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*POP*

Two wood sticks collided with each other.

In front of me was Celie who wielded two small but thick wooden sticks. She was in her usual training uniform which was a winter woolen tunic with a thin belt strapped around her waist.

Snow fell on our sweaty noses, and with each pant came a transparent cloud of white.

“You know, it’s really cold…” I said, pleading for an end to the duel.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a man?” She snarked

“I’m only 11…” My voice faded as she started to laugh.

“So am I!” She teased, standing proudly about 15 meters ahead of me.

I grasped my long wooden stick and stood my ground, holding both ends of the stick as the end of its “blade” drooped towards my feet.

This was my father's position when countering stabs and slashes from above as I could thrust my sword upwards and push myself to their weak spot where I could deliver the final blow.

I slowly plodded towards her, trying to lure her in.

We’ve been dueling ever since that night where she explained to me why she lied about me attacking her.

Part of me wanted to forgive her, parts of me didn’t. But eventually, I kind’ve outgrew it.

“Hup!” Celie brandished her swords as she made a quick approach to me.

I took swift steps back, but she kept coming.

I had a longer reach, but she had the advantage in an up close situation.

Just when I was on the edge of the platform that the servants set up for our duelings, she went in for a stab with her right hand.

I instantly thrusted my sword into the side of her shorter stick, making her stumble to her left.

I tried poking her chest when she was completely open, but she just managed to roll out of the way.

Her hood fell down and her flaming red hair was exposed to the blank white snow.

I got back into my stance, but this time I held my sword like a bat.

Celie looked at me confused.

“Of all the sword duels we’ve had, I’ve never seen that!” She gave a stupefied face as I shook my head in disappointment.

“Well if you read, you’d probably know this.” I scolded.

“I don’t like reading. Let’s just fight already!” She jumped three times in excitement.

“Patience…” I scolded yet again, but instead of listening, Celie yawned, and a big white cloud blew by her cheeks as she slowly approached me.

I gave a sigh and approached her as well.

-10 meters-

-5 meters-

I gave a grunt as I threw my sword down onto her, immediately stopping as soon as she went in for a block by crossing her dual swords together above her head.

“No, that’s wrong. Don’t do that.” I waved my hand to pause the match which she didn’t like.

“Why? What’s wrong?” She asked wholeheartedly without a single thought in the world.

“If I were to continue coming down like this-” I laid my sword between her dual swords which was still in the air ready to block, “Then you won’t have enough force to withstand it.” I pushed further down, and her arms drooped the more I pushed down on it.

“And then you can stab me…” She said with sincere disappointment and sighed.

“Precisely.” I waved the match on again, and before she could even react, I thrusted my sword into her chest.

“That’s not fair! I wasn’t ready! And- and you were showing me something!” She cried.

“There’s no fair in battle.” I objected with sincerity.

“But- but you paused the match!”

“That’s because I gave the mercy of teaching you instead of just stabbing you just for you to do something as stupid again.”

“I’m not stupid!” she exclaimed, shooting me a mean eye.

“I didn’t call you stupid…”

“Whatever… fine. I won’t do that again.”

“Well, you can do it.” I dropped my sword. “You’re just doing it wrong.” I high-stepped through the short snow and made my way behind her.

“What’re you doing?” she tilted her head quizzically.

“I’m showing you the right way to block from above your head.” I placed my hands on both of her elbows. She jumped, but I told her to relax which didn’t actually work as she looked completely distressed but she stopped jumping.

It took a few awkward seconds of the clouds coming from our breath merging together and fading away until I finally put everything in place.

“There.” Her elbows were now bent slightly and her sticks weren’t crossing yet they were separated just a few inches from each other.

“Ok… I got it… Please let go of me now.” She cried, and I let go and put my hands in the air as if I was surrendering.

I prodded back to my original spot and picked up my sword.

“Alright. Now if I do this-” I gently threw my stick into hers which was in the same position I had put it. “Then you will have enough force to block and then slash me either on my leg or my waist.”

She wasted no time to do so as she thrashed the side of her stick in her right hand on my waist and pretended to slit it.

“Oof!” I grunted in pain and swore. “That was really unnecessary!” She chuckled and made her way to the manor where she waited for me at the door.

“Yeah, I’m coming!” I shouted and then whispered under my breath “prick…”

I waited for Celie to finish her usual meal so us servants could get our portion of food which consisted mainly of bread, leftover meat, and the greens that Celie refused to eat. We got our water from a well behind the manor. I was forced to reel in buckets of water to fill everyone’s cups because I was the youngest out of the group.

I couldn’t say that we grew closer, but they’d give me greetings every now and then rather than ignoring me like they did to me 2 years ago.

However, I thought all of this was much better than the church.

Of course, I still visited the church every 2 days or so.

Sister Amy had grown weary of scolding me so much, and Eve seemed to be more excited every time I arrived.

As I feasted on my bread sitting on the doorsteps next to Fletcher who was standing by the door, I heard horses galloping and men singing.

“Ah, Sir Chalot is back.”

“Hm? How could you tell?”

“He sent a message to me this morning that he’d be arriving this evening, of course.”

“Oh, right.”

I haven’t seen Sir Chalot since a few months after Celie’s lie. He’s the father of Mason and Celie and the head of the Taywin Chalot house. He’s barely at home because of his travels around Gedo kingdom, meeting other wealthy nobles and tending to his lands. He was an Earl, and he should’ve been addressed as Lord Chalot, but this world only addresses nobles below Dukes who were addressed as sir.

Only ranks of Duke and higher would be addressed as Lord.

However, Sir Chalot, who’s name is Glover Taywin Chalot, refused to be addressed as Sir Taywin, as heads of houses were addressed as their house name.

When I first met him, he stood very tall over me. His gray beard reached to his belly button, and his sandy skin and wrinkles perfectly complemented his crooked, fat tunnel nose.

He only looked serious when he wasn’t around his men and other nobles, only then would he give a deceiving gentle face.

Sir Chalot laughed after Fletcher introduced me to him the first time we met.

His mocking words “Oh Fletcher, this may be the first mistake you’ve ever made” pissed me off, but I was able to keep my temper.

Three wagons and their horses came to a complete stop as they orderly parked in the horseshoe driveway,

Men flooded out the wagons orderly and formed a line in front of the middle wagon where Sir Chalot was helped out by a particularly short man with a sharp jaw and blue eyes with crispy brown hair turning gray. He looked more handsome than Otis, although he was much thinner and had a more pale white complexion.

I had never seen him before, but I did know that Sir Chalot had a man previously help him with casual tasks and follow him everywhere.

As curious as I was, I didn’t and shouldn't ask as he passed by, nodding at Fletcher who immediately greeted him and opened the doors. Again, he ignored me.

I sniffed the cold air and there was a faint smell of roses.

Must be perfume from all his women.

I gave a light chuckle, and Sir Chalot’s handsome bodyguard sternfully peered through my eyes.

“What’s so funny?” the man asked with a raspy voice.

“Hm?” I turned my attention to the man and anxiously waved my hands in reassurement as I pleaded that my small chuckle was over nothing.

The man peered at the side of my head as I looked away for a few more seconds and then went on his way with Sir Chalot.

I turned around after all the men had passed by me only to notice Sir Chalot walking right by a gloomy looking Celie who gazed with empty eyes at the ground as he passed by and gave a few pats and small talk to Mason who stood with his chest proud.

“You did good not to learn from that bitch you call your mother.” said Sir Chalot in his raspy voice.

“Of course,” said Mason proudly “I’m going to become the man you’ve always wanted me to be, father.” Mason nodded gleefully, and Sir Challot gave one more pat before continuing on his way to the dining hall, and his men followed.

Celie immediately walked away as Mason sneered at her and then me before making his way to the dining hall as well.

“Hey, Fletcher. Who was that?”

“Hm?” Fletcher turned to me.

“That man standing right by Sir Chalot. Who is that?”

“Ah, that’s his new bodyguard. His last one died from an attempted road robbery. This one is supposed to be a retired elite in Mora City’s Magician Division.”

“Interesting…”

I turned back to the men for one final glimpse at the man before the dining hall doors shut. His face instantly shot from a smile to Sir Chalot into a dead face as his eyes met mine.

I instantly shifted my gaze to the snow in front of me.

This guy might be bad news…

For whatever reason, I felt as if he might be of danger to me.

Whatever it may be, I had to be prepared.