“I’ve returned, father.”

Duke Revelo eyed his son with a firm yet fond gaze, but the look in those eyes changed to one of disdain the moment they fell on the armored woman who stood next to Bastiche.

“I see that useless excuse for a knight is still leeching off your accomplishments, son. You must be wary, for there is much that you sacrifice by continuing to use a broken tool.”

The knight beside Duke Revelo crossed her arms, the sound of her metal gauntlets clinking against her breastplate echoing briefly through the dining room. Though it was obvious she was displeased at the duke’s insults toward Ritya’s efforts, she showed no other signs of protest.

“Is there something you would like to say, Dame Marilyn?” Duke Revelo turned to the knight who stood next to where he sat. Though Marilyn had served the duke for a little over a decade now, their relationship was purely professional. Neither of them truly enjoyed the other’s company, but they understood the benefits of their combined skills.

“In fact there is, Your Grace.” Marilyn replied, causing the duke to raise an eyebrow in question. Seeing as Duke Revelo didn’t deign to interrupt, Marilyn continued. “While I have refrained from informing you due to your son’s arrival, the duchy’s soldiers have intercepted two foreigners attempting to cross the border.”

“...Is that so? Have you questioned them yet?”

Marilyn shook her head. “No, Your Grace. I was busy preparing for Lord Bastiche’s arrival and detained them in one of the castle’s waiting rooms. With your permission, I would like to take Dame Ritya with me and question them now.”

Duke Revelo made a dismissive gesture. “By all means, remove that disappointing excuse for a knight from my sight. Now then, take a seat, Bastiche. We have much to catch up on.”

Bastiche’s hands clenched into tight fists behind his back. Though he obeyed his father’s commands, Marilyn could see the anger in his eyes that was slowly being fomented by the duke’s remarks.

Acting quickly, Marilyn made a quick gesture, signaling for the junior knight to follow her out of the dining hall. The two knights swiftly departed from the room, their steel-shod boots echoing loudly against the hardwood floor of the castle hallway.

“...I’m sorry you had to put up with that, Ritya.”

“I’ve gotten used to it over the years, Dame Marilyn,” Ritya replied, shaking her head. “Honestly, you should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Me? Why would I need to be concerned?”

“I mean, isn’t it exhausting? Serving Duke Revelo must be a pain in the ass, especially with how he looks down on you.”

Marilyn stiffened, her eyes darting about as she dedicated the entirety of her focus to her auditory and visual senses for a brief moment. “...I would not be so quick to criticize the duke in his own castle, Ritya.”

In response, Ritya merely shrugged. “So what if someone hears? The most he could do is command you to discipline me.”

“...He could request that Lord Bastiche take another knight.”

“You really think so? If Lord Bastiche cared about his father’s words, he would’ve dissolved our oath already.”

Marilyn frowned. Though Ritya’s words were technically correct, she couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss. Was Ritya always like this...? She was hard-working and resolute, but I don’t remember her being so... blunt.

Unfortunately for Marilyn, they arrived at the doors of the waiting room before she could question Ritya about her newfound personality traits. Just like the rest of the castle, the doors to the waiting room were made of dark oak and gilded at the edges, giving them an ornate look without being too overbearing.

The well-oiled hinges of the doors swung open without a sound, revealing a woman with long, glossy black hair sitting across from a well-built man. Had their gentle features not been telling enough, their manner of dress immediately marked them as foreigners.

“Oh. Hello there.” The black-haired lady stood from her seat, giving the two knights an elegant curtsy.

Marilyn watched her with a stunned expression for a moment, not expecting the foreigner to possess such perfect command of the Avalynian language, and more impressively, such an overbearing aura of charisma that almost made it seem like she ruled over the very space that they stepped into.

“G-Good afternoon. I trust the servants have accommodated you properly?”

The black-haired lady nodded. “Indeed. I have no complaints about the hospitality. However, I must say that your soldiers are quite poorly trained.”

Marilyn’s eyes narrowed, any lingering feelings of uncertainty within her now gone. As Duke Revelo’s knight, she was in charge of personally training the duchy’s soldiers, and the foreign lady’s remark could very much be an insult depending on her next words.

“I am Marilyn Eavesbrook, sworn knight of Duke Revelo. Might I ask what it was that you found unsatisfactory about the fine soldiers of our duchy?”

“Oh, it’s simply... This.” The foreign lady smiled elegantly, though the venom behind her gentle expression was unmistakable as she reached into her bag and produced a piece of parchment that shone faintly of gold. “Surely even a lowly soldier would be capable of recognizing an imperial writ?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Marilyn frowned, stepping forward to inspect the document. Tugging one gauntlet free, she took the gold-coated parchment from the foreigner’s hands. Immediately, she could tell that the writ was indeed genuine and that it permitted unobstructed passage for the bearer.

In other words, this foreigner and her companion never should have been stopped at the border gate despite the lockdown due to the sudden outbreak of war. In fact, doing so was a crime as the mere act directly opposed the will of the emperor.

“I... My deepest apologies. We will send you on your way immediately, Lady...”

“Sakura. You may address me as Lady Sakura. This is my knight, Riku.” Sakura said, gesturing to the man who was still nonchalantly sprawled across a chaise-lounge.

“Once again, my deepest apologies, Lady Sakura.” Marilyn bowed, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. How the hell did this happen? Which idiots were guarding the gate at the time...? Torak? No. It couldn’t have been him. Damn it! Just who the hell would be dumb enough not to recognize an imperial writ!?

“I do not need your apologies, Dame Marilyn.” Sakura said bluntly. “What I need is the return of my knight’s sword, my bow, our horses and supplies, and a ducal escort to the border gates. I do not want to run the risk of being stopped again.”

“...Of course. I will send a messenger to the gates and retrieve your belongings immediately.”

“No need,” Ritya suddenly interrupted. “I know where their things are.”

“H-Huh? What do you mean, Ritya...?” Marilyn frowned. “Did you and Lord Bastiche not just return? How would you—”

“Word travels fast. We spoke briefly with the border guards at the western gate as we entered the duchy. Apparently, their things were stored in the castle for convenience since they were being escorted and detained here anyway.”

“...I see. Well then, lead the way, Ritya.”

The four of them walked in relative silence as Ritya led the way through the castle halls. Most of their journey had them walking on hardwood floor, but the latest door that Ritya swung open led into a carpeted hallway that was brightly lit with magical lamps on both sides of the walls instead of the torches that had been so prevalent in the previous areas of the castle.

“...This is not the way to the castle’s armory, Ritya.”

“I know,” Ritya responded casually. “They didn’t put the weapons in the armory.”

...What? Marilyn couldn’t help but begin to feed the gnawing doubt in her stomach. Everything felt so wrong, and the alarm bells in her head just wouldn’t stop going off. First, the border guards failed to recognize an imperial writ, then Ritya’s personality’s all weird, and now we’re heading to the—

“We’re here. Lady Sakura, Sir Riku, your belongings are stored in this room.”

“I see. Thank you, Dame Ritya.” Sakura curtsied. “I recall that you were sick during our time at the academy. It’s a shame that we never had the pleasure of meeting until now.”

“Of course,” Ritya smiled. “I’m sure we’ll have ample opportunities to get to know each other from now on, though.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t plan on staying long. However, I will certainly entertain a visit from you in the future.” Sakura said as she and Riku stepped into the room.

Surprisingly, someone was already inside when they entered. Duke Revelo himself stood across from the door, admiring a curved sword and its lacquered scabbard.

“This is quite the fine weapon. I’ve not seen a sheath made so beautifully before. And from wood, too.” The duke remarked as he turned to the foreigners.

“Your Grace, I must ask that you return my sword to me.” Riku said, walking toward the duke. The weapon was a family heirloom and one that he cherished greatly. Normally, he wouldn’t even let Sakura touch it, much less a foreign duke that he didn’t know. “It is something that bears a deep significance not only to myself, but my family.”

The duke blinked, surprised at Riku’s blunt tone. For a second, he deliberated reprimanding the young knight for his rudeness, but he quickly found respect for the foreigner as he met Riku’s eyes. While young, the foreign knight was certainly experienced and he carried himself with grace and dignity befitting that of a fully-fledged knight.

“Of course,” Duke Revelo smiled diplomatically. He extended his hand, offering the sword to Riku who quickly took it. “Now then, I—Ghk!”

No one knew what happened.

One second, the duke was speaking properly, and in the next, his eyes had widened and bulged significantly. White foam frothed at the corner of his lips. He stumbled backward, clutching his chest as his mouth gaped in a soundless scream of pain.

“Poison!” Ritya suddenly shouted loudly. “Guards! The duke has been poisoned by the foreigners!”

The thunder of armored footsteps shook the castle’s hallways immediately. Several soldiers gathered at the entrance of the room whereas at least two platoons of soldiers appeared outside the windows.

Marilyn stared at the scene that unfolded before her in shock. What the fuck...? The response was instant... Almost as if this was planned...

Though she wanted to piece together the situation at hand, there was no time for that. The duke was writhing in agony on the carpet now, and it was clear that he wouldn’t have long to live if he wasn’t attended to.

“Medic! We need a medic! You there, go fetch the ducal physician right now!” Marilyn shouted. Despite her clear order, the guard didn’t move. No one did.

“What are you fools still standing there for!?” Ritya’s voice cracked like a whip, sounding nothing like what Marilyn remembered. “Did you not hear Dame Marilyn’s orders!?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” One of the guards sped off through the hallway.

“Arrest the foreigners for poisoning the duke! We’ll have them tried later!” Ritya commanded, causing the guards to spring into action. Surprisingly, the foreigners didn’t resist.

“...I do not know what you hope to gain by doing this, Dame Ritya, but know that I do not easily forget such slights.” Sakura said, glaring at the knight.

“Oh? I should be the one saying that. After all, your knight just attempted to assassinate our dear duke, didn’t he?”

“I refuse to engage in such a pointless charade with you.”

“But it’s true! You saw it, didn’t you, Dame Marilyn? The foreign knight pierced the good duke with a poisoned needle when he simply wanted to return the knight’s sword.”

Marilyn stared at Ritya, her mouth agape. Riku’s back had been turned to Marilyn during the whole incident, so she couldn’t have known for certain whether he had truly poisoned the duke or not, but given everything that had occurred so far, the prospect was extremely unlikely.

“Well, Dame Marilyn?”

Ritya... What... the hell are you doing?

“...You saw it, didn’t you?”