章 3: I'm not awkward, I'm the Empress!
She smoothed out her dress and made her way to the door. As soon as she left her room, she crossed paths with two young man in armor. One of them had black hair and purple eyes and froze in place when he saw her.
Just...staring at her.
She returned his gaze, confused by his stare. Was something wrong?
She blinked at him a few times and looked down at her clothes. Was there something wrong with them? They looked fine to her?
No tears.
No stains.
No transparency.
And she'd just gotten done gawking at herself in the mirror, so she knew there wasn't anything wrong with her face.
"...Why are you staring at me like that?"
Whoa. Still not used to that voice.
He startled and looked frightened. Frightened...? Why?? It made her feel oddly guilty, like she'd just scolded a puppy.
His face turned red and he stammered, bowing. "M-My apologies, Empress Isabelle!"
Before she could respond, he grabbed his friend's arm and hightailed it down the hall away from her.
"Hey...! Hey don't apologize! Explain yourself!!" She shouted at their retreating forms. "Get back here and talk to me!"
...She might as well be shouting at an empty hall, because they fled like the devil was after them.
Confused and bewildered, she wandered through the palace grounds. She only made it a few minutes before the sound of horses snorting and their hooves clip clopping upon the ground caught her attention.
Curious, she followed the sounds to a nearby courtyard.
Upon a cobblestone path a handful of men dressed in heavy metal armor and trained with their weapons. Their movements were fluid and quick, yet clearly controlled and focused.
The swords clanged loudly, their hilts wrapped tightly by black leather, their silvery blades gleaming in the sunlight as a matching pair to the men's armor.
"Oi! Show some spirit there, Vesper!"
A voice echoed through the air. A man with green hair and lavender eyes stood off to the side, calling to one of the trainees.
A man with flowing raven hair, tucked messily into his helmet. The young man swung his sword sharply at another's who, at the last moment, pivoted just enough that the first youth's blade slid right past its target, harmlessly, nearly sending the youth toppling to the ground. He grunted, scrambling to keep his balance while the instructor narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Don't just swing it like a stick, boy. It's a part of you, and if it fails, so do you." The man's deep voice rang through the courtyard. It resonated with power that sent chills down the spin and instinctively had one snapping to attention.
The youth - Vesper? - winced. "Yes sir!"
With a wave of his hand, the instructor dismissed the youth, indicating another man to step forward for his turn. This young man's golden blonde hair swayed in the breeze as he trotted forward, no helmet on his head. His emerald green eyes shimmered in the sunlight.
He was...very pretty.
For a knight.
She heard a few whispers from other observers like her. "Here he comes....shining star..."
"Everyone already knows he's the best...what's the point...?"
She hummed curiously, and watched the man strike a pose with his sword. When the signal was given, he immediately struck. She gasped at the speed of it. Before the opponent could react, he had him flat on his back on the stone ground. In awe, she approached, stepping closer to the edge of the area.
As soon as she was witnessed, everyone in the courtyard snapped to attention. Even the young man the beautiful blond had just floored rose to his feet in an instant and then knelt - quickly grabbing the blonde man's arm and yanking him down with him.
The blonde yelped, surprised, then also bowed down to the floor.
"Majesty, you've arrived." The green-haired man nodded, saluting her with a hand to his chest.
"U-Uhh...well...sorry I just...walked in." She said lamely. She wasn't quite used to people bowing before her yet, even if she's the empress or whatever.
The green-haired man gestured. "Your majesty can go anywhere she pleases. We just didn't expect her to observe the training today. It is an honor."
...She really wanted to emphasize that she'd randomly wandered in but at that point it felt cruel?
"Ah...yes...um. What...was your name?"
She immediately regretted that question. The man looked heartbroken. It made her wince internally.
"Ezekiel, Your majesty." He said sadly, straightening up. He looked her in the eye for a moment, and then looked back down quickly.
"Ah...ye-yes. Of course. I haven't had my coffee yet."
Another awkward statement, but the man brightened up just slightly.
Good. He believes me.
"Does Her Majesty wish for us to summon the head butler so she may have her coffee?"
"Um."
She didn't want to inconvenience the poor maid, but any progress with her lie she made would be lost if she turned it down. Lesser of two evils.
"Will it not interfere with your training? I don't want to disturb you more than I already have-"
"Nonsense." The man cut her off smoothly. She appreciated him taking control of the situation.
She wasn't a passive person, but right now her forwardness just kept stun-locking people. She wasn't used to it being such a problem. She'd never had a problem being aggressive with people.
"Her Majesty's health is of the utmost importance."
He went over to a bench where a row of trainees sat, either having already had their turn or possibly sitting around and waiting for theirs. He pointed at one, seemingly at random, who straightened up immediately.
"Go and fetch Her Majesty a nice cup of hot, fresh, darkest roast coffee, soldier. Make it black! Right this instant."
"Actually I like a little coffee with my cream..." She mumbled.
"Well, of course, Your majesty. How could we forget. Please excuse the miscommunication. Have it be done right. She likes her coffee with plenty of cream, and sugar. Lots of sugar. That should be simple enough for a new recruit such as yourself, no? We've all had our practice making coffee in the academy before graduation, and it was always easy enough for us, right?"
Ezekiel smiled calmly as he spoke, but she could hear a few mutters from the others around him.
Guess no one wants to bring a bad cup of coffee in front of the Empress?
She...really dug herself deep not knowing his name. Which was a problem, because how else was she going to learn these peoples' names? She couldn't call everyone You and You Over There.
Belatedly, a realization hit her so hard she jolted.
The stat screen had names on it.
...Oh.
oh.
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