Chapter 5 Part 6
The knights dismounted simultaneously, with the red-haired leader at the forefront showing respect to Elia.
“I am Jacob Robson, captain of the Silver Knights.”
Elia hid her surprise. He was quite young for a captain. His green eyes brimmed with confidence, and an emblem of a silver wolf adorned his armor.
‘One of the knight orders Mahart prides itself on,’ she thought.
The ducal house had three knight orders:
– The Order of Gold
– The Order of Silver
– The Order of Gems
These three orders were Mahart’s powerful swords, loyal only to their lord.
“Nice to meet you,” Elia greeted.
“The honor is mine. I should have introduced myself sooner,” Jacob said, scratching the back of his head with a laugh.
“Captain, are you monopolizing the princess?” a knight teased.
“Mind your manners! The princess is the young lord’s wife. Show some respect!” Jacob scolded.
“We wanted to greet her too,” the knights protested.
Elia smiled at them warmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”
The knights stared at her with wonder in their eyes.
At that moment, Aksion appeared.
“Are we ready?”
“All preparations are complete,” Jacob reported, and the knights instantly fell into formation. The playful atmosphere vanished, replaced by disciplined order.
‘So this is what discipline looks like,’ Elia thought, observing the knights before turning to Aksion.
“Are there always knights around?” she asked, remembering their journey to the Irish Desert when they saw none.
Aksion pointed to the forest. “It’s spring. The beasts waking from winter sleep are more active now.”
In Mahart, swarms of beasts were notorious for their springtime rampages. Elia had heard of this before and nodded in agreement.
“It certainly sounds dangerous. So, the knight orders…”
“The Duke has dispatched them for protection.”
Elia glanced at the knights again and smiled. “That’s reassuring.”
“We’ll escort you safely to the gate,” Jacob assured her.
“Thank you.”
She appreciated Jacob’s confidence. Elia mounted the prepared white horse, which accepted her without protest. Jacob watched with admiration.
“You’re quite skilled at riding.”
“It’s part of my education. Just the basics.”
Riding was among the various skills Elia had to learn as a princess, and it was the one she enjoyed most. The freedom she felt while riding was unparalleled. Lost in these memories, a black horse approached her. It was Aksion’s.
“The horse seems to like you,” Aksion noted.
“Yes, it’s very gentle,” Elia replied, stroking its mane softly.
With both of them mounted, the knights formed their ranks. The journey to the gate began.
* * *
The gate, constructed from magic stones, was located in the central forest of Mahart. Elia’s horse and Aksion’s horse walked side by side, with the knights’ formation flawless.
‘Did the Duke really send knights for our protection?’
Elia glanced at Aksion and the knights. The knight orders moved only under the orders of the one they swore loyalty to. If it were truly the Duke’s order, protecting her wouldn’t be unusual. But…
‘They seem very familiar with Aksion.’
Not long ago, Aksion was known as the “monster prince,” shunned by everyone in the ducal household. Yet, there was no trace of disdain among the Silver Knights toward him. Instead, their eyes held respect.
Elia pondered this when suddenly, the leading knights stopped.
“Lord Aksion, we need to take a detour,” Jacob informed him, turning his horse around.
“What happened?”
Jacob led them to the problem area. “It seems the heavy rain last night caused the cliff to collapse.”
Boulders blocked the path through the forest. The gate was in the forest’s center, atop a hill. With both paths blocked, taking a detour would be quicker.
However, there was another problem. The scouts reported the other path was also blocked.
“It will take time, but it’s not impossible to clear,” Jacob said, and the knights started to move the boulders. But the white boulders remained unscathed, even under Jacob’s sword, which could cut through anything.
“There’s something off about these rocks,” Aksion noted, examining them.
The knights’ expressions darkened. Elia dismounted to inspect the rocks.
“Princess?”
“I want to examine the rocks.”
A purple butterfly fluttered over Elia’s head and landed on the white boulder.
‘I can feel the magic.’
There was a faint magical force binding the rocks like chains. It was an artificial force, clearly intended to block their path.
‘Who did this?’
The forest was quiet and serene. Clearing the rocks was the priority. Elia placed her hand on the boulder.
‘Focus.’
Every magical force had a core. No matter how strong the magic, finding and striking the core would break it. Elia closed her eyes, concentrating.
When she opened them, her purple eyes shimmered intensely.
“Strike here,” she indicated a small stone within the boulder.
The knights were skeptical, doubting that the princess had found the core or if she was merely showing off.
But Jacob stepped forward, trusting her. “I’ll do it.”
His sword, enveloped in aura, struck the small stone precisely. Instantly, the massive boulders shattered into pieces.
‘Did she really find the core?’
The knights couldn’t hide their astonishment
“How did you do that?” Jacob asked, bewildered.
“I’m sensitive to magic,” Elia replied with a smile, remounting her horse.
She felt Aksion’s gaze on her. Lowering her voice, she said, “Someone intentionally caused the cliff to collapse.”
“It doesn’t seem natural, indeed,” he agreed. But his focus was elsewhere.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Aksion’s eyes softened lazily. “I’m worried someone might fall for my wife.”
“…I can hear you!”
Elia lowered her voice, her ears turning red. His praise for finding the core felt excessive, making her flustered, but the knights saw them as a loving couple.
Jacob realized their mistake.
‘We unintentionally tested the princess.’
Calling her “princess” and commenting on her riding skills seemed like subtle hazing.
Jacob was among the few who knew of Aksion and Elia’s contractual marriage. As a branch leader of Valunize, he understood the secret power struggle within the Mahart ducal house between Duke Tartan and his heir, Aksion. The Order of Gold supported Tartan, the Order of Silver supported Aksion, and the Order of Gems remained neutral. Only the involved parties knew these details.
‘Even the Council and the current Duke are unaware of Valunize.’
