Previously
A pang in my head. Memories rushing in. A flashback of how in this memory, I was a farmer, but at night, I worked as an assassin. How to hold a dagger, how to throw it, how to use it to kill as quickly as possible, everything rushed into me and right then, and there, I had a breakthrough.
I raised my eyes and saw a few knights also practicing their daggers, and some were throwing them at some target. But they were way off the bullseye. How disappointing, they must still be novices in this department.
I returned my eyes to the dagger in my hand. I sort of wanted to throw it. Throwing it at a living corpse would be more satisfying, but of course I couldn't do that. A target practice would suffice.
I held the blade of the dagger with my slender fingers on one hand. The weight was more than what I was used to, but it was fine. This was indeed manageable.
"Your highness, it's dangerous to hold it there."
I heard the concerned voice of Elson which I paid no heed to. I had a desire. Longing. Blood.
My whole life in my memories, I have spilled blood. I may have wanted freedom, but executing was engraved deep into me. Taking the life of my enemies was what made my life.
Execution. Assassination. Murder.
I lived for that.
It was my purpose. I embraced it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And, in this life, I would upgrade upon it. "Yellow." Yellow lightning flashed arched around my body, and I used it to attract all that were daggers - steel to hover above me. "Green. Red. Blue. White. Black. Earth."
The many daggers around my body had been infused with the energy of my chromatic lightning and were spinning with their own element at a dangerous speed.
As I was lost in my thought, I enjoyed how I had found a new way to kill my enemies, and just as I was about to shoot, someone rushed to my side.
"Crown Princess!"
"Your highness?!"
Their calls brought me back to my senses. All the daggers dropped down, along with my chromatic lightning. Meera approached me carefully, since there were still static around the area from my outburst of lightnings. Sir Runeford just looked stunned at what I had just done.
I turned my eyes towards them with wide eyes. Then I frantically returned my eyes to the dagger in my hand. Of course these were just acts of mine.
"Oh? Would you look at that, Sir Elson. I did it. What a lucky one."
I said energetically towards him. He saw how I spun the dagger in the air along with Mera, but I just said it was a lucky shot.
"Milady. That was dangerous."
Mera approached me as she took the dagger away from my hand and placed it back on the table. She checked my fingers for any damages.
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"... No, I'm fine."
"Thank goodness."
Seeing how concerned everyone was for me, I'm terrified to think if I bled.
"You worry too much, Mera."
"Um… getting wounded is bad, milady."
I smiled. She looked quite adorable.
"Yes, wounds are bad to have, ah…" I turned to Elson. "Can I keep one?"
Elson froze, unprepared hearing my question. Why would a princess like me want a dagger? Such a question might have appeared in his head.
"...Huh? Your highness… um, it's…"
He looked hesitant to answer. Given it was a blade, it would be bad for a princess to keep one. But I also asked him, a princess, so his mind must be in a mess as to what and how to respond.
"It's dangerous, milady. Not allowed."
But it was Mera who firmly turned down my request.
I pouted with puffed cheeks. It was regrettable that I wouldn't be able to bring one. I guess that was to be expected. Should I ask for help from my brother? No, from the way he treated me, he wouldn't let me have one, everyone here was too protective towards me.
I was troubled on how to do this. I was more comfortable to have a weapon beside me.
What a headache.
I groaned inside. I was dispirited.
"Fine…"
The plan of stealing one sneakily came to mind, but I immediately dismissed it. I can't trick anyone with this many people around, plus they were knights — fighters. I'll be an idiot if I try to snatch one.
"At least let me try—-"
Nope. Bad idea.
"Nevermind."
I was about to try throwing one at a target, but no. I might get a bullseye or closer. It would be weird they see me do that. I could try missing miserably on purpose. But where's the satisfaction in that?
I'll just come back to my room.
"Then… keep up the good work, dear knights. I'll be cheering you on as you strive for greatness and strength."
I said like a sweet young girl before walking away.
"I'll be going. Let's return, Mera."
On the way, I noticed the eyes of the knights lit up after hearing my words, seemingly more motivated than before. But it appears that it was more effective towards the younger knights who were just about my age. Even so, that was fine, I imagine I still had some effect towards the older ones.
***
A faint clink resounded from my porcelain plate as I used a table knife to slice a part of the juicy meat. As I pierced my fork through it and put the meat in my mouth, the juicy goodness clouded my tongue, and I savored it with delight. The vegetables were equally delicious, well-seasoned and a pleasant surprise, given my preconception that medieval food was bland. Nonetheless, I was grateful that the food here was scrumptious, which added to the good life of eating delicious cuisines.
The room I was currently in was luxurious, and the dining room was pristine, with fine utensils, gleaming plates, and well-designed tablecloths. Bright giant chandeliers hung high up on the ceiling, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Maids and manservants were positioned by the corners, adding to the ambiance of royalty. I felt like a big shot and loved it.
My mother sat beside me, my brother Estevan on the opposite side, and my father in the honorable seat. As they saw me enjoying the food, my smile influenced their mood. My father drank some wine from his goblet before speaking about the situation outside the walls.
"I assigned more soldiers to watch over the forest by the north. A few monsters emerged recently and caused some casualties."
My leisure movement stopped when I heard the word "monster," and I wondered if they meant real, horrid monsters. Estelia had never seen one, but from the stories she heard, they were very dangerous. However, I was grateful that I didn't have to face them.
"Don't worry, I'm sending knights tomorrow to cull some monsters," my father continued.
"Will you be coming with them?" my mother asked with concern.
"Yes," my father replied sternly. "A king must lead, Meliya."
Although my father was quite brave, risking his life was too much for a king. Nevertheless, my father had been doing it for years, and I hoped it would be fine. My mother couldn't help but feel worried for her husband, and I shared her sentiment.
"The knights will be more than enough to handle them," my father reassured us. "Meliya… do not worry too much, the monsters there aren't very strong. I can take care of them myself."
I had my doubts about my father's complacency and carelessness, but I didn't want to stop him. Instead, I hoped that he would come back unharmed, as he had always done.
"If something happens to father, the eldest brother will have the throne," I thought, but I couldn't deny that there might be problems that would arise. Nonetheless, I had confidence that my father would come back, and if he didn't, we would cross that bridge when it came. I wouldn't be the one fixing most of it, anyway.