Spring Day 8, Year 728

Late at night, Yiyi, with her Lady, Yume, arrived at the dormitory.

Without giving any order, Yume went straight to bed. With nothing else to do, Yiyi returned to her sleeping quarters.

Yiyi sat at a table while her cheeks rested on her hands while thinking about her Lady's sad expression. Her heart ached. So she tried to think of a plan on how she could help Yume.

'Hmm...'

Remembering, Yiyi had been with Yume for more than four years already. That was long before her Lady attended the Royal Academy.

As a maid, she didn't have the right to interfere with Yume's life.

'But she's my savior—I already promised to serve her for life.'

Yiyi thought if the well-being of Yume could exchange for her happiness, even sacrificing herself would be worth it.

At the first meeting, Yiyi was so excited when she was assigned to be Yume's personal maid. Her Lady was a very warm-hearted and lovely person. There's nothing a maid or a slave would ever want other than to have a good master.

Though, being kind in this power-hungry world would only make someone be taken advantage of.

And that's precisely what happened to Yume. She was taken for granted. If not for her position being the daughter of a duke. Yiyi thought her Lady would've already been sinking below the depths of the sea. Without anyone willing to help her.

When Yume first attended the Royal Academy, dozens of people wanted to be her friend. In addition to being the crown prince's fiancee, people flocked to their gate to greet her in the morning. And another batch of greetings in the afternoon.

This event happened for a few months. But those supporters were divided in half when the people learned that the Crown Prince favored a Lady named Rosie.

The battle between Rosie and Yume started. People called it that. But to Yiyi, it's just one-sided bullying. Not her Lady doing it, of course. Rosie, who covets the position of the crown princess, was the one who started the harassment.

Yiyi knew these things because gossips were one of the pastime pleasures of servants. Even the guards and staff wouldn't want to miss this opportunity. So it's easy for outsiders like her to know the happenings in the Royal Academy.

First, Rosie dealt with her Lady's supporter by being the pitiful victim herself. Those who tried to harm her were punished by the Crown Prince. If Yiyi would praise her for something, it was Rosie's top-notched acting skills. This forced the supporters to leave plus put all the blame on Yume.

Second, she showed everyone who was in charge by parading herself with the Crown Prince in every corner of the school daily.

'I meant it when I said every day.'

People who see Rosie clinging intimately to Shin would know not to mess with her. Solidifying her status.

Third, Yiyi didn't have concrete evidence of who did this. But nasty rumors about her Lady started to spread around the school. And she believes that it was instigated by none other than Rosie herself. She guessed it was a plot to lower her Lady's qualification to be the crown princess.

These circumstances happened for three whole years. Yiyi was saddened how her Lady only brushed these off her shoulders. Yume never tried to fight back and clean her reputation. Not doing anything to prove her innocence. Even though she was so diligent in studying and improving herself. But in Yiyi's opinion, addressing the rumors should be her Lady's top priority.

Finally, today, another thing happened to her Lady. And Yiyi's hunch detection meter was hitting its peak, saying that it's something to do with Rosie. She didn't know what exactly it was. But she understood this would be Yume and Rosie's last year in the Royal Academy. And also the last chance for Rosie to get rid of her Lady entirely.

A strong shiver went down her spine. But it didn't stop there. Goosebumps started to appear all over her skin, staying there for a while. Yiyi conceived something dreadful would happen soon.

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'I'm scared.'

Headaches started to form at the top of her head. Yiyi massaged the sides of her forehead to suppress the pain, rubbing it in circular motions. Then she slowly moved it upward along the hair as she spread fingers all over the scalp. She pushed both thumbs firmly into the pressure points.

'Haaaa... My Lady needs help, but who can?'

Yiyi sighed, screamed, and shouted in her mind. She tried to flip the table, but it was too heavy.

'How can someone skinny like me who can't even lift this table be of help?'

Whining, Yiyi kicked the table instead.

Thud!

"Ouch!"

The pain made Yiyi twist and lean on the bed.

'Think, Yiyi, think...'

Jumping on the bed, she rolled around until she fell to the ground.

Thud!

"Aw!"

Though, instead of standing up, Yiyi stayed there and thought.

'A person who can hit an aristocrat or even royalty for my Lady's sake, without caring about being punished. And most importantly, a person who wouldn't be seduced by the vixen. My Lady needs a dependable ally... Ah!'

A thought suddenly came to her mind.

'I forgot something important!'

Yesterday, when her Lady and Yiyi went incognito into the school grounds. They followed a foreign noble called Ryu Astre. There, they saw that he was someone that matched the description she was looking for. A dependable person who's not scared to go against a high-ranking person.

And after her Lady misunderstood the meeting between him and Rosie, Yiyi forgot to tell her about it since her Lady immediately rushed off. When Yume left, Yiyi was stunned, thinking about what to do next, so she stayed and witnessed. There, Yiyi saw everything. Only Rosie was like a fly buzzing around, pestering Ryu. He was innocent.

Thud!

For failing to remember something important, Yiyi lightly smacked her brow.

Thud!

And another smack for accusing Ryu from the start.

With a reddened forehead, Yiyi needed to talk to Ryu as soon as possible. So she quickly stood up from the floor and hopped on the bed. Then she fell asleep.

***

Spring Day 9, Year 728

'La~ La~ La~ The Day~ So good~ I forgot~ That I'm so handsome~.'

Ryu hummed, sang, and whistled. Lazing his back on a thick branch of a tall tree. His mood was at its peak while holding the Fire Dragon Sword, cleaning it up with a cloth to remove the specks of dirt that dared to touch its blade. He felt like a kid who received a brand-new toy.

Because Ryu finished training early, he had a lot of time. But by looking at the displeased faces of the grumbling boys below, he could tell that his voice was monotonous. But still, Ryu didn't care. No, he did care. However, whenever he heard or saw the boys complaining, he punished them by making his voice louder.

'Laaaaaa~!'

"Oh, my head!"

Roy said while holding a sword, brandishing it repeatedly. He was the first to run out of patience, voicing his complaint against Ryu.

Ryu's mood got slightly peeved when Roy disrupted his perfect performance. For revenge, he clicked his tongue and countered.

"Roy, add another one thousand swings."

"What? But I'm already exhaust—"

"Two thousand."

Not waiting for Roy to complete his sentence, Ryu added.

"Pffft."

Gavin laughed in Roy's misery.

"Another one thousand for you too, Gavin."

Gavin's face cried out.

Ryu quickly shifted his gaze to Blake, whose mouth was open, preparing to say something. When Blake noticed, he aborted by quickly shutting his mouth and averting his eyes. He then returned his focus to his training.

"As I told you guys if you want to graduate from training, defeat me in a duel."

Hearing Ryu's last words made the three mumble their curses. He bet they regretted begging him to help them in training as early as today.

Now that these extras had been taken care of, Ryu continued to clean his swords while doing another singing performance...

'Should I change my career to a singer?'

Ryu trained them with a sword and talked trash about them simultaneously. Not only would this hone their physical skills, but it would also improve their mental capabilities against taunts.

'I just hoped that they wouldn't keep grudges against me.'

The incident yesterday at the Old Smith, the shop of Gavin's grandfather, was solved swiftly. While at it, his friends got inspired when they saw the skills of the Shadow Assassins in handling the situation.

The reason why they're here is for training.

"Roy, you should straighten your back more!

Gavin, do spread your feet shoulder-width apart!

Blake, don't put your weight on your heel!

Bend your feet more and stick to the position. Don't lose balance!

You guys are now 2-Star swordsmen but still leave too many openings!"

This training would last for a month until the team's recruitment day. Though, the reason they trained in the academy served another purpose. That was to show off. Yes, exhibiting so that the upperclassmen would see them perform.

'This would boost their chances of being scouted.'

Ryu was polishing his sword when he accidentally slid the cloth into the edge, cutting it in half cleanly. When the other half of the fabric slowly glided to the ground, he saw an orange-colored hair lady sitting beside a bush. She was currently holding some twigs while looking at him.

'Is that twig a disguise?'

Ryu and the Lady stared at each other for a minute before she finally mustered some courage.

"H-Hello, Sir Ryu. I'm Lady Yume's maid, Yiyi."

Bam!

Hearing Yume's name made Ryu startled that he accidentally slipped off the branch.

"Ah! Sir Ryu, are you alright?!"

"Y, yes... I think."

Groaning while Ryu's buttocks swell from the pain of hitting the ground.

"Anyway, what can I do for the Princess's maid?"

"Princess?"

Tilting her head in confusion.

"I mean, Lady Yume's. Hahaha. So, what can I do for you, Miss Yiyi?"

Yiyi fidgeted with her hands for a while. Then she looked at Ryu with a robust and determined look, then shouted.

"S-Sir Ryu, I want you!"

"Oh, is that all—What?!"

Ryu's face flushed, eyes widened, and jaws dropped.

Clangzckckz!!!

Roy, Gavin, and Blake, who were practicing, heard loud and clear, dropping their swords at the same time.