Sienna began to practice her swordsmanship for the first time in a very long time. She hadn't felt like practicing with her sword ever since she found out that the knights were going easy on her. However, last night's dream wouldn't leave her head, and she wanted to release her frustrations by moving her body and sweating it out.
The knight that had always been her sparring partner was called once again. The moment their swords clashed, Sienna furrowed her brow. Sienna lowered her sword. The knight, who had taken a defensive stance in preparation for Sienna's next attack, lowered his sword as well.
"Is something the matter, Princess?"
As Sienna stared intensely at him, the knight began to become restless.
"Are you doing your best?"
"What?"
"I'm asking you if you are showing me the full extent of your skills. Or are you only going easy on me and matching my level?"
"Princess, you can only improve your swordsmanship if there is a constant exchange of give and take."
"So you're saying that I've been lacking and you've been lowering yourself to my level."
The knight's expression became cautious as he tried to guess Sienna's intentions.
"I cannot dispute your way of teaching since I am the student. However, isn't it the responsibility of the teacher to properly guide their student so that they objectively understand where they stand?"
"You are correct."
"You have deceived me."
"Princess, I have never..."
"Yes or no? You've led me to believe that I was doing better than I actually am and never corrected me about it."
The knight swallowed. His vision was going black. He had been teaching the Princess for a long time now, so he knew how she was. She would never accept a lame excuse.
"...Yes."
"Did you do this voluntarily?"
"I..."
"Before you answer the question, think long and hard. I don't plan on punishing you. However, if you're only trying to flatter me, I will be very disappointed, and I will never have any business with you ever again."
The knight was worried. The silence stretched out as Sienna waited for his answer.
"I was ordered to do this."
"By whom?"
The knight shut his eyes tight before opening his mouth. There was no way he could escape this situation.
"The Red King ordered me."
Sienna's eyes wavered.
"When?"
"Around the time I began to teach you swordsmanship, Your Highness."
Sienna slowly closed her eyes.
"What did the Red King say? Tell me her exact words."
「The Princess is someone who will become the master of the Empire. Everything must be perfect. She is choosing to practice the sword as a way to exercise, and it must never become a stumbling block for her. She is stubborn and very hard on herself. If she ever notices that she is lacking in any way, she will dig into it until it has been perfected. She's not even going to be a knight, so what's the point of perfecting her swordsmanship? The Princess is very busy. She doesn't have the time to pour all of her efforts into perfecting the sword. So I'm asking you to help by making the Princess believe that her swordsmanship skill is good enough.」
The knight stuttered as he recalled the conversation. Sienna felt as if she could hear Patricia's voice in her ears.
When Sienna first brought up that she was going to practice swordsmanship, Patricia wasn't pleased. She thought that it would make Sienna's hands too rough for a lady. However, Patricia didn't object to it. She never brought it up after that day, so Sienna had thought that Patricia didn't really care about it.
"Did the Red King also call the Captain of the Knights?"
"Ah... About that... I went and asked the Captain to follow along with it myself. I'm sorry, Princess. However, I didn't lie when I said that you are truly a quick learner."
"When it comes to swordsmanship, it is sincerity over skill. You said this on the first day of my lessons. A couple of hours once every few days. If I continue to practice like this, how much time will it take until I am able to fight on par with a knight? An eternity?"
Sienna was embarrassed by her self-confidence. She had truly believed that she could tackle this with her amazing skills alone. Until a few days ago, that is.
Sienna looked down at the knight in front of her who kept his head down.
"I will forgive you."
Surprised, the knight raised his head. He thought his career was over.
"However, under a couple of conditions. First, nothing happened today. Forget the conversation you and I just shared. Second, show me your true skill. I want to know where I stand in terms of my skills. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Princess. I promise you."
"Now, let's continue with today's practice..."
Sienna grabbed her sword and went into position before she asked the knight another question.
"Have you met the Red King after that day?"
"I have seen her a few more times."
Does that mean... Sienna's heart began to race inside her chest.
"A few times, you say. When?"
"She calls me once every two or three months."
"What does she tell you when she calls for you?"
The knight tensed up at Sienna's interrogation.
"Nothing of importance. She was wondering if you were having a hard time with your lessons. She just asked questions about your welfare. I thought the Red King was worried about you, Princess. I never spied on you for her."
It was possible for a mother to be concerned about her child's education. However, Sienna had a hunch that the Red King's intentions weren't completely pure.
"If you're uncomfortable, I won't meet with the Red King in the future, Princess."
"No. If she calls for you, go. Just tell her the same things you've always told her. Never let her know what we talked about today. Don't let her know that I know."
"Yes, Princess."
"It's true that the Red King is my mother, but the future emperor isn't her. It's me."
The knight wasn't a cunning man, but he understood Sienna's words perfectly. The cold sweat on his back had cooled and was making him feel chilled. He lowered his head even lower and agreed with Sienna.
Practice ended earlier than usual. She sent away the knight and stayed behind, lost in thought.
Patricia wasn't one to tremble and back down at her daughter's words. If she was displeased, she would throw small tantrums at times. Still, Sienna had believed that her mother was an honest woman.
The knight said that they didn't discuss anything important.
'That may be true. There isn't much he would have had to say.'
When they were practicing, they didn't talk much. The conversation they had today was the longest they'd ever had. If the Red King had called him over multiple times, she would have caught on to that as well. But why did she continue to call him? What did she want to know?
Sienna looked around absentmindedly and sighed quietly. Nobody was there. There was always someone around her. However, whenever she was practicing with her sword, she sent everyone away because she didn't want any distractions.
In other words, the only ones who knew what Sienna was doing at this time were Sienna herself and the knight.
'Was she checking up on me? To make sure that I was really practicing my swordsmanship at this time?'
If this was true, then one couldn't merely call this an act of a mother's love. It was persistent surveillance.
'If she's only satisfied by knowing my whereabouts and my every move, that means all my actions thus far have reached Mother's ears this whole time.'
Sienna slowly raised her sword. She pointed it away from her own palace.
'I trusted you.'
She felt as if she had taken a blow from a dull weapon. She was absolutely shocked that those around her were all under Patricia's control. The mother she had known wasn't someone like this.
She had always thought that she was a bird that flew freely in the wide sky. However, an invisible net was just waiting to trap her within its grasp.
'I trusted you when you told me that no mother would harm her own child.'
The Red King might argue that she had never harmed Sienna. If Sienna had just been a normal maiden, she would have thought that her mother was just being overprotective. However, Sienna wasn't normal. Having Sienna in one's grasp meant that they had the future emperor at their beck and call.
This was all just Sienna's guess. She hadn't actually heard what Patricia had been thinking. However, it was too late to go back to the way it was before. No matter what Patricia said, a seed of distrust had taken root in Sienna's heart.
Also, the question that came with last night's dream had been answered. Sienna finally had a clue as to why her future self was in opposition to her maternal uncle. There was no doubt that her mother and her uncle had her in their grasp and were using her to monopolize the government.
Sienna was now suspicious of everyone around her. She felt like a lost child. For the first time, she felt hopeless.
By the time Sienna returned to her senses, she was standing in front of the entrance of the maze garden. While pondering over the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Sienna recalled the black-haired man.
'Would he be here?'
When Sienna finally fought the knight, who now held nothing back, Sienna was disappointed. She never lost her sword, and she was even able to block a few of his attacks.
She could tell the difference in skill between herself and the knight, but she felt that he was still manageable. If he had truly come after her with intent to kill, she felt like she could have defended herself enough to make an escape.
However, the other man was a gigantic wall. He hadn't made her sword fly out of her hand with just brute strength. He used simple movements and skillful technique.
"Ah..."
The clearing in the maze was empty. There was no one there, and even the table had disappeared.
'Was it around here?'
Sienna walked over to the spot where the table used to be. She looked around at her surroundings absentmindedly.
'There's no way he'd be here.'
Sienna chuckled and raised her head. Suddenly, a black-haired man entered the clearing and met her eyes. Sienna's eyes widened. The man stiffened for a moment before quickly turning around. Sienna called out to him.
"Stop right there!"
Sienna began to practice her swordsmanship for the first time in a very long time. She hadn't felt like practicing with her sword ever since she found out that the knights were going easy on her. However, last night's dream wouldn't leave her head, and she wanted to release her frustrations by moving her body and sweating it out.
The knight that had always been her sparring partner was called once again. The moment their swords clashed, Sienna furrowed her brow. Sienna lowered her sword. The knight, who had taken a defensive stance in preparation for Sienna's next attack, lowered his sword as well.
"Is something the matter, Princess?"
As Sienna stared intensely at him, the knight began to become restless.
"Are you doing your best?"
"What?"
"I'm asking you if you are showing me the full extent of your skills. Or are you only going easy on me and matching my level?"
"Princess, you can only improve your swordsmanship if there is a constant exchange of give and take."
"So you're saying that I've been lacking and you've been lowering yourself to my level."
The knight's expression became cautious as he tried to guess Sienna's intentions.
"I cannot dispute your way of teaching since I am the student. However, isn't it the responsibility of the teacher to properly guide their student so that they objectively understand where they stand?"
"You are correct."
"You have deceived me."
"Princess, I have never..."
"Yes or no? You've led me to believe that I was doing better than I actually am and never corrected me about it."
The knight swallowed. His vision was going black. He had been teaching the Princess for a long time now, so he knew how she was. She would never accept a lame excuse.
"...Yes."
"Did you do this voluntarily?"
"I..."
"Before you answer the question, think long and hard. I don't plan on punishing you. However, if you're only trying to flatter me, I will be very disappointed, and I will never have any business with you ever again."
The knight was worried. The silence stretched out as Sienna waited for his answer.
"I was ordered to do this."
"By whom?"
The knight shut his eyes tight before opening his mouth. There was no way he could escape this situation.
"The Red King ordered me."
Sienna's eyes wavered.
"When?"
"Around the time I began to teach you swordsmanship, Your Highness."
Sienna slowly closed her eyes.
"What did the Red King say? Tell me her exact words."
「The Princess is someone who will become the master of the Empire. Everything must be perfect. She is choosing to practice the sword as a way to exercise, and it must never become a stumbling block for her. She is stubborn and very hard on herself. If she ever notices that she is lacking in any way, she will dig into it until it has been perfected. She's not even going to be a knight, so what's the point of perfecting her swordsmanship? The Princess is very busy. She doesn't have the time to pour all of her efforts into perfecting the sword. So I'm asking you to help by making the Princess believe that her swordsmanship skill is good enough.」
The knight stuttered as he recalled the conversation. Sienna felt as if she could hear Patricia's voice in her ears.
When Sienna first brought up that she was going to practice swordsmanship, Patricia wasn't pleased. She thought that it would make Sienna's hands too rough for a lady. However, Patricia didn't object to it. She never brought it up after that day, so Sienna had thought that Patricia didn't really care about it.
"Did the Red King also call the Captain of the Knights?"
"Ah... About that... I went and asked the Captain to follow along with it myself. I'm sorry, Princess. However, I didn't lie when I said that you are truly a quick learner."
"When it comes to swordsmanship, it is sincerity over skill. You said this on the first day of my lessons. A couple of hours once every few days. If I continue to practice like this, how much time will it take until I am able to fight on par with a knight? An eternity?"
Sienna was embarrassed by her self-confidence. She had truly believed that she could tackle this with her amazing skills alone. Until a few days ago, that is.
Sienna looked down at the knight in front of her who kept his head down.
"I will forgive you."
Surprised, the knight raised his head. He thought his career was over.
"However, under a couple of conditions. First, nothing happened today. Forget the conversation you and I just shared. Second, show me your true skill. I want to know where I stand in terms of my skills. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Princess. I promise you."
"Now, let's continue with today's practice..."
Sienna grabbed her sword and went into position before she asked the knight another question.
"Have you met the Red King after that day?"
"I have seen her a few more times."
Does that mean... Sienna's heart began to race inside her chest.
"A few times, you say. When?"
"She calls me once every two or three months."
"What does she tell you when she calls for you?"
The knight tensed up at Sienna's interrogation.
"Nothing of importance. She was wondering if you were having a hard time with your lessons. She just asked questions about your welfare. I thought the Red King was worried about you, Princess. I never spied on you for her."
It was possible for a mother to be concerned about her child's education. However, Sienna had a hunch that the Red King's intentions weren't completely pure.
"If you're uncomfortable, I won't meet with the Red King in the future, Princess."
"No. If she calls for you, go. Just tell her the same things you've always told her. Never let her know what we talked about today. Don't let her know that I know."
"Yes, Princess."
"It's true that the Red King is my mother, but the future emperor isn't her. It's me."
The knight wasn't a cunning man, but he understood Sienna's words perfectly. The cold sweat on his back had cooled and was making him feel chilled. He lowered his head even lower and agreed with Sienna.
Practice ended earlier than usual. She sent away the knight and stayed behind, lost in thought.
Patricia wasn't one to tremble and back down at her daughter's words. If she was displeased, she would throw small tantrums at times. Still, Sienna had believed that her mother was an honest woman.
The knight said that they didn't discuss anything important.
'That may be true. There isn't much he would have had to say.'
When they were practicing, they didn't talk much. The conversation they had today was the longest they'd ever had. If the Red King had called him over multiple times, she would have caught on to that as well. But why did she continue to call him? What did she want to know?
Sienna looked around absentmindedly and sighed quietly. Nobody was there. There was always someone around her. However, whenever she was practicing with her sword, she sent everyone away because she didn't want any distractions.
In other words, the only ones who knew what Sienna was doing at this time were Sienna herself and the knight.
'Was she checking up on me? To make sure that I was really practicing my swordsmanship at this time?'
If this was true, then one couldn't merely call this an act of a mother's love. It was persistent surveillance.
'If she's only satisfied by knowing my whereabouts and my every move, that means all my actions thus far have reached Mother's ears this whole time.'
Sienna slowly raised her sword. She pointed it away from her own palace.
'I trusted you.'
She felt as if she had taken a blow from a dull weapon. She was absolutely shocked that those around her were all under Patricia's control. The mother she had known wasn't someone like this.
She had always thought that she was a bird that flew freely in the wide sky. However, an invisible net was just waiting to trap her within its grasp.
'I trusted you when you told me that no mother would harm her own child.'
The Red King might argue that she had never harmed Sienna. If Sienna had just been a normal maiden, she would have thought that her mother was just being overprotective. However, Sienna wasn't normal. Having Sienna in one's grasp meant that they had the future emperor at their beck and call.
This was all just Sienna's guess. She hadn't actually heard what Patricia had been thinking. However, it was too late to go back to the way it was before. No matter what Patricia said, a seed of distrust had taken root in Sienna's heart.
Also, the question that came with last night's dream had been answered. Sienna finally had a clue as to why her future self was in opposition to her maternal uncle. There was no doubt that her mother and her uncle had her in their grasp and were using her to monopolize the government.
Sienna was now suspicious of everyone around her. She felt like a lost child. For the first time, she felt hopeless.
By the time Sienna returned to her senses, she was standing in front of the entrance of the maze garden. While pondering over the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Sienna recalled the black-haired man.
'Would he be here?'
When Sienna finally fought the knight, who now held nothing back, Sienna was disappointed. She never lost her sword, and she was even able to block a few of his attacks.
She could tell the difference in skill between herself and the knight, but she felt that he was still manageable. If he had truly come after her with intent to kill, she felt like she could have defended herself enough to make an escape.
However, the other man was a gigantic wall. He hadn't made her sword fly out of her hand with just brute strength. He used simple movements and skillful technique.
"Ah..."
The clearing in the maze was empty. There was no one there, and even the table had disappeared.
'Was it around here?'
Sienna walked over to the spot where the table used to be. She looked around at her surroundings absentmindedly.
'There's no way he'd be here.'
Sienna chuckled and raised her head. Suddenly, a black-haired man entered the clearing and met her eyes. Sienna's eyes widened. The man stiffened for a moment before quickly turning around. Sienna called out to him.
"Stop right there!"
