It was the day after Lyra's 5th birthday. The duke called for Lyra and asked her to go to his study. "Did you call for me, father?"
The Duke nodded and walked over to Lyra and picked her up into his arms. "I will be assigning you three knights, they will protect you."
Lyra looked at her father in confusion. "Do they have to follow me everywhere I go?"
"Yes." The duke nodded.
Lyra knew that she needed protection since their family was at the top and that their enemies wanted to take them down. She couldn't help but sigh. 'Ah, I wanted some privacy.'
"Can I meet them soon?" Lyra wanted to see who the three knights were.
The Duke has a group of knights that he's in charge of them, a group of about 300 knights. They're only loyal to the Duke's family, but of course, they also protect the royal family in times of danger.
"Let's go now." The Duke took Lyra outside to the area where the knights were practicing. They noticed her immediately. "Welcome Duke! Welcome, Miss Lyra!" They shouted in unison. Lyra patter her father telling him to put her on the ground, he obliges.
"Thank you for your gifts," Lyra said with a happy smile on her face. All the knights look at her like she's an angel.
"The pleasure is all ours." The head knight said as he walked up to Lyra and the Duke. The head knight was in charge of training the knights when the duke is absent, he has a fierce look that many people are afraid of but it works in his favor so he doesn't really care.
"We're here today to pick three knights to accompany Lyra wherever she goes. Noah, Leo, Ella, Isla, Acton, and Robert come here." Six of the knights came up to the duke and saluted to him. "Choose your three knights, Lyra."
Lyra didn't know who to pick, should she just let her father pick for her? Going with that mindset, she asked her father to pick for her. "Ah, I don't mind. Can you pick for me, I'm fine with any of them." Lyra wasn't going to be modest and only ask for one knight since she already knows that majority of the nobles are eyeing the Duke's position. The more protection, the better.
"Are you sure you don't want to pick?"
"Yes."
She didn't really care who he was going to choose, she's familiar with all of them. "Okay then, all six of you will protect Lyra. Switch off every few days."
Lyra was surprised at her father's decision. 'I guess this is for the better though.' If she remembers correctly, the annual hunting competition will come up soon, at that time some people will cause trouble for the Duke. 'If I remember correctly, they will be killed later on so it's fine, I don't need to worry.'
"We will make sure to protect Miss Lyra with our life!" The six of them said.
She just smiles at them before turning to her father. "Can I learn how to use my whip and sword. I also want to learn how to ride a horse. I don't want to waste the gifts that my siblings gave me." Lyra looked up at her father with a smile.
'I need to get stronger.'
The duke thought about it for a bit. "Okay, make sure not to strain yourself."
"Okay."
"Noah, Ella, and Robert will follow you."
"Greetings Miss Lyra. I am Ella."
"Hello, I am Noah."
"I am Robert."
They all gave her a friendly smile. "Hello, no need to call me Miss Lyra, Lyra is fine. Miss Lyra is a bit too formal." She gave them a smile in return.
"As you wish." They said.
"When will I be able to practice horse riding?" Lyra asked her father.
"It will be ready by tomorrow. The knights will be accompanying you starting tomorrow."
"Okay." Lyra was happy that she was going to learn how to ride a horse, she has been wanting to learn for a while. In her past life, she was too focused on being ladylike, this time she will do all the things she wants to do. With a determined gaze, she bid goodbye to all the knights and went back inside with her father.
"Ahem Lyra, I would like for you to call me... dad." The duke took a while to say the last part.
"Hm? Okay!"
'That's right, I'm not the old me anymore.'
"Daddy," Lyra said with a big smile on her face.
"Ahem. I need to do some more work. I'll see you later." The duke rushed back to his study room. Lyra just stood there with a smile. After standing there for a while, she walked back to her room and stayed there until it was time for dinner.
"Remember to behave properly when the representatives from the Fotiá Empire comes." The duke said to the three of them. They just nodded in return.
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It has been three weeks and now the representatives from the Fotiá Empire are coming. For the past three weeks, Lyra has been training diligently, she can now swing her whip in the direction that she wants it to go to, her horse riding has been making tremendous progress, and she can wield her sword with ease. You can say that she's a prodigy but she herself thinks differently, after all, she does have two past lives. With experience from her two past life, these things were easy.
To impress the crown prince in her past life, she learned how to wield a sword and learn how to ride a horse in secret. She wanted to impress him but at the same time, she didn't want to ruin her reputation as a noble lady. Thinking about it now, she finds it foolish. Why should she care about the opinions of outsiders? They're not even close to her, what can they do, she can simply crush them. Lyra has also been spending more time with her family.
"Get ready to go to the Royal Palace." The Duke said.
"Okay." The three siblings said. Lyra told herself to be mentally prepared. It has been a while since she lasts met the crown prince but now, the emperor is going to be there, he's a sharp person who knows everything that's happening around him, he's the emperor after all.