CHAPTER 18 "THE SECOND MALE LEAD" (1)

"I'm going back to sleep now. Goodnight."

I turned away from his uncomfortable gaze and went to lie back down on the bed, closing my eyes to shake off the strange feelings I felt from looking at his eyes. As a wave of drowsiness quickly overcame me, I heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

Although Kyle's expressions were sometimes unsettling, he did give me a sense of comfort. Perhaps that was why I always felt safe in his company instead of threatened. Soon after, I fell into a deep slumber.

****

I woke up again pretty late in the day. Maybe my fatigue was a consequence of the activities I did at dawn.

"Ugh," I groaned, "my body feels stiff."

"Your Highness!" Marina fretted over my exhausted condition. "I will get the other maids, so please wait a second!"

After a while, a flock of maids rushed into the room and started tending to my aching body after Marina informed them about my condition. As they dexterously massaged the stiffness from my rigid form, I felt surprisingly rejuvenated as if I had just finished taking a refreshing bath. The sore spots on my body also recovered.

With my tiredness gone, I went about getting myself ready for the day's activities. Today, I wanted to visit the knights' training halls. I opted not to bring any maids with me, and only Jean assisted me with finding my destination. He accompanied me as far as the entrance before departing, as he had other business to attend to.

"Then, I'll see you later, Your Highness," he bowed.

I nodded and said my goodbyes to Jean as I entered the training grounds. Many knights and knights in training were practicing there at the moment. They all stopped and turned toward me with surprise when they noticed my presence. Well, I could understand their reactions.

Normally, it's rare for a noblewoman to come to this kind of place.

"It's an honor to see you, Your Highness. I'm the vice-captain, Noxis Lette."

Although he seemed nervous, the vice-captain formally greeted me. Then, all of his subordinates lowered their heads, but most of them still had unfriendly expressions.

It's fine. I should just stay relaxed.

"I'm only here today to take a look around the training hall," I smiled gently as I spoke, "so don't worry about me and keep practicing as usual."

Acting on behalf of the other knights, Noxis answered me with a slight blush.

"Ah! OK, I understand, Your Highness."

I did a quick search of the training grounds, but I couldn't find any sign of the captain anywhere.

There's no way he's not here. I remember that he's definitely the captain in this story.

The knights quickly went back to their practice, and I settled myself under the shade of a large tree nearby. As I pondered where my person of interest could possibly be, I slowly lost myself in my thoughts.

I recalled the history of this world. For hundreds of years, the Arnold Empire had been at constant war with demons. The Honorable Romani Knights, who were charged with protecting the north, were the object of envy for many. Their ranks were full of incredible knights, and commanding them was Kyle, who also happened to be a powerful sorcerer. So, even though the war was over, many people still swore allegiance to the Romani family. As I reminded myself of their background, I looked over the knights one by one.

I guess it is sparring day because they're paired up with each other.

The matches were all different. Some bouts ended quickly while others were neck-and-neck, but everyone who was sparring took their training very seriously. Off in the distance, however, there was a group of knights who made me concerned. They were sitting on the sidelines watching their comrades training, but they all looked gloomy. I watched the knights spar for a long time before the vice-captain approached me again.

"How is it, Your Highness? Do any of the knights catch your interest?"

The reason why Noxis inquired after my interest was obvious. If I were to point at someone now, he would be appointed as my guard. According to the story, I remembered that one of the knights here would end up becoming the most glorious knight of all time.

It's crucial for me to choose him as my guard, but it's too early to determine whether I should pick him now or later.

I shook my head at the vice-captain's question.

"No, I'm still not sure about that," I replied before turning my attention to the group of knights who had worried me earlier. "By the way, what are they doing?"

"Oh, their skills are still lacking," Noxis explained, "so they can't participate in sparring matches at the moment. I brought them here to study their peers. They have good reflexes, but their swordsmanship skills are…"

He trailed off, but I understood what he meant.

"…. What if I give them the freedom to pick their weapons?"

"Yes?"

I had murmured that question to myself, but to my surprise, Noxis answered me with a puzzled face. His words had reminded me of the biggest problem with these troops.

"Noxis, the Romani Knights usually use longswords or daggers, right?"

"What? Ah, yes."

"How about giving them another weapon besides either of those?"

Many of them had excellent skills that could be showcased if they were allowed to change their weapons. Not all of their fighting styles were best suited for longswords or daggers, and it was best to promote what they were already good at than force them to work with a tool that did not suit their talents.

"Of course, I know that swords are the traditional weapon for knights, and I also know that they can use daggers instead of longswords…"

In the past, the Honorable Romani's Knights actually did not use longswords. They had used a different weapon before, and when the decision was made to change their weapons, the knights had rebelled. Only Kyle managed to convince them to embrace the change.

"… But if you allow them to change their weapons," I continued, "they'll become stronger."

Only

It has to be like that. If not, they'll leave these troops soon.

Then the rest of the knights would miss out on the many talents right in front of their eyes.

"Hahaha!"

Huh? What's happening?

As soon as I had finished speaking, I heard a ridiculous-sounding laugh coming from somewhere above me. When I looked up, a man lightly jumped off from the tree I was sitting beneath. He had hair as red as blood and blue eyes that resembled the sea. Even before he introduced himself, I knew very well who he was.

That's Sejan, the leader of Kyle's troops.

Sole survivor of the fallen blue-eyed tribe.

He's the novel's second male lead.