The father of Lady Hillaria, Sir Kaeso Antia, the imposing Commander of the Royal Guards, stood tall. He knew about someone equal to Lady Octavi.
Before he even raised his hand, I knew exactly who he would point at.
Slowly, deliberately, he raised his thick arm and pointed a finger at the person standing slightly behind me.
It was Adel.
It didn't surprise me. I had watched with my own eyes as Lady Octavi and Adel sparred in my family's garden years ago. The recent spar between Hillaria and Adel had also caught everyone's attention—including the Commander.
However, the Crown Prince, Fabian, hadn't witnessed that fight. He didn't know how capable Adel truly was.
"It is her..." Sir Kaeso rumbled, his finger unmoving.
Before I could disown the claim, I glanced at Lady Hillaria and Lady Clara. They wore expressions of concern, looking away as if afraid of getting involved.
Fabian frowned, confused.
"What do you mean by her?" Fabian asked, looking at Adel. "She is just a maid."
"Your Royal Highness," Kaeso said, bowing slightly but keeping his gaze intense. "It seems you weren't here when my daughter had a spar with her. She showed excellent moves and great skill. Even my daughter, using her Transmutation, was outmatched by her. It showed how monstrous she is. If she could easily beat my daughter's Transmutation without using her own, she should be equal to Lady Octavi in terms of skill."
Fabian scoffed. "Still, what you ask is a maid against a proper Knight. It is unethical to compare a servant with a Knight of the White Order. What are you thinking?"
I was caught off guard.
Knight of the White Order?
Fabian had just referred to Lady Octavi as a Knight of the White Order. I had only learned about the Orders recently, and I hadn't known Octavi was officially part of it. It showed me just how sheltered—or perhaps foolish—I had been these past years. Was I ignoring these details, or was everyone ignoring me?
"If Your Royal Highness doesn't believe me," Kaeso persisted, "may my daughter tell you about her capability? Hillaria, tell His Royal Highness how monstrous she is."
Kaeso turned to his daughter, expecting support.
But Hillaria hesitated. She glanced nervously at me, then at the ground. She bit her lip, refusing to speak. It was as if she was scared of me—or scared of betraying a silent understanding we had formed.
"Hillaria?" Kaeso pressed.
She didn't budge. She didn't open her mouth.
Seeing his daughter's silence, Sir Kaeso turned to Lady Clara.
"Lady Clara, you saw it too."
Clara fidgeted with her fan, looking everywhere but at the Commander. She stayed silent.
Out of options, Kaeso looked at Milo.
"Lieutenant?"
Milo looked at Fabian, then at Octavi, and finally shook his head slightly. He kept his mouth shut.
It was a wall of silence. Everyone wanted to keep Adel's skill a secret—or perhaps they feared the influence of the Aurelius Family standing right in front of them.
Fabian crossed his arms, his posture regal and commanding.
"As you can't provide me with evidence about Aurelia's maid, it indicates you are lying to me," Fabian stated coldly. "It is a shame that a Commander like you is lying to me, especially when comparing someone's maid with a proper Knight. It is not like you."
He paused, a glint of challenge in his eyes.
"If you want a great show of sparring, how about you, as Commander, have a spar with Lady Octavi? It surely will be a great show for everyone. I am pleased to schedule it for you."
I felt the tension in his words. Even from the sidelines, I could see Fabian was composed, but there was an edge to his voice.
Kaeso stiffened. He realized he had been cornered.
"I deeply apologize to Your Royal Highness," the Commander replied, bowing low, his voice filled with regret. "I assure you that there must be some misunderstanding... I would never intentionally deceive you. As for the spar with Lady Octavi, it would be an honor for me to participate and showcase my skills in front of Your Royal Highness."
"Very well," Fabian nodded. "Yet, I need to have permission from Lady Octavi."
"Your Royal Highness," Octavi interjected smoothly, "I think the permission should come from my Liege, Lady Aurelia. Not from me."
All eyes turned to me.
As Fabian looked to me for permission, I felt a heavy pressure from Sir Kaeso's gaze. He wanted this fight. He wanted to test the Aurelius strength.
Somehow, I felt it was a bad decision to let Octavi spar with him. I remained silent for several seconds, weighing the risks.
Adel tapped my shoulder lightly.
"You may politely decline it, My Lady," she whispered.
I leaned back slightly. "Why?" I whispered back.
"It is just my gut telling me it is a bad idea to accept the spar."
"Why does your gut tell you to decline?"
"Well, My Lady, you already know about the Transmutation of the Aurelius Family," Adel murmured, barely moving her lips. "It may be his scheme—or someone else's—to reveal the secret of your family to the public."
"Yet, Lady Octavi is so capable and strong. Is there someone in the area capable enough to make her use her Transmutation?"
"I believe not. But the risk exists."
"It is better to ask herself."
I turned my view to Lady Octavi. "What do you think about this proposal to have a spar with you? Do you have any objection?"
Octavi bowed. "For myself, I hand it over to My Lady's decision."
I felt the weight of everyone's expectations. The silence in the training ground was deafening.
My first priority was to avoid a bad path. But refusing now would look weak. It would look like we were hiding something.
I took a deep breath.
"I grant it," I announced clearly. "Lady Octavi may have a spar with Sir Kaeso Antia."
"Very well, then," Fabian smiled. "If Aurelia has granted permission to let Lady Octavi have a spar with you, Sir Kaeso, so may I pla—"
"I will take charge of planning the sparring."
Suddenly, a voice cut through the air.
We all turned around.
Surprisingly, it was the Queen.
Yet, my sight wasn't focused on the Queen. It was on the person standing behind her, smiling smugly.
Lady Anna.
Knowing it was the Queen walking toward us, everyone around me immediately kneeled. The knights, the nobles, even Kaeso dropped to one knee.
Except for Fabian, Adel, Lady Octavi, and me.
I just slightly bowed to her, raising the hem of my skirt in a curtsy. Adel and Octavi mirrored me.
Fabian walked to the Queen. "Dear Mother, why are you here? Are there important affairs that bring you here?"
"No, my dear son," the Queen smiled, her eyes scanning the crowd. "I just came here because I heard a commotion from all the ladies. So I wanted to check it out."
She looked at Kaeso and Octavi. "Surprisingly, you want to plan something extraordinary—sparring Lady Octavi, a Knight from the White Order, with Sir Kaeso, the Commander of this ground from the Blue Order."
Her smile widened. "I want to make that sparring into a grander show."
Fabian's eyes widened. "What do you mean by a grander show?"
"In three weeks, there will be a Grand Hunting Event which our Master of the Hunt is organizing. All the guests arrive in the Capital a week earlier. How about we show this grander sparring between two Knights from different Orders on a grander stage? Make it a spectacle that will leave everyone breathless."
I was shocked. The Queen wanted to turn a simple training spar into a public spectacle in front of the entire nobility of the Kingdom.
Adel tapped my shoulder again.
"You need not let Lady Octavi's skill be shown to the public, My Lady," she whispered urgently. "It might be best to keep her a secret for now, especially with all the guests arriving early—especially the other Dukes and Duchesses."
"I know the concern about Transmutation getting out to the public," I whispered back. "Yet if Lady Octavi can handle it by herself without showing it, it will be okay. And it should be Lady Octavi's consent whether she wants to take the sparring or not. She seems to not feel any objection about it."
I looked at Octavi again. She gave me a subtle nod. It depends on you.
The Queen and Fabian finished their conversation and walked toward me.
As the Queen approached, I felt the weight of her gaze. It was predatory. She looked at Octavi, then back at me. Her expression was unreadable, but I sensed a trap.
She stopped in front of me.
"What do you think?" the Queen asked, her tone sweet but condescending. "Is the grander show a good idea for them?"
"Certainly, it is a great idea," I answered, meeting her eyes to show I wasn't intimidated. "Yet, Your Majesty..."
"YET?" Her eyes widened, brows furrowing.
I needed to ensure this show didn't include Transmutation. I took a step forward to regain my courage.
"I want to make a single proposal about the sparring rules."
"What is that?"
"For this sparring, I want both of them to show their raw skill. So I want a ground rule for the show: they cannot use their Transmutation."
The Queen paused. Slowly, she walked toward me.
"Well, is it not interesting if both of them hold back?" she mused. "It wouldn't add an element of suspense and unpredictability to the sparring match. The audience wouldn't be on the edge of their seats, wondering how the fighters would adapt."
She stopped just an inch from me. She leaned her face close to mine.
With a soft voice and a mischievous smile, she whispered something unimaginable.
"Perhaps... you are worried about the truth about Lady Octavi…"
I froze.
The truth.
Did she know? Did she know about the White Transmutation? About the Aurelius secret?
She didn't finish her sentence. She just showed a simple smirk and took a step back.
Quick in reaction, I spoke firmly.
"Without disrespect, it is my proposal for this sparring, Your Majesty. In my memory, I believe it will be the first time our White Order shows their skill in public. I hope you consider my proposal about this sparring. Or..."
"Or???" The Queen raised an eyebrow.
"Or I will not let Lady Octavi take part in this grander sparring."
I stared fiercely into her eyes.
She just simply smirked at me.