Chapter 22 - Six Years Later

"Next one."

The young man with ash-like hair and dark eyes raised his sword and challenged the next knight for the match. The first in a row gulped nervously as he walked to his death.

Under a beautiful sunny sky, the swords clanged twice before the knight ended up on the ground.

"You are lacking the training. Add twenty more rounds to the morning routine starting tomorrow," the young man said looking bored. There was no one close to his level anymore. 

"Yes, young master!"

Even if he told them to do fifty more laps, they would gladly accept. Everything was better than to become his sparring partner.

"Ciel! You are working hard today again!" Violet stood on the higher platform and saw everything that happened on the training ground. She called to him when another of his matching partner gave up.

"Miss Violet!" The knights cried out in joy. They had enough of being the sandbags for the day and seeing the person who can save them from misery brought the tears of happiness to their eyes.

However, the young master gives them a chilly look full of dissatisfaction. It was taboo to call Violet by her name when he was present. 

The knights closed their mouths tightly, looking away from the woman. Only then did the captain let them take a breath,

"Ciel, come here!"

Cassiel took only a moment to appear next to her. The little boy from six years ago grew taller than her in no time and the young man standing before her was a rare treasure that God has graced humanity with.

His handsome face made not only women but also men weak, and his sword skills were famous even in neighbouring countries. Combined with the fact that he was an heir to one of the richest territories, the society's thirst for news and rumours about him was never satiated.

"Violet, what are doing here?" He leaned over the rail. Only when standing on the higher platform was she able to look down at him. 

"Food delivery."

She took out the towel and wiped his face, although there was hardly any sweat.

"That again? Send someone else to do the hard work next time… Can't you just come over to play?"

"I'm the grown-up woman already… I can't play all the time. I need to work, too," she reminded him.

"But you don't have to…" he murmured to himself. 

Violet has saved a small amount to open her own shop already, but she found it hard to leave the restaurant. The orders from Ashford's castle were also the excuse she used to come and meet Cassiel and Ophelia often.

After recommending Ophelia as Cassiel's study partner, Nathaniel has invited her to stay at the castle. Viscount Ellington agreed happily as he thought his daughter would get a chance to have proper etiquette classes, and this would also strengthen the bond and cooperation with the duke's household.

Ophelia was against it at first, but when she found out that she could play with the real sword every day and Duke Ashford wasn't trying to limit her freedom in any way, even letting her go to the city and play on the street with other children, she has been spending a lot of time in the castle.

Both Cassiel and Ophelia were eighteen years old, and they already caused the accidents that have become a hot topic in society.

"By the way, Ciel… Shouldn't you be holding back a little? Look at those knights… they are afraid to spar with you…" Violet said because she pitied them.

Cassiel attended the royal academy for a few months, before beating every senior knights at the annual competition. He was only thirteen back then.

The school asked him to not come back, as the event brought a lot of shame to their institution. But only two years later, another accident happened. A fifteen years old Ophelia disguised herself as a man and beat most of the men before they discovered her identity and disqualified her.

"If they want to serve the Ashford house, this level of training is nothing," Cassiel was adamant. Since he took the leadership of the family's knights, he made them into the most famous and strongest force in the country.

"Is that so? But I feel sympathy when I see them running around like this…" Violet looked at them with a bit of sadness.

Cassiel pouted his lips a little, then he took her hand that was holding a towel and put it on his neck.

"Ah, I'm sorry… You are sweating there, too? I will wipe it right away…"

"Did you bring some food for Nathan?"

"Of course! Sir Findley said that His Grace is hardly eating anything, so I cooked some porridge…" Violet told him.

"What about me?"

"I have enough for all of us. Let's eat on the terrace with Lia again!" She suggested with a smile.

Ophelia, that woman again. Cassiel didn't like her at all, but he wasn't able to get rid of her in the past six years. Whenever he wants to spend time with Violet, that tomboy will appear uninvited.

But it was okay. The time when she will no longer be in the picture will come, he just needs to be patient.

"Sure," he forced a smile. "I will take a shower and join you soon."

"Okay, see you later, Ciel."

Violet left the training area and went to the main castle.

Six years passed in the blink of an eye and many things have changed since then. First of all, she doesn't need to wait at the main gate for identification as she gained the pass the enter Duke's castle at will. She could also freely roam around as everyone was already used to her presence.

But most importantly, Nathaniel's health had taken such a bad turn, and he was now bound to his bed, not able to get up. Every time she visited and saw him getting weaker, she was reminded that there was no time to spare.

His death was closer than anything.