“As an exclusive knight, your strength is just barely up to par.”
The King rotated his shoulders a few times, and the motion was like a mountain rumbling to life, causing Rita to frown uncontrollably.
If that slap from earlier had landed on an ordinary person, it wouldn’t be surprising if their head had gone flying off.
The King had just swung that huge palm toward her—did he really not care if she died? Or had he, after just that one look, already determined she could take the blow?
Judging by the contrast between the King’s build and her own strength, Rita felt the latter was much more likely.
She’d only been in the royal capital for a few hours, but Rita had already learned her first lesson: appearances could be deceiving.
Really, never judge a book by its cover. That’s not just a saying—in the royal capital, anyone might suddenly show off an unexpected skill.
No wonder those city guards, though neither servile nor arrogant, were so meticulous about certain things.
“All right, all right, go on back. I want to continue watching my comedy.” The King panted twice, then strode back to his chair and plopped down. “And, maid, get this attendant of the Fourth Princess some proper clothes. Later, equip her with some gear—let her pick from the Royal Treasury.”
After taking that slap, Rita felt much more awake. She immediately knelt on one knee to thank the King. “Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty.”
After leaving the Royal Garden, Rita rubbed her arm again. The pain from the King’s strike was still vivid. It didn’t hinder her movements, but every time she moved, she felt a twinge.
Along the way, quite a few maids couldn’t help but look back at her. After all, this was the palace, and Rita—with a half-torn sleeve and a bruised arm—was following right beside Cecilia. Such a strange sight was bound to draw attention.
But most only snuck a glance before quickly hurrying off. As palace servants, their manners and worldview were exceptional. If not for Rita’s keen observation, she wouldn’t have noticed so many people sneaking peeks.
However, even without such sharp observation, she could still spot the ones who looked at her openly.
Rita was following behind Cecilia through the palace corridor when the Rose-Gold-Haired Girl appeared ahead, her eyes locking onto Rita and her tattered sleeve from a distance.
Liliya—it was the Third Princess whom Rita had encountered a few nights ago, the one who slaughtered innocents without a care. As always, the tall Holy Knight followed behind her.
Only, their attire was now very different, and the tall girl was no longer carrying her giant bow.
Yet the expression on Liliya’s face seemed unchanged: still that look of commanding arrogance. As she met Cecilia’s gaze, her expression grew even more haughty.
“It’s been a few days, little Sephalia.”
Liliya’s first words were loaded with provocation.
Cecilia, however, had no intention of rising to the bait, responding with flawless etiquette and the simplest of forms: “Sister.”
Liliya’s eyes darkened, but she quickly shifted the topic to Rita. “And this one, is she your exclusive knight now? No, she can’t be, right? There’s no such Holy Knight in the records.”
After returning to the royal capital, Liliya had immediately ordered an investigation into Rita. Of course, aside from some gossip from Solus City, they found nothing at all. There were only so many Emblem Knights, and it was easy to confirm whether Rita was one of them.
Because Emblem Knights theoretically all served under the King, the princess and her Holy Knight hadn’t dared attack Rita further.
If Rita really had been on royal orders to investigate or carry out a secret mission, and Liliya had delayed her or attacked, it would have been tantamount to treason. Even a princess couldn’t avoid blame.
And even if she could pull it off, simply killing a rare Emblem Knight was enough to be accused of rebellion.
Because of all that, Liliya had actually been pretty scared of Rita at the time.
But after learning that Rita wasn’t a Holy Knight at all, and was just a regular candidate serving under her own younger sister, Liliya’s resentment toward both Rita and Cecilia deepened.
So, upon seeing Rita in such a sorry state, she couldn’t help but take the opportunity to kick them while they were down.
“Sister is quite right. Rita is not yet a Holy Knight,” Cecilia replied.
“My dear sister, Cecilia, you don’t need to be so careless in picking a personal attendant. Disheveled, not even understanding basic etiquette, and striding so boldly through the palace—she’ll only be laughed at by the servants.”
Liliya’s gaze was like a nail driven into Rita’s sleeve, and her tone grew sharper:
“To entrust golden blood to someone like this… If it’s not you misjudging her, then she must have used some trickery to fool you, no? You really should open your eyes. In fact, Father should be the one to decide. At the very least, let him see what she looks like.”
Provocation! This was naked provocation!
Although her words were directed at Rita, the real target was clearly Cecilia!
No, she couldn’t just let Liliya keep strutting around like this!
“Princess Liliya.” Rita placed a hand to her chest—specifically the one that had blocked the King’s blow.
Liliya shot Rita a look, her dissatisfaction with the interruption completely undisguised.
If a Holy Knight addressed her by name, she could tolerate it—but who was Rita to do so?
Rita ignored the look and continued, “Her Highness Cecilia and I have just returned from His Majesty’s Royal Garden. His Majesty has already met me.”
Liliya’s eyes darkened again. Rita’s words gave her no face at all, as if she’d just been slapped.
“To face His Majesty in such a sorry state?”
Liliya purposely said “His Majesty” rather than “Father,” aiming to escalate Rita’s supposed disrespect.
“Sister is absolutely right,” Cecilia answered, “Dressing like this does risk being disrespectful.”
“Yes! You don’t even have a decent set of clothes! Cecilia, if your funds are tight, I wouldn’t mind lending you some so your servant can dress properly,” Liliya added with a smirk.
Cecilia replied, “Father has already ordered new clothes for Rita. I believe she’ll soon look just as Sister wishes.”
Father personally ordered clothes for Rita?
Even as angry as she was, Liliya could tell there was something off about that statement.
As Liliya faltered, Rita realized this was a good opportunity and quickly spoke up.
“His Majesty’s blow was nearly impossible to withstand. I did my utmost and could only manage this much. Not only did I trouble His Majesty to personally grant me new clothing, but in the end, I only received the evaluation of ‘barely qualified as an exclusive knight.’ I’m sorry for failing to meet Lady Liliya’s expectations.”
These words may have sounded childish, but they were effective.
Seeing Liliya’s face flush red and then pale was proof enough.
“Is that really what Father said?” Liliya’s voice weakened, but her tone grew sharper.
This time, she didn’t question Cecilia and Rita, but instead looked to the maid beside them.
The maid respectfully curtsied, lifting her skirt: “His Majesty said only that Miss Rita, attendant of the Fourth Princess, is barely qualified as a Holy Knight and instructed me to prepare clothes and equipment for her later.”
For the two princesses, the maid couldn’t possibly take sides. But simply repeating the King’s words tipped the scales in Cecilia’s favor.
Liliya’s threat to take Rita to see the King had just been empty intimidation, but her resentment toward Rita was real.
Now, every angle from which she could attack Rita had just been neutralized—tattered clothes, personally torn by Father; qualification as exclusive knight, granted by Father; if she pressed further about the Emblem, she’d only seem petty.
“Princess Liliya,” the tall girl finally spoke for the first time, “Forgive my interruption of your conversation with the Fourth Princess, but we have critical intelligence from the past few days to report to His Majesty.”
Given the excuse, Liliya’s expression finally relaxed. “Very well, we’ll do as you say.”
Liliya turned back to Cecilia. “Cecilia, I don’t know where you got all this information, but you’d do best not to meddle in things you shouldn’t. Even if you do, it won’t make any difference.”
What does that even mean? What riddles is she speaking in now?
Rita was still pondering, but Cecilia had already stepped half a pace aside to let Liliya pass, and Rita could only follow suit.
Watching the Third Princess Liliya’s departing back, Rita’s mind still swirled with those baffling remarks.
“Rita.”
Cecilia’s voice and her small hand came at the same time. This time, she didn’t wait for Rita to take her hand—she took Rita’s hand herself.
Even Cecilia’s tone was noticeably lighter.
“Even if it was childish, you said the right thing.