Chapter 7 Back To Stalwart Castle

• The moment Adira got back to her house, she immediately packed clothes and some things, such as underwear and two gloves. She always wears black gloves whenever she has a mission, but she didn't just wear them on the mission to Mr. Torres because they didn't fit what she was wearing, and the most important of all of it was her two wooden sticks, so all of the things she was going to bring were put inside the big bag. She checked again to see if anything was okay, and after that, the things that she brought were okay, so she left the room again to eat.
• The night came, and Adira went to bed early, knowing she would only sleep for a few hours because her flight was early in the morning and she had to take a taxi to get to the airport.
• The next day, King Stephen and Prince Dylan are already eating their breakfast, but Adira is not there yet because she has to wait five hours before the plane lands in Dylan's country. The plane left at 4 a.m. with Adira.
• While eating, Prince Dylan asked his father, the king. "Father, I know I'll repeat this question, but for what other reason? Why did you choose that girl to teach me how to wield a sword and fight?"
• The king sighed and wiped the side of his lips with a small black cloth. "Because she doesn't know you."
• He frowned. "What's the difference if she doesn't know me?"
• "She is not afraid of what she wants to do, and if the person who knows you is the one I hired, you might not learn anything because they will be afraid of hurting you or saying bad things to you. You must have noticed how Adira talks to you. Even if you are the prince of our country, she doesn't care. She doesn't get punished for the way she talks to you. She can't be punished because she doesn't know you well, and I'm not against what she shows you."
• He couldn't believe it when he looked at his father. "If that's the case, you're going to let that rude woman talk bad to me. Maybe later, instead of me learning, my body will be full of bruises because she's not afraid of being punished for what she did to me."
• "What's the point of her teaching if you won't even get injured or feel tired in your body, and she can teach you to fight back?"
• "But father—"
• His father looked at him seriously. "When you get a little wound or bruise from her, you're scared. What if it's a war you're going to face? Didn't you think it would be bigger than that because you could not only get a wound but also lose your life?" He was silenced by his father's serious words. "Right now you need to know what is happening or will happen because you will replace me. A king cannot be a coward because the moment you show weakness to the enemy, they will make it an ace to defeat you. When you leave the palace and face the war that will happen, you can't go back inside."
• "What do you mean I can't go back, Father?"
• "There are two choices; you can get back inside the palace again if you win, or your lifeless body will be sent." King Stephen stopped what he was saying and remembered the letters he was receiving. "So, my son, be brave for me and in Stalwart Castle as much as possible." And also noticeable in his small smile is the sadness in his eyes.
• Prince Dylan just nodded and thought about what his father said.
• King Stephen finished their breakfast, and Adira was still not in the palace yet. Prince Dylan went back to his room because he didn't have anything to do that day. He had just read a book to relieve his boredom, and after just a few minutes of reading, he fell asleep on a long sofa while holding the book resting on his chest.
• Meanwhile, Adira was already at the airport, but she noticed that General Agustin was waiting for her. He wasn't wearing a soldier's uniform, so he looked like an ordinary person waiting for her.
• She approached him and greeted her. "Welcome back, young lady." He was still smiling while saying that. "Come on, let's get to the palace quickly." She just nodded and followed him.
• It was only a two-hour drive from the airport, and they were right in front of the palace. She got out of the car and took her things, but the maid took her things. The maid was going to take the other plastic, but she refused to let the maid take it. "Where is the prince?" She immediately asked General Agustin as they entered the palace.
• "In his room."
• "Can I go there?"
• The general stopped walking. "What are you going to do in the prince's room?"
• "I just have to give him something." She even raised the plastic bag she was carrying.
• "If the prince is not busy or he has something to do, you can go to his room, but first you have to call out the door and let him permit you to go inside his room. I can't accompany you there because I have to tell the king you are here."
• She nodded. "Don't worry; it's okay even if you don't accompany me. I can manage."
• "I'll leave you now. Do you know which is Prince Dylan's room?"
• "Yes, I saw that before I left the other day."
• "That's okay, excuse me." He bowed his head slightly before leaving.
• She, on the other hand, walked toward Dylan's room and went straight to the door. "Dear prince, may I come in?" She shouted in front of the door, but still, no one spoke from inside so she could enter. She repeated what she said, but no one really spoke, so she tried to turn the lock on the door, and she didn't fail because it wasn't locked. She also noticed that almost all the doors of the rooms in this palace are not locked, but she can't just walk in right away either.
• She slowly pushed the door, but the first thing she saw was the bed, and the prince was not there. She peeked through the doorway and noticed Prince Dylan on a long sofa, lying with a book in his hand. "He didn't do anything today, so he has time to read," she said in a low voice. She finally went inside, carrying the plastic-filled clothes.
• She looked around the whole room and wasn't far from the appearance of the room where she slept, but the prince's room didn't have much stuff inside, unlike the other room. She can see almost a red color from the curtain to the blanket and the pillow too. There was a shelf full of books on one side and a small table next to the sofa where Dylan was now lying.
• She walked over and stopped next to the sofa, where Dylan was lying as she watched him sleep. She frowned. "Are the royals really like this—despite their red lips, they don't even have pores?" While she was staring at the prince's face, she noticed that his eyelids were moving while his eyes were closed, signaling that he was about to open his eyes.
• Slowly, Prince Dylan opened his eyes, and he saw exactly Adira, so now neither of them dodged nor blinked.
• In his mind, "Even in my dream, this woman is still here."
• Adira raised her eyebrows as she stared at him, but his eyes slowly opened wide as she came closer while he was lying down. Now their faces are only an inch away. He swallowed for some unknown reason, but suddenly his forehead hurt because she flicked it at him, and he was so shocked that he didn't notice.
• "Argh!! " While he was holding his forehead, he looked at her angrily. "Who are you to do that to me?"
• She folded her arms. "You're so quick to forget. I've only been gone for one or two days, and you've forgotten me. I'm Adira if you've forgotten my name. "
• He closed his eyes. "That's not what I meant. Remember, my father only hired you to teach me. It's not like you're the one with power between the two of us. I can order the palace soldiers to arrest you!"
• He noticed that she covered her mouth with her hand, and for a few moments, she was laughing like she was out of her mind. "You are going crazy!" He shouted. While his eyebrows are about to meet due to excessive frowning.
• She suddenly became serious. "Before I left your country, I left you a reminder. You will see that my behavior is different now because I don't often show the side of me that you can still complain about." Her head tilted. "And one more thing: whatever I do to you, it doesn't matter who is here, the soldier, the general, or King Stephen, because, by the time I start teaching you, you won't be able to ask for help from others until I'm not the one to say or make you stop."
• He felt that she was no longer joking, as he saw in her eyes that there was no emotion now, unlike when he first saw her when his father introduced him to her. Yes, she laughed earlier, but that doesn't mean she's happy.
• She went in front of the mirror and looked at him. She was facing the mirror, but she was looking at his reflection. "You can't use your power in war if you don't know how to fight. You're not a real prince if you rely on your soldiers and wait for them to save you. It's no use being a prince if you always make excuses that you have soldiers who will be defended from the enemy. Remember, when the soldiers can't do it anymore, it's the leaders who face the enemy. That's you, Dylan, and no one else. Don't think about your father either, because he's too old for such a battle, so he'll have only you to rely on at that time. "
• He avoided looking at the mirror because of the weight of what she was saying, but not long after, she suddenly threw a plastic bag at him and hit him in the face. He looked at her frowning and was about to get angry, but he couldn't because of the way she looked; if he said anything else, she'd be furious. This time he can't use his prince status as long as she's here in the palace.
• He just opened the plastic and saw some clothes for a man. He looked at her in wonder. "Those are the clothes you'll wear every time we have training. Then just wear your princely clothes when you are skilled at using the sword. "
• He looked at the clothes again, and they were too big for him. "Maybe you got ready while I wasn't here? What you're going to do is no joke, especially for me."
• He didn't speak. He didn't do anything other than spend time in his room because he didn't have to go anywhere else, and it seemed that she noticed that he couldn't answer.
• She shook her head. "I think you're not doing anything, but it doesn't matter if you're not prepared, because once we're outside, we can't stop, even if you're bleeding in front of me."
• What she said made him nervous. "What do you mean you're going to let me struggle and have blood on my body, and even though you see that I have wounds, we still won't stop training?"
• "Your right."
• "But I might lose my life just in training because you didn't even feel sorry for me!"
• She looked into his eyes, and he's sure she knew he felt some fear from what she said. "I can't include mercy in that situation because if I let it happen, you won't learn anything from me. Even in war, even if you surrender, that doesn't mean they will stop because they will use it on you, so you can't get up again or catch air in this world. You don't want to lose the battle, do you?"
• He slowly nodded in response. "Learn to be numb even if you have a wound on your body; don't use your wound as an excuse to stop and wait for the enemy to take your life. Hold your sword tightly while the blood flows from its handle because of your hand. When you win, you can't feel that you have wounds from the fight. Your wounds say the meaning of why you won."
• She turned her back on him and was ready to leave. "I was only going here to give you that shirt. You know, what's wrong with you is that you don't know much about the outside of the palace and how they do anything. I'm leaving, but tomorrow we have to start training because it looks like I'm having a headache once I started to teach you, and for you, it will be so much more difficult. " She finally left without looking back at him.
• He suddenly frowned at the last word she said. "It's like she's saying that I won't learn to hold a sword right away. Did she enter my room without my permission?" He kept his eyes on the door and took the book to put it back on the shelf.