Fourth Month, the 1st day, 1386.20:35.
"KILL him for me, Adela."
I heard his wish. Yet, I remained still in my standing position next to the throne, showing no reaction despite receiving such an order from my sworn master. Yes... it's not the first time he asked me to do something so gruesome while bearing a warm smile.
I am a knight. A woman of the sword who has taken an oath to serve a man worthy of my hand and loyalty. That man is none other than His Majesty, The Emperor of Kovia—Hael Desmond Sanfrith.
We go way back. From being childhood playmates, to being close schoolmates, and now, a master and a knight bound by an oath.
Our bond has always been simple. As his friend, I've only ever supported him with his goals and ambitions. And now, as his knight, I do anything for him… all for his glory and victory.
He is the sixth child of the previous emperor and had worked his way up to the throne in a short time. We are now at the age of twenty-six and are already at the peak of our lives.
The ballroom was decorated simply with roses and anything blue, gold, white, and black. The nobles were dressed in their new and glamorous dresses and suits. Meals, desserts, and drinks are served and enjoyed by all who are present.
Tonight was the banquet to celebrate His Majesty's crowning after surviving the civil war among the imperial children. There was no crowned heir, hence they fought for the throne once the previous ruler died of unknown cause.
No one cared. All of Kovia unanimously agreed that the previous emperor was a man who knew nothing about proper ruling. Because, for all they know, no matter which imperial children, they would still be better than that foolish man.
In this party, nearly every noble under the rule of the Empire is of attendance to show their respect. The whole empire is celebrating for the crowning of their new ruler, who they know is best and worthy of their loyalty and service.
"Now, entering! Saint Nicaea Leilani!"
That announcement immediately drew attention. All eyes glanced towards the entrance door of the ballroom. There, they saw a holy figure.
She had healthy white skin, long wavy blonde hair that shines like the sun, and ocean blue eyes. She wore a white and royal blue dress that well emphasizes her elegance and beauty. She walks at her pace. Every pair of eyes watched her as if she was a goddess who had descended from heaven.
Ah... yes, my sole sister, and of course, my master's one and only lover.
"She's finally here." His Majesty Hael rises from his seat and hands me his glass of wine to hold. He fixed his collar for a moment and turned his head to meet my eyes.
"Get it done before the sun rises, I shall accept no failure. Do you understand?"
In contrast to his warm golden eyes, his voice was cold as ice. I was used to it, however. My head tilts forward, bowing in respect as I responded;
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His smile returned as soon as he walked across the hall. The nobles immediately paved the way for him as he welcomed the Saint of the Holy Temple.
"Oh my, how lovely."
"This is a first in history!"
"They overcame the challenge of their forbidden love."
"We can't say that for sure."
"I heard His Majesty had no other plans on taking an Empress unless it's the Saint."
"Yes, the Temple would think the Imperial Family will also try to rule over religion now."
"They're a lovely couple, I hope they overcome this new challenge."
Nicaea Leilani Oleander is His Majesty's lover. It was a known fact to the world ever since we graduated from the academy.
The late emperor, however, had opposed this greatly before it was known, because she was said to have been considering apprenticeship for the Holy Temple while she was still a student in the Academy. He planned to have her killed while she was just a lady, not a saint apprentice.
In that accord, Hael felt more rushed to take the throne, all to protect his beloved.
Hence, I killed him. The late emperor died by my hands.
I glanced away from the lovely couple to meet the deep green eyes of the man who has yet to take his gaze off me. His Majesty once described those eyes as full of envy.
Hael loathed him to his core.
His build certainly stands out among the crowd of nobles. His dark long hair is another eye-catching feature of him. Not only that, he was dressed extra well tonight.
He was a knight apprentice back at the Academy, older than me by two years, but never graduated as he had to take the heavy responsibility of being the only Grand Duke of the Empire when his father died.
He is the Grand Duke of House Langstone, Caius Valentino Langstone.
And he's the man I have to kill before the sun rises.
"Sir Icarus," I called for the Imperial Knight Commander. He's alone, sipping on a glass of red wine. He was always the kind to enjoy a party when it's meant to be enjoyed.
"Oh, Dame Adela! Good evening, how have you been faring?" He welcomes me with a warm smile. I can only respond with a faint one. I admire the amount of energy he has.
"I've come to inform you that I will not be present for the night watch. Will you do me a favor and look out for His Majesty again while I'm away?" His smile immediately faded and his eyes gazed at me as if I'm such a pitiful creature. I can only sigh at his obvious reaction. "Please don't look at me like that."
"…if it's another mission, you can decline or assign it to an actual person for the job. You're a knight and that is not your job," he says in a low and grave tone to make sure I was the only one who heard it.
But I shook my head.
"I am his knight, Sir. It is my sole duty to execute his wishes," I reason, and he looks at me as if he knew exactly why I can't decline such an order.
Icarus sighs in surrender. He knows himself that he can't keep me from doing what His Majesty had ordered me to do personally.
"Well, let me guess the target. It's that man, no?"
I simply nodded in response and he sighs again.
His Majesty Hael hates him for two reasons; the Grand Duke is a mere bastard, not a legitimate Langstone; and the previous emperor had always compared his children with him, pertaining and directly saying that they are inferior to a bastard.
His Majesty Hael's misplaced (and unreasonable) resentment towards the Grand Duke is no secret to close allies such as Icarus. In fact, every single imperial child actually hates him, all for the reason that they hate being compared to him.
"I swear to the gods, you'll fail the mission this time."
I looked at him, confused. There was never a time he doubted my skills to do what I needed to do. He should be worried for his close acquaintance, but he's more confident that I'll lose to him. However, my face relaxed as I figured out why he was so certain about my failure.
"Is it because you've witnessed his skills yourself? You are one of his batchmates and a known rival of his, if I may add," I ask and he shrugs his shoulders, then beams a proud grin.
"I honestly have no room to worry about him. That man is nowhere near death. He's practically immortal."
I've never seen how good he actually is as a knight, but I'm confident that I can put up a fight. I know I'll either be killed or get severely injured after this mission.
But Icarus described him as immortal? What is he? Some sort of mythical dragon?
Impossible.
"Your Majesty, it's me," I announced after knocking on the door of a lounge where His Majesty and my sister were in. There was a moment of silence before I heard his voice giving me permission to enter.
"Come in."
I twisted the knob and opened the door. I stepped inside but did not walk further in. I see both of them, sitting close to each other on the couch, with their backs facing me. There were snacks and tea served for both of them. It seems they were resting.
"I've come to ask permission to retire for the night."
I did not bother greeting them. Since Nicaea is always displeased with my presence, I decided to keep it short.
"I'll return by sunrise," I continued and that made His Majesty turn his head towards me. His eyes were filled with blood lust. He's smiling from ear to ear, as if excited to learn of the result in a few hours.
Ah, I see… Hael is expecting me to bring back his head, or his eyes at least.
"You may go, Adela. Excellent work today." He gave his permission.
I turn my gaze to her before bowing in respect. It seems she doesn't want to acknowledge my presence. This is worse than usual, but this is better than fighting in front of His Majesty.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Some may wonder why we're very distant, especially since we're close in age, but it's no rare case for noble children to have some tension between them. And I don't blame her for seeing me as a threat.
After all, Hael and I… are bound by an oath. Something not even a lover like her can come in between.