The burdens of royalty

At Ryzel, Lyra was training in one of the many halls with her staff. As she gracefully twisted and swung it, her movements were both elegant and powerful, each strike deadlier than the last.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted her training, "Princess," it called. It was a boy, one of Ryzel's students.

"The grand commander is at Ryzel's third garden. He asks that you meet him immediately," he continued.

Lyra tried to clarify, "What do you mean? Is he at...?" before the boy cut her off.

"Yes, he's currently in Ryzel and requests your presence at the third garden," he replied.

Without hesitation, Lyra dropped her staff and followed the boy. She couldn't help but wonder what was so urgent that the grand commander had come all the way here. Given Ryzel's strict rules, it could prove troublesome if he were to be seen.

Upon arriving at the third garden, Lyra spotted the grand commander of the Cyval Empire, Roland Reyman, waiting for her in the center.

As Lyra approached him, she greeted the grand commander, "Good day, Commander."

"It's far from a good day, Lyra," the grand commander responded.

"You were given simple orders to carry out, and you made a mess of it," he continued.

Lyra was taken aback. "I'm not sure what you mean, Commander," she responded.

"Oh, is that so?" the grand commander said with frustration.

"Not only did you fail to aid Clyde in eliminating the threat, but you stopped him from doing so," the commander said, clearly displeased.

"There was no threat," Lyra replied confidently. "They were just some weak soldiers. It was not possible for them to hinder our plans."

"You say that, but I have 15,000 dead soldiers at the enemy's border," the commander said, anger clear in his voice. "What am I supposed to make of that?" he asked, looking directly at Lyra.

Lyra was shocked at the commander's words. She couldn't believe that someone who could eliminate such a large number of warriors was present there. If there was someone like that, she would have felt their ki.

"I'm certain that no one among those we encountered is capable of such destruction," Lyra said, trying to remain calm.

"Even I thought that, but then I received news from one of my informants that only one person who participated in that battle is missing, the vice-captain of the squad you were sent to eliminate, the boy named Azrael," the commander said.

Lyra's expression remained calm, but her mind raced. Was it possible that Azrael had done this?

"What am I thinking? There is no way he is capable of such," she thought to herself.

"I'm very sure Azrael isn't responsible. He is an average student who can't use ki. It's impossible that he's capable of doing such," Lyra told the commander.

"Even I think it's unlikely, but only the boy and his squad were close to the ambush. It is impossible for anyone else to reach there in time to intervene," the commander explained.

"If you had listened to orders and eliminated all threats on the scene, this wouldn't even have to be considered. This was disappointing, Princess, and I'll make sure to relay your incompetence to the Emperor," the grand commander said, his face still plastered with anger.

Lyra stood silently, her gaze fixated on the ground. Just as she was about to speak, the voice of the Vice Headmaster interrupted her.

"Commander Roland, I did not expect to see you here, especially considering it is a clear violation of our rules," the Vice Headmaster said sternly.

"I was just about to leave," Commander Roland replied as he averted his eyes from Lyra and began to walk away.

"So, you think you can just come in here and leave without consequences? Are you underestimating us, Roland?" the Vice Headmaster asked, glancing towards the commander.

Commander Roland faced the Vice Headmaster and retorted, "Listen, I'm in a terrible mood today and I will not respond calmly to any threa--"

"Have you forgotten where you are?" an overpowering aura came from the Headmaster, making everyone present aware of his presence.

Before Commander Roland could greet the Headmaster, the latter interrupted him. "You come into this place without permission, and now you want to start a fight? Are you disrespecting me, Commander?"

"I apologize, Headmaster," Commander Roland said before he continued, "Next time, I'll--"

"Next time, you'll lose your life," the Headmaster interrupted him.

"Leave," the Headmaster ordered.

Commander Roland and his accompanying aides left, and although his anger was apparent, he dared not utter another word.

"Lyra, how have you been?" The Headmaster asked with a smile as he looked at her, his intense aura having dissipated.

"I've been well, Headmaster," Lyra responded.

"Good to hear," the Headmaster chuckled. "You can go back to what you were doing."

With that, the Headmaster and the Vice Headmaster left Lyra standing in the garden. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what might have happened and if it could be connected to Azrael. She believed it was impossible for him to have done it, and that both Clyde and the commander knew this, but it seemed  they planned to shift the blame onto her.

Lyra knelt down on the soft grass, put her hand on her knee, and assumed a meditative position. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Would father be disappointed?" she mumbled to herself. "It had to be someone else," she thought.