Lady Octavi and I walked toward the garden, led by Adeline. As we moved, I couldn't help but observe Lady Octavi's gait. Her posture was unlike the delicate shuffle I expected from a noblewoman; it was more akin to a man's stride—confident, purposeful, and strapping with every step.
We arrived at the entrance of the garden. It was incredibly spacious, a sprawling landscape of vibrant greenery with a grand pavilion situated in the center. As we approached the pavilion, I noticed two chairs and a table set with a tea service, cookies, and cakes waiting for us. The garden was alive with color, filled with countless types of plants blooming in every shade imaginable.
Adeline pulled out a chair for me first, and once I was seated, she did the same for Lady Octavi. She poured the steaming tea into our cups, and we both took a polite sip.
"Lady Octavi, how old are you?" I asked, setting my cup down. "Sorry if it is disrespectful to ask."
"No, it is not disrespectful at all," she replied with a small, easy smile. "I am twenty-one years old, My Lady."
"My father said that you were from the Palace Academy. What is it like to be there?"
"Hmm…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Does My Lady want to enter the Academy in the future?"
"I still don't have any intention of going there," I admitted.
"Well, the Academy is huge, and there are a lot of nobles enrolled there."
"Really? Nobles study there? What type of nobles?"
I saw her face shift, her eyebrows raising in genuine surprise.
"My Lady, you are aware that you are a noble too, right?" she asked gently.
"I am a noble?" I blinked, confused.
"Yes, My Lady," she said, leaning forward slightly to emphasize her point. "Your family, the Aurelius Family, is a distinguished family and is respected all over the kingdom."
I looked down at my hands. "It is a shame for me that I don't know anything about my own family..."
"It is alright, My Lady," she reassured me with a confident nod. "Your father gave me the mandate to educate you and provide all the knowledge that My Lady needs. He has told me the situation My Lady is facing."
"If my father trusts you so much, I will trust you to educate me."
"Just leave it to me, My Lady."
I took another sip of tea to steady my nerves. "Can you tell me about my own family?"
"Of course," she began, her tone shifting to one of a lecturer. "The Aurelius Family has a long history of being distinguished. The presence of your family is akin to the presence of the royal family itself. Does My Lady know the meaning of Aurelius?"
"I don't know."
"Aurelius means Golden," she explained, gesturing to the surroundings. "The kingdom gave your family the nickname 'The Golden Family.' You are respected not just for the name, but because the family is known for being sharp and intelligent. The proof is right here. Does My Lady know what city you live in?"
"I am not aware of that."
"This city is the most developed city in the entire kingdom. Even the capital's development cannot beat the progress of this city. That is because of the Aurelius Family. If your family is such a distinguished one, does My Lady have any idea what your peerage rank is?"
"What is peerage? I don't know about that either."
"Peerage is a title granted from the kingdom to a family," Octavi explained, using her fingers to count them off. "It has ranks. Let's start from the lowest. The first is Baron, who oversees a village. The second is the Viscount; they don't have land. A Viscount's job is not to oversee land but to assist the higher peerage ranks. The third is the Earl or Count, who oversees a county. The fourth is the Marquess, who oversees the border of the kingdom. The fifth is the Duke, who oversees a duchy. And the highest is the King, who oversees the kingdom."
She paused to let that sink in before finishing. "The Aurelius peerage rank is Duke. Your family oversees the Duchy of Florence. Furthermore, your family does not have Count or Baron vassals to oversee the counties and villages. All the counties and villages in the Duchy of Florence are overseen directly by the Aurelius family."
"What is your rank, Lady Octavi?"
She took a calm sip of her tea before answering. "My family rank is Viscount, My Lady. And our family is a vassal of Aurelius."
"So you are my vassal, Lady Octavi?"
"Yes," she said with a proud tone, placing a hand over her heart. "The Claudi Family has been the vassal of Aurelius for a long time. Over the generations, the Claudi gens have been the sword and the right hand of Aurelius. It is a great honor to swear fealty to your family, My Lady."
"Well, I hope our relation is not agitated by the peerage relation."
"If My Lady hopes for it, I will fulfill it."
"Thanks," I smiled. "And my father said you are my Lady-in-Waiting. Can I ask, what is that?"
"A Lady-in-Waiting is a companion to a highborn lady," she explained. "Usually, this role exists in the royal court. But your family is different and special, so you have one too. Besides being a companion, a Lady-in-Waiting can also be a bodyguard."
"To be a bodyguard… it means Lady Octavi is great with a sword, right?"
"Well," she smirked modestly, patting the hilt at her hip. "I can swing my sword. I don't know if it is 'great' in the eyes of My Lady."
"Do you mind if you show me some moves? You have the sword on your hip..."
"Sure, I can show it to you."
Lady Octavi stood up from her seat and walked toward the open grass in front of the pavilion. She drew her sword, the metal glinting in the sunlight.
"My Lady, while I am doing the move, I will tell you the name of it," she called out.
She started to move. First, she raised the sword high above her head with both hands.
"This is the stance of Ochs or Ox," she announced, her voice firm. "It focuses on the enemy's face and throat."
She suddenly thrust her sword forward with incredible speed, then immediately swung it diagonally, the blade slicing through the air with a whoosh.
Next, she lowered her sword, holding it with two hands between her legs, the tip pointing directly at the ground.
"This is the stance of Alber or Fool," she explained. "It is a defense stance. As My Lady sees right now, this is a provocative stance." She pointed to her own torso with her right hand. "While my sword is down here, the enemy's eyes will focus on this upper body because it is wide open. As the name suggests, it is a 'fool' who attacks right away, because…"
She swung her sword upward vertically in a blur of motion, then followed with a horizontal slash. "In this stance, it is easier to counter attacks, and easier for our lower body to move."
She sheathed the sword back into the scabbard at her hip with a click and bowed to me.
I clapped my hands enthusiastically. "I hope that is enough to impress My Lady about my sword skill," she said, walking back. "There are still other moves. If My Lady is curious about the sword, I can teach you, but only with your father's approval first."
Suddenly, a loud voice erupted from behind Lady Octavi.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!!"
We turned toward the noise. It was Aurelio and Ophelia, running toward us with their maids trailing behind. Aurelio ran straight up to Lady Octavi.
"YOU… What was that?" Aurelio gasped, eyes wide.
"That was just a small sword move," she answered calmly.
Aurelio started to clumsily imitate Lady Octavi's movements, swinging his small arms. "You were doing like this… and like that… and with fast speed you did like this! That was amazing! TEACH ME! HOW DO YOU DO IT?"
"Aurelio, you are being disrespectful in front of Sister Aurelia's guest," Ophelia chided, stepping up behind him. "You should introduce yourself first before asking someone a question or making a request."
She lifted the edges of her skirt and greeted Lady Octavi with a polite curtsy. "Deeply apologize for my brother's behavior."
Lady Octavi responded to the greeting by bowing to them. "It is okay, Young Lady Ophelia, and Young Master Aurelio. Let me introduce myself. My name is Octavi Claudi."
"Lady Octavi seems to already know our names, but we will still introduce ourselves," Ophelia said, holding her chin up. "I am Ophelia Aurelius… And this is my stubborn brother."
"My name is Aurelio Aurelius!" he chirped.
Ophelia narrowed her eyes slightly. "What is Lady Octavi's position to have an afternoon tea with our Sister Aurelia?" she asked, trying to sound intimidating.
"Your father has appointed me as Tutor and Lady-in-Waiting for Lady Aurelia, so it is my obligation to accompany her," Octavi replied smoothly.
"So you are the one who is trying to steal our time with Sister Aurelia," Aurelio accused.
"Well, I am not aware of what the Young Master is talking about," Octavi said with a faint smile. "If the Young Master wants to be with Lady Aurelia, of course, the Young Master and Young Lady can join us."
The twins came into the pavilion. Suddenly, without me even noticing, two more chairs appeared beside me. Their maids set up the seats and lifted the children onto them.
"How do you guys know that I am here?" I asked them.
"Aurelio was the one who watched Sister Aurelia come to the garden from his room," Ophelia answered, smoothing her dress. "He informed me that Sister Aurelia had a tea party with someone."
"Yes! We want to bring back Sister Aurelia from someone who stole her from us," Aurelio declared, pointing his finger dramatically at Lady Octavi.
"Don't blame or accuse Lady Octavi," I scolded gently. "Father has appointed her as Tutor and Lady-in-Waiting for your sister. And Aurelio, before, you said you wanted Lady Octavi to teach you something?"
"AH YES! YOU TEACH ME HOW YOU DID THAT!" Aurelio shouted, his happy tone returning instantly.
"I can teach the Young Master about it, but only with your father's approval," Octavi cautioned.
"Really?? I will talk to my father later!"
"Lady Aurelia, I can teach My Lady, too," Octavi offered.
"I will consider it."
"NOOOO!!" Ophelia suddenly cried out, slamming her small hands on the table. "Sister Aurelia will become a proper Lady! With her beauty, she will become the center lady of the kingdom, so she must not hold a sword!"
"But Ophelia," I reasoned, "as you can see, Lady Octavi is a lady too, but she is great with a sword."
"Really?" Ophelia looked skeptical. "May I ask you a question, Lady Octavi?"
"Sure."
"To be a tutor for Sister Aurelia, you must have an educational background. May I know what your background is?"
"I am from the Palace Academy, and I am from the Claudi Family."
"Sister Aurelia," Ophelia turned to me, whispering loudly. "The Palace Academy is not a lady academy. It is a knight academy for those who want to be knights…"
"So you are a knight? That's amazing!" Aurelio looked at Octavi with stars in his eyes.
"Aurelio, why are you amazed by that?" Ophelia huffed. "She is a knight but became a tutor to Sister Aurelia."
"What's wrong with that, Ophelia?" Aurelio asked.
"Why should a knight become a tutor for Sister Aurelia? It must be a lady to become a tutor for Sister Aurelia, not a knight."
"Well, a knight can become a lady too, right? Like Lady Octavi," I interposed. "Let's not judge Lady Octavi. Father has chosen her, which means there is nothing wrong about that."
"But her outfit is not a lady's outfit," Ophelia pointed out, wrinkling her nose. "It is a man's outfit."
"But she is still beautiful with that outfit, right?" I smiled. "A real lady will be beautiful in any outfit."
"I think she is cool with her outfit," Aurelio stated firmly.
"See? Even Aurelio as a boy can see the beauty and coolness of Lady Octavi."
"Whatever…" Ophelia grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away.
The four of us continued the tea party, eating cookies and cakes and drinking tea until the sun began to set. When the party was over, Lady Octavi parted ways with us to go home. Ophelia was still grumbling and marched off without a word, but Aurelio stayed with me. We walked up to the second floor together, our maids following behind.
"Aurelio, it seems you are interested in swords," I observed.
"Yes, Sister Aurelia! After I saw Lady Octavi…" He trailed off, and while walking, he began to imitate Lady Octavi's sword moves again. "She was doing this so fast! And like that! That was so amazing and cool."
"How about we ask Father to give Lady Octavi a permit, so she can teach you in the future?"
"Really??" He stopped and looked up at me, beaming.
"Yes, I will try to ask Father about that."
"Thanks, Sister Aurelia!"