The Empress's Knight

Chapter 1

A/N- Hello everyone. Just to let you know, this story happened in the first life. It means that all the agony Aristia has suffered did happen, with the exception of her friendship with Carsein. In this version, Aristia and Carsein are friends who became childhood sweethearts, before she married the Prince. This time, not by choice.

Well then, enjoy!
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The day dawned crisp and clear, and the sound of birds chirping were being muffled by the sound of swords clashing which filled the entire backyard. In the middle of the grassy yard, there's a handful of people wearing blue and red garments, with each member of their respective squadrons, were facing each other.

Standing on the sidelines, were six figures. A medium sized table was placed a little away from the chaos, with two cups of fragrant tea and a plate of biscuits on it, each side of the table were occupied by two people, an adult woman with light blue hair, and a small girl with silver hair.

Not far away from that table, stood four males. One was an adult man with silver hair, along with three red haired males, one was a adult, a teen, and a child respectively. All of them were watching the matches seriously, though the child seemed to be a bit bored.

"Sein. Don't crouch like that. It's unbecoming for a Duke's son." The adult female chided, as she stared at the young boy.

"But mother, it's boring to watch them. I want to fight too," he whined. A yawn escaped his mouth suddenly, earning him another glare from his mother, and he just proceed to walk to the table.

A chair was placed besides him by the nearby butler, and Carsein easily took his seat. When he felt another glare from his mother, he sneakily moved his seat farther from the stern woman, and closer to the silver haired girl, who has yet to detect his presence. It didn't take long however, when the butler served his tea, the little girl gazed towards her left, where the red haired boy sat. A flicker of surprise was evident in her eyes when her golden eyes met light blue, and they stayed in that position for a little while.

Carsein was the first one to break the silence. "Hello there," he smiled cheekily. Then, he gazed towards his mother, who didn't seem to notice the children's conversation and placed his index finger on his lips. "Do not mind me, little lady. I'm merely finding a place to escape." Then, with a low voice he whispered, "She's a bit scary isn't she?" He winked.

The little lady besides him let out a small giggle, which went unnoticed by the other people in the vicinity. "Perhaps, only a little. Won't you drink the tea, young sir?" She spoke softly. It was then that Carsein realised he had yet to attend to his tea, and only after a few sips did he frowned, his eyes were glaring at said tea.

The young lady looked concerned as she asked," Is there something wrong with it? "

The boy merely shook his head as he replied, "Technically, no. It's just too tasteless for me." A soft smile adorned on her face as the girl took two sugar cubes and put it into the boy's cup. "Have a taste of it again. I'm sure that's enough to make it sweet."

The boy did just that, and a sweet and lustrous taste filled his buds. "Yes, it's perfect. Thank you little lady." He grinned at her, then noticed the incoming three figures.

"Oho, Sein! Having a little date, aren't you, my boy?" Duke Arkint de Rass spoke, mischief glimmered in his eyes. His exclaimation did earned the children a curious look from the teen, and stares by the other two adults. It also make the two children flustered, as their faces turned red from the attentions. The girl even hug a doll tightly, earning her a snicker from his father. Fortunately, the Marquis slapped his back. "Don't bully my daughter, Arkint. " The teen merely shook his head, while the Duchess scoffed, and signalling for the servants to bring more tea to their table.

To drive the attention from them, Carsein spoke. "What about the knights performance, father?"

His father merely smiled. "Well, as far as I see it, there's nothing to be worried about. With more training, our knights would be impeccable. This joint training proved to be quite profitable for both our squadrons, isn't that right, Keirean?"

The man sat next to his daughter and sipped his tea." That is correct. The Emperor would surely be delighted by the improvement. "

Carsein sighed in relief, as he felt free from all those gazes. He wouldn't want his family's young guest to be uncomfortable after all. Carsein was not one that mind his manners much, but he likes the Marquis. His daughter also seemed better compared to the other girls his age. That was enough to get him to mind his manners.

After all, it was the little lady's first visit to their estate. Today, his father proposed to have a joint training with the Second Squadrons, and the Marquis along with his daughter visited their estate. Carsein was shocked at first, but the knights duel attract his attention more, as he put the girl's presence on the back of his mind. His mother was the one who took care of female guests, not him. It was a little while ago did the girl gained his attention, so Carsein tried his best to make her comfortable.

A few hours later, as they made their way inside the mansion, Carsein nudged the little girl softly and asked, "Are you okay?"

She smiled. "Yes, I'm fine." Then, she lowered her head before saying something incorrigible. Carsein raised his brow as he drew his ear closer to the girl. "Sorry? I didn't exactly catch that."

"W-what is your name, young sir?" She mumbled, finally meeting his eyes.

"Carsein. Carsein de Rass." He shot her a cheeky grin, before kneeling down on one knee, his hand was holding hers, like what a knight often do. "May I require your name in return, milady?"

"Aristia. Aristia La Monique."

That day, was their first meeting. The encounter that marked their blossoming relationship. She was seven, and he was ten. At that time, both of them didn't know that it would opened a new path to their future.

A path filled with thorns, tears, love and friendship, that is.