A Letter

In the King's training ground, Laif took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

He grabbed one of the single-edge swords from the weapon rack and pulled it out of its sheath. Then he began practicing. He swung the sword in the air, slashing any imaginary enemy he formed in his head, showing his flawless movement.

His hand was agile with the sword he handled, probably because the sword was much lighter than the double-edge straight sword he was always carrying.

As Laif swung the sword around, his mind was at the small discoveries he made when he snuck into the King's palace last night. Surprisingly, he found that there were a lot of red and purple stones lying around the King's study.

However, there was no sign of the blue and purple stones.

According to his observation, it doesn't look like the King was keeping the red and purple stones for decoration. But if it was not for decoration, why did the King store so much of that glowing stone in his quarters?

Unless if he was using that to warn himself if someone around him was using magic? But why?

His movement halted when he sensed a presence.

He pulled the sword and slide it back into its sheath. His pose was at ease, knowing that it was no other than Kain. Laif turned away to wipe his sweat with the back of his hand.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you with your training," Kain said. "I thought you went sneaking out of the palace again when I couldn't find you anywhere. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," Laif said. He grabbed a canister from the rack and drank half of its contents. Then he turned around to watch Kain smoothing his new attire using the palm of his hand. His gaze lingered for a few seconds before he decided to consult Kain with something. "Tell me. How long does it take for me to trust you as my men back then?"

"Two years. I think."

Laif widened his eyes at his answer. "Two years? It took me that long to trust you?"

"It wasn't easy to gain your trust." Kain considered for a moment before he continued. "You're not exactly friendly or trusting, to begin with. I remember clearly how you would always wear a frown when I see you. I couldn't blame you. You must have been really stressed out dealing with the royal family back then."

"How did I start to trust you then?"

Kain laughed at his question. He studied the prince's expression and exhaled. "I think you started to like me a little bit because I make a good sparring partner for you. But of course, that means that I need to be your punching bag."

"I did not make you into my punching bag."

"Of course you didn't. I learn to work a lot on defense because well, we couldn't really hit you, a prince, could we? I think my defense skill improved a lot because of you. I could easily stay thirty minutes longer sparring with you than the others did." He watched Laif chuckled at the memories and asked, "Are you asking me questions because you wanted to gain the Commander's trust?"

Laif nodded. "I have to gain his trust if I wanted to have more access to the palace."

"If you ask me, I'd say that you should meet the princess and seduce her to gain her trust."

Laif scowled in disapproval. "I am not going to do something as low as that."

Kain laughed. "Then, you just need to be yourself and avoid any unnecessary scandal that could taint your reputation. From the way I look at it, I think the Commander was quite fond of you. He appreciates your talent."

"That's true," Laif said. "I know that the selection trial did not stop even after we get to wear this uniform. They are going to watch us like a predator and be ready to eliminate us when we're not careful enough."

"It would take some time for you to gain the commander's trust, but that's the easiest way to do it." Kain stared at Laif for a while and frowned. "Why are you asking these questions? Don't tell me that you begin to lose your confidence?"

He dismissed Kain's accusation with a chuckle and a wave of his hand. "No way. I was trying to gain information so that I could prepare myself. I need a plan. I can't just stay and hope for a miracle."

Laif stiffened when he sensed that someone was heading towards them. He raised a hand to warn Kain. His body relaxed when he saw Iris Fisher, the only woman who passed as the Royal Knight. Behind her, a lady dressed in a maidservant outfit was trailing closer.

Iris stopped short when she saw them and turned to the maidservant behind her. She whispered something to the maidservant, bowed, and left her standing before Laif and Kain.

Kain was the first who noticed the maidservant. He took a few steps forward and stared at her in disbelief. He never expected that he would see her again after she disappeared from the hospital.

"You," Kain uttered when he stood close to her. He gave her a look over and his gaze paused as it reached to his face. "You're alright."

Rae smiled. She recognized him right away when she spotted him earlier. After all, Kain was her savior. "I haven't got the opportunity to thank you for saving my friend and my life. Thank you."

"I thought I would never see you again. I tried to search for you in the city," Kain admitted.

Her eyes rounded in surprise. "You did?"

"I was worried. You were badly injured when we found you. And you're alright now?" Kain said. He shifted his weight agitatedly. His hand was rubbing against his neck when he noticed that Laif was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

Rae nodded. She remembered clearly that little lies Lady Evans had created for the Princess's convenience. "Yes. My family has been looking after me. I was able to recuperate a lot earlier than expected."

Laif chuckled inwardly at Kain who was looking flustered. He stepped toward him and hung his arm around his neck. He gave Kain a cheeky grin and turned to Rae. "Are you here to look for this guy?"

"Oh no," Rae played with the hem of her sleeve to get rid of her nervousness. The princess had told her everything she needed to know about the two men before her and the commander's fear of their unknown intention applying as the Royal Knights. Rae looked up to Laif. "I was looking for you, actually."

Laif removed his arm around Kain and pointed his forefinger to his chest. "Me?"

"Yes," Rae fished for something from the sash around her waist and produced a letter. "You're Laif, right? I got a letter from you. I understand that you were looking for a certain maidservant?" she watched Laif nodded and thrust the letter toward him. "She wanted me to give you this."