“Duke… You were here?” Hansel cowered.

“What brings you here? You normally don’t come out,” Zilant asked curiously. Hansel gulped, fiddling with his fingers, avoiding Zilant’s eyes. Enya glared at Zilant.

“I…” Hansel stammered. Zilant waited. Enya sighed in frustration and stepped forward.

“Why does it matter? He just came to cheer on the new recruits. Are you condemning him for that?” she asked, butting in between them. Zilant glared at her coldly. Cullen saw the challenging eyes of Enya against Zilant. He rushed between Enya and Zilant.

“You speak boldly… for someone so new,” Zilant said to her. Enya smirked as Cullen tightened his jaw.

“New recruit, this is our commander. You shouldn’t be talking to him like that,” Cullen said, hinting for her to step down. Enya scoffed, baffling Zilant and Cullen.

Commander? Sounds more like a tyrant!

“Oh, really? So just because your status is higher, I should let you intimidate someone who can’t even speak freely around you?” she retaliated. They were shocked at her stubbornness and bravery. Or was it reckless?

Hansel felt touched that Enya was doing this to understand him.

“It’s okay… He’s my guardian…”

Enya glanced at Hansel, softening up.

“If a guardian makes all your choices for you, that’s not care… that’s control. Slap his hand next time. No one should be controlling you,” Enya firmly stated. Cullen’s jaw dropped. Zilant squinted his eyes further.

“And what makes you think I’m controlling him?” he asked suddenly. Enya turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

“Why don’t you take a good look at him yourself when you interact with him? When he was with me before you, he was a happy fella. The moment you stepped in, he felt… awkward,” Enya answered. Cullen couldn’t close his mouth and looked at Zilant and Enya’s daring eyes. There was definitely tension between them. Hansel and Cullen nudged against each other, stepping away from them.

“I’ve never seen Commander like this…”

“He seems really pissed off…”

Zilant broke the silence with a deep sigh.

“Hansel?”

Hansel straightened up.

“Yes, Duke?”

Zilant turned to him.

“Return to your quarters. Your tutor will be here soon,” Zilant reminded him. He nodded hesitantly.

“Okay… Bye,” he said to Enya. Then Hansel stormed back to his quarters. Enya bowed to him respectfully, then turned away without respecting Zilant. Cullen froze, shocked.

“Commander… He–”

“Enya Fraye,” Zilant called out. Enya stopped, knowing that she had to get on his good side.

“Yes?” she asked as she turned to him. Cullen tightened his jaw.

You crazy, disrespectful piece of little crumb!

“What exactly are you trying to prove, Enya Fraye? And be careful. That tone has cost others more than just favor.”

Enya smirked, locking eyes with Zilant.

“I’m only here to be recruited,” she said. Zilant scoffed as he stepped closer to her.

“Really? So disrespecting your commander is a part of that plan?” he asked. Enya smiled as she leaned closer.

“If the commander is just a human like me but acts like an emotionless brute, then yes. It is,” she answered. Cullen’s jaw slackened, and his arms hung limply, motionless like a rag doll.

“C-C-Command…”

Zilant paused as he tried to read her, but he couldn’t, infuriating him internally. Who is this child? What does he want?

“Stay away from the young man you just met today. No one—”

“I don’t need to stop him if that young man wants to talk to me. As his guardian, you’re isolating him from other people. Don’t you think you’re being overly protective?” she cut him off.

“Enya Fraye!”

Zilant raised his hand at Cullen, silencing him.

“Overprotective is better than letting strangers harm him,” Zilant said firmly. Enya scoffed.

“Putting him behind walls is the same as putting him in jail. Why not just have him live in a dungeon at that point?” Enya asked. For the first time, Zilant’s mind was chaotic, feeling speechless about what to say to her.

“I…”

“Like I said earlier, watch him carefully as you interact with him. How does he act compared to how he acted with me today?” she asked, then she walked away. Zilant couldn’t utter any more words to her. Cullen was shocked.

Commander isn’t saying anything anymore? Did… Did the new recruit shut him up? Cullen’s eyes widened.

Enya moved through the quiet streets, her mind already shifting to the next step. By the time she arrived at Varen’s alcohol tower, she had fully settled into her plan. Salem was waiting in the office. Enya approached with a serious expression, extending her hand expectantly.

“What happened at the training ground?” Salam asked. Enya tied her hair up, removing the wrap that she had for her chest.

“They don’t seem to be on night’s duty just yet… There are too few of them. All are still too weak.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Who are we raiding tonight?” Enya asked. Salem smirked.

“Vicount Lumerin. House of Degardo. The person who added sunfire nectar to your grandfather’s cup…” Salem revealed. Enya smirked as her eyes flickered red within the green.

“Then let’s bring chaos to the empire,” Enya said, grabbing onto the black outfit. “Tonight… let the bird soar and leave ashes behind.”

The next day flew by.

Enya entered the training ground with the recruits whispering among each other. Word of Enya’s clash with Commander Zilant had already spread—thanks to Cullen. They were thrilled to see a new recruit as bold. Among the higher-ranking knights, Vaince ran up to Enya excitedly.

“You’re the new recruit who cracked the Commander’s cold shell, right?” Vaince grinned. Enya adjusted her gloves without looking at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she refuted.

Vaince laughed.

“Hah! You’re funny. Cullen already told everyone! Commander always has the last word, and Cullen swears you left him speechless!”

Enya walked past him to her station. Vaince snickered.

“Hah! Vaince just got ignored!”

“That recruit is so bold!”

The high-ranking knights laughed. Enya grabbed a sword from the weapon stand. One of the high-ranking knights walked up to her.

“Hey, would you like to practice with me?” he asked, smirking behind the bright smile. Enya turned to him, observing the knight’s clothing. She slightly smirked.

“Don’t bully the newbies,” another chimed in.

“So what are the rules then?” Enya asked, stirring curiosity among the knights.

“Ooou!”

The challenger pointed at himself with a thumb.

“It’s easy. If one’s sword falls or bends a knee, then the other wins! Down for the challenge?” he asked confidently. Enya smiled while staring at her sword.

“Fine. But after I win, leave me alone,” she commanded. A few of the knights chuckled a bit too sharply, smiles stiffening just for a second.

She stood in the center of the training ground. The challenger stood on the other side, smiling at her. Enya didn’t even take a stance. One of the high-ranking knights held his hand up.

“Get ready? Fight!”

The challenger lunged from above, trying to force her to kneel. Enya dodged each blow with measured steps. His eyes stayed low, watching for her retreat, too slow to notice her sudden leap. She flipped over him, blade whispering through fabric as it traced a clean line across his collar. Enraged, he whirled around and hurled a wild slash behind him.

“Hey! That’s deadly!” Vaince shouted. However, it was too late. While he roared, she breathed. Where he swung wide, she stepped inside. The challenger brought it down with a reckless crash.

BAM!

A cloud of dust burst into the air. Everyone gasped and waited for the view to be clear. As the dust cleared, Zilant emerged silently from the hallway, his gaze fixed on the scene. Everyone was shocked.

The challenger’s arms were up. By the time his blade cut air, hers had kissed his throat. Her sword pressed just a bit closer.

“I surrender!” he shouted instantly. Enya smiled as she lowered her blade with casual finality and walked away.

Zilant stepped forward.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Everyone gasped and straightened up at the tone of his voice, except Enya. She put the sword on her waist and looked at him nonchalantly. Zilant stared at her.

“Commander! We… We were just welcoming our new recruits,” Vaince said, fearing hard labor punishment. Zilant was still silent and staring at Enya, waiting for her to speak. She raised an eyebrow.

“I was being welcomed,” she said. Vaince laughed nervously as he was getting anxious.

“Comman–”

“Fighting with the new recruits on their first day is welcoming?” Zilant asked coldly. Enya chuckled.

“What? Are you worried about me now?” she asked boldly. Everyone’s jaw dropped. Vaince trembled.

“Commander… I didn’t know this new recruit could be so funny…” he laughed awkwardly, but his eyes screamed panic. Shut up! Just shut up!

“I don’t worry about you. I worried that you could be reckless at times,” Zilant answered.

Enya leaned her head to the side, brushing her hand against her short hair into a bun.

“Maybe teach your knights to fight with their brains rather than their emotions.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Faces flushed with simmering anger, some reddening with quiet resentment. Zilant stared at her, expression unreadable. Was she a joke or a threat?

“Knights always fight with emotions and brains. You cannot rely on one only,” he responded. Enya nodded slowly.

“That’s true. But when you lean too hard on one, emotion or logic, you start overestimating your opponent. That’s when you fall. That’s when you become reckless,” Enya explained. Zilant froze, feeling speechless once again by her remarks. The knights were staring at Zilant, waiting for him to speak. Zilant furrowed his eyes and glared at them to look away. The knights instantly turned their heads away, whistling like they didn’t hear anything, but were listening closely when Zilant turned to look at Enya again.

“I will ask you again. What do you want to achieve from coming to my training grounds? Your skills are superb… A young man like you should display it somewhere else–”

“I already joined this place. Are you shoving me away because you dislike how I don’t treat you like how your littlings treat you?” she asked. Zilant’s eye twitched upon the word littlings.

“Littlings?”

“Your sheep when you glare at them like a preying wolf,” Enya clarified. Vaince choked on his laugh when Zilant’s expression froze, rendering him unable to speak. Zilant glared at Vaince, straightening him up.

“I didn’t laugh,” he mumbled.

Enya chuckled.

“So is this training? Mental questioning?”

Vaince gagged on his laughter.

“No… Cullen will be training you personally from now on,” Zilant commanded. Everyone’s jaw dropped at the news.

“Captain Cullen?” they all asked. Enya looked at them, confused.

“You mean, the recruiter?” Enya asked. Zilant straightened up and nodded.

“Yes. If you’re able to do well, maybe you’ll have a chance to spar with me,” he answered. Enya smirked and leaned her head to the side.

“Sorry, but I’m not interested,” she replied, then walked away. Zilant watched her walk away.

“No new recruit moved like that. No commoner sparred like that. And yet… why did he feel as if this one was hiding behind more than just a sword?” Zilant asked himself.

Enya walked around the area, looking for Cullen, who happened to be sitting on a rock. She approached him up front with her hands behind her back.

“Commander has told me that you will be training me from today onwards,” Enya said.

Cullen scoffed as he slowly looked at her.

“Who are you? Where did you learn your sword skills?”

Enya chuckled as she looked away.

“I don’t know what you mean… I–”

“Quit your foolishness. I recognized the poses and stances that you displayed yesterday and today. You’re definitely not a swordsman who learned from simple instructors in the Dragon Empire. How did you get in touch with Balis?” Cullen questioned again, seriously angry.

Enya smiled slyly, putting her hands up and taking a step back.

“Hey. Who is Balis for you to be attacking me?”

Cullen groaned.

“I fought against him once after a battlefield… Although he doesn’t fight much, I recognized his stances very well because it was mesmerizing and unforgettable. Everyone else could be a fool, but I ain’t, Enya…” Cullen stepped closer.

Enya slowly closed her hands.

“Sounds like I got caught.”

Cullen glared.

“Speak!”

Enya chuckled.

“I didn’t know his name was Balis. I just happened to see him by chance… He was quite a timid one… But kind.”

Cullen felt confused.

“What? I’m—”

“Look, I just wanted to learn from him. If he were well-known, I would have known. I just saw his sword and wanted to learn out of curiosity,” Enya explained.

Cullen squinted his eyes, trying to confirm whether she was telling the truth or not. However, she was unreadable. Cullen groaned from frustration.

“Very well… I see how it is.”

Enya smiled and bowed.

“I’m sorry for asking. What is his reputation like? You sound like you don’t hate him that much.”

Cullen chuckled.

“Hate? No… I admire his righteousness. I heard that he only takes orders from the Great Magician from the Tower… For you to learn it from him by chance was just luck,” he answered. Enya nodded slowly, smiling on the inside that she knew exactly how she got Balis to teach her.

“Well, are you going to be my teacher today or a philosopher?” she asked. Cullen laughed.

“You got jokes and snappy responses! I see how our Commander was unable to get through to you,” he stated. Enya smiled, annoyed at the mere mention of Zilant.

Cullen had trained Enya during the day. Zilant watched them train, trying to figure Enya out through the balcony door. Vaince walked into Zilant’s office, noticing his undivided attention to the field in front of his balcony. Vaince decided to peek behind Zilant’s head and saw Enya and Cullen.

“That boy has skills and a snappy attitude… Kinda like you when you first started puberty,” Vaince commented. Zilant paused and slowly turned his gaze to Vaince with deep resentment.

“Why are you here?” he asked. Vaince realized that he spoke too loudly, nervously laughing.

“I… I gotta go now!” Vaince said, storming out of the room. Zilant let out a low groan, dragging a hand down his face before turning his gaze back to Enya. Silence stretched for a moment. Then his eyes shifted to the papers Vaince had dropped.

Viscount Lumerin. House of Degardo seal.

| Help me. My house has been raided. A few of my servants were slaughtered in a massacre. Find the one who did this! |

Zilant exhaled frustratingly, thinking about this.

“A raided home in years? Now I have night duties…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 🪶 🔥 Princess, Don’t Waver ❄️ 🐉 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~