Chapter 3-1:
My Squires
THREE YEARS WERE ABOUT TO PASS SINCE I’D had the orphans begin taking care of their dogs. Richard, Lewis, Emma, and Alice quickly became friendly with their pets, but Isabel and Oscar, who each possessed a bit of a mean streak, had been reluctant to take care of dogs at first. They awkwardly did their best to spend time with their pets and deepen their bonds, and now each treated their animal like family. Little did they know that they would have to kill their family members with their own hands. How humorous it would be!
I can order them to kill their dogs soon! I thought.
That desire was what had kept me going until now. Those beasts were horrific opponents. One time, they snuck out of their owners’ rooms and into mine, daring to snuggle into my bed. When I woke up, I found myself asleep beside six beasts and thought that my heart was about to stop. I tried to burn them to a crisp with my magic, but the dogs awakened and began to bark, which terrified me.
These wild beasts used that opportunity to lick me all over and playfully bite my hands and legs as they pushed their butts against my body. They practically did as they liked. I had never been so humiliated in my life; I’d feared that I was going to die in my bed. The owners quickly noticed that their pets were gone and rushed to my room, but it was like they were desperately holding back their laughter. I had no dignity left.
But that hellish period would end today. As the orphans personally killed the animals that they had raised with care, they would climb the final step to become my squires. I was excited to hear those demonic beasts squeal as they met their grisly ends.
I ordered the orphans to gather in the garden with their dogs.
After three years, the dogs had been trained well and didn’t pounce on me without warning. Am I imagining things? I felt like the dogs were gazing at me as though they were watching their prey. The orphans seemed a touch nervous, curious as to why they’d been called outside with their pets. They were astute; I couldn’t stop myself from grinning as I imagined how they would look at me when I ordered them to kill the dogs.
I felt like a judge who was about to announce a death sentence as I tried to give the order. I planned to be the future queen of this kingdom, but I believed being a magistrate could also have been my calling. Had I been employed in that role, I would have sentenced all criminals to death.
Just as I was about to order the orphans to kill their dogs with a smile on my face, my gaze fell on the kids. Twelve eyes shone back at me, filled with trust. They genuinely seemed to care for me, and this wasn’t the first time I had seen such eyes. If memory serves…
When I hesitated at that moment, I heard a voice from the manor.
“Lady Serena, your father is calling for you.”
A person who closely served my father called for me. I swore inwardly.
“I shall be there,” I replied.
I quickly told the orphans to train by themselves and headed back into the manor.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Serena, His Majesty the King has said that he would like to meet with you,” my father announced.
He smiled brightly as he told me the news. This was less of a request and more of an order; I had to go, no matter what obstacles barred my path. However, I didn’t recall meeting the king at this point in my previous life.
“Father, why does His Majesty want to meet me?” I asked.
Had His Majesty somehow realized that I was redoing my life? In my previous incarnation, the king had cruelly sentenced me to death. He was third on my hit list if I couldn’t become engaged to Prince Edward. First was Eleanor, and second was the prince himself.
It might’ve been quicker to just burn down the entire castle.
“You see, the fact that you took in orphans and are educating them has been talked about within the castle,” my father said. “Do you remember the time when the nun who runs the orphanage visited to check up on the orphans?”
How could I forget? The elderly director had become rounder than ever, perhaps because she’d been freed from the stress of dealing with those problem children.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
When my squire candidates had shown the results of their training, she’d practically choked on her tears of joy.
“I may not have told you, but she’s actually of noble birth,” my father explained. “She’s been praising you to bits and told everyone that the duke’s daughter splendidly educated the orphans. His Majesty heard the news, and now he’s eager to meet you.”
“I see,” I replied.
I wasn’t too happy about this. I had been training the orphans to exact my revenge, and while I hammered etiquette into them, I mainly focused on raising their combat prowess. No normal squire needed those abilities, and if the truth came to light, I would struggle to come up with an excuse.
“Must I bring my orphans with me?” I asked.
“Of course,” my father answered.
What a pain… I thought. I had only taught the orphans the basics of etiquette. Even the duke’s servants weren’t fully capable of exhibiting manners suitable for the king. I didn’t want to waste time on such needless tasks, but it seemed I had no choice.
I’ll think about this positively. The king might be my target in the future, so it was important for the orphans to recognize his face. If I also had them memorize the layout of the castle, it might come in handy later.
“You’ve also been asked to bring the dogs along,” my father added.
“The dogs?” I asked. “Why is that?”
“You don’t need to act so humble. You raised the orphans and the dogs at the same time—it was a splendid idea on your part. Those dogs are well trained, and you dote over them so much that you sleep with them in your bed. When I told His Majesty the story, he was curious about them as well. He’s eager to see the dogs too.”
“What?”
I was shocked. My vision began to grow dark, and I almost fell to my knees.
I don’t dote over them! They entered my room without my permission!
This misunderstanding had grown more than I had anticipated. If the king wanted to assess them, it meant that I would receive his seal of approval. After that, I couldn’t admit that I’d had the dogs killed to toughen their owners’ psyches. In fact, since those beasts were now the target of other nobles’ interest, I might have to bring them out to future social gatherings.
Did His Majesty lay out some sort of elaborate trap to ensnare me?
No longer could I have those dogs killed, and that would prevent the orphans from becoming full-fledged assassins. As various thoughts swirled within my mind, I managed to eke out an obedient response.
“I understand, Father.”
✦ ✦ ✦
When I returned to the garden, the orphans were training with the dogs. Some tackled obstacles while others swung their swords around or chanted spells. None of them had slacked off while I was gone; they all took their training very seriously. They had been taught well. Maybe they were strong enough already, and there was no need for the dogs to be killed.
Oh, all right, I thought as resignation filled my mind.
I hadn’t given up on my revenge, of course, but I could no longer kill the dogs. When the orphans noticed my return, they immediately formed a straight line. Their dogs sat in front of them. Each awaited my words nervously.
“It’s been three years since you started to raise these dogs,” I began.
“Sir, yes, sir!” they shouted.
“From today onward, you will no longer be filthy worms,” I continued. “You will be my squires. You have all been tied by a bond of siblinghood; from now until your deaths, no matter where you may be, you squires will be siblings. You may have to face various hardships with me. Perhaps some of you may die. But you’d best commit to memory that you squires will die for my sake. That is the sole reason for your existence. And I shall be eternal! In other words, as my squires, you shall also live on for eternity!”
Even I wasn’t quite sure what I was talking about, but my former butler had taught me about this sort of speech. He mentioned that it was highly effective. When I turned to the orphans lined up in front of me, they all had tears in their eyes. Except Alice, who was always emotionless.
Seriously?