Shiroi dragged Kaie to one of the targets. He was only two years younger than her. He picked up a sword that was laying at the ground and waved to the nearby knights. "Hello!"
Some bowed, while others waved back at him. Kaie watched him place up a training dummy and grin at her. "I learned this just the other day!"
He grabbed the handle of his sheathed sword and took a deep breath. She watched his current stance. 'Not bad, it's steady, but it doesn't have the most flexibility.'
Shiroi unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion, while making multiple cuts on the training dummy. Then, with another swish of his arm, the sword was back in its sheath. He smiled and looked proud. "What do you think, Lucille?"
Some of the knights around clapped for him. Shiroi held the back of his head, and blushed, looking a little shy.
Kaie put a smile up on her face. "It was wonderful, Shiroi." His expression instantly brightened up. "Really? It's really not that impressive..."
Shiroi fidgeted with his feet around the grass. Kaie let out a small laugh. One would think that she was laughing in humor, but she was actually mocking him slightly. 'He's such a simpleton! He acts like an eight-year old, not a fifteen-year old!'
She could feel her own hands itching to grab a sword. Kaie did not feel comfortable without a weapon in her hands. She was thinking through the novel contents when Shiroi waved his hand in front of her face. "Helloooo? Lucille?"
She jumped back a little. "Ah! Sorry, Shiroi. I spaced out for a moment."
He shrugged. "That's not a problem, but you have a hand on my sword...?"
Kaie instantly let go, clenching her fist behind her back. 'Stupid, stupid! How could I subconsciously reach for the sword like that?' She gave him a smile. "Sorry, Shiroi. I was just thinking how strong you would have to be to swing a sword around like that."
He laughed and grinned. "It's not that heavy. I'm sure you can swing it too, if you tried!" He handed the sword to her. "You can try if you like."
Kaie grinned. This was a great chance to warm herself up after a long time. She took the sword from its sheath, but the weight instantly caused her to drop it onto the ground. She hissed in annoyance. 'I can't even lift a one-handed sword with two hands! God damn it!'
She picked it up once more, tensing the muscles in her arm. 'I will get a swing out of this, if it's the last thing I do!' Kaie's arms shook as she lifted the tip of the sword away from the ground.
Shiroi cheered her on. "Yeah! You can do it!"
She steadied her breath and shifted her stance into one that she would use for one-on-one combat. Kaie swung it with all her force, treating it like a two-handed sword. She made a slice across the training dummy, but the force was going to make the sword fall out of her hands again.
Kaie ignored the splitting pain in her hand and brought the sword back up. She then shifted her feet, getting into a better position. With that, she swung it across the training dummy once more. 'No good! The momentum is controlling me! I'm too weak!'
She was about to grab it for another swing when someone gripped her shoulder. Kaie turned around to instinctively swing her sword, when she noticed that it was Shiroi. Forcing the sword the stop, the blade stopped a few inches before it hit him.
He jumped back and then grabbed the sword from her hand. "Lucille! Your hands are bleeding! You shouldn't force yourself like that!"
Kaie looked down to see that blood was trickling from her hands. The skin was ripped and teared in some areas, while her hands were bruised in others. She clenched her hands tightly, causing her fingernails to dig into her palm. 'Too weak! This is even worse than I thought!'
Shiroi grabbed her arm. "Come on! We got to get you treated!"
Some of the knights walked over. Kerwin was one of them. He held a roll of bandages in his hand. Bending down, he took her hand and started wrapping it. "Lady Lucille, you shouldn't force yourself."
Kaie gave him a fake smile. "I'm alright. I just wanted to take the chance that Shiroi gave me to swing around a sword. The knights are really impressive to be able to do that leisurely."
She stood up as Kerwin finished wrapping her hands. Shiroi looked extremely worried. "Lucille! Don't do that again! I can give you as many chances as you want to swing a sword, so don't hurt yourself!"
Kaie gave him a small pat. "Is that so? Then, I'll try to not make you worry, Shiroi." He nodded and placed back the sword in its sheath. "Lucille, I heard that Royal was coming back today from his journey."
She tilted her head as she tried to process that. 'Royal? As in a royal?' Kaie asked, "Royal? Like the royal family?"
Shiroi laughed. "Don't tell me you forgot your brother already!"
Kaie gasped. "Oh! Yes, he is coming back from his journey! I should go greet him, come on, Shiroi!"
She knew who Royal was like in the novel. 'Cold, uncaring. He always got mad at the tiniest mistakes that Lucille made.'
Kaie ran towards the front of the mansion. 'Now, how should I handle this?'