The Great Wish - Chapter 1.5

Chapter 1: The Princess's Dream

'What did I do wrong?'

Sienna quickly turned her head .

'Is that man stronger than the captain of the knights?'

She had sparred with the captain a few times . He was definitely stronger than the other knights, both in strength and skill . Still, he was a manageable opponent .

'There's no way . He's too young . '

Sienna decided that she had been the one to make a mistake .

'I was too impatient . '

She held her sword and gallantly approached Kuhn once more .

"Again . "

Sienna tightened her grip on her sword . She wouldn't make the same miserable mistake of losing her sword this time .

Clang!

Sienna's sword flew out of her hands . It flew past her and sank into the soft ground further away . She stared blankly at the sword before looking down at her hands . She clenched and unclenched her hand . Her hand felt numb .

Sienna grabbed her sword and said, "Again . " This happened five more times . Every time, the swords clashed violently before Sienna's flew out of her hand .

With every repetition, Sienna lost more and more strength . No matter how many times she tried again, the result would be the same . It was inevitable . And Kuhn, as he had stated before, never went easy on her, keeping his strength the same each time .

When Sienna grabbed her sword for the sixth time, Kuhn spoke up .

"Let's stop here . "

Sienna furrowed her brow .

"You'll ruin your wrist . "

Sienna sighed as she lowered her sword . Her wrist was shaking .

Seeing Sienna lost in thought, Kuhn was a bit surprised . He had expected her to throw a tantrum and fly into a rage . However, while she did look dejected, she didn't look angry at all .

"Are you strong?"

"I don't go around getting beat up if that's what you mean . "

"Are you stronger than the palace knights?"

"I don't know . I've never fought with them, so I can't be absolutely sure, but I won't lose . "

Such ridiculous confidence . Sienna was amazed by it, but she didn't feel that it was an empty boast . Was she the strange one for thinking this way?

"If you're that strong, then why are you currently in the lowest rank?"

Sienna had guessed Kuhn's rank from his uniform .

"Only the best are able to become one of the Knights of the Imperial Palace . The best of them is the captain . "

"I see . "

The man replied with a dull expression . Believing his standoffish behavior was rooted in the confidence of his skills, Sienna wasn't offended .

"What do you think of my skills?"

Kuhn wanted to leave . Nothing good came out of interacting with the Princess . If he had to divide the world into allies and enemies, the Princess would be an enemy .

'I should have escaped when she asked to spar . '

Kuhn reflected on his carelessness .

"Please be honest . "

The Princess urged him, so Kuhn answered reluctantly .

"You're better than someone who has never held a sword before . "

It was a harsh assessment .

"But I've sparred with knights during practice . "

"Princess . How often do you practice?"

"Once every two or three days . About two hours every time . "

"Knights wield their sword all day from morning till night . Their basic training begins at an early age, and they are only able to properly practice with a sword around the age of twelve . If they're lucky and skilled enough, they are able to become a knight in the Imperial Palace . "

Sienna understood what he was trying to say .

" . . . They were going easy on me . "

There was no way the elite knights of the Imperial Palace were that inferior . They had been going easy on her .

Sienna couldn't believe it . It was understandable for her practice partners to go easy on her, but the captain as well? Weren't the knights a symbol of honesty and justice?

She had believed in her natural abilities . She had been so confident . She had received the superior and genius traits of the Imperial family . Everyone around her would say, 'As expected of the Princess, she learns so quickly' . So Sienna had thought the same about her swordsmanship .

'I never wanted false praise . '

Sienna doubted that it only stopped at swordsmanship . Now she was suspicious of everything .

"What are you doing?!"

Sienna asked Kuhn in shock . He had grabbed the blade with his left hand and pulled . Red blood flowed down his hand .

"I told you before . This sword needs to taste blood once it has been unsheathed . "

Sienna blankly watched Kuhn place his sword back in its sheath .

"Is it a magic sword?"

Kuhn chuckled . He was a well-known figure in his own world . Everybody around him knew who he was and what sword he used, so this was the first time somebody had asked Kuhn such a question .

"Some people think so, but it's more like an exorcism . "

"Exorcism? What's that?"

"Hmm . I guess it's a term that isn't common in the Imperial Palace . It's like a ritual to prevent future misfortune . "

Sienna felt bad for having misunderstood him earlier . What he had told her earlier weren't empty words or false bravado .

"Is your hand okay?"

"It's fine . "

"I'll call for some medicine . "

"Really, I'm alright . "

"Isn't a swordsman's hand very important? How can we leave it alone?"

Sienna's voice was laced with worry, different from her normal cold tone . Kuhn felt a tickling sensation in his heart .

"You said earlier that you haven't been placed in a regiment as of yet, correct?"

" . . . "

"Was that a lie, too?"

Sienna glared at him as he sneakily looked away . She had taken an interest in this man . He was a bit arrogant, but he was quite skilled .

"Now that I think about it, I don't know your name . "

" . . . "

"Didn't you hear me? What is your name?!"

"Princess . Someone is coming . It seems like they're looking for you . "

Sienna turned her head . Her ladies-in-waiting were approaching them . Her practice time had ended, so they came right on schedule .

Sienna turned back around . In that short time, the man had walked off into the distance . Sienna frowned as she watched his back, clenching her teeth .

'You can run, but you can't hide . '

At most, there were about a thousand knights in the palace . His appearance, his approximate age, and his unique sword . Since she knew these things about him, it wouldn't be hard to find him . Within a few hours, she'd be able to place that man in front of her