A hellish reality surpassing my wildest imaginations awaited me at the duke’s residence. I underwent strict training to build stamina, was forced to study like my life depended on it, and was even taught how to wield weapons. What’s more, it came with abuse that tore at my psyche. No matter how one sliced it, we were trained in skills that no normal squire would ever need. I didn’t even know what her goals were.
All I knew was that those well-mannered kids that the director had picked couldn’t have endured it all. It pained me to admit it, but only true good-for-nothings like Richard, Oscar, and me had the endurance to survive all this abuse. Lewis, Alice, and Emma could only keep up because they were oddballs in their own way. In a sense, Lady Serena had a keen eye.
A year passed, and we were given dogs to look after. I didn’t understand why we had to look after an animal after a long day of surviving her harsh training, but her commands were absolute. If I didn’t look after my dog, I feared the punishments that loomed over me.
I started doing it reluctantly, and things didn’t go well. My dog didn’t seem to like me. I fed it, took it out on walks, and cleaned up after it when it used the bathroom. And yet, my dog treated me like an outsider. One day, I reached my limit and almost threw the white puppy to the ground. It was then that our gazes met. I knew those eyes—they were the same as mine, the same eyes I’d seen on all the other kids at the brothel. Every day, we’d lived in fear.
I see, I thought. I guess I do have to look after this dog.
We had to face our pasts, and Lady Serena knew that. Ever since she tasked us with raising a dog, I began to understand the intention behind her actions. She always watched us intently to an almost absurd degree. Why? Because she had love. We were special to her; we had been specifically chosen by her. She acted as our parent and offered us her love.
As proof, we all became much stronger through her strict training. We could become knights if we so desired, or anything else we wished.
I’ll never forget the day I became a squire. I even got to meet the king! A mere daughter of a harlot like me was granted an audience of the highest honor. Even so, I could only think about myself. When His Majesty dismissed us, it was Lewis who spoke up.
“Perhaps you should play with our dogs for an hour a day, every day, my lady,” he suggested.
It had been a blunder on my part; the truth had escaped my notice. Lady Serena loved dogs as well, so much so that she allowed them into her bed. How could she not love them?
Lady Serena accepted Lewis’s suggestion, and she soon played with the dogs. She scooped one up and fell to the ground. She looked like an angel as I watched her frolic with the six hounds. Unfortunately, Lady Serena likely felt that she was acting undignified and quickly stood up to continue playing with them, but she still looked lovely.
We all burned the sight of Lady Serena with the dogs into our minds. I was truly glad that I served her. This summer, we were heading to Lake Elfen with her. It was a popular retreat location with the nobles, but she claimed that a snake monster was lurking about.
I had never heard of such a thing, but her words were absolute, and we were not permitted to have a shred of doubt. Whether we faced a serpent or a dragon, we would become Lady Serena’s swords and shields and fight with our all. Our lives were offered only to her.