Reincarnated as a Lousy Knight

5. Blood Garnet Palace

"I dare you to try."

Those were the chilly words from Leonidas as soon as they left the camp and went straight to the Blood Garnet Palace. He heard his brothers chuckling through mind link as they kept on teasing him while on their wolf forms.

"Third brother, Leonidas, aren't you being cold to that dame knight?" Neleos asked through chuckling after they transformed back to their human forms.

Leonidas frowned when Crispian locked his head in between his arms. "My, my. First brother, you know that every rookie knight we encountered had dared to express that they will dethrone our beloved third brother's knight title." He laughed.

"I envy Third Brother who is so good at the sword." They turned their heads at their youngest brother, Alfonce.

Percival draped his arm over his shoulders. "Tenth brother, we do have a specialty in any aspect. Mind you that you have read all the books in the imperial library for less than half of the year." He grinned and tapped his shoulder. "Imagine a thousand books stored there."

"But Third Brother can do it in three months." Alfonce chuckled. "But I am happy that I have achieved that."

"Try to read the archives, too," Vincent replied. "We have already read the archives. You should read them because you are at the right age to read them." He was talking about the archives where hundreds of confidential documents were being kept there. Including the worst cases of the Oriana Empire.

The archives contained detailed reports. They contained the dark side of the Oriana Empire. They could only read them as soon as they reached nineteen years old. It was old enough to comprehend all of the events. It was a duty that they needed to understand and know.

"I see! I shall do that!" Alfonce said, feeling impassioned.

They were enjoying each other's company while sauntering the way to the Blood Garnet Palace. Then they stopped as soon as they saw the beautiful woman who had a gentle smile plastered on her lips.

It was Primary Queen Averie Oriana, Leonidas' mother.

She was with the servants and butlers lining up in the aisle, waiting for them. The princes politely bowed their heads as soon as they approached her.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Primary Queen Averie," they said in unison except for Leonidas.

"Greetings, Mother," Leonidas said with a bow.

Averie shook her head and opened her arms. "Enough of formalities, my little children. Why don't we greet each other with a hug?"

The princes chuckled. "Of course, Mother." They all went to her to hug her so tight and to express how much they adored their Primary Queen as their secondary mother.

Regardless of their envy of Leonidas, the princes had a soft side to Averie, especially with Neleos and Percival. Averie was the one who took care of them despite that they were the offspring of the late Empress Farrah who was killed by assassination. They were so young back then and the other mates of the emperor didn't want to become their foster mother.

They thought that Neleos and Percival were a threat to their sons while the consorts and concubines wanted their sons to be the next crown prince of their empire.

Only Averie volunteered to be their foster mother. Averie and her son, Leonidas lived together with Neleos and Percival in the Blood Garnet Palace until Galafe granted them their own palace as soon as they reached the right age.

One reason why the princes adored Averie was her compassion, benevolence, and humbleness personality which was different from Leonidas who had the opposite personality of his mother. They grew up feeling her motherly love when their mothers only cared about getting them to be the next crown prince. That was why when they were at the Blood Garnet Palace, they would address her 'Mother' rather than 'Your Majesty'.

Lastly, Averie hugged her son, Leonidas. She hugged her so tight she never wanted to let him go.

"Mother..." Leonidas sighed in dejection as he hugged him back when his mother didn't want to let him go.

Averie smiled sweetly and distanced herself away from him. "Why don't we have some snacks, my dearest? You all looked like you had gone thinner." She frowned as she checked each of them their faces and their arms.

Edzard smiled softly. This hostile, always annoyed prince had a soft spot for her. "Mother, we are just being physically fit," he said when Averie checked his face.

"No, no. I don't know those words. Come to the gazebo! We must take some snacks!" Averie said, panicking as she was the first one who went inside the palace. "Prepare all the snacks for my sons! Hurry!"

They exchanged glances at each other before they simply chuckled before going into the palace along with their assistants. But Percival and Leonidas stayed outside as soon as the bird messenger had come to arrive.

The message contained that the investigation reports were on their way to the Blood Garnet Palace and Forest Emerald Palace, Percival's own palace.

"They sure are quick this time," Percival said. Then he tapped his shoulder. "You really bestowed a good word, third brother." He meant that Leonidas had lashed out on them and dared to even punish them with a whip that had wolfsbane in it.

"They must know their place," Leonidas said coldly as they sauntered their way to the gazebo after entering the inside of the palace.

The moment they arrived there, they saw that they were laughing while the tea and some snacks and desserts were being served. They sat on their respective seats, surrounding the big circular table in the gazebo.

The fresh air was being lifted with the trees dancing from the soft wind. The birds were chirping and singing to their heart's content. The princes' laughter was joining the rhythm of the serenity of the place. Butlers and servants were in the corner, ready to serve their Her Majesty and His Highnesses. The assistants of the princes settled behind their master as they waited for their orders.

Everything seemed perfect and happy.

Father is not here. Leonidas pointed out. It wasn't a bother to him if their father was always busy. But he made amends to be with them.

After all, Leonidas was his favorite son. He wouldn't miss being with his third son.

"Mother, you won't believe what happened earlier back in the camp!" Benjamin spoke, chuckling.

Leonidas turned his head at Benjamin. He could already surmise that his fifth brother would tell what happened earlier.

Averie gasped and looked at her son. "A female knight this time? That is surprising!" she exclaimed with a surprise.

"Then third brother replied to her as, 'I dare you to try' in his deep voice, Mother," Mitxel said, mimicking how Leonidas sounded back then.

Leonidas squinted his eyes to Mitxel which made Mitxel jump on his seat because of the glare from Leonidas. Averie chuckled and castigated her son.

"Do not frighten your young brother, Leonidas," she scolded him.

"Yes, Mother," Leonidas replied and averted his gaze back to the teacup.

Averie clapped her hands. "She got my interest. I would love to see her. Could that be Leonidas' mate? My son is having a mate?" she asked excitedly.

He frowned. "No, Mother. I never even smelled her scent. Finding a mate means you could be able to smell and identify her smell," he explained.

Crispian grinned. "I bet that she got your interest. I saw you smiling back then, Leonidas."

His face turned sour. "You must be imagining things," he said coldly. He scoffed and drank his tea.

"But admit it, brothers. She has great spear skills. A few werewolf knights use spears as their weapons," Benjamin said with a shrug.

They weren't supposed to be rare. Using the spear had become inferior because of the rising knight title, Scorched Flaming Prince that was granted by his father. He was also well-known because of his sword technique called Infernus of Hephaestus. Since he was a man who used swords, a lot of the knights who passed the entrance exam liked to use swords as well even though they had the capability to use spears more.

Leonidas was already thinking of changing that method. They must conduct a weapon screening first to see if a werewolf knight should use a sword or a spear.

He would never forget that female knight who had skillfully spun the spear as she had been through practicing it for years. 

For a lousy knight like her who was ridiculed for not knowing how to dwell a sword, how could she be able to dwell a spear? He wondered. 

Leonidas couldn't just accept the fact that the woman could be able to do that. He thought that was impossible. He highly doubted that woman's spear skills. He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder. Hugh bowed his head.

'Your orders, Your Highness?' Hugh asked through mind link.

'I want you to investigate that female knight earlier. I want to know her origin and all of the matters that involved her private life,' Leonidas ordered.

Hugh nodded. 'As you wish, Your Highness.'

While he was quietly sipping on his tea, Leonidas couldn't help but notice the feeling of familiarity towards that woman. 

Cerise Blueth...

That name lingered on his head like a broken record. It would never get off his mind. There was this urging feeling inside him that wanted to see that lousy knight. He had been ignoring this feeling these past few days because he thought that it was absurd to even think of a lowly creature that wasn't even a match with her.

Get off my mind already!