"Not my dress, Earl!" Evelyn yelled at him.
"Enemy won't care about your dress," he replied sternly.
She looked at him sulkily and huffed. Nevertheless, it was her time to attack. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, trying to figure out a way to defeat him.
She opened her eyes, only to see Earl smiling mischievously. Raising the knife above her head, she surged herself towards him. He prepared himself for the attack and took a defensive position. As she reached close to him, she dropped the knife.
Earl looked at her, dumbfounded by her action. He unintentionally loosened the grip on the sword. Evelyn quickly bent down to pick up the knife before it hit the ground and attacked his hand.
Sword dropped from his hand, which shocked him. Before he could comprehend what happened, she quickly stood straight and placed the knife on his neck.
"Alright, I accept my defeat," he said, raising both his hands in the air.
She gave him a triumphant look and released him off.
"That was impressive. Better than yesterday. You are getting better, my Lady," he appreciated her as he sat down on the grass.
"Finally you appreciated me," she said, taking a place beside him.
He bowed dramatically and replied, "How can I offend the princess, my lady?"
"You can drop the title, Earl. No one is watching us."
"Why? Isn't it true, my lady, that you're a princess?" He said it playfully.
She gave him an annoyed expression.
"Okay, OK. Well, Eve, what is the need of struggling so hard? I mean, being born with a silver spoon, why are you pestering yourself? What do you want to prove?"
"Prove my worth,"
"To whom?"
"Myself,"
He looked at her, perplexed, unsure of what she was saying. He never understood these kind words. Nevertheless, he waited for her to continue.
Taking an infinitesimal pause, she said, "Just want to have my own identity. Apart from being a princess, I want to accomplish something and serve the people of our provinces."
He proudly gazed at her. Being childhood friends, she never condemned him and respected him for what he was. Unlike the other noble ladies, who despised the lower classes, she was courteous to everyone.
"I promise to support you in all your decisions, Eve," he said assuringly.
She returned him an appreciating smile.
"How is your council exam preparation going? When will it begin again?" Earl asked.
"So far good. Uncle Admiral is helping me with theories. One more week to go for the first round," she informed him.
"Mhm, what do you want to learn today?" He asked her.
"Rapier combat,"
"Alright, let's start the practice," he said and stood up.
He took out another sword from the carriage, and they began practising again. After a few hours of intense practice, they both hopped into the carriage, leaving for the palace. Earl rode the carriage as usual.
"What would you say if someone asked you about your dress?" He asked.
"I don't know, maybe it got stuck on a nail?" She said, shrugging her shoulders.
He nodded, "Mhm."
Evelyn sat there looking outside the window, thinking about the upcoming council exam. A sudden jerk pushed her forward from her seat and the carriage came to a halt.
"What happened Earl?" She asked.
"The fallen trees have obstructed the path. We'll have to travel a long way to reach back to the palace," he informed her about the situation.
She let out a sigh. The path was certainly long. They had to travel back into the forest and enter the province through the other side.
"I am thinking of wearing trousers like you," she said, looking at his back.
"What?" With a frown on his face, he asked. He heard what she said but couldn't believe his ears, so he asked again to ensure that they were in working order.
"I can't fight properly in a gown. The trousers look comfortable," she blurted.
"I don't think the Lord will allow you," he replied calmly, "but yeah, I understand your point."
In the patriarchal society, women were expected to wear clothes to enhance their beauty and bury themselves in household chores. The other works which required stepping out of the house were usually assigned to men.
Earl, being Evelyn's friend, understood her thoughts and supported her in every way possible.
"I'll talk to my father soon," she added, "before our next training session."
"I hope he will agree."
"Earl," she called his name after a few minutes.
Umm?"
"Why are there so many people crowding?" She asked, looking out in the direction of the crowd.
"A man was attacked and killed by an animal," Earl lamented.
"Which animal?" She questioned, since she had never encountered a malicious animal throughout her days of combat training with Earl.
"Well, I don't know either. Do you see the two people in formal clothing? They are the council members who are investigating," he informed, slowing down the carriage as they crossed them.
She looked at them curiously. One of the men was sitting in a squatting position near the body, to which she assumed he might be taking samples, and the other man was enquiring with the people.
"Strange," she heard Earl speak, which caught her attention. She wondered what was strange about an animal attacking a human. Nevertheless, she waited for him to continue.
"No animal would attack and leave his prey just like that. According to what I heard that the man was shredded brutally but not eaten," he stated.
Indeed, it was strange. She wondered what might have happened. Only if she was in council, she could have joined in the investigation. Rest all the journey was filled with silence as she thought about it and hoped to clear the council exams.