By Zephyria 
The commanding voice was laced with deep anger. He had no intention of showing mercy at all.
Cecile bit his lip tightly and grasped the soft grass beneath his palm. Eventually, his trembling hand reached for Alexis’s Long Sword.
He stood up awkwardly, unable to shake off the grass stuck to his pants, and took his stance. The weight of Alexis’s sword felt incomparably heavier than the wooden swords he had been accustomed to.
Not only that, the sleek blade and the razor-sharp edge seemed almost too much for a beginner to handle.
As Cecile managed to get into a basic stance, Alexis stepped forward without warning. In an instant, the distance between them closed, and their swords clashed.
Clang-! Thud!
Two loud sounds erupted. One was the sound of the swords clashing, and the other was the sound of Alexis’s foot kicking Cecile’s knee.
“Pathetic.”
Alexis said coldly. There was no mercy in his gaze as he looked at the body that had fallen far away from a mere kick.
“Get up.”
Cecile struggled to push himself up on his knees. Just as he grabbed the hilt of the sword lying on the ground, Alexis’s attack began again.
Clang-! Clang-!!
Every time the metal clashed, a tingling sensation shot from his palm to his shoulder. Alexis’s swordsmanship was one of the basic techniques Cecile had learned, but the Sword Aura contained within it was merciless. He often found himself knocked down without even being able to defend.
Cecile dropped his sword several times and rolled on the ground from the brutal kicks. The once pristine silk fabric was stained with green grass and marked with black footprints, making it hard to find a clean spot.
“Gah, huff, ugh!”
“Again.”
The fight disguised as training was ruthless. Unlike Cecile, who was drooling with exhaustion, Alexis’s breathing remained steady. He merely watched Cecile suffer and then casually pushed the sword toward him.
“With such a low level of skill, you sure are bold. It’s boring to even entertain you.”
Cecile barely managed to stand, using his sword as a cane. Despite his body swaying, his gaze remained sharp as he looked at Alexis.
“…Yes. I am painfully aware of how clear the difference in our skills is, Your Highness.”
“From the way you’re flapping your tongue, it seems you still have some energy left. Good. I’ll make sure to knock that arrogant spirit of yours into shape today.”
The lightly held sword plunged down once more. Cecile gripped tightly with both hands to block Alexis’s sword. The impact resonated with a loud thud, sending pain through his wrist, but this time he couldn’t afford to drop his sword.
However, without any respite from the initial block, the attacks continued. Cecile’s stance crumbled under the speed he could not hope to match, and inevitably, another kick came flying at him.
“Ugh!”
Cecile rolled and crashed into the thick trunk of a tree.
It felt as if his whole body was about to shatter. As he fell, he must have bitten his tongue, as he tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.
Alexis walked up to him. The tip of the sword he held in one hand was pointed at Cecile’s neck.
He was truly an irritating presence. Every move of Cecile Adrian grated on his nerves.
Should I just kill him?
It wouldn’t be too difficult to lose an arm. A moment of mistake, an unforeseen accident. There were plenty of excuses to make.
But at that moment, the sight of Cecile’s face caught Alexis’s attention, pulling him back to his senses. Again. That self-destructive expression oddly disarmed Alexis.
“Why do you have that face?”
“……”
“I’m doing what you wanted.”
Cecile managed to lift his upper body, which had fallen helplessly. A voice of resignation escaped him.
“The reason I wanted to learn swordsmanship from you was not to improve my skills.”
“Then what is it?”
Cecile raised his head to meet the cold gaze directed at him. His throat tightened, and his teeth began to chatter.
He couldn’t bring himself to say that he wanted to spend time with him.
“I’ll ask again. What exactly are you trying to pull?”
“……”
Cecile closed his eyes. Seeing him give up on answering only fueled Alexis’s rising anger.
He grabbed Cecile by the collar and yanked him up. Cecile’s light body was forced against the thick trunk of the Sequoia.
“I can’t understand you at all. If you weren’t under the Empress’s orders, why do you stubbornly stay by my side? Why are you so interested in what I do? What do you want with me?”
“Is my presence uncomfortable for you?”
“Do you think it would be comfortable? Your very existence is a nuisance to me. Did you think I would trust the Empress’s bloodline?”
Cecile let out a hollow laugh. It seemed this person had a remarkable talent for tearing him apart.
“No matter how hard I try, it seems I can never be your person, Your Highness.”
“That’s an absurd statement.”
“Just consider it madness. You have no intention of listening to me anyway, do you?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Alexis exhaled deeply, calming his agitation.
“I have already shown you enough mercy. There will be no more.”
“……”
“You are banned from entering the training grounds. Don’t even think about showing your face to the Knights again.”
“Alexis.”
Cecile grasped the wrist that held his collar. The warmth that reached him made Alexis stiffen. No, he seemed even more surprised by the casual way Cecile addressed him.
But Cecile tightened his grip on Alexis’s wrist and delivered his final words.
“I’ll do as you say. But please take care of Roco.”
“What?”
“Just grant me this one request. You can do that much, can’t you?”
“……”
“I can’t just leave it as it is.”
In a pitiful state, he was asking for someone to take care of a rookie knight. Alexis was momentarily taken aback and scoffed. He coldly shook off the hand that held his wrist.
“Acting kind won’t change your reputation.”
“……”
“Stop meddling in the Knights’ affairs.”
With a swift motion, he dropped his sword onto the grass.
“Get that thing out of here.”
Alexis issued the command and turned away without a second thought.
The guards approached, unsure of how to proceed, glancing at each other. The notoriously fierce Cecile Adrian was covering his face with both hands, stifling his sobs.
Once again left alone, Cecile slumped down, leaning his weary body against the tree trunk.
The more he tried to do well, the more misunderstandings piled up, and a solid wall formed between him and Alexis. It seemed now that even that wall could not be broken.
From that day on, Cecile stopped going to the training grounds. Moreover, he did not show his face in the Crown Prince’s office either.
About a week later, items began to accumulate on the empty desk. Alexis glanced up from his duties.
It was refreshing not to see that irritating face.
Whether it was self-reflection or a protest, it was clear that Cecile was holed up in Peridot Palace. Perhaps he was bedridden from the severe beating he had taken.
He had expected to hear a loud report, but surprisingly, the Empress’s side remained quiet.
Instead, the people close to Empress Elizabeth were fixated on the mining project that was actively being discussed in the recent state affairs. Since she was leading the charge, it seemed she had no time to worry about her son.
Alexis pressed his temples, enduring a slight headache that was creeping in.
In a situation where there was so much to consider, it was quite pathetic that he was also worrying about Cecile.
“You don’t need to worry. After being hit hard once, he won’t dare to act up again.”
At that, Claude, unable to hold back any longer, interjected. He had been watching Alexis’s gaze occasionally drift toward Cecile’s desk.
Having spent a year or two together, he could easily read what the Crown Prince was thinking.
“When did I ever worry?”
“Then why do you keep staring at that spot?”
“Stop babbling and continue with your report.”
Alexis openly displayed his discomfort. As a cold glare shot toward him, Claude covered his mouth with his fist and cleared his throat. In an instant, he regained the dignity of the commander and continued his report.
“The Black Forest outpost has begun construction. It is expected to take about a year and a half to two years.”
“What about the newly recruited knights?”
“The total number of new knights has been confirmed at 130. All training for the recruits was completed yesterday, and to prevent a recurrence of the previous incident, we plan to add regulations regarding sexual offenses and conduct related training.”
“……”
It was a flawless report. However, Alexis seemed to find something unsettling and fell into thought for a moment. His long fingers tapped rhythmically on the smooth surface of the desk.
“Was his name Roco Maxwell?”
The unexpected name from the Crown Prince’s lips caused Claude’s expression to stiffen.
“How is he doing?”
“As you ordered, he is under close supervision. He has been excluded from training for now, and I called him in for a separate interview yesterday. Fortunately… well, this is just my speculation, but I did not notice anything particularly unusual.”
“I need to meet him.”
“Excuse me? You mean you want to see him in person? There’s really no need for that….”
Before Claude could finish, Alexis stood up abruptly.
In a situation where every minute and second was precious, meeting a rookie knight whose face and name were barely remembered was indeed an unusual occurrence. For the rational Crown Prince, it was almost unprecedented behavior.
However, the reason he felt compelled to act was that Cecile’s request had been nagging at him like a thorn stuck in his throat.
He felt that only by resolving this could he focus comfortably on his own duties.