Lady Elanor slammed the sword to the ground as she bent forward and started to take huge swallows of air as she held out a hand in a manner to pause the fight. "I give up! You are too fast. Ten rounds was enough to prove this point." She huffed while using the back of her hand to wipe the sweat dripping from her chin.
Aefia smirked, while holding up her blade in front of the woman, as the hilt grazed the golden locks of the wavy blonde hair. "Then if I were ever your enemy... How would you deal with me?" She asked with a hint of mock in her voice.
With a swift movement, she swung the sword towards her own shoulder and hung her arms against the long blade, as if it would be no problem if it suddenly pierced through her own body. "I have taken on human-sized living monsters before, with a scapel and a hair clip. And I am younger then you."
"You may be young... But you got more experience to outshine my twelve years of attempting it." The lady replied while picking up her own blade in a final attempt, but as soon as she swung the blade, the girl was gone from her vision. "What the heck?!" She shouted as a faint rustle of leaves sounded behind her.
In a soft movement, she placed the sword against the woman's shoulder near her neck and then leaning her head all the way, with her black and silver hair spilling over the woman's arms. "Stupid Countess... How do you expect me to help you like this?" She spoke while flashing a smile, as the cold metal vibrated against the pulse point of the woman.
"You are just too fast..." She replied while paralized in fear, as the blade fell from her shoulders, and Aefia bringing an elbow to balance her head against the opposite shoulder.
"Sorry... But I guess you were right that I have more experience." She spoke as her gloved hand caught the blade in time for it to collide her side.
"How do I fool you?!" The lady contemplated while stepping back with fright. "Your steps and movements are like a ghost!" A smile dropped on her face as she deliberately stepped out of the circle at the middle of the open training grounds.
"Well then... Should I take it as a compliment?" Aefia asked while shealthing her sword at her waist, with the blade scrapping against the solid top with a sling, then entering the pocket with a clunk.
"I don't know... You decide yourself... I actually give up now." She replied while holding the gold hilt of her own sword, before placing it back at her waist. "But I would go for a small chess game while discussing the rest of your plans. I also have a few things for you... Mostly papers and envelopes." Her facial expression dropped as she watched Aefia painfully, but voidly took off her glove.
"Oh... Darn..." Aefia whispered to herself as blood fell to the ground with splattering sounds. "Do you... Have a gauge?" Her eyes turned towards the woman as her injuries seemed to be turning purplish at the surroundings.
"And you fought with the same hand?" Lady Elanor asked while walking over to inspect the wound closer.
Jagged lines were traced onto her palm with the deep cuts that weren't even stitched. The blood continued to seep down her wrist and fell to the ground.
This girl... Despite young... Still scary... She gritted her teeth at the thought as she took out her handkerchief and wrapped it around Aefia's hand. "You will need to get a real Guardian to watch over you from now on..." She whispered while yanking her fine wrist towards the estate.
Back at the guest hall, both of them stayed seated with no mood for discussions.
"How are you so strong?" Lady Elanor asked as she sent her hand up the back of her head to relax her scalp. Her hair was taken off from the ponytail to let it cool down.
"I had to learn it... And I was trained from a very young age honestly... To work under high pressure operations and missions with the most injured state position." Aefia answered back as she watched a servant wrap her hand in a guage.
"Well that's a good thing then..." The woman let out a sigh as she placed the envelopes in front of her. "You have letters... With the most scrambled handwritings known to man-kind." She spoke while watching Aefia single-handedly use her teeth and fingers to pull out the letter.
"You really went out of your way to... Practice writing letters still?"
Her eyes locked at the navy blue haired butler, who was now dressed casually in hoodies and jeans. He didn't reply, but silently continued working at her hand and struggling to stop the blood from resurfacing.
"Sorry..." He finally answered as Aefia tucked the letter back into the envelope and threw it in the air as it dissapeared into her inventory.
"I don't mind." She responded while shutting her eyes with her other hand. After a long moment of silence, the woman opposite to have spoke up.
"You seem to have a fairly dumb butler who you are trying to keep from the brink of death... How do you plan on using him in the future?" She titled her head while propping it up on one elbow against the armrest.
"Fairly dumb... But intelligent in battle and killing..." She responded while removing the hand from her eyes. "And... He is already fulfilling a mission for me... But I believe his main task starts when I am out of the picture of the Imperial family... Which might be soon... Or not." She smiled as her head tilted to the side and her back leaning against the chair.
"You seem to want to escape... But also claim your space as the heir?"
"True... But you are missing a point..."
"And what is it?"
"The duchess... Or more precisely... The greedy Empress."
"What–?!"
"Now you may ask what this has to do with her... She took away too much from me which I am going to take back from her." A evil, genuine, calm and dangerous expression illuminated on her face, which sent shivers against everyone's spines, whoever saw it.
The woman stared in horror and questioning her choices of why she chose to have an alliance with her, all while with secrecy.
It seems to me that sorrow fuels her rage... And that in a very short time... Her resilience is unbreakable, I can already see a strict and vengeful ruler inside her... And I think... She wants to commit regicide. However... It could also be me too.
She gulped while standing up and moving towards a clearing where Aefia could see the lady's expression as her blonde curls fell over her face. With a moment of pause, she fell to her knees and bent her head to face the ground, sending a wave of alert to Aefia's brain.
"What are you doing?! Why the hell are you suddenly knealing at my direction?!" She shouted as she tried to stand up, but was forced down with the two grips against her wrist, trapped to the armrests.
"No. Please... I just thought it best to look up at you since you have more capabilities then I do, so I should pay you enough respect." Lady Elanor spoke while keeping her head down. In truth, she just wanted to be in her good favors right now.
A haze of confusion settled onto her eyes as she blinked and stared at the woman in the ground and questioning herself before they left her mouth. "But you didn't think about it before, so why now all of a sudden?" She asked, which was the most unanswered questions left in her mind.
"But if... You are trying to be in my good grace, then I guess you may have done something wrong?"
Her eyes still stayed narrowed and stuck with confusion at the woman on the floor. "What...?" Lady Elanor spoke while lifting her head, and looking towards the butler as if wanting an approval, which was returned with a simple nod.
"No. Please don't misunderstand! I honestly didn't mean it that way. If you want to take revenge on the duchess, then someday, you are surely going to become the leader of this nation. So I should start practicing to pay my respect to you."
***
"What kind of a stupid luck is this?!" Lewis shouted as he looked at the rolled dice. "Fifteen minutes and not a single 'one'! While you are at the very end of the board!" He smacked the dice at Aefia's side of the table, with an irritated face. "I am quiting. The snakes hate my pawn colour."
"Oh look! I automatically win! Even with the most darkest fate of the entire Empire." She smiled back while rolling the white dice, and moving a single space where she slid down the snake. A sharp mistake that didn't make a sense, but also meant fun. Just as her brother got up with deep frustrations, the duchess approached while taking a looks and reclaiming the seat at his place.
She had been meaning to tell Lewis something, so she had suggested him to play a small board game for a while. However, she didn't know that things would turn out this way. Honestly, she didn't even want the throne anymore, she decided she would just stay in this palace for however long she lasted.
And within that time, she would work on having her life led to the fullest. Just at least she would be able to recall that she finally got her happiness before she died.
The specific thing she wanted to tell him about, was that she had prepared a few documents to name him as the heir after she left. And whoever he wanted to place onto the throne, he would have to decided it himself since he too won't last long. Since the duchess couldn't know any of this, she had chosen this specific time to tell him about it. But then, the very person she didn't want to bring into this matter, was sitting right in front of me.
"Let me try. I will continue the game for you." She laughed while picking up the dice.
Just as the cube hit the board, a one appeared and the pawn finally got out of the small space for the home. "Yes! Finally! I have gotten out!" The brother shouted as he leaned in to kiss his mother at the cheek while wrapping his arm around the duchess's neck. "I love you mom! You are the best! Now let's see who wins!" He shouted out of excitement while taking a roll of the dice again.
The woman smiled, while taking a look at the places the snacks were, completely unaware that right in front of her, the girl was staring with shock, jealousy and anger, all at once. Her eyes widened, and then shadowed as she pulled down her arms from the table and straightening at her seat. Although the duchess didn't see it, Lewis got a split second view of a tear that happened to escape the side of her eyes, which she wiped away with the blink of an eye.
Within milliseconds, she was acting all enraged and as if she had not intended for his pawn to leave it's house.
How long do you intend to hide... Little sister?
He thought while watching the next roll of the dice happen. "Five paces... And here is ladder, straight to sixty-eight." Their mother informed as she glanced up at her silver-haired son. "You don't have a bad luck... You just needed a teammate." She announced as he bent forward to place another kiss at her forehead and hugging her from the side.
Aefia stared at her own pawn which was down at fourty-five, at the tail of a snake. Just then, a small hand lifted the dice in her stead and threw it across the board with a small force. "Three... And a ladder." Henry spoke while moving the pawn, which in return moved up to ninety-six. "There... Now I am in your team!" He shouted while getting lifted onto her lap, then watching the way his sister's eyes turned joyous at the sight of their youngest brother.
"Sure... All that falls in the hands of how the dice chooses to roll." She answered while breathing into the kid's hair. Her eyes stayed darted at the way the mother and son was envious at the roll she had placed. "Nevermind... I will win anyways... With mom's help!" Lewis spoke while seating at the armrest of the chair.
"Well I would like to see you try..." She replied as she watched the duchess move his pawn to the seventy point on the board. "Come one Henry... Just four." Aefia's voice dropped as she watched the dice hit the board. "Three... Not bad." She answered as the kid moved her pawn to the ninety-nine point.
Soon enough. The game ended as soon as she hit the one on the dice, while their silver-haired brother had his pawn at the exact spot that Aefia previously had hers.
"Yes! We win!" She shouted while abruptly standing up and hoisting the youngest brother in the air and catching him back. "Aefia! I am not that young!" He shouted while clinging onto her coat at the shoulder and burying his face onto it.
"Yeah... I know." She replied while placing him down on the ground to make him stand on his feet. "And you are nine years old too..." Her eyes narrowed with a strict look as she folded her arms, after rustling her fingers through his deep purplish hair. Just as her steps took towards the perimeters of the small study, she glanced back one last time to where mother and son were engaged with a second round of the game.
Her gaze stopped towards the woman with long hair and immediately placed her fingernails into her bandaged left hand to divert her attention fully. She didn't need an excuse to get rid of herself from the room, however, she wanted to step away and use her injury to get as much rest as she could in the meantime.