“You called for me, Father?” Maude asked, curtsying in front of the duke. Sweat dotted her brow as she’d come to his office in the middle of training.. Few things would cause her father to interrupt her during training time, so she rushed over, not even taking the time to look a touch more presentable.

“You may rise,” her father’s baritone voice replied. She met his steel eyes. She did her best to suppress a shiver.

Her father’s red uniform clashed with the garish paisley and coral wallpaper that Maude’s step-mother had used when she’d redecorated the room. Maude couldn’t understand that woman’s taste at all.

Her father strode out around from the back of his desk, and leaned against the front of it. “Have you heard of the Kingdom of Aulbert?” he asked her.

Maude nodded. “Of course. They border Ainsworth’s south eastern side.”

Her father nodded in approval. “That’s correct,” he answered.

“What does the Kingdom of Aulbert have to do with me?” Maude asked. She felt her stomach nervously bubbling. As the daughter of the duke, one of the biggest threats she felt was her father deciding to marry her off to some foreigner who was cruel. She felt if she had to permanently leave Ainsworth, then she would be leaving an essential part of herself behind.

“Those brutes have declared war on the empire.”

Maude’s soul felt as though it was being sucked out of her body. As the empire’s only sword saint, there was one thing that she dreaded more than being married off to a rude foreigner, and that was war.

“P-pardon?” she said.

“You heard me correctly,” her father answered. “Those fucking uncouth barbarians have the audacity to go after the empire. Imagine the arrogance to do such a thing. Such small fry don’t stand a chance against us!” Her father raised his arms to the heavens, his face displaying the awe he felt towards the empire.

Maude shivered. She knew her father was right. There was no way Aulbert wouldn’t be crushed under the might of the empire’s forces.

Her father turned back to her with a smile on his face that made Maude wish she was still training.

“And the gracious emperor, may his glory always reign, has ever so thoughtfully requested the empire’s one and only sword saint to lead an army into battle.”

Silence fell in the room. Maude was breathing so shallowly that she barely made any sound at all.

After a beat, her father asked, “What do you think of that, Maude, dearest?”

Maude felt like there were snakes slithering all over her body. She would rather be anywhere besides her father’s office at that moment.

“O-oh,” she stuttered. “The e-emperor wants m-me to lead an army?”

Her father frowned at her, likely in response to her stuttering, Maude assumed. “You do realize what an honor it is to be personally requested by the emperor to be a leader, don’t you?” her father inquired, raising an eyebrow.

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“Of...of course,” she answered. Her whole body was shaking, and her stomach rumbled at her, threatening to make a scene.

His frown turned into a scowl. “Don’t you dare turn this opportunity down,” her father scolded. “You are the most well-known warrior in the whole country.”

“I am aware, Father,” Maude said, steadying herself. She knew what choice she would have to make. “But fighting goes against what I believe,” she continued in a quiet voice. “It’s just not for me.”

“Tch!” her father responded, turning on his heel. “As if you haven’t killed before!” he shouted.

“Not on purpose!” Maude exclaimed.

“Bull shit!” he answered, flipping back towards her, his face the color of a beet. “Sword saint skills do not just manifest on accident, Maude,” he answered. “You intentionally killed that knight, and you and I both know it.”

Maude took a step back, and put her hands up. “It was an accident,” she replied. “I have no interest in fighting.”

Her father took a few more steps closer to her. She could see the vein bulging in his head, and the red veins in his eyes. She flinched as he thrust his face closer to hers.

“How could I have raised someone as weak as you?” he shouted in her face. Spit hit her cheek, and she took another step back. “What good is a faulty sword saint who refuses to fight?” her father continued. “You must have more of your mother’s blood than mine! Frail and pathetic!”

Tears stung Maude’s eyes. The duke rarely talked about her biological mother. But when he did, there were no positive words to be heard.

Maude turned her face away from the duke, feeling her face boiling, and a tear sneaking out. She quickly wiped it away.

“Thank God her third-rate blood only tainted one of the Holloway children,” her father continued. “The only good thing about you is that you were born a woman.”

Maude could feel her body shrinking inward on itself.

“I’m...I’m sorry father,” she replied softly.

“If you’re so sorry,” he screamed, “Then say yes to leading an army! Redeem yourself and uphold the Holloway name.”

Maude stared at the maroon colored carpet, counting all the little green dots on it.

It’s okay, she reminded herself. I’m okay. He won’t kill me, I’m too valuable. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. This short-term conflict will prevent greater and far worse conflict.

“I cannot,” She replied after counting exactly thirty-six green dots that she could see on the carpet.

Her father screamed something unintelligible. She heard as she shoved books and papers off the desk, and saw them land on the floor. She started counting the number of green dots she could see now, with the papers on the floor.

“You’re the most worthless child,” he shouted. He came up and grabbed Maude by the shoulders and started shaking her. She struggled to continue to count the dots on the carpet.

I’m going to have bruises in the shape of his fingers, she thought. I hope that doesn’t get in the way of training over the next week or so.

Her father was still yelling in her face, but she was no longer listening. Occasionally, she felt spit raining down on her cheek. She kept her focus on counting dots on the floor.

There were seventeen now, with the books and papers on the floor. She moved on to counting window panes on the great window behind her father’s desk.

Finally, not getting the response he seemed to be after from her, he pushed her, and she fell onto the ground. She stumbled a bit, as she hadn’t been paying enough attention to expect o be pushed. Yet it was one of the times she felt a little brush of gratitude rush through her, as she was able to quickly contort her body to a position where she was able to cause minimal strain to her arms and legs with the rest of her body.

“I will talk to the emperor,” her father was saying, as she found herself returning to the present moment. “But I’m most certain he will not be taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

Maude felt as though there was a bowling ball rolling around in her stomach. If she didn’t leave soon, she was going to be sick on the vile patterned floor.

She looked up at him, met his eyes and nodded.

“Fucking worthless maggot,” she heard her father mutter. “Get out of my sight,” he told her, louder.

There were sixty-five window panes in her father’s office.