"It is not very surprising...." Ruby had said. "For you to pick a fight with almost everyone in the family. You have to agree."
"Oh, you wound me Ruby." I replied, picking apart the flowers and arranging them as per what Ruby had instructed me to. "What you have to agree is that sometimes I get unfair disadvantage. It might not be just sometimes."
"Come on, Sister. Calm down. I am sure Mama and Papa have their reasons for doing this. One day you'll know!" She perked cheerfully.
"What I need to know is why am I forced for a flower arranging session....this late at night. We could've done this at some other time." I rolled my eyes and looked around at the vast variety of flowers that had been kept before us. The Queen had basically ordered me to find something valuable to do after realising that I was at the Daven Manor far too long for her patience. "Neglecting society doesn't bode well for ladies!" She exclaimed in her high voice when I returned only but a day later. According to her, missing one event was the end of the world for me. So I was accompanied by Ruby who taught me stuff that I deemed no so important. Flower arranging was not even in the list.
"The Queen has a very unusual obsession with flower arrangement and me." I commented. "This seems so useless." Saying so, I threw a small twig in the corner.
"Trust me, Sister. Nothing will be useless once you marry. Consider this a bonding experience for the both of us. We hardly ever see each other these days. Especially you needing solace at your manor."
"Ruby! It was one day!"
We laughed together, but mine was hollow and fake. After the confrontation with the Vigiilante that night, I knocked him out once again and got him out of my house. I dragged him far away to a pond and retunred back knowing that he would never find out who had captured him and where he was kept. There was no point really, turning him in or taking any action against him. I would be the questioned as well, and I don't think the answers to that would result well for me.
However looking at Ruby currently, I couldn't help but admire her. She was so good with words and knew what she was talking about. She had become mature and saw positively to all situations. She was so....different than me.
"You know Ruby," I took her hand and enveloped into mine. "You are going to be a wonderful debutante. I know of it."
She gave me a warm smile. "Thank you Sister. I hope I make our parents proud."
I nodded. "Might I ask you something, though. It is totally out of question, it just came into my mind now?"
"Yes. Anything." She replied.
"You shared my interest in the Royal Archives, a few weeks ago right?" I started. "I mean I only asked becasue I needed an interesting acticity for a pass time, but why did you as well? Something crossed your mind too?"
Ruby straightened her voice. "Um..." I raised my eyebrows.
"Sa- Same as you. An activity for a passtime." She exhaled. "Shall we proceed? we have much to do."
"Yes. We do." I said while seeing her fumble with her flowers.
____
First there was the Royal Archives. Managing around that deemed quite enough for me, but this buisness with Wilius saw fit to meddle in. I never tried to protect Wilius or tried to protect him....however it was quite difficult to believe his involvement really. Perhaps he was desperate...?
Huh? Despersate from what?
I shook my head and focused my attention back towards the soldier in front of me. Today's training session was being conducted differently, for I had handed myself a dagger to work with while my attacker held a sword. Considering that a dagger is much smaller than a full sword and I was already down on the ground, facing serious difficulties. But then again, what is life if there's no challenge?
The sowrd was just about to hit my face in the vertical directionwhen my reflexes led me to put my dagger into the way and stop it. "Not so easy." I whispered before dominating the soldier and he fell backwards as I pushed him.
The soldier fell and the others sniggered at his defeat. "You can try being in his shoes. And then we'll see if you can laugh about it." I retorted.
The laughter seized as I reached on my table and refreshed. As I fiddled with my stuff, my attention went towards one of the spears a soldier was holding besides me.
Rusted weapons.....
"Could you give me that spear?" I asked. "I'd like to try that once."
I was handed the spear and I examined it very carefully. It was a bit dustyand I did see some blackened spots around, which no doubt was rust. I rolled it around and then found a big one around the end. Alex didn't lie after all. The weapon was in a very bad condition.
I positioned myself in front of the target, ready for any blow that would come for me.
Hell, I was so wrong.
So damn wrong. I had failed to be ready for any blow. Not way too terribly because I managed to ward him off physically in the last moment. But that wasn't the point. The spear was. The spear's head; which wwas supposed to be the sharp one and attack forth turned out to be the one that was attacked ruthlessly. One hit and the head broke into two and further causing me great embarresment. I was so sure that the spectators were trying their best mask their reactions since I could hear a lot of coughs from around.
The pieces splices as if they were mere aplles and fell onto the ground, my expression in awe. Some dirt from the rust stuck to my hand as I let go of the barren handle. "Has this happened before?" I asked around. "The weapons crumbling as if they were made yesterday?"
The soliders nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. Multiple times, actually."
"Are you alright, Princess?" Clara asked with concern. "Would you like to take a break for some while."
I exhaled, thinking my mind was up to no good. "I think I'm done for the day. You all may leave."
I beckoned myself back to the refreshment corner while all the soldiers that were appointed for my training left one by one. I stared down between my sword, jeweled with gems, oiled regularly, taken care of, very durable, quite strong and the remnants of the spear that lay abandoned on the ground. The difference was so evident, it made me sick. Granted, the gems were a luxury but rest of the conditions weren't. Oiling, keeping it in dry spaces and cleaned regularly wasn't something too impossible to attain. It was the basic requirement.
Someone was definately benefitting off of these wepaons, I am sure of it. The care required funds and money, and I definately knew that for a nation such as ours, there was no shortage of it. It's just that someone was greeding more food off the plate than they were supposed to.
Wilius so easily managed to take dominance of my thoughts, for all the wrong reasons. At this point, given his recent behaviour....I would acutally be surprised if he does not have a hand in this.
"Your Highness...." Clara had come besides me. "You seem very distracted. What is on your mind?"
I contemplated conversing with her about this. Did I have to tell her everything? Well no, I don't tell all that happens. Yes, Amber do tell her about your excursions. Ballistic would be an understatement for her reaction.
"I found out something. About..abou..." i lingered. "About Wilius. And it is not that great."
"Oh." She blinked. "Could you tell what it is so I might be of some help?"
I gulped. It might not be a very good idea to tell Clara the whole thing. "I can't tell you what it is. But I do know that it does not apint a very good picture of him."
"You should tell His Majesty then." I frowned. "Princess, if it is so crucial....then the best thing to do is to tell the King. Perhaps he will take some action."
I denied her option, "No Clara. There is a reason he is the Crown Prince. Not just because he is the heir but also because the King trusts him. Too much to believe otherwise, unfortunately."
"Well,what can be done then?"
I rubbed the sweast from my temple. "I need to know more about his buisness first. But it isn't as if I can..." I smirked lightly. "Peek into where I am certainly unwelcome."
Clara returned a smile. "Likely you should wait for some time and then decide how things unravel."
I nodded. As we leaving the arena, my words struck me unusually. Peek into where I am certainly unwelcome.
Coming to think about it, where was I unwelcome? The Royal Archives was a first without a doubt. But what place could give me more exposure? What place that could give me the answers to my eerie questions?
Aha! The Legion. I needed to visit the official grounds of the Asnovitch Legion. Where a 'Young Lady' like me was certainly unwelcome.
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