An called for Sir Leory to bring breakfast to the carriage. The faint smell of rabbit soup immediately ignited Sol’s hunger. It was as if she hadn’t eaten for days. Disregarding etiquette, Sol gulped the soup down as soon as it reached her hands and then held the empty bowl out for more.
Sir Leory was stunned at the girl’s behavior. He was unable to camouflage his inner bewilderment and so retrieved the bowl with caution. Sol blushed furiously at his actions, however her hunger was indescribable. Had she the strength to move around, she probably would have ran to the source.
Four bowls later, Sol’s insatiable appetite finally settled. She was flabbergasted at the amount of food she ate, however she was distracted immediately after by a warming sensation. Looking within, Sol found her strength recovering and her spiritual awareness growing beyond what it started as.
Even without asking An, Sol understood that her experiment supplemented The Unchained Queen Beast. She retained those thoughts and gathered the strength to lift herself from the carriage. The dagger was pulled from its makeshift sheath and left behind a perfect mold in the carriage floor.
An watched with a smile as the girl alighted the carriage and made her way to Sir Leory carrying a mischievous grin. She held the dagger’s hilt out to Sir Leory by pinching its sides with excessive care.
“Sir Leory, this Lady has sharpened your blade. Do be careful… Do be careful when storing it, using it, wearing it, wielding it, or showcasing it.” Her delivery stuttered for a moment and he had to repeat her warning after realizing the blade was far sharper than normal blades.
Sir Leory chuckled at the girl’s worry. He was a Knight. Rather than telling him to be careful, he would rather the girl never run with a sharp blade again. “The Lady treats her Knights well. Thank you for your care, next time though… Carry the blade without running. Accidents are more dangerous than outright strikes.”
Sir Leory hesitated to mention a ‘next time’, but the girl ran away with it brimming with happiness. He received the blade and laid it on the bench beside him. He was prepared to continue preserving the leftovers of breakfast when he noticed the girl had yet to leave. He looked at her with a questioning expression.
“Sir Leory, will you not try out this Lady’s work?”
“Well…”
What to use it on? Breakfast was over already, however the eager face of the young girl made him hesitate to disappoint. Glancing around, he found a bag of apples collected from the forest. He may as well prepare a small snack for the lady’s trip while he’s at it.
The apple was rolled into place on the cutting stone and Sir Leory applied pressure with the blade. He was caught off guard a moment later. The blade fell through the apple the moment it was placed onto it. His face then blanched as the blade continued through the cutting stone, foldable table, and steel backplate.
Sweat immediately budded on his forehead as he tried to understand what happened. Unable to believe it, he turned to a piece of firewood next to him and dropped the blade onto it. The 40cm thick log was divided in half. Another chill ran down his back and he saw his reflection in the wood grain. The cut was so pristine that Sir Leory thought he was looking at a bronze mirror.
“This… this…”
“Did this Lady do well?”
Sir Leory gulped at the results. Who would dare say no? He looked at the cheap dagger in his hand and a sudden fear overtook him. He rested the blade on the ground as if it were a fragile egg. Immediately after, he rotated to Sol and planted his hands on her shoulders.
“How?!”
“Hahaha, this Lady has developed a new method to sharpen blades. It is slow and can’t be mass produced, but the results are excellent, no?”
“My sword! Ahem… Could this servant request the Lady treat this Knight’s sword as well?”
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“What happened to this Lady remaining distant from blades?”
Sir Leory wanted to punch his past self. Why did he open his mouth? Sol observed the various stages of grief flow across her Knight’s face and chuckled after waiting a bit.
“This Lady’s intention was to sharpen your squadron’s blades. This Lady would feel proud if this Lady could contribute to the unit’s improvement.” I would also feel safer. Sol refrained from stating the last part of her thought as she felt it might insinuate the men were incapable or lacking.
Sol negotiated an abundance of meals as payment for her services. Of course, the meals were said to be for An, however the helpless eyes that followed the little girl back to her carriage was enough to prove everyone knew the greedy girl was hiding her gluttony. Well, the payment was rather cheap, all things considered.
Sir Leory kept the dagger in a special slot near his chest armor. Rather than a solid case, he sandwiched the sharp blade between two thick hides to prevent himself from injuring himself.
The following two days progressed in peace. Sol managed to sharpen 10 of the 16 member’s blades by the time they arrived at the Reviarra estate. After alighting the carriage and entering the estate gates, the remaining 6 members retained a pitiful expression as if they lost a bucket of gold.
Sir Leory laughed at their expressions. “Hahahah! You don’t have to worry. Lady Reviarra promised she would complete your swords as well. Just drop them off at the guard post and a servant will pick up and drop them off for you.”
Excited smiles returned to the men after hearing that. They dispersed upon order and went off to brag about their Lady. Sol was too impatient to see her family and so alighted the carriage and entered the estate before the servants could inform Duke and Duchess Reviarra.
As Sol was entering the foyer, she caught sight of her mother hurrying down the stairs. Shocked, Sol rushed forward to slow her down. “Mom! Be careful! It’s dangerous to-” Her words were cut off by a tight hug. Duchess Reviarra pulled Sol into her bosom and squeezed tight.
In her heart, Duchess Reviarra was panicking the entire time Sol was gone. She knew the Queen’s methods and knew the woman wouldn’t spare her daughter despite their peerage. Had her husband not held her back, she might very well have left for the Imperial Capital by herself.
Sol felt her eyes brim with tears at the embrace, but managed to keep them from falling. Despite that, her voice was somewhat choked with emotion as she patted her mother’s vice like grip. She’d be a fool if she didn’t understand her mother’s fears.
“Mom, I’m fine. I’m okay. Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Let’s get your father first.” Duchess Reviarra barely managed to mutter under her breath. Sol could hear a few sniffles and sobs hidden in her mature voice. She could only manage to nod her head and hum in agreement.
Duke Reviarra descended the stairs and made his way to the meeting room only to be met with a strange sight. Off to the side, he saw the young boy An with a shit eating grin plastered across his face. Following An’s gaze, Duke Reviarra caught sight of what the boy was laughing at.
He found himself chuckling as well and made his way to one of the couches at the table. Across from him, Sol was struggling to remain stoic despite her flushing face. Duchess Reviarra had her sitting on her lap with her arms latched around her as if she was a body pillow. Duchess Reviarra rested her chin on Sol's head while enjoying the bodily contact.
Although he found it humorous, Duke Reviarra knew his daughter was about to die from embarrassment, so he just chose to ignore her situation. Instead, his attention fell onto An.
“What happened?”
An spread his arms helplessly. “Nothing much. Prince Elric and Prince Roland both made a move on your daughter. Prince Roland was taken out of commission before he could do anything, however Prince Elric drugged your daughter, kidnapped her, stripped her, and nearly raped her. Sol escaped from him and he tried to hunt her down, frame her, arrest her, and poison her reputation. Sol managed to fend him off and so the momma’s boy called for his mother. The lady threatened her, you, your wife, and your son… Oh, and there was the multiple assassination attempts on Sol.”
“Nothing much…?” Duke Reviarra took a moment to soak in what he heard. Wouldn’t someone normally warm up to the meat and potatoes of the situation? He heard a deflating noise struggling across from him and found his wife pale and nearly strangling Sol in her hug.
“Mom! Mom! I’m okay! I didn’t let them bully me! Mom!” Sol continued to tap her mothers arm. She felt the life being squeezed out of her. How does such a tiny woman have such a powerful grip? Duchess Reviarra’s pale face turned to Duke Reviarra and scowled. “You said she would be alright! You said they wouldn’t go too far!”
What could he say? He, too, was astonished at how brazen the Princes and Queen were. Rather than defend himself, the Duke thought back to his deal with the King. If what An said was true, then King Blonsall never intended to hold to their agreement. Very well then. Duke Reviarra started to understand the value of his position in the eyes of Royalty. Did his role even hold weight? Duke Reviarra’s eyes narrowed and he could feel his loyalty crack.