Chapter 5
Ash racked his memory, trying to recall when she had first entered the Knights’ Order. It was the year he finished his Page period and became a full Knight. He remembered being surprised by her small frame, fairy-like appearance, and yet her immense skill.
*I hope that skill hasn’t deteriorated.* With a regretful sigh, Ash asked the administrative Knight again, “Is there any law that exempts a Knight from needing a guardian?”
“No, Commander. There isn’t. That’s why I told her I couldn’t help.”
If so, it didn’t seem like she was planning to leave the Order yet.
Ash furrowed his brow and turned away. Did he want Seirena to leave the Order, or not? He couldn’t tell. In any case, she was someone who had nothing to do with him. Ash immediately pushed the matter of Seirena far out of his mind. Or rather, he tried to.
***
“What was that just now?” Moana asked, pulling Seirena out of the building in astonishment.
Seirena was biting her lip.
“What was what?”
Moana was taken aback by her feigned ignorance, crossed her arms, and asked, “Your greeting just now.”
“What about the greeting?”
“You were totally weird. Seriously weird. W-e-i-r-d.”
Seirena knew it, too.
She rolled her eyes before answering honestly, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What?”
“I just, suddenly felt unpleasant.”
“What felt unpleasant? The Commander?”
*Yes.* Seirena nodded.
She didn’t understand it either. The moment she saw the Commander, she felt a profound sense of displeasure.
Ash Graywind.
Several adjectives were attached to this protagonist with the impressive name:
* Genius.
* Youngest.
* Master.
* Third in line to the throne.
* Duke.
* And Commander of the Ragomal Knights’ Order.
There probably weren’t many women who could dislike him. His imposing height, his muscular body honed by swordsmanship, and his sculpted features. His black hair and dark eyes suggested a magnificent black panther. Although his eligibility was nominal since there were two Princes, the fact that he was the King’s nephew made him even more desirable. Both the social circles and the female Knights in the Order must have fantasized about becoming the Duchess Graywind at some point.
“You suddenly decided you hate the Commander?” Moana asked, unable to believe it.
Seirena wasn’t someone who strongly disliked or hated anyone. Apart from two or three people in the Order, she didn’t socialize much, but neither had she ever fought with anyone. On the contrary, until a few days ago, Seirena had been rather fond of Ash Graywind. Given the numerous adjectives that described him, it was only natural for a noblewoman to feel a favorable inclination toward Ash.
“I don’t know. Didn’t I dislike the Commander originally?”
Moana’s eyes widened at Seirena’s words. *She disliked him originally? What is she talking about?*
She let out a slight gasp and said, “Huh. If you disliked him originally, you must have been a fantastic actress until now.”
“Oh? Was I?”
“The expression you made just now was unbelievable. It was the look of someone who truly hated him to death.”
*Did I not show it before?* Seirena tilted her head.
*That’s strange.* She genuinely disliked Ash right now. She felt a wave of displeasure the moment she saw his face. If she had heard his voice, she would have been even more annoyed. Come to think of it, *that man didn’t even greet me himself.* That made him feel even more obnoxious.
Moana watched Seirena, who was lost in thought. She looked serious, then tilted her head, and now was creasing her brow in annoyance. *Hmm.* Was this due to the shock of her parents’ death? Could someone suddenly start hating someone else?
More importantly…
She couldn’t hold back and asked Seirena, “But what did you mean about wanting to refuse a guardian?”
“Just what I said.”
“Your guardian would be Lord Hunter, right? Your uncle.”
Seirena’s expression stiffened.
*Oh.* Moana’s eyes widened, wondering what was happening. As far as she knew, Seirena’s relationship with her uncle was good. Some nobles have bad relationships due to property disputes, but the Hunter family was known to be amiable.
“He’s not the guardian yet.”
*That’s true, but…* Moana remained silent at Seirena’s words.
Of course, he wasn’t yet. It had only been two days since the Earl and Countess of Hunter died, so Lord Hunter probably hadn’t even heard the news of their passing. But if he did, Lord Hunter would immediately travel to the capital and, under the guardianship requirements, become the guardian of Seirena and Ezra.
“Why, though?” Moana finally couldn’t help but ask. Seirena stood still, saying nothing.
What could she possibly say?
That she had actually lived until the age of twenty-nine? That her uncle had become her guardian, she quit the Order, and became Queen? And that after being labeled a debauched harlot and a luxurious villainess through all sorts of dirty conspiracies and schemes, she had returned just before being tried on the fabricated charge of trying to kill the Second Prince with the First Prince?
She couldn’t say it. No one would believe her. Even she didn’t know how she had returned. The magician said she had no price to pay. Magic requires a price. So how had Seirena returned?
“No, it’s nothing, just…”
Seirena hesitated for a moment, then decided to lie.
“It’s only a year. I only need one more year, and if my uncle becomes the guardian, wouldn’t it be troublesome for him too?”
*Troublesome? No way.* He would be delighted. But lying to Moana made Seirena’s conscience prickle.
Moana listened, puzzled, then said, “Troublesome? Wouldn’t he be even happier?”
“Huh?” Seirena’s eyes widened at Moana’s words. Moana shrugged and said, “I mean your cousin. She was dying to come to the capital. This is his chance to introduce his daughter in society as your guardian, so there’s no way it would trouble him.”
The old Seirena would have argued that it wasn’t true.
Seirena smiled bitterly. Her cousin Adrianna was a good girl. *I thought she was a good girl.* She wasn’t particularly close with her cousin, who was a year younger, but she liked her as a relative. Yes, she didn’t believe her words and actions were malicious.
Moana saw Seirena smiling bitterly without a word and her eyes widened again. *What’s wrong with her?* Usually, Seirena would have argued that her cousin was not like that. But for some reason, this time she seemed to agree, smiling bitterly.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I mean, aren’t you sick? Do you have a fever?”
Moana’s hand touched Seirena’s forehead. No fever. Understanding why she was worried, Seirena gently moved Moana’s hand away from her forehead and said, “I’m not sick. I just…”
What should she say?
“Let’s just say I started thinking about my life from a different angle.”
At the even stranger remark, Moana’s eyes grew wider. Thinking about her life?
This was the first time she had seen Seirena contemplating her life. Other than looking forward to the day Ezra turned thirteen and left the Order, she hadn’t given much thought to the future.
“How did you start thinking about it?”
Perhaps the death of her parents had made her think more deeply about things.
In response to Moana’s question, Seirena walked toward the stable and said, “I’m going to become a Knight.”
“Seirena, we’re already Knights.”
That was true. Every noble had to serve as a Knight. That meant everyone who received a title had to be knighted before receiving it. Sometimes, children of nobles who couldn’t inherit a title also joined the Order.
But Seirena was the Earl’s eldest daughter, and the title would pass to her since her parents were dead. That is, unless her uncle presented her to the King and usurped the title.
“Not just that. I mean, a Chevalier.”
At Seirena’s words, Moana’s steps paused for a moment before she started walking again.
Chevalier. It signified the pinnacle of knighthood.
Everyone who joined the Knights’ Order went through the Page period, took an examination, and was knighted. Most nobles were satisfied with this. Only those who dreamed of becoming the best swordsman or who desired a title sought to rise higher.
A Chevalier. A Knight received the title of Chevalier if they achieved a great feat or became a Master. And all Chevaliers were granted the title of Viscount. Considering that Barons and Viscounts did not own territory, it wasn’t much of a benefit to a noble who already owned land. But commoners seeking a title, or children of noble families who couldn’t inherit one, wished to become a Chevalier and trained themselves with that goal in mind.
“Well, you have a higher chance of becoming a Chevalier than Ezra.” Moana nodded and said. Seirena had talent for swordsmanship. It was just that she wasn’t interested in cultivating it herself.
“An Earl and a Chevalier. You would be the first woman to achieve that.”
Seirena smiled without a word at Moana’s subsequent comment.
She wouldn’t become the Earl.
Last night, after confirming she had truly returned, Seirena had pondered carefully. She wouldn’t become the Earl. But she also wouldn’t let her uncle take it. The title belonged to Ezra.
In her previous life, Ezra was executed as a murderer for killing the coachman’s family when he turned twenty. Seirena had wept for a month over the fact that she had been unable to protect her younger brother, much less help him. She only learned that her young brother hadn’t even adapted to the Order after reviewing the court records.
Seirena’s parents probably hoped Seirena would become the Countess and Ezra would become a Viscount by becoming a Chevalier. But Ezra had no talent for the sword. In the records she examined when she was Queen, Ezra was listed as having spent five years just in the Page period. She hadn’t known. She realized for the first time how possible it was to hear absolutely nothing.
Her uncle had told her then:
> “I did all of that to protect you, my dear.”
She wished she could have told him to shove his nonsense.
Seirena, separating from Moana and mounting her horse, unknowingly ground her teeth.
“Protection? Go to hell.”
No one had protected her. That was her fault. Her own naive and foolish desire to be protected by someone else. Ezra was her responsibility. She should have protected him and watched over him. Because the person who should have protected and watched over him foolishly sought protection instead, that terrible thing happened.
“No one can protect me.”
She would not let anyone dare suggest protecting her. She would become the strongest Knight, ensuring no one could approach her.
Seirena tightened her grip on the reins. Her blonde hair, tied back halfway by Anna, swayed in the wind.
Ash, who had come out of the building, spotted Seirena galloping away on her horse. Seirena’s blonde hair billowed in
the wind.
“A fairy, is it.” Ash muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The Fairy of the Order. That’s what Seirena was called. He didn’t like it. The Knights’ Order had no need for fairies.
***
