Father wasn’t the only one I was delighted to see back. Our knight commander, Sir Williams, had gone with him, and I had been waiting to discuss something.

I could have called him to my room, but I chose to go down to the knights’ training grounds. A full day had passed since they’d returned, and having taken the previous day off, Sir Williams was back at his post, drilling the knights collectively.

At my arrival, Sir Williams gestured for the knights to pause. Half of them practically sank to the ground, dripping buckets of sweat. I must have seemed like a real saint to them.

Sir Williams bowed respectfully.

“Good morning, my lady. What brings you here today?”

He was a muscular man, weathered with many scars and slightly older than Father. The Grand Duke had many enemies, and this was the man that was keeping him alive. He had served Father ever since he was a boy, and needless to say, Father trusted him with his life.

“I wish to have a squadron of knights directly under my command.”

As my demand, his eyebrows raised. It wasn’t uncommon for a lady to have a personal knight, though most choose one after her debutante. Occasions that needed more protection had knights specially assigned. Certainly, it was rare to ask for a whole squadron to myself, but my purposes required much secrecy and manpower.

“They can still train under you,” I continued when he did not reply. “But I want them to only take orders from me and carry out some confidential tasks.”

The knight commander hesitated, many questions in his eyes.

“May I inquire what purposes?”

“No.”

“Have you spoken to His Grace about it?”

“He would agree. You can ask him, if you want.”

I could see he was still reluctant, even though I came all the way down here as a sign of respect. My annoyance was growing quickly, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Who do you serve, Sir Williams?”

“The Grand Duchy of Avington.”

“And who am I?”

“Lady Valentina Avington.”

“There you have it,” I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “Unless you dare to disrespect me, your master, I suggest you follow your orders.”

“Please allow me to confer with the grand duke first, my lady.”

“Are you suggesting that Father would disapprove? As his only daughter, everything I do is for the good of the grand duchy, but are you saying that you doubt my judgement? Do you doubt me?”

My nostrils flared and my tone was harsh, my voice rising, because now it was a matter of principles. Sir Williams was clearly taken aback by my impeccable logic and shook his head.

“No, my lady. You misunderstand me.”

“Perfect. Now get the knights.”

An unreadable expression was on his face, with almost a hint of amusement, which I found absurd. He sighed and smiled.

“You are just like your father, my lady.”

With that, he cast his attention to the knights, who were still resting. Finally, he called a couple forward and introduced them to me. There were fourteen in all, ten knights and four apprentices. They were mostly young, but looked impressive with their swords.

The squadron leader was a man about thirty with a good-humoured face. His name was Sir Joseph Harrod, and he greeted me with a friendly smile. I couldn’t remember the details of the knights, but one apprentice slightly older than me caught my eye.

His hair was a bright silver colour, which was rare even in this fantasy world, or at least this part of it. It meant he had blood from the kingdom of Isvoria, our neighboring kingdom. He was beautiful with a quiet elegance, but unfortunately I couldn’t remember his name.

Since I was satisfied, I headed back to the manor. Sir Harrod escorted me, and I gave my orders on the way.

“There’s a girl you need to find. She’s eight, with golden blonde hair and green eyes. Pretty and kind, at an orphanage in the County of Newfield.”

He looked at me, as if waiting for me to continue. When he saw that I was finished, his eyes grew wide in alarm.

“My lady, you wish to find one girl in an entire county?”

“Yes. She’s affiliated with the temple, if that helps.”

Sir Harrod laughed nervously. “What for? Surely this girl isn’t that important?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “It’s my order, so all you have to do is carry it out. I’ll try to think of more descriptions later.”

“It won’t be quick, my lady.”

“Good thing you have almost a decade, then.”

Sir Harrod shook his head and laughed. “Yes, my lady. We will carry it out.”

I felt awfully pleased with myself, especially when I returned to be greeted by Tia. She was bright enough to thank me repeatedly for my kindness in sparing her, and swore by god that she would serve me with her life.

The story was in the palm of my hand. I didn’t care how long it would take, I was going to win.