Taking her place

Pride

Without questioning myself I swing my sword towards my opponent and with brutal force and I push him back as he screams and falls on the grass of the academy.

"As always you never let your guard down," Mike says as he gets up slowly. "You couldn't even go easy on your best friend?"

"And since when have you and I been friends?" I ask as he pouts like a child.

"What do you mean since when?" His grin comes back as he puts his large sword beside him as I cross my arms and sigh.  His sword is huge, it is a big piece of metal that stands at his own height and he's around six feet. "Ever since you beat me at the summer festival in our first year."

"Enemies, I think they call that... Enemies. Not friends." I say as I sheath my sword. He laughs as he crosses his arms as well but immediately stiffens his posture when he sees the royals walk by.

He does not greet them or bows his head like everyone else, but he does not want to accidentally disrespect them, so he just looks at the ground with a cold expression.

The royals consist of every person in the royal family with royal blood with the exception of the royal who is in line for the throne next. That practically means that we do not consider the golden lion as part of the group since he is not someone to begin useless arguments, unlike the people that are heading towards us.

This group is practically the cousins and the sisters of the golden lion, with the most troublesome being Princess Nia.

Her steps are small but powerful enough for us to hear them from a long distance. She walks towards us with a frown in her face as her silky blond hairbrushes through the wind like delicate strands of silk. She holds the front of her huge dress towards her waist as she tries to walk faster, and Mike flinches the moment she stops beside us.

"You dare to reject our marriage proposal!" She screams as she looks at Mike who just grabs his sword from the grass in the process making the dirt fly as it lands on the princesses’ beautiful light blue dress and sheaths it.

I stand there without looking at her, just waiting for his signal to walk away but when we do begin to walk away, she pulls my cape off and grabs my arm. "Is it because of this wench!" She calls out and the rest of her group which is made up of about four more people who are most likely other of her sisters with less influence than her. They all widen their eyes as they see the princesses hand pull my arm in a forceful way.

Mike turns to look at me with an apologetic expression as he stays silent and I sigh loudly. 'This bastard probably likes to hang around me because of moments like these.' I glare at him as he swallows hard before I turn to look at the small weak hand that is grabbing my arm in place or at least trying to...

"I suggest taking your hand off me before I cut it off for insulting me," I say and her sister's faces go pale.

"What?!" She screams as her hand starts to tremble. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!" She says as her wide blue eyes begin to darken.

She throws her arm across my face and hits me right in the cheek. My hands begin to itch as I remember the feeling of the black gloves with blood in my hands and I freeze.

'I'm not going to cut her head off for enjoyment but in order to recover the Artema's family dignity.'

I try to lie to myself as I hear mike behind me step backwards.

I look at the girl in front of me as I grab her chin forcefully lifting it while I grab my sword and begin to unsheathe it when I hear a small voice call out to me.

"What are you doing?" I slowly turn to look at the boy a couple of feet away from us. He is wearing the same clothes as this morning, but they seem a bit dirty as if he had fallen on the floor or something.

When I notice the dirt on his small hands I snap out of my killing frenzy and let go of the girl in front of me as I forcefully push her face away, making her trip into the grass in the process. I put away the sword slowly as if trying to not scare a rabbit by trying to not make a sound with the blade as it rubs against the casing the hangs on the side of my waist.

"I was in the middle of punishing a bad cat but there seems to be something more important than wasting my time on a hairless cat." Mike snickers as he gets close to me now and looks down at the small boy who is staring at him with an apparent frown in his face. Mike clears his throat as he looks at the boy and then at me nervously. "Why are you covered in dirt?" I ask as I grab his small hands and begin to look for any injuries, as well as his clothes, and find a scrape on one of his arms.

"They told me I was in charge of cleaning the classroom." He says with a smile as I flinch.

Knowing the adult, him I know that he would never let anyone look down on him but with how he is now compared to how he was in my memories I cannot seem to understand him. Does he not see what is wrong with this situation or is he planning to act innocent as he tells on the perpetrators? I look at the scrape and pick the boy up in one scoop, right into my arms. "Now, you are going to tell me exactly who it was that told you to do such a stupid thing."

Once I carry him in my arms he buries his face into my neck but I ignore it as at the current moment I am fuming.

"Oh shit." I hear mike say in a low voice as we begin to walk.

Once I am in front of his newly assigned classroom I walk inside and find a chubby older man sitting in the teacher's table and I put the boy down. "Take care of him for me," I say as I smile at Mike who pretends to laugh as well as he grabs the boys’ shoulder and signals him out of the door. "This won’t take long."

"Just don't break anything." He says with a troubled expression as he leads Kuro outside of the room with him as he closes the door behind him.

"May I help you?" The man stands as he looks at me with an annoyed expression.

"Kuro Artema was assigned to this classroom," I say as he chuckles a bit.

"Oh yes, the little commoner boy." He crosses his arms. "I made him clean the classroom in order to teach him his place." He begins to walk towards his table.

"I don't remember asking for him to receive that kind of hospitality," I say as I pull out a dagger and throw it towards the man as a warning as it lands on top of his table where his paperwork is at.

"My lady, I suggest you take your threats elsewhere. The board will agree with me since its common for us to warn commoners before their stay here begins so that they may not cause problems." He says as he looks at the dagger nervously but tries to cover it up with some bad acting as he tries to feign confidence.

"I don't think you understand what is going on here." I stalk towards him slowly as he leans against his table nervously. "The Artema family gave this place money to take care of a very important guest of ours, so important that we willingly allowed him to borrow our name for him to use during his stay here." I stop right in front of him as he begins to shake from fear.

"The fact that you made that boy clean this place while knowing whose name he is currently taking, means that you feel like you have the authority to order my mother, my older sister, and me to clean your shoes with our tongues as much as a mere commoner is expected to do in this place. At least that's what I am understanding from our conversation." I say as I lift the dagger from his table and step away. "If that's the case then I have no other choice but to ask the king to punish those who have insulted our family's name."                                                                                                                                                  

"Wait! My lady! I didn't know the boy was that important!" He says as he kneels on the floor. "Please forgive me!"

"The fact that you still have your head attached to your body means that I'm already being lenient enough, but there is a way for you to make it up for me," I say as I put the dagger away into my belt. "I want the names of all of the teachers that follow this exact procedure for the children at the academy."

"Y-yes ill ha-have a list ready." He says as he puts his head on the floor.

"You have until the end of the day," I say as I leave the room.

"I don't see any blood, thankfully," Mike says as Kuro slips away from his grip and he runs towards me.

"I’ll be getting something better than his worthless life," I say as Kuro hugs my waist tightly.

"The fact that your sister is blind to the kind of knight that you are is- it just always leaves me speechless," Mike says as he looks at me with a troubled expression.

"Being straight to the point doesn't make me a bad person," I say as I cross my arms. "Making someone else deal with the aftermath of my screw-ups is though," I say flashing him a wide smile.

"You know what, I meant to say that you are perfect. Never change!" He says as he touches my arm. "You my friend are one of the most inspiring knights that I have ever met."

His laughter suddenly comes to a stop as he looks at Kuro and he slowly moves away from me.

I turn to look at the boy as he turns to look at me with a smile on his face and I swallow hard.

'Perhaps he hasn't changed as much as I thoughts, but just hides it.'

"What is this about you purchasing the knight academy?" Lenna enters the living room where I am sitting as I take a drink of my coffee.

"I'm not purchasing it, you are," I say as she looks at me with wide eyes. "Or at least the Artema household is." I give her some pieces of paper and she takes them into her hand with an annoyed expression.

"What is this?" She looks at me with a concerned expression.

"They are the first people that you will punish after we own it." I put down my cup of coffee in the center table as Lenna looks at me with disbelief.

"Alright, and why would I do that?" She asks as she puts a hand on her forehead.

"I didn't know this, but apparently they have a rule about how to treat commoners," I say as she looks at me with an alarmed expression.

"What do you mean? There's no such thing, i never saw anything." She says as she crushes the papers in her hand now.

"Same here." I look at the fireplace as the fire sparks violently. "At least not until today. They apparently thought it would be alright to have Kuro clean the classroom for the teacher since we don't know his background."

Lenna never gets upset, the only person who has ever been able to ever get her mad is me and it is a scary sight to see. She is the perfect daughter to our dear mother but when she gets pissed off, people can’t seem to recognize her anymore.

To describe it in a perfect manner, she is like a saint who suddenly turns into a warrior if they touch her in the wrong way. By taking advantage of the weak, that is one way to piss her off.

"They what?" She asks as her face turns serious.

I continue to sit on the couch as she grabs my cup of coffee and drinks it all in one gulp.

"I will take care of the rest then, thank you for doing your part." She says as she begins to walk away. "By the way, didn't I tell you to add sugar to your coffee. The way you drink it... Makes it taste like poison."

I sigh as I look at the empty cup in the small center table. 'Then why drink it?'

"I was told about this from someone else but I would like to ask for your side of the story." Mother says as we stand in front of her desk in her table. "Blair, explanation please."

Lenna stands beside me with a worried expression as she is about to say something I put my hand up, signaling her to not do it and she takes a step back.

"I found out that they mistreat students who enter the academy if they are of unknown origin," I say as I put my hand back down and put my hands to my side. "They also disrespected our power as the Artema household. The fact that they still have their heads, in it- itself should be considered a gift of our goodwill."

She looks at the papers in front of her as she puts her hands together. "Lenna, you are always the one doing things that cause an uproar around the aristocrats so I'm used to it but to think that this time it would come from you, Blair. I always suspected that you don't care much for others why did you begin to care for something like this now?"

I freeze, unable to answer her question I swallow hard at the thought of her question.

'Why did I care?'

I have never gotten involved in situations before this, always keeping in mind that I must prepare for the dark future that lies ahead of me. Concentrated in the upcoming triggering events that will happen and trying to intervene them but for a while, no known triggers have been happening since we aren't living off the kind man who was meant to take us in as his servants. 'Maybe this is what they mean when they say you haven't lived life if every day is the same routine?'

"Not only that but you also tried to cut off the head of a princess." She says as she sighs softly.

"She what?!" Lenna asks as she looks at me. "As a knight, we aren't supposed to use our swords to hurt others especially not the royal family! We are supposed to protect!"

I stay silent as mother looks at me and smiles. "Why did you do it? The princess said it was because you were jealous of her and the man, she wished to marry being together, but I know you. Blair you have not once shown any interest in a man and I'm sure I would know if you suddenly began to, so she is definitely lying."

"She disrespected me, she used dirty language to express her dislike of me and I wanted to make an example of her to show others what happens if the Artema family is to be disrespected." Lenna closes her mouth as she looks at the floor. "As a knight, I know that what I did was the correct thing to do, so I hold nothing in my conscience. If there is anything that I possibly did wrong was leaving that woman alive for her to cause such a commotion over the little bit of pity that I showed her."

"I see." Mother says as she looks at me and then at Lenna. "I understand now, so Lenna, try to not be mad at your sister."

"But we are supposed to protect not-"

"As a knight I protect this family and the honor that the Artema family holds. I have set my priorities straight, of course as a person I won’t allow my values to be violated or ignored as well but at those times I will take all of the responsibility for the consequences those kinds of actions hold." I look at Lenna as she looks up at me. "For this event, I feel no sorrow for what transpired."

She looks at me a tough expression before it softens as she sighs. "Fine, mom what do we have to do now? Has the king asked to see Blair or for anything from us due to that?"

"Yes, he's asked to see the both of you, but it seems to be out of curiosity instead. At least that is what I get from the way his letter is written. Once I have the date I will let the two of you know." She passes her fingers over her ear as she stares at the papers in her table as she says, "so for now, just be mentally prepared to meet him at any time."

"Yes, mother." We both say in unison as we leave the room in silence.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lenna asks as she looks at me with judging eyes.

"I didn't think it was that important. I mean I told you almost immediately about the school, right?" I say as I begin to walk away but she grabs my arm.

"Why?" She says as her eyes begin to water "why did you change so much?" She asks as her grip in my arm tightens.

I flinch at the feeling of her tightening her grip as she looks at me with a disappointed expression. "I thought father taught us better than this. To be a knight means to protect."

I begin to pull my hand away from her, but she does not let go. "Lenna your hurting me." She does not move. "Lenna it hurts." She begins to tighten her grip even more and my patience falls apart as my hand turns a light pale.

At this point, I push her away as she looks at me with a shocked expression before she touches her chest where I struck her with my fist and looks at it. "You were hurting me," I say as she looks back at me.

"You've really changed." She says as she looks away and begins to walk away.

'What the hell?'

"You have no right to judge me!" I say as she stops in her tracks before she turns to look at me. "You always talk about how knights protect this and that!" I shake the hand that she was holding as I try to pump the blood that was being restricted from when she grabbed me. "Well, you want to know what's another characteristic of a knight. They are loyal."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She says as she begins to walk towards me, and I do not move.

"I am a knight that is loyal to this family and I protect this family! I have clear in my head who I am loyal to! Maybe you should rethink your situation over." She looks taken aback as I say "go ahead! Ask yourself. Who are you loyal to?!" Her body begins to shake from anger as I walk towards her. "Isn't that something father also taught us? Or did you forget?"

"That's not fair." She says as she tries to walk towards me and then looks at my arm.

The mark of her hand is there and its begun to bruise up, she gasps as she realizes what she has done and tries to reach for my arm but I move away. "I'll be heading out, I have to go check up on a friend," I say as I walk away.

"I'm sorry." I hear her say softly but I don't stop or even look at her, if I do she'll only feel more guilty.

I wrap my arm in bandages to cover up the bruise that Lenna’s hand left as I sigh. 'I'm capable of murder and yet a simple squeeze from her hand caused my skin to bruise up...'

"Are you hurt?" I hear a little voice say as he looks up at me. Kuro stands beside me as I finish tying the bandages on me and I sigh softly.

"Not exactly." I kneel as he touches the bandage on my arm and then looks up at me.

"Does it hurt?" He asks as he hugs me burying his face in my neck.

"It's not painful, it’s just a bruise. I'm just covering it up because having to explain it to others once they see it would be troublesome." I say as I pick him up. "Kuro," I say as he slowly moves his buried face away from my neck and then looks at me. I pause as I see that he has tears in his eyes and slowly wipe them away with one hand as I continue to carry him with the other. "Do you remember my friend from yesterday? I will be visiting him today. Would you like to come along?"

As soon as I finish my sentence he nods and then buries his face in my neck again.

As soon as we arrived at Mikes home I am greeted by the servants of the house in rows as they allow us to enter a guest room where they serve us some pastries and coffee while they serve Kuro tea.

He begins to stare at the pastries longingly, but he does not move an inch. I move towards the center table and he flinches.

Not because he is afraid of me or anything but perhaps it is just reflex.

I sigh mentally.

'With the way, he grew up. I don't blame him.'

I laugh softly as I come to the sudden realization that this man and I are the prime examples of irony.

He who grew up with powers, strong enough to exterminate an entire army, and used it ever since he was a kid. It caused people to be afraid of him. It caused his parents to hate him and sell him off, but as fate should have it. When he was old enough to use the power in his blood at full capacity, his grandfather who had been looking for him since he found out that his son had given him away to random strangers had finally found him. He had him brought to his family's main residence where the boy suffered and later killed his own parents to become the head of the household. Earning him the title of the beast-like tyrant, funny how this would lead the man to have a happy ending by having himself marry a kind woman who would later give him a family, something that he never had...

As for me, I grew up in a caring home with understanding parents, I as well was born with powers strong enough to kill an entire army but I would never use it.

After all, with such a beautiful family, I didn't have to.

Although life was perfect for me, I would end up losing everything and in the end, the powers that I had been taught to use to protect others were what I would later use to kill hundreds of people. Maybe thousands, I am not sure but after a while, you stop counting.

"You can’t have too many sweets because they aren't good for your health, but you can have one or two if you want," I say as I grab a small plate and look at the boy who smiles widely.

"Can I have the blue cake?!" He asks as he points at a piece of cake with a blue cream and small candies on top that look like pearls.

I grab it and hand it over to him as he grabs the plate with the fork and lays it in his lap, trying hard to not drop it.

"Careful there big boy, it might be poisoned," Mike says as he enters the room with a wide grin.

"If it is, I’ll have to murder the entire duke household, what a pity that would be..." I say as he stops smiling and frowns instead with a long sigh.

"You know you don't really behave like how a knight should." He says as he sits down on his couch, across from us. "Your choice of words should have been somewhere along the line of... Don't worry ill protect you!"

"Well, I don't exactly have to be kind about everyone and everything, unlike you."

He sighs as he looks at the floor with his hands running through his hair. "You are right about that as much as I hate to admit it."

"How's the situation?" I ask I take a sip from the coffee.

"It's not looking well for me. My father wants to speed up the wedding since I was the cause of the uproar that made the princess complain." He looks at me as he crosses his fingers. "Blair, do you think there is anything that you might be able to do, to at least slow down the process for my father that is. Without letting him find out, of course."

"You ask for too much," I say as I continue to drink my coffee. "But I have unfinished business with that self-righteous brat, so I’ll help you."