A week later, I headed to the Imperial Palace nervously.

The training center was full of apprentice knights who had been waiting for today.

When I was trying to calm down my anxiety, I saw Earl Burt, Deputy Commander of the 2nd Knights Division, climbing onto the platform.

“Everybody, attention! From now on, I will start the official knight selection test. ”

My heart was beating hard. I could hardly calm my thrill at the thought that the time had come for my dream to come true.

Since I was so nervous, I held my trembling hands and listened to his explanation.

All the applicants were divided into four groups, and after each group took the test, they were supposed to move to the next location. I was assigned to the 2nd group, whose first test was spear skills on horseback.

‘Hope you can take care of the meeting well, Duke Verita.’

Whispering towards the Central Palace at a distance, I moved to the training center of the 3rd Knights Division to take the test.

I did my best to demonstrate the best of my spear skills, clenching my teeth.

After I was done with the test smoothly, I also took the test on military tactics and strategy as well as administrative skills and scored almost. Somehow, I felt good about my tests. I felt if I could do well in fencing, I could pass the test without any problem.

Before taking the final test, I grabbed a bite with Sir Spia in the same group during the short break. I tried to refrain myself from turning my eyes toward the Central Palace and moved to the training field of the 1st Knights Division.

The training field of the 1st Knights Division was not much different from the last time I had been there when I worked as its captain’s aide.

Was it because of that? It seemed that I heard Carsein scolding me while training. At that time I spent lots of time with him, but since I was transferred to the 2nd Knights, I was sorry I couldn’t see him often. In particular, I could hardly see him after I was poisoned.

“Next, it’s your turn, Sir Meyer, Sir Monique. ”

When I was standing somewhat in a depressed mood, I heard somebody calling me.

I stood up, holding the sword I put down for a moment.

When I saw the crude sheath, suddenly old memories came to my mind. The sword I was holding now was given to me by my father when I became an apprentice knight, asking me to become a fine knight. Although the sword didn’t fit me as well as before because I was taller with stronger arms than before, I brought it for this test.

Standing face to face with Sir Meyer, I furtively glanced at the silver tassel my father had attached to the sword. When I recalled his faint smile, my anxiety disappeared.

“Okay, start sparring!”

Clink!

The sound of the swords clinking against each other rang out.

I felt a sharp pain in my sword hand, but I gripped it tightly, gnashing my teeth.

Even though this was not a match of life and death, I had to score enough points to pass the test.

I couldn’t show any impression that I backed down easily.

‘Hey, stay calm, Aristia. Just do it as you’ve been practicing. The freedom you’ve been dreaming of since you returned is within your reach right now.’

The more I struck out, the more the palm of my hand hurt, but I put up with it, biting my lip hard. Although I was overpowered by Sir Meyer, I held my own in the match because he was not as competent in fencing as Carsein or my father.

The moment I clinked my sword against his again, I noticed his weakness.

When I rushed to attack his side, which was open to my attack, he swung his sword sideways, stunned. When I lifted my right arm to block his sword, I saw something sparkling flying at me with a squeaking noise.

Moaning, I wrapped my right arm. Blood was flowing between my fingers.

“Stop it!”

“Sir Monique, are you okay?”

“Take her to the infirmary!”

Somebody shouted urgently, and the 2nd Knights Division came running.

I slowly took my eyes from them and looked down at my right hand. The sword I received from my father was cut in half.

‘Why did it break?’

Some ominous foreboding came to my mind. I shuddered when I saw the silver tassel stained with blood.

The moment I lowered my head, looking down at the red blood dripping down, I saw a servant nervously standing among the knights who were making a big fuss over my treatment.

Moistening my mouth, I asked in a calm voice, “Hey, do you have anything to say to me?”

“Yes, but you need treatment first…”

“I’m fine. Is it for me?”

“Pardon? Ah yes. It was sent by the prime minister.”

The servant hesitantly handed the note to me.

I opened the note with my left hand and read it quickly, controlling my anxiety.

As soon as I read the last sentence, my heart sank. The crumpled note fell to the floor.

Those knights around me murmured something with a worried look, I couldn’t hear anything. My head was messed up.

How can this happen? Everybody was so careful and prudent. Why and how was it leaked?

When I was about to head to the Central Palace in a hurry, someone held my shoulders tight. As I turned my head annoyingly, I saw Carsein with his face hardened.

He said with a subdued voice, “Where are you going, now?”

“Let me go. I have to go to the Central Palace. ”

“Have your hand treated first.”

“I don’t have time for that. I need to check what happened right now. ”

“But you have to get the treatment first.”

“No, I don’t have time now.”

I tried to twist my body out of his grip, but he said coldly, holding me more tightly, “You know what. I could have carried you on my back to the infirmary, but I didn’t. So, go and get treatment first.”

“But…”

“If you leave here like this, they’re going to find fault with you, and you know that. So, stop being so bullheaded.”

“… ”

He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and carefully wrapped the wound with it.

Looking at the handkerchief being stained with blood, I nodded with a sigh.

“Okay. I will.”

“Good job. Let’s go. As I gave you first aid, it won’t take long for them to treat you. ”

“Thanks. By the way, what about your stained handkerchief?

“If you really feel sorry, give me another one.”

I walked with him who said what it mattered now was not the handkerchief.

The cut was deeper than I thought, because the handkerchief around my wounded hand was stained red all over while I was walking to the infirmary. After my hand was treated under his monitoring, I headed to the Central Palace, crinkling up my eyes because of the burning sensation under the bandage.

“What is going on, Tia?”

“Well, Duke Verita sent me a message. It’s about the meeting held today. ”

“So, what happened?”

“On the surface, they convened a meeting to discuss the reorganization of the knights divisions, but in fact they had a separate agenda today. However, before the meeting started, the noble faction brought up a different agenda, and that was…”

“That was…?”

“It’s an agenda to decide the empress, which had been delayed. It was unanimously proposed by all the noble faction members.”

I and Carsein entered the inner palace quickly amid the attention of people walking out in small groups of two and three.

When I entered the Central Palace and walked for a long time, I saw four people standing across the long corridor. When I walked up to him hurriedly, my father said with a deep sigh, “Oh, you are here, Tia.”

“Yes, Daddy. As soon as I received the news, I came running here. What happened?”

“Let’s move to another place because there are many around us here.”

Duke Lars said, nodding to him, “That’s a good idea. But Sein, what are you doing here? ”

“Uh, well, she was hurt a bit. I followed her to the infirmary and ended up being here as she came here.”

At that moment, my father’s straight silver eyebrows trembled. He looked at me sharply and said, “You were hurt?”