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Chapter 5: Sigrid Ankertna
Sigrid stayed up all night.
As soon as dawn broke, Sigrid got up from her bed. She arranged the bed, put on her boots, braided her hair, and left the room.
‘Is Morris still sleeping’?
She wanted to leave but it would be rude if she just left the house without telling the owner. Sigrid stood in the living room and wondered what to do. Then the maid working on morning duties came in.
“Oh my god!”
“Oh, I’m sorry if i surprised you. I came here last night.”
The maid swept down her chest like unconsciously calming her heart from shock. However, since Sigrid was a knight and a familiar face, the maid regained her posture.
“I’ll be going now, so tell Morris I left first.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Sigrid frowned for a second and opened her mouth to correct the maid that it should be, ‘Sir Ankertna,’ not Miss. But then she realized she had to change the way she was thinking. So, she closed her mouth, pressing her discomfort being called Miss, and gave a polite nod.
When Sigrid opened the door and came out, the mist of dawn had yet to clear, and the cloudy road caught her eyes. At the same time as the curfew was lifted, sounds of city bustle could be heard little by little. People were coming out to start their daily lives.
When Sigrid left Zone 2 and entered the outskirts of Zone 3 where her house was located, the area was already completely bustling with life. Here and there, bakers were wandering around, shouting ‘5 kerv’ while selling their bread, girls were shouting, selling their flowers, and women were selling their cookies.
Sigrid was trying to buy some steamy bread when she realized she hadn’t brought any money. Hence, she just headed home. Sigrid went into her room, changed out of her wrinkled clothes and into a uniform, put on a cloak and took her sword and her registration card along with some money before heading for the Knight Order.
The Knight Order was within the Imperial Palace. Similar to Capital City, the Imperial Palace was divided into three areas. The third area was the area where the commoners could enter from. The second area was only accessible to those with a title while the first area was an area that couldn’t be entered without permission from the Emperor. The Knight Order was located in the second area of the Imperial Palace.
It was still in the early morning which meant the morning assembly had yet to start so the imperial knights were free.
***
Knock Knock.
Revel, the leader of the Second Knight Order , raised his head at hearing the knock. He looked at the clock on the wall. He was wondering who would come this early in the morning.
“Come in.”
When Revel saw the face of the one who opened the door, he understood. It was Sigrid Ankertna. The ‘simple and honest fellow who does what she wants’ knight. It was already known that she always came to the Knighthood early in the morning. On top of that she did that everyday. Where in the world did such a knight exist?
“Welcome. What happened that you’ve come by so early in the morning?”
“I came because I wanted to take a break from work.”
At the moment, Revel thought he had heard wrong.
“Break?”
“Yes. a long break. I think it could be quite long if we add up all the vacation days that I haven’t used over the years…”
“That would be a lot. A break?”
“Yes.” Sigrid answered firmly.
Revel nodded as he stared blankly at Sigrid. “Okay. How long do you want?”
“I’d like it as long as I can.”
Then Revel asked, looking up and down at Sigrid, “Are you sick? A problem in your hometown?”
“No. I just need some time alone to focus on myself. Well, is it difficult, Sir?”
“Huh? No, no. I see. If so— “ Revel rubbed his chin. This was the first time that Sigrid had asked for a leave of absence after she became a knight. ‘How long do I have to give for her paid absence’
“How about a 45-days paid vacation.”
“That’s great. Thank you Sir.”
“If you need an extension, let me know in advance. Letters or whatever.”
“Yes. Thank you, Sir. Then, I’ll get going now.”
Following a polite greeting, Sigrid went out of Revel’s office.
***
‘Forty-five days… This should be enough right?’
She didn’t know because she’d done this before.
‘If it is not enough, let’s extend the holiday.’
With that determination, Sigrid sat down on a bench near the drill hall. With her eyes closed and taking repeated deep breaths, she slowly felt a glittering aura around her. Then she imagined a strong aura being sucked through the pores of her skin, going deep into her whole body. But the imagination was scattered right away. At the sound of familiar footsteps, Sigrid opened her eyes wide.
“Alkerto.” She muttered very quietly, but Alkerto heard her mutter and turned his head. His face soon broke into a smile.
“Sigrid! You’re first again today!”
Sigrid bit her trembling lips and jumped from her seat. In an instant, she was standing in front of Alkerto by the drill hall, staring at him.
His turquoise eyes soon stared at her with wonder.
“Sigrid? What’s wrong?”