When she was dueling with Xingxian, Rita knew her injuries were serious, but she still decided to give her emblem a try with a “let’s see” attitude.
From the result, Rita did indeed succeed—the emblem healed her wounds and filled her body with strength.
Rita wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but this time, the surge of power seemed even stronger than before.
If the emblem’s healing truly had side effects, like the heavier the wounds, the stronger the post-battle reaction… well, that wasn’t impossible, either.
After Cecilia’s reminder, Rita immediately started to worry.
She wasn’t afraid of fighting head-on—after all, she had danced on the edge of death more than once.
But if unleashing the emblem would give her some hidden illness, or even affect her future battles, that would be a real problem.
After all, the emblem wasn’t her only means of fighting; while the powers of the Nightmare Demon were best left unused, kept as a trump card, letting the emblem wear down her body by trying to do everything wasn’t wise.
The worried expression on Rita’s face allowed Cecilia to guess most of what she was thinking. She gently squeezed Rita’s palm and comforted her:
“All right, if you’re so anxious, why don’t we do something meaningful today?”
“Something meaningful? Like what?”
Just when Rita thought Cecilia would take her out for a walk to clear her mind, Cecilia led her to a residential area that was neither bustling nor luxurious.
After twisting and turning through the neighborhood, Cecilia finally stopped in front of a small, somewhat secluded house.
While Brownie’s home wasn’t exactly luxurious, it was still much better compared to this place.
At best, this place couldn’t be called shabby. There was a small yard, and a little house that probably only had two or three rooms. That was all. Although it looked plain, the yard was filled with flowers—even in this season of wilting, the dried stems stood neat and straight, obviously well tended.
In the center of the yard, a stooped old man was turning the soil, carving furrows into the ground.
Rita couldn’t figure out why Cecilia had brought her here.
But Cecilia went forward and gently knocked on the wooden gate of the yard. The unlocked door creaked several times.
“Eh—” the old man responded, quickly hobbling over to the entrance. Then he raised his wrinkled face and smiled kindly, “Fourth Princess, it’s not year’s end yet. What brings you to visit this old bag of bones today?”
“Grandfather Louisoix, there are some things I’d like to consult you about.” Cecilia placed her hands together in front of her and gave a slight bow.
Whether it was the informal “Grandfather” or Cecilia’s gesture, which seemed to hold more genuine emotion than ceremony, both let Rita know this old man was no ordinary person.
“Oh, come in, come in!” The old man leaned on his hoe and opened the gate, ushering the two inside.
Entering the living room, Rita found the house was as simple inside as it was outside, with hardly any decoration but a strong sense of homeliness.
As Rita was looking around, Louisoix came out with a tray holding a teapot and cups. He set a cup before Cecilia and poured tea for her and for himself.
Rita, still standing behind Cecilia and not yet seated, wasn’t served tea for now, but the upside-down teacup on the tray showed the old man was prepared.
Unlike the house, though the tea set was old, its quality was surprisingly fine, giving Rita a subtle feeling of discord.
“Fourth Princess, it’s just rough tea—please don’t mind.” The old man poured the tea and sat across from Cecilia.
“Don’t be so polite with me, Grandfather Louisoix.” Cecilia squinted her eyes, showing a smile even Rita seldom saw.
“Hehehe, you’re not a child anymore, so I must mind my manners.” The old man chuckled, “What would you like to ask? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Cecilia raised the cup, took a light sip, and then asked, “Are there side effects to using an emblem?”
“An emblem—” Louisoix stroked his chin thoughtfully and glanced at Rita standing behind Cecilia. “Is this your personal knight?”
The sharp glint in Louisoix’s eyes made Rita feel he wasn’t an old man at all, but more like an ancient, razor-sharp sword that might cut her with just a glance.
And this wasn’t even Louisoix trying to intimidate her—he was restraining his aura.
This person, even if not a Holy Knight, was certainly a formidable warrior.
“I am not yet Lady Cecilia’s personal knight, but in the future I will surely stay by her side and protect her always!”
Rita knew she sounded a bit rash, but under that gaze, it felt as if she would be completely suppressed if she didn’t take the initiative.
“Good, very good.” Louisoix nodded in apparent satisfaction, taking that as her reply.
Then he turned his kindly gaze back to Cecilia. “Fourth Princess, may I try something?”
Try something? Try what?
“Please go ahead, Grandfather Louisoix.”
“Good.” Louisoix supported his waist as he stood up from his chair, picked up a feather duster by the window, and slowly walked over to Rita.
“Little lady.” Louisoix weighed the feather duster in his hand. “I’m going to attack.”
What?
Rita blinked, and Louisoix’s hand shot up—the feather duster, with a little dust on it, came straight at her chest.
At that moment, Louisoix didn’t seem like a hunched old man at all, but like an assassin who could end her life if she made a single mistake. That flash of danger made Rita draw her rapier on instinct, but the feather duster suddenly changed direction, brushing right past her weapon.
A moment later, Rita felt the tickle of feathers under her chin.
“Hehe.” Louisoix lowered his hand. “Shall we go again?”
Rita’s eyes grew much more serious. She sheathed her rapier and took a step back. “Please.”
Louisoix didn’t rely on speed or strength, but wielded the feather duster with terrifying precision, evading her defenses and tapping her throat.
With barely any time to react, the second round ended just as quickly.
As Rita braced herself for a third attack, Louisoix didn’t raise the feather duster again. Instead, he leaned it against the chair and sat back down, holding his waist.
“Hmm, still not quite there.”
Seeing Rita subdued so quickly twice, Cecilia looked a little awkward.
“Grandfather Louisoix, Rita isn’t feeling her best today. She’s a bit tired.”
“Your Highness, I’m this old and yet she’s in worse shape than I am?” Louisoix laughed. “All right, tell me, what’s going on?”
Cecilia told him about how she met Rita—half asking for advice, half chatting with an old friend. The conversation went on for quite a while, until daylight faded and the sky darkened, before finally ending.
“Oh… I see. I guess I’ve been indoors too long; I had no idea about all this.” Louisoix stroked his short beard and nodded. “Since that’s the case, let me explain.”
“Emblems come in all shapes and forms. I’ve seen plenty in my life, but they’re all blessings of Goldblood. The royal family wouldn’t let this power become a shackle for their knights, so side effects shouldn’t exist.”
“However, Your Highness didn’t perform the formal ceremony when granting Goldblood to this young lady, so there may have been deviations in the effect.”
The proper ritual is supposed to take place before the Golden Tree, with the king dripping Goldblood into wine and wrapping the cup in Golden Tree leaves before granting it to the knight-to-be, who drinks it in one gulp.
Of course, the key to the emblem is the Goldblood itself. The wine is just ordinary good wine. As for whether holding the ceremony before the Golden Tree or using its leaves matters, no one really knows.
After all, everyone’s always done it that way, but no one else has done what Cecilia did.
“There’s another possibility: the emblem’s power might be too great for this young lady to handle, or it puts too much strain on her body. If you want to call that a side effect, that’s fine too.”
“But overall, there’s no need to worry too much.”
“After hearing Grandfather Louisoix say all that, do you feel a bit more at ease?”
As the sky darkened and they walked down the street, Cecilia asked.
“Who exactly is this Lord Louisoix?” Rita finally asked the question that had been on her mind for so long.
“He used to be a Holy Knight. He took care of me when I was little, but after my mother passed away, he resigned.” Cecilia replied.
“Aren’t Holy Knights supposed to serve the royal family for life? You can just resign?” Rita was a bit surprised.
“I’m not sure. All I know is my father approved, and Louisoix has lived here ever since.”
These questions could wait for another time. For now, since such a seasoned senior had assured her there would be no side effects from the emblem, Rita felt she should be fine.
As they left the residential area, Rita suddenly heard a commotion.
On the other side of the street, a few people hurriedly rushed out of a nearby house, carrying a corpse.