Chapter 11

Monica got up a little later than she had expected. It was past her lunchtime by now. As usual, she rung the bell and Alissa came inside.

She helped her prepare for what she had asked for previously.

"I would be hiring new maids that I can trust with tasks. It is too much for one person. Is the captain here?"

Alissa was pouting.

"Yes, but it is the vice-captain instead. He said that the captain was unable to come due to personal reasons"

"Personal reasons?", she mumbled to herself.

As soon as she was prepared, she went out to meet the vice-captain in her office.

"Alissa, do another thing. I lost the other one, I need a new bird"

Alissa sighed.

"Princess has lost just how many of your pet birds by now? I can't even count on my two hands"

Monica chuckled.

"Are you nagging me, how cute"

Alissa immediately apologized.

"So, princess, I recommend getting a fancier bird this time. Finches are cute but peacocks are an elegant option"

"Peacocks don't suit me; they are too gaudy"

"Then how about a crane or a flamingo? They are very elegant"

"I wonder how elegant they will look when they shit everywhere"

"Princess you can't use such words carelessly!"

"It's just the two of us here. This time, bring an ordinary bird whether a sparrow or crow"

Monica walked ahead as they had almost reached the office. Sir Cedric was standing outside the office.

"Yes, a sparrow or a crow…NO!"

Alissa had made her mind up to just get ordinary sparrows and avoid any crows.

Monica motioned for Sir Cedric to follow her into the office.

"Did you wait for long?"

Monica sat down in her chair and rested her chin on her hand.

"It is alright, your highness. You must be tired. I am sorry but the captain wasn't available due to personal reasons"

"I heard. I'm curious about those personal reasons"

Monica stared at the knight. He looked a little troubled. She sighed.

"Just spit it out when I'm asking nicely"

He hesitated for a moment but decided to just say it.

"During the recent competition, he got injured…so he sent me instead"

She recalled that a month had already passed since the competition. The royal family usually attended the last phase of the competition as formality and the knights used the opportunity to gain favor. As anyone could have guessed, she didn't attend. She had attended once in the past but after seeing a few fights, she had returned to her palace.

"What happened?"

She was curious whether it was just a mishap. She observed his reaction; he was gritting his teeth.

"The competitor used an illegal move that was not allowed in the competition. The captain will quit by the end of this month and I will take over his position. Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead"

"Although I think I know the reason but I will still ask. Why did you not attend the competition?"

She stared at him for a while before asking.

"Are you blaming me?"

"…I am not in a position to do so, your highness"

Monica laughed at his response. Although he had said he wasn't in the position to blame her, he was still blaming her for it and she knew she was at fault for neglecting these duties as well.

"Brave, aren't we? Maybe the recent incident helped you toughen up but whatever the case is, I'm annoyed. Then I will ask you something too. Who do you serve?"

"Pardon? Of course, your highness, the princess. I am your knight"

There was a hint of surprise on her face which confused him.

"Are you sure about "we" because I can't trust any of you with my life"

Cedric was very shocked and angry at her response. He just thought she had no interest in them but this was what he had not expected.

"How should I prove my loyalty to your highness?"

She took a moment to reply.

"There are a few ways but I'd rather not do that. For now, tell me about his condition"

She could use magic contract or the lie detector stone. But in the end, magic contract would be temporary and costly which would also reveal her secret while for the lie detector stone, there were ways to go about it, so it was not perfect.

"Captain was told that he would heal up but when he was diagnosed again, by his friend, he was told that he will never be able to hold a sword with that arm again…that is why that competitor was given light punishment at that time"

His anger towards her was justified. If she had paid more attention, those people would not have taken them so lightly.

"Sir Cedric, tell me. How many of the fourth division knights will be loyal enough to protect me if another incident occurs?"

He couldn't reply.

"What about you?", she asked.

"I will protect your highness till the last ounce my strength. It might be rude to say this but-"

She cut him off.

"They hate me, don't they? A lord that doesn't have power, hence named fourth. It is not just a matter a strength but also political. They wouldn't want to protect such a lord"

Sir Cedric kept quiet.

"Sir Cedric, I was not interested in throne and power before but now I have decided to enter the playground. I need more trustworthy people on my side. Are you up for it?"

"I will follow every one of your highness' commands"

"What if I ask you to do something atrocious, will you be willing to sacrifice yourself?"

"Of course, your highness."

He showed no hesitation in following her. Even he knew that battle for the throne is extremely dirty.

"Why would you do that?"

She found his response unbelievable.

"Although your highness hasn't been paying us much attention, Sir Jason has always talked about how great of a person you are to serve. Also, it has been my dream to be a knight and I am grateful for being chosen as a royal knight. It is hard for commoners to get such a great opportunity"

"Didn't you say Carter before? You are Baron Carter's son…adopted son?"

"Yes, your highness. I'm impressed you know my father, even the prince didn't know. After all, he is a countryside Baron."

Monica just smiled. Cedric's mood had lightened up.

"I will have to talk to the Captain later on. Tell him to come meet me soon…and expect my visit anytime soon"

Sir Cedric bowed and left the room. Just then there was a knock, it was Head Maid Emma. She was allowed to enter.

"You have been here for long. We have to weed this place soon. Make a list of all the employees with categories"

Monica got up from her desk and moved towards the window. She could see Sir Cedric leaving.

"Also, call Jason and tell Alissa to bring Alistair to my tea room. I am going there", she ordered her and left the room.

She went to her tea room. It was a place she used to quietly read her books along with tea and snacks. The room had a large glass window through which she could see the garden. Julia used to love this place and often had tea and snacks with her in this room.

As she sat there, a maid came in and asked if she wanted something to serve her.

"Are you new here?"

"Yes?"

"Do you not know that my personal maid is in-charge of my food?"

"I'm sorry"

She bowed and left quickly.

"I really need to weed them out quickly"

After a little while, Jason came inside. He was carrying Alistair.

"Alissa said she had something to do, so she apologized"

"What have you been saying about me to other knights?"

Jason recalled meeting Cedric in the palace.

"So, Cedric told you. Considering how apathetic you are, I figured I might as well help a little. It's not like I lied to them"

She had a look of distrust in her eyes.

"Are you mocking me?"

Jason just shrugged in response.

"I'll let it slide since it works in my favor"

Jason laid Alistair on the couch. Monica motioned him to close the door. Jason closed the door and stood outside.

Monica held Alistair's hand. He had recovered however he hadn't woken up yet. She channeled her mana into his body to analyze his condition. The red and white mana had mixed up into a pink color.

"He did not dissipate all of it?"

She was surprised but after a moment, she began laughing hysterically.

Jason quickly barged into the room.

"Did something happen?"

Monica got up and walked up to the window.

"I like this kid, Jason. I will teach him"

"Uh…princess, isn't it too harsh to do that to a little kid?"

"Oh, I'll wait till he grows up a little then"

Jason had a disgusted look on his face.

"As your friend, I will advise you to forget him princess"

"And why should I do that?"

She had no plans to back down.

"There will be rumors about you again"

"I was planning to keep it a secret anyway. I don't know if he has talent and how he did it but he will be able to use magic"

"Huh?"

Monica turned around and looked at him.

"What's with that stupid look on your face?"

"…he is a magic user? Why didn't you say so before?"

"That is because he couldn't then. He is not an inborn magic user; he was stimulated by the mana trapped in his body. There are ways to become a user, some people use forbidden ways to become a magician but most of them die or lose their sanity in the process. He is similar to me…"

"Similar?"

Monica heard him but did not answer, instead she told him to move Alistair back to Alissa's room. As Jason left the room with Alistair in his arms, Monica opened the window and used the signal. She sat back on her couch and waited as she picked up a cookie to eat. She was doing this one last time.

A black shadow suddenly entered through the window and stood at the other end of the room.

"So, you came. I thought I won't see you again"