Family Ties and Hidden Secrets

"Bernice, hold it straight!" Today I'm getting scolded again.

I glared at Sir Xylon.

"Glaring at me won't give you any benefit," he said, putting even more pressure on me.

He is holding his wooden sword so that I won't get hurt while sparring, but the way he is easily moving the sword, I couldn't even though I too was holding the same. I started increasing my pace, but he was moving faster than mine.

"Bernice, focus!" he said as the sword hit my shoulder, making me fall to the ground.

"Get up! This is not the end!" He is too strict.

"Xylon, aren't you being too strict on Lady Bernice?" one of his colleagues said. Even though it was so slow, I could still hear.

"She is the one who brought this on her. And I don't distinguish between my students, no matter if it is a lad or a lady," I can feel his eyes on me, piercing me with full anticipation. Yeah, his words are kind of encouraging to me in some way.

"So, Lady Bernice, are you going to slack off the whole day, or will you get up and hit the sword at me?" As he said, I got up with a fierce expression. My hands were moving fast this time, but still not faster than his. As I was trying to find a gap, he was filling it even sooner.

"Lady, faster!" He didn't call me by name this time.

"Yeah, I told him to treat me the way he treats others, but sometimes honorifics get in the way."

"Lady, find a gap!" He told me as if he was knowingly giving me loopholes, but I'm still not getting it.

At last, I got tired and fell to the surface.

"No, I can't anymore."

My breath is breaking.

"This much is nothing. All knights train for more than twelve hours, but it is barely three hours," he said.

"That is the reason. I know, so shouldn't you at least give me some space? I will try to be more productive than I am, but this is going too fast. I almost thought about giving up after just an hour, but I'm sticking on now for three hours without breaks." I didn't even take a single break while saying this, which made me more breathless.

"Okay, Lady, I will go easy on you," he said, but I could feel the creepiness in his smile.

Bernice, you are doomed tomorrow. Or after just your lessons?

I gulped.

"Lady, your history classes have started already," Nanny interrupted. I was kind of saved for now, but he will kill me tomorrow for sure.

"See you tomorrow, Sir Xylon," I escaped even faster than any light could travel.

He kind of laughed but hid it before I could see. Still, I saw.

"You are already late; you want to take a shower and then attend?" she asked.

"No, I will go as this," I said.

I'm all sweaty. Sweat dripped through my hair to my face and then my neck. I'm wearing pants, as I was assigned. I have tied my hair in a ponytail so that it won't come in my way, but the issue is that the shirt is transparent.

"Nanny, bring me my father's coat,'' I ordered.

"Now?"

"Yes, now. And that is to be as fast as it is possible," I said. Nanny ran in my direction to get me what I wanted while I was just standing in front of the room.

It wasn't even five minutes properly. She came and handed me my father's coat, which he usually wears when he attends meetings, but it will come with my help today.

I wore it and entered the room.

I saw that Excalibur had already arrived.

"Lady Bernice, you are..."

The teacher was about to say something, but he stopped seeing me. I'm not sure why, but yeah, he didn't say anything as I walked near him and sat beside Excalibur.

"Sister," he whispered in a low tone.

"What is it?"

"You look so much like your father," he said.

Is this why he didn't say anything?

I didn't care, but I started concentrating. I kept taking notes.

"Do any of you know about the previous duke and duchess of the north?" he said. I always hate it when someone gets involved in this topic, but now that I'm studying, I can't ignore it.

"No," I said, shaking my head as well as my brother's.

"So, it wasn't quite a famous incident, but it is better if you two know about this," he said.

"So, the duke and duchess were so loyal to the royal family. As many people know, the relationship between them is the Duchess is the blood-related sister of the current emperor," he said.

I wasn't aware.

So, is this why Alexavier solely relies on the emperor?

"It wasn't very aware, but still, they are written in history books. The Duchess was most likely to have the throne before the current emperor, but no one knows what occurred in the blink of a moment when the throne went to the emperor, and the emperor who was ruling back then announced that the Duchess would be sent to the north as some treaty was formed."

It looks so clear as I'm hearing it, but still, it is so messed up.

"What happened after that?" Excalibur asked.

"There was an accident that took both the duke and duchess' lives." It was indeed tragic.

"But many people believed it was a murder that happened because the carriage driver made it happen," he said.

Yeah, I too heard from the duke's butler that he is trying to find the murderer or the traitor.

"So did they find him?" I asked.

"Of course not."

"That carriage driver ran away from the spot."

"All were trying too hard to find him, but after a month of this incident, his body was found near a lake while his body was turned so blue. It seemed as if he drank so much water that he was unable to breathe properly inside the water, which caused his death."

Is this so simple?