YUI's POV
I am the empress of the Flame Medusa Empire. Yes, I know how to fight, but I'm not fighting those people who don't deserve to be hurt. Some of them are only hurting someone because they might be forced to do it.
2 weeks ago…
*Flashback*
"Yes! I'm free!" I shouted in joy. By the way, that is just an act for me to stay away from them for a few days.
"You succeeded in escaping from them, aren't you, your highness?" Michael said. His name is Ice because he is so cold like ice, except for me. Also, he is my butler and one of my personal knights.
"Well… what would you expect? I'm much greater than any actresses that they can see on TV… by the way, where are the other knights?"
"They're having training on the training grounds… We also have new recruits, and they're now training in hell," he said. I smirk.
"Well… follow me, I'll watch their training, and if I see that they're not following my rules when it comes to training… I'll punish them," I said then stood up and left my study room.
I searched for some clue about the death of Charles with the help of Red Rose which is Isabella
We are now walking in the garden maze inside my… uhm… I should describe this as a castle, hehe. This is my garden maze… actually, this is not mine, but from the previous highnesses. I will not tell who they are, but they are so amazing that I cannot even keep my mouth close.
"Your Highness, we have arrived… should I announce your presence?" he asked.
"No need… let them do their training… let's just go in my seat" I said. He nods and follows me.
"How's everyone doing over these past few years of my absence?" I asked after I took my seat. I told him to sit on his chair, but he refused.
"Some of the knights are not doing their training, the maids also became lazy and you have a lot of things to do in your office after this," he said casually.
"Stop their training… you know what to do," I said. He moved forward and spoke loudly.
"Everyone! Stop your training for a while… her highness is here… those who did not practice during her highness's absence must step forward and those personal knights of her highness must be up here in 5 seconds. Now!" Oh my! I did not tell him to bring the other knights of mine in front of me. This icy cold knight…
"Welcome back! Your highness" the other 4 knights of mine said in unison. They jump from the ground up to here. Then they lower themselves in one knee.
"Rise" I said. They all rise and…
"Did you miss me?" Thomas said or also known as The Casanova Knight. And as usual, Hailey smacked him in his head. Hailey is also known as the Shadow Knight because you cannot even feel her when she is fighting you.
"Sorry for that my lady," she said.
"It's fine"
"It's been a long time since we met, your highness… I'm glad to know that you are still fine," Brandon said, he is also known as The Rock Knight, because of his strong body and strong presence.
"I'm also glad to see that you're all okay… where's my baby Stephen?" I said. They all point a finger in one direction.
"Come here my baby Stephen," I said and leave my arms wide open, but he did not come to me, so… I faked a cry.
"My baby Stephen doesn't want to hug his mother anymore," I said and showed them my tears. I get my handkerchief in my pocket and wipe my tears. All thanks to my acting skills, he finally went to me.
"You're such a crybaby aunt… and I'm not your son," he said while hugging me. I let go of him and smile at him.
"I'll tell you to your mother, I'll tell her that you're being rude to your aunt," I threatened him… he does not want to be scolded by his mother… I can describe that his mother's mouth is like a machine gun that never stopped nagging until she is satisfied.
"S-sorry aunt Yui… I'm just not in the mood," he said. By the way, he is the youngest knight here, he is only 11 years old and his mother is someone that I thought of as my sister… he is also known as "The Demon Knight" because of his demonic presence while fighting.
"I'm just kidding, but why are you not in a mood? Did someone bully you again?" I asked.
"That's fine aunt… they're just a bunch of scumbags," he said. I looked at the other 3 knights in front of me, but they looked away from me, so I looked at Ice.
"Ice?" I asked and raised one left eyebrow.
"The newbies kept on saying that he's just a child and they even fought with Stephen, but he did not bother to fight back because he knew that if he fights back, he will lost his patience again… they leave a scar in Stephen's body," he said which made me release a dark aura and made everyone froze in fear.
"Stephen… clothes," I told him.
"Y-you don't have to punish them aunt," he said nervously.
"I said clothes!" I shouted. He took off his knight's clothes and I saw a lot of scar in his body. I clench my hand.
"Ice"
"Right away, your highness," he replied. From that one word, he already knew what I meant to say. He jumps off the 2nd floor.
"Put on your clothes… I don't want to let them off easily after what they did to you… remember that you should report to me what happened starting today… your mother will be mad at me once she knows about this incident, do you understand that you must report everything to me?" I said, refraining myself to burst out my anger.
"Aunt Yui…"
"Do. You. Under. Stand?" I said, still refraining to burst out my anger.
"I u-understand, aunt Yui," he said. I felt that someone was still watching me.
"Hailey… signal Fire to come in here," I said. She nods and fires a black light in the sky.
"Why do you want to call them, my lady?" she asked after she fired the light.
"I want to give them a mission," I said.
"Why?"
"Someone's been following me since this morning… at first, it was only one person, but now… they're three people… two familiar presence while the other one is not familiar to me." I said in a lower voice for them to refrain to know what we are talking about.
"You called for us? Young lady?" His codename is fire, he is a… assassin. An assassin that I hired.
"I want you to know who those people are that has been following me since this morning… I want your team or group to catch them and bring them in our dungeon… I'll give you until Wednesday to give me an update about them," I said.
"Is that all, my lady?" he asked.
"Yes, that's all." I said, they bowed to me, then jumped off the roof. Typical them, not even jumping down on the ground.
"Your highness… Ice is here," Hailey said. I stand up and is about to take a step forward when someone grabbed me from the edge of my coat. I looked on my back and saw Stephen.
"What is it?" I said in a menacing tone. He grabbed the edge of my coat firmly.
"Please stop, I can handle them," he said in a pleading way.
"Hailey," I said. I look at her then nod. She took Stephen away from me, then we jumped.
"Her highness showed herself!" someone shouted. All the knights and maids that are here in the training grounds bowed down to me.
"Who are those newbies that hurt my precious little nephew?!" I said in a menacing tone and refraining myself to get angry.
"These three are the newbies that hurt your nephew, your highness" Ice said. While looking at the three newbies that are bowing to me.
"Everyone! Rise except for these three insolent newbies!" I shouted for them to hear my words. They did as I told them to do. The soldiers stand up straight and in line, same goes for the butlers and maids.
"Why did you leave a scar on my nephew's body?" I asked them.
"W-we didn't do it," they muttered. I place my hand in front of Ice. He pulled out a whip, which is the whip that I am always using whenever I am punishing someone.
"First of all, I don't want to have a traitors in my castle, second I don't want a lazy people to be here in my castle, lastly, I don't want to have a liars in my castle," I said in a menacing tone and whipped my whip on the ground which made the ground crack a little.
"Now… tell me again… why did you hurt my nephew?" I asked them, but they did not answer me. I whipped their back once only because I know that it will hurt.
"A-Aunt… please, stop," Stephen pleaded. I can see that he is about to cry.
"Once you cry, I'll hit them more," I said. I, myself, do not want to hurt them just because they hurt my nephew, but I need to teach them a lesson because I am their Empress. I cannot show them my kind side.
"Who knows what happened that made them hurt my nephew?" I shouted, but everyone looked at the ground only.
"We're sorry, you're highness," the three insolent newbies.
"Why are you saying sorry to me?" I told them.
"We're sorry, young prince Stephen," they said in unison. I sigh.
"Rise, my fellow knights," Stephen said. The 3 newbies stood up and looked at me and Stephen.
"Your apologies are acknowledged… don't treat me as a weakling again because you don't know me yet… I might be weak if you look at me based on my physical appearance, but I'm a demon inside, this is not a word from a prince in this Palace, but as one of the knights of her highness" Stephen said.
"Y-yes… young prince… we will never do it again," they said. I clapped 3 times and smiled.
"Nicely done… you really know what my purpose is in applying 'that' rule, my dear nephew," I said.
"Those hell days I spent with my mom and you are all worth it," he said.
"Are you pertaining to something, my prince?" I ask and smile but in a different way of smiling.
"N-No your highness," he nervously replied.
"Okay! I'll assign those three to you, Mr. Casanova Knight, I want this week for them to be a living hell," I told him.
"Yes, my lovely Empress," he said and bowed down. After that I look at Ice.
"Ice, take charge of those employees that became unmotivated over the past few years of my absence"
"Your Highness… we're back," I looked at my back and saw Fire (just his codename).
"Any good news?"
"We caught them… they're already waiting for you in the dungeon." He said. I nod and turn around.
"Continue your practice… knights, follow me," I said, then walk away from the training grounds, the knights are all behind me and Fire too.
'Let us see who those people are that has a gut to spy on me'