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Chapter 1.5 - The Princess's Dream




Chapter 1.5: The Princess’s Dream
‘What did I do wrong?’
Sienna quickly turned her head .
‘Is that man stronger than the captain of the knights?’
She had sparred with the captain a few times . He was definitely stronger than the other knights, both in strength and skill . Still, he was a manageable opponent .
‘There’s no way . He’s too young . ‘
Sienna decided that she had been the one to make a mistake .
‘I was too impatient . ‘
She held her sword and gallantly approached Kuhn once more .
“Again . ”
Sienna tightened her grip on her sword . She wouldn’t make the same miserable mistake of losing her sword this time .
Clang!
Sienna’s sword flew out of her hands . It flew past her and sank into the soft ground further away . She stared blankly at the sword before looking down at her hands . She clenched and unclenched her hand . Her hand felt numb .
Sienna grabbed her sword and said, “Again . ” This happened five more times . Every time, the swords clashed violently before Sienna’s flew out of her hand .
 
With every repetition, Sienna lost more and more strength . No matter how many times she tried again, the result would be the same . It was inevitable . And Kuhn, as he had stated before, never went easy on her, keeping his strength the same each time .
When Sienna grabbed her sword for the sixth time, Kuhn spoke up .
“Let’s stop here . ”
Sienna furrowed her brow .
“You’ll ruin your wrist . ”
Sienna sighed as she lowered her sword . Her wrist was shaking .
Seeing Sienna lost in thought, Kuhn was a bit surprised . He had expected her to throw a tantrum and fly into a rage . However, while she did look dejected, she didn’t look angry at all .
“Are you strong?”
“I don’t go around getting beat up if that’s what you mean . ”
“Are you stronger than the palace knights?”
“I don’t know . I’ve never fought with them, so I can’t be absolutely sure, but I won’t lose . ”
Such ridiculous confidence . Sienna was amazed by it, but she didn’t feel that it was an empty boast . Was she the strange one for thinking this way?
“If you’re that strong, then why are you currently in the lowest rank?”
Sienna had guessed Kuhn’s rank from his uniform .
“Only the best are able to become one of the Knights of the Imperial Palace . The best of them is the captain . ”
“I see . ”
The man replied with a dull expression . Believing his standoffish behavior was rooted in the confidence of his skills, Sienna wasn’t offended .
“What do you think of my skills?”
Kuhn wanted to leave . Nothing good came out of interacting with the Princess . If he had to divide the world into allies and enemies, the Princess would be an enemy .
‘I should have escaped when she asked to spar . ‘
Kuhn reflected on his carelessness .
“Please be honest . ”
The Princess urged him, so Kuhn answered reluctantly .
“You’re better than someone who has never held a sword before . ”
It was a harsh assessment .
“But I’ve sparred with knights during practice . ”
“Princess . How often do you practice?”
“Once every two or three days . About two hours every time . ”
“Knights wield their sword all day from morning till night . Their basic training begins at an early age, and they are only able to properly practice with a sword around the age of twelve . If they’re lucky and skilled enough, they are able to become a knight in the Imperial Palace . ”
Sienna understood what he was trying to say .
” . . . They were going easy on me . ”
There was no way the elite knights of the Imperial Palace were that inferior . They had been going easy on her .
Sienna couldn’t believe it . It was understandable for her practice partners to go easy on her, but the captain as well? Weren’t the knights a symbol of honesty and justice?
She had believed in her natural abilities . She had been so confident . She had received the superior and genius traits of the Imperial family . Everyone around her would say, ‘As expected of the Princess, she learns so quickly’ . So Sienna had thought the same about her swordsmanship .
‘I never wanted false praise . ‘
Sienna doubted that it only stopped at swordsmanship . Now she was suspicious of everything .
“What are you doing?!”
Sienna asked Kuhn in shock . He had grabbed the blade with his left hand and pulled . Red blood flowed down his hand .
“I told you before . This sword needs to taste blood once it has been unsheathed . ”
Sienna blankly watched Kuhn place his sword back in its sheath .
“Is it a magic sword?”
Kuhn chuckled . He was a well-known figure in his own world . Everybody around him knew who he was and what sword he used, so this was the first time somebody had asked Kuhn such a question .
“Some people think so, but it’s more like an exorcism . ”
“Exorcism? What’s that?”
“Hmm . I guess it’s a term that isn’t common in the Imperial Palace . It’s like a ritual to prevent future misfortune . ”
Sienna felt bad for having misunderstood him earlier . What he had told her earlier weren’t empty words or false bravado .
“Is your hand okay?”
“It’s fine . ”
“I’ll call for some medicine . ”
“Really, I’m alright . ”
“Isn’t a swordsman’s hand very important? How can we leave it alone?”
Sienna’s voice was laced with worry, different from her normal cold tone . Kuhn felt a tickling sensation in his heart .
“You said earlier that you haven’t been placed in a regiment as of yet, correct?”
” . . . ”
“Was that a lie, too?”
Sienna glared at him as he sneakily looked away . She had taken an interest in this man . He was a bit arrogant, but he was quite skilled .
“Now that I think about it, I don’t know your name . ”
” . . . ”
“Didn’t you hear me? What is your name?!”
“Princess . Someone is coming . It seems like they’re looking for you . ”
Sienna turned her head . Her ladies-in-waiting were approaching them . Her practice time had ended, so they came right on schedule .
Sienna turned back around . In that short time, the man had walked off into the distance . Sienna frowned as she watched his back, clenching her teeth .
‘You can run, but you can’t hide . ‘
At most, there were about a thousand knights in the palace . His appearance, his approximate age, and his unique sword . Since she knew these things about him, it wouldn’t be hard to find him . Within a few hours, she’d be able to place that man in front of her\n