CHAPTER 1 : AMBUSH

As promised, the next day when the sun was just rising, King Joel and Kenway were already in the middle of the meadow next to the royal library building. The two of them were already facing each other while holding their respective wooden swords. Not only the two of them, but Sarah was also present to witness the training that her father and brother were about to do. She sat quietly under a tree at the edge of the training area, leaning against it with her chin propped up, waiting for the two to start practicing. A cool breeze blew between them, as the sun slowly brightened, along with the chirping of birds that sounded melodious floating in the blue sky. It was a perfect morning for sword training.

Kenway seemed very happy to be able to practice with his father, it was rare for him to get a chance like this. The wooden sword he held swung in the air to warm up. King Joel did the same, swinging his sword. He looked at Kenway who was smiling as he warmed up. King Joel realized Kenway's pleasure at being able to train together with him. There was also a bit of guilt in King Joel's heart when he saw Kenway's smile, he finally realized that he had not paid enough attention to Kenway and Sarah. It felt like King Joel wanted to have more time for his two children after having such a good time with them this morning. If it could be, King Joel wanted to slow down time for now.

"Perhaps, after returning from the tea party in Havana, I should set aside more time for my children." King Joel said to himself with a smile on his lips.

After a few minutes of warm-up, King Joel and Kenway got ready to start the training. They both stepped forward, getting closer to each other. Sarah, who had been watching the two of them from the edge of the training area, looked a little excited as she saw her brother and father begin to approach each other. "Looks like the practice will start soon," Sarah murmured enthusiastically.

In the middle of the training area, Kenway still felt confused about what they were going to do for this training session. When training with the commander, after warming up like before, Kenway would be taught basic sword techniques such as slashing, stabbing, parrying, parrying, and others. Then, the commander would tell Kenway to practice it directly using a tree as a target object or ask him to spar, and usually, the commander would only block Kenway's attacks without counterattacking.

"By the way, what are we going to do for practice this time, father?" Kenway had a puzzled expression on his face. It was natural for him to ask because this was his first time training with his father, so he had no idea what kind of training method his father would give him.

"Hmm... this is our first time training together, huh?" King Joel was also confused, he held his chin while looking at Kenway. "How about you try attacking me directly?"

"Attack you?"

"Yes. I want to know how you fight."

Kenway thought for a while and then said, "Okay." Then, he got ready to attack his father.

"Attack me like you want to kill me, Kenway. Show me your skills like yesterday when you fought with a Soldier!" King Joel smiled excitedly, he was curious about his son's ability. Just seeing the battle yesterday did not make him satisfied enough, he was sure that Kenway could be better than that.

Birds were still chirping in the air. Butterflies landed on the flowers around the grass fields, sucking pollen. Under the blue sky, the King of the Sun Kingdom was training with his sons vigorously.

After saying goodbye to their Children, the queen and king set off for Havana. It was quite a journey, probably about five or seven days by land and sea. They promised the children and everyone in the palace that they would be back in two or three weeks.

The two of them set off for the harbor in a luxurious horse-drawn carriage made of the finest teak wood. The seats were soft, so if the road was uneven and a little bumpy on the surface, the king and queen would still feel comfortable even if there was a slight shock. The carriage was painted with black and yellow colors, both the wheels and the body of the carriage. The paint looked shiny and luxurious to the eye. Anyone who saw the carriage passing by, surely some people would know that the carriage belonged to the Sun Kingdom.

Queen Veronica and King Joel and their entourage were warmly welcomed by the people as they crossed the main road of the kingdom. In the middle of residential areas and received many good wishes from the surrounding community. Some of them also prayed for the safety of their leaders. The people of the Kingdom of the Sun love and respect their king and queen.

King Joel is known as a kind but firm and charismatic figure in the eyes of the people. His words can influence many people and subdue the hearts of anyone who hears them. Being able to be fair and often provide assistance to those in trouble is one of the virtues that the people there always remember.

"Look how prosperous and peaceful this city is, the sky is blue, the wind is cool, children are playing, adults are working, crops are thriving, food is being provided... I'm really happy to be doing well as king." King Joel said, admiring the areas around he passed by.

The king and queen enjoyed their journey while chatting. Until the carriage suddenly stopped when it reached a deserted border forest area, where there were no houses and rice fields on either side.

"Why did you stop the carriage?" The Queen asked the coachman. But there was no answer, the coachman was just silent. The atmosphere became silent. The king tried to ask the same question but received no answer.

King Joel's instincts as a former war commander were unquestionable, he suddenly felt like there was a group of bad guys surrounding him and his wife outside, around the carriage they were riding in.

"Stay close to me, Veronica, we are in danger. The carriage is surrounded." King Joel said to his wife in a low voice.

The Queen looked panicked, she had never expected her to visit Havana to come under such a surprise attack.

The king finally took out his sword slowly, preparing to fight for his life, of course, to protect his beloved wife. The atmosphere became silent and tense.

Moments later, the charioteer sitting on the horse in front of them suddenly pointed the blade of the sword at the queen quickly, intending to stab her in the neck. "Hya..." muttered the coachman. The king's eyes reflexively focused on the charioteer's arm, as if the motion of the charioteer's sword swing seemed to slow down in his eyes. King Joel saw a small tattoo in the shape of a scorpion. "That symbol..." the king muttered to himself. It seemed like he was familiar with

the scorpion symbol.