The Frost Flower Knight

Chapter 9

“A young lady like me was suddenly made their leader. It was only natural for them to be against it,” Yulia replied with a nonchalant expression.

“As you well know, the Winter Guard is a crucial part of the empire’s forces, right after the Black Lion Guard. I trust you will do an excellent job leading them,” the emperor said.

“I will do my best, Your Majesty.”

Then he glanced at his son, Leonard, who took a sip of tea and looked at Yulia.

“I’ve asked His Majesty to hold a celebratory banquet for you.”

“A banquet?”

“To celebrate the birth of a new swordmaster and your appointment as captain. It was my personal request for His Majesty, so now we’ve decided to hold a banquet.”

Staring at the crown prince, Yulia did her best to stay calm. Whenever she saw him, she still remembered the moment his sword had pierced her. It was an unforgettable part of her past that did not exist in this reality. Somehow, she had returned to a past point in time, but to her, it didn’t change the fact that he had killed her in cold blood.

A banquet? Why is he doing something so pointless? She desperately wished that he wouldn’t go out of his way to do things for her.

“It’s really fine, Your Highness. Please do not worry about me,” Yulia said, faking a smile.

Leonard was again amazed, seeing her smile. She truly was a thing of beauty. If he could only get her to swear loyalty to him, there would be nothing more he needed. It was such a shame that she wasn’t his yet.

Loyalty to the empire…? In all honesty, it was an extraordinary feat that she had become a swordmaster. But why was it that she only pledged allegiance to the empire and refused to do so for him? I will get your loyalty no matter what.

With a determined look in his eyes, he said, “I wish you wouldn’t refuse, Dame Yulia. It is practically a miracle that a woman such as yourself achieved the level of a swordmaster, and at such a young age too. It is very deserving of praise and celebration. Do you not agree, Your Majesty?”

“The crown prince makes a great point. It does call for a celebration, as it is a happy day for the empire to have gained another swordmaster.”

Now, Yulia was put on the spot. She couldn’t refuse after the emperor took his son’s side since it would offend the emperor. She reluctantly accepted.

“In that case, I will gratefully accept Your Majesty’s generosity.”

“It’s nothing at all.”

“Then, I would like to excuse myself now.”

“Of course.”

After Yulia bowed and left the room, the emperor turned to his son and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, please leave it to me. I will get closer to her at the banquet,” Leonard said confidently.

“You must. House Rosenthal is the guardian sword of the empire. You need to make it yours, no matter what.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

The House of Rosenthal was the sword of the empire. Just as it had helped the current emperor, Barron II, having such a powerful house loyally supporting him would be hugely beneficial after he became the emperor.

Leonard’s eyes burned with resolve.

Yulia complained to herself as she left the drawing room.

“Why a banquet all of a sudden…”

She was worried about attending because she hadn’t been to a banquet since she was much younger. In her past life, she had been to a few banquets Leonard had hosted for her each time she accomplished a great deed. She was supposed to be the star of the party, but because of all the stares she got, she could never relax and enjoy them for what they were.

Those banquets became traumatic experiences for her. The nobles would congratulate her to her face and spew filth about her as soon as they turned around.

“I wish His Majesty would refrain from holding these banquets so often. I understand the significance of what she’s done, but it’s such a pain to have to look at her monstrous face every time.”

“I know, right? And did you see her back there? She was blushing at His Majesty with that face of hers. It makes me sick.”

“A pig would be nicer to look at than her, heh.”

“Now, now, that’s an insult to pigs. They are quite a bit more attractive than her, you know. Hahaha…”

Her heart would ache whenever she heard them say such things. It wasn’t her choice to be cursed with those looks. She didn’t want this. So why did she have to have all these fingers pointed at her?

When she felt such despair, Leonard had been the one to comfort her with sweet words.

“You do not need to take their words to heart. To me, you are a magnificent and beautiful woman just the way you are.”

Yulia sighed heavily. Now that she thought about it, it was only Leonard who had ever told her how beautiful she was. Oh, how gullible I was to have fallen for his sweet lies. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became at herself for her naivety back then. But no more—I won’t be so foolish this time.

She was determined to take control of her life. She would not end up naively devoting her life to a single person again.

***

That afternoon, Chris sat in a bar, pouring alcohol down his throat. Having downed three shots in a row, he thought back to the earlier duel with Yulia. In the end, he couldn’t lay a finger on her. And the Aura Blade she displayed at the end…

“That cursed bitch. You dare treat me like a toy?”

He felt like she had made a complete fool of him. He had been humiliated in front of a huge crowd of knights. His face went red in embarrassment. His ego was shattered.

The looks his knights gave him were filled with disappointment. It felt like they were telling him, “Did you really try to be our captain with such pathetic skills?”

“Darn it all!”

He couldn’t take it anymore and started banging on the table with his fist. Just then, a striking beauty with scarlet hair approached him.

“Oh my, look who it is. Chris. What are you doing here?”

With a carefree grin, she sat across him.

“Aisha. What brings you here?”

“Well, of course, I’m here with the fellows for a drink or two. I’d ask you the same—what are you doing in a place like this?”

Chris looked past her at the knights gathered at the back.

“Must be nice in the Imperial Guard,” he commented.

“Well, unlike the Four Guards, we always stay inside, so…” Aisha replied with a shrug.

The Four Guards were elite orders of knights under the direct control of the emperor. The Griffin, Black Lion, Winter, and Shadow Guards only followed orders from the emperor himself. The Imperial Guard, on the other hand, was tasked with protecting all the imperial family and their houses. They guarded and escorted the imperial family and defended the imperial palace.

“So, what’s eating you up?” she asked, pouring liquor into a glass.

“We got a new captain,” Chris said with a tomato-red face.

“Huh? You didn’t get the position? There’s a new person?”

It sounded like she hadn’t heard the news yet.

“Yup.”

“Aha. So that’s why our dear vice-captain is here all alone, drinking away his sorrows. But then who got it?”

“Yulia von Rosenthal.”

Aisha’s hand holding the glass froze in midair.

“Who?”

“What I’m saying is that Lady Yulia von Rosenthal of House Rosenthal was appointed as our new captain.”

Aisha set down her glass and said, “So that orc became a captain…?”

Chris could only laugh at what she said.

“Orc? Hah… good one.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.

“Oh, you’ll be shocked beyond your imagination when you see her,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Aisha had been off duty, so she hadn’t heard about Yulia. She knew that Yulia had been knighted yesterday, but she hadn’t seen her on duty yet.

“What? What is it? Is there something wrong with her?”

“I don’t want to think about it anymore. You should go now.”

“Aww. You’re really giving me the cold shoulder?”

Aisha stood up and moved next to him. She seductively lifted her eyebrows and slid her hand smoothly along Chris’ shoulders.

“I said, go,” he repeated.

“What happened to, ‘You’re all I have’? Is this how you’re going to treat me now?”

“Don’t bring up a thing of the past.”

There had been a time when the two had been seeing each other. It had been his first love, filled with excitement and joy. Now, however, they remained friends and were walking their own paths.

He did not welcome her physical touch one bit. Aisha got up to leave, pouting.

“Hmph. Fine. I’m leaving. Don’t overdo it, yeah?” she said.

Chris made a shooing motion with his hand and continued to drink until he was hammered. After returning to her buddies, Aisha kept watching him, leaning her chin against her hand.

“Hey, Aisha, is something bothering you?” the other knights asked her, seeing the concern on her face.

“Nothing’s bothering me. I’m just curious, that’s all,” Aisha answered casually.

“About what?”

“I heard the Winter Guard got a new captain.”

“Never mind that. Look at this. I bought it, thinking it would look good on you.”

The knight opened a small box in front of her.

“Wow, it’s a pearl.”

“It’s the pink pearl that’s said to be only found in the North Sea. It’s real precious.”

Aisha’s cheeks rose into a smile.

“You got it for me?”

“Of course. I bought it for you, the flower of our order,” he said, looking at her like a puppy wanting to be petted for doing a good job.

“Thank you. You’re the best, Ben.”

“Heh heh.”

As a reward, Aisha gave him a light peck on his cheek. This was enough to send him into rapture, all the blood rushing to his cheeks. The other knight sitting next to them saw this and hurriedly took out a necklace.

“Oh, it’s an emerald.”

“The famous jeweler, John, crafted it himself.”

Aisha’s eyes sparkled.

“How did you get him to make it? He’s well known for being picky with his clients.”

“I got my father to commission it, and he accepted the job right away,” he answered proudly, looking at her eyes filled with enthusiasm.

“That’s amazing, Raymond.”

She grinned ear to ear and gave him a big hug. Raymond’s face turned scarlet like her hair, mainly because her large bosom pressed against his body. As Ben threw them a revolted look, she flashed him a delicate smile.

“Thank you, Ben, Raymond, for taking such good care of me.”

With that, she poured drinks into their glasses. Chris scoffed, watching this unfold. Aisha’s skills at handling men were improving by the day.

He laughed as he emptied his next glass.

“The flower of the order…”

The knights gave Aisha the nickname “flower.” She was the only one among the female knights to have been blessed with exceptional beauty. A light touch or a simple glance was all it took to melt the hearts of these men. The knights of the Black Lion Guard, however, never budged somehow, no matter what she tried on them.

Regardless, she became a bit of a symbolic presence among the knights. Her sword skills weren’t outstanding at all—she had gotten this far by using her looks as her greatest weapon. Without any significant backing, her only way up was to use her beauty to her advantage and seduce the hearts of powerful men. Knowing all this, Chris had let go of her.

“Hah… You’re in trouble, Aisha. A new flower that surpasses you has appeared.”

Chris raised a glass and toasted to her future. He did wish Aisha well. On the other hand, a part of him wanted her back. Regardless, it was no secret that they had drifted too far apart to go back.

***

Everywhere Yulia went, she drew the attention of all those around her. As she passed by the Sun Palace and strode toward the training hall, she received many glances. Even so, she acted like it wasn’t a big deal. She had escaped the cursed look but didn’t flaunt her newfound beauty because she was more than satisfied that she no longer had to endure all the harsh criticisms of her disgusting appearance.

The Winter Guard knights were training when she arrived at the training hall. Most were shirtless due to all the sweat. Yulia then noticed that someone was missing.

She frowned and asked them, “Where is Vice Captain Chris?”

“He is in the lounge, resting,” they answered.

She headed for the lounge right away. What she found inside was an appalling sight, to say the least.