and continued.

- In addition, I think it would be better if we added a more diverse exercising routine on top of the sword training.

Raphael sat next to the prince and finally looked at me.

- So what do you suggest?

- I suggest we add cardio and weightlifting 3 times a week from Monday till Wednesday, then we switch to stretching and gymnastics on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and leave Sunday as a rest day.

Both of them rounded their eyes at me.

- You want them to have a rest day? And what the hell is cardio?

"Gosh, here we go."

- Cardio is cardio-respiratory exercise, which basically means exercising at certain intensity levels in order to speed up your heartbeat. Your body requires more oxygen as a result and burns a lot of energy.

It seemed my explanation did not do much.

- Ugh... Well, do you guys run?

They nodded their heads.

- So have you ever noticed that your heart beats really fast when you run, especially if you run very fast?

They nodded again.

- Well, that's a type of cardio for you.

The prince scratched his chin and took a cup of tea in his head.

- So you want us to run?

- Well, if you are going to war, physical endurance is very important to be able to withstand the harsh environment of the battlefield, and if you can run 20 laps around the palace without dropping dead, then you can withstand anything, believe me!

His Majesty remained silent for a while and then stood up. He came closer to me, leaned his body forward, gulped and whispered, completely terrified.

- Miss Yoona... you want me to run 20 laps around my palace?