“Ah... I almost forgot!” Zenniah suddenly remembered something. “Give me one more knight,” she turned around to face the commander.

Then she turned around to where Bluew standing, and she asks him. “If I’m not mistaken, Bluew, do you have a brother?”

“... Yes, my lady,” he responds. “To be exact, we are triplets, my lady,” he added.

“Really...?” Zenniah sort of amused. “Where are they?” She asks.

“The other one, was a knight in a different master, he's not working here, my lady. My other twin brother was on leave. He will come back next week; he just visited our parents in our hometown, my lady.” Bluew explained to her.

“I see... What was your brother’s name?” She asks. “The one who was working here,” she added.

“Skay, my lady,” he replied.

“I bet... The other one name was Cloud,” she smiles guessing a name.

“How... How did you know that my lady?” Bluew was stunned that Zenniah said it correctly. “That was my second twin brother’s name, Claud. It’s just the spelling of our names is kind of different, but the same how you read it the color blue, cloud, and sky.”

But Zenniah was most shocked because she guessed it right. She didn’t expect it to be right.

“Huh?... What?... Really...?” Zenniah was out of thought for a second.

“Our mother, when she’s pregnant to us. She likes looking up at the sky.” Bluew was happily mentioning his mother.

“I see...” Zenniah blinked her eyes a couple of times to be back on track. “Alright... Then, let’s begin the Gray Magic Paper Oath,” she said when she is back to her senses.

Gaile came near her to give her a small needle to prick her finger. Zenniah took the needle, then prick her left thumb. Geny, open the scroll in front of her, then she made three drops of her blood on the scroll. She immediately wrapped her thumb with the handkerchief that Gaile prepared for her.

The Gray Magic Paper Oath sip her blood, and she spoke.

“I, the daughter of Duke Leonn DeLa Wharlton. I command them to turn their loyalty, the seventh knight Ednol and his platoon to me. I, Zenniah DeLa Wharlton, daughter of their master. From today onwards, starting from now on, I am their new master. Gray Magic Paper Oath, vow their loyalty to me!” Zenniah closed her eyes, she is concentrating on her recitation.

In a second, Ednol and his platoon felt a pain in their chest. Ednol knows the pain, but now, he felt different.

“Ugh... Sh**… This is too much. It’s like wrapping a metal chain, squeezing my heart!” He’s thinking while enduring the pain. “Aughh... auhmmn... It’s like more than fifty times sharp spears poke me!” He continued enduring, holding his chest.

Zenniah saw in front of her what was happening. She saw the pain they endured, mostly Ednol that in front of her.

“I guess, that was so much pain. I thought it was just a little bit of it. But seeing them like that, maybe it was really, too much. Even Ednol enduring it, it was still showing on his facial expression.” She thought while looking at them.

Ednol and his platoon endured the pain until five minutes. When the pain was gone, they are all falling down on the ground. Ednol tried not to fall, but because of the pain, he felt for the first time because of the gray magic paper oath. He fell on his left knee and one left hand on the ground. They are all out of breath, it was like the air didn’t come to them.

When the oath is done, Geny closes the scroll and put it directly in a casket.

“Girly, did you prepare it?” Zenniah spoke.

“Yes, my lady,” Girly replied. “The cold water is already here,” she added.

“Give it to them now, make sure all of them, drink the cold water.”

“Of course, my lady,” Girly follows what she said.

“Geny put that in my room now,” she turned around on the right side where Geny is standing.

“Yes, my lady, I will go now,” Geny responded.

The commandant who was there, witnessing the oath. Was stunned, seeing his subordinate suffering.

“This is the first time; I saw them like that even Ednol. He was one of my best knights, a strong one. I can tell as his commander, his not an easy opponent. But today, it was like he lost in a fight even though he was not on the battlefield.” The commander was lost in thought. “Because of just...” then, he looks aside from where Zenniah is standing in front of his subordinate. “How come our lady is so different now? Just a couple of weeks, she was lying down in the bed unconscious, and now...” He keeps thinking, still looking at Zenniah. Searching for an answer, but he couldn’t find it.

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When it was all done, Zenniah turned around to face their commandant.

“Give me the brother of Bluew when he came back from vacation...” Her tone was in the middle of commanding and pleading. “Only him,” she added.

“... I will follow what you want, my lady,” the commander replied.

********************

Zenniah came back to her room late at noon.

“My lady, you need to eat your lunch now,” Gaile spoke.

“I’m not hungry,” Zenniah replied.

“Please my lady, just a little bit,” Gaile insisted. “This early morning, you didn’t eat properly your breakfast,” she added.

“Alright... Just give me some sandwich and mango juice,” while she’s sitting on the balcony, looking outside at the scenery. “I forgot, Girly can you call for me the commander and Ednol? Tell them that I want to have a private talk,” she added.

“Yes, my lady I will follow as you order,” Girly calmly responds and she turned around together with Gaile to follow her command.

When they go out of her room, they go in separate ways. Girly, the direction will be in the training ground.

Gaile, her direction was in the kitchen. When she came inside the kitchen, she prepares a sandwich with thin slices of flavoury smoked turkey that the chef already cooked. She put lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and cream cheese that she spread on the bread. She also makes her mango juice. When she was all done, preparing, she starts to go back to where Zenniah is.

Exactly Girly came back together with the commander and Ednol.

“Oh...” Gaile glanced at Ednol in a minute, then she looks at the commander and said. “We see each other again, commander,” she politely bows to him.

“I guess, we will see each other often nowadays,” the commander smiled, scratching the back of his head.

Girly knocks twice at the door, announcing their arrival.

“Come in.”

Gaile came inside first when she heard her permission to enter her room. She directly prepares her food, then Girly going inside behind her is the commander and Ednol.

“My lady, they came as you order,” Girly politely said.

“My lady, we just saw each other a while ago,” the commander spoke. “You missed us already...” he said jokingly.

Geny who was standing at the left side of Zenniah, looked at the commander seriously.

“I guessed it was,” she smiles back at him. Agreeing with his joke.

“I am sorry, I call you earlier than I expected,” Zenniah spoke. “Can I eat my lunch first before we talk?” She asks. “I don’t want to hear someone nagging at me, just because I didn’t eat a little bit of what she prepared.” She added while smiling.

“My lady!” Gaile exclaimed.

“Of course, my lady,” the commander responds. “Your health is important, so please take your time,” he added.

Ednol had been silent listening to their conversation. He was still remembering the pain he felt on the training ground.

“The pain I felt when the duke made the gray paper oath was different,” he thought. “It’s only like one needle pokes me, but hers...” he was looking at Zenniah.

“Geny, please guide them to my private study room,” Zenniah turns her head to Geny.

“Yes, I will be my lady,” she responds in a calm manner. “This way, please follow me,” she turns in the direction where the study room is located.

“I will make sure to come in a minute,” Zenniah said.

“Don’t worry my lady, just take your time,” the commander replied.

“Geny, please give them something to eat.”

She stops walking and turns around to reply to her. “Yes, my lady I will give them, don’t worry about it.”

“Alright... I will leave them to you.”

When they are gone, she starts eating.

“If I’m not mistaken, I hope I’m not... That naevus inky guild called; I need that confirmation, to them.” She looked in the direction where the commander and Ednol go. While eating her sandwich, she was trying to remember all. About the story that her younger brother told her. “That guild is strictly private, as far as I remember that guild chooses a customer, not the customer's choice.” She continues in her thoughts.

“Even if that customer gives them tons of gold, if they didn’t like the profile of that person, they didn’t think twice. They will ignore it like it was nothing.” She was eating all her sandwiches that Gaile prepared. “A lot of customers trying to reach out to them, but reaching out to them is not that easy. Their guild didn’t stay in one place, which means they have a lot of hideouts that can’t be easily found,” She drink the mango juice in one gulp.

“Ahh... That was so satisfying,” she looks at Gaile. “I’m done! That was so good Gaile, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, my lady,” Gaile was blushing because she saw her milady satisfied and complimented her for that.

“Now, I need to go to my study room,” she stands up and starts to walk. “At least, I didn’t hear your nagging, that was satisfying to me,” she winks at her and starts walking pass at her.

“My... My... My lady!!” She thought she was complimented on the food she made. But she was wrong. It’s like her happiness crumbled.

Gaile is almost going to cry. Girly who was there almost going to laugh it out loud. She was holding it, because if Gaile hears her laughing out loud. The nagging that was her my lady mentioned, will be directed to her. Even Girly felt a little bit of pain because she was holding her laughed. It’s better than she will hear an hour of nagging from Gaile.