Chapter 6: Chapter 6 - Four Years of Quiet Growth (Part 2)
Chapter 6 – Four Years of Quiet Growth (Part 2)
The autumn was quietly falling over the Queens estate.
The colors around the training grounds changed to gold and amber, as the leaves started floating down like slow burning embers.
The estate was getting noisier and stronger over the years.
Standing at its heart was Lucas Queens.
Sixteen years old, grown into a tall and sharp-eyed youth with slim frame formed by years of rigorous training, he practiced sword forms in the open court every morning together with the estate soldiers.
Clang.
Steel meets steel.
Again.
And again.
"Do not hesitate!" one of the senior knights shouted at him.
Lucas tightened his grip.
"I am not hesitating!"
With a fierce cry, he made a swift step forward and slashed with a sword. The opponent barely managed to block in time and slide back due to the force of the strike.
From the sidelines, Arthur Queens observed with folded hands.
"Better," he said calmly. "Though your recovery after the strike is still too slow."
Lucas took a breath.
"Yes."
He reset his stance.
From the edge of the training grounds, Jennie watched silently.
Small.
Four years old.
White hair floating freely in the breeze, held by a ribbon that Elena insisted to tie that morning.
She sat in the shade of the tree, her legs neatly folded in front of her, watching everything without saying anything.
"Not bad..."
Her eyes followed Lucas’s movements.
"Strength improved."
"Still too much movement in the feet."
"Tense shoulders before every swing."
"He relies too much on the momentum rather than the right timing."
She slightly tilted her head.
"He would have lost three times already in the fight."
Lucas abruptly turned towards her.
"Jennie!"
She blinked.
He gave her a bright smile.
"Come here."
Jennie stood up and walked towards him.
Her steps were small and careful, childishly perfect on the surface.
Lucas squatted to be at eye level with her.
"Wanna try holding a sword?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything.
Jennie looked at Lucas.
A sword.
For a second...
Something stirred deep in her.
Not emotions.
Memory.
Thousand fights.
Countless duels.
The weight of the real blade in her hands.
She nodded.
"Mm."
Lucas gave her the small wooden training sword.
It was light.
Much lighter.
But at the moment when her fingers touched the hilt...
Her body reacted instinctively.
Her spine straightened.
Her stance became more balanced.
Her breathing slowed.
For a second—
She was no longer a child.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
"...that stance."
Jennie immediately recognized the issue.
"Too perfect."
She immediately destroyed it.
She slouched.
Unclenched her hands.
Made her feet uneven.
Perfectly average child holding a sword wrong.
Lucas burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You’re holding it backward!"
Jennie tilted her head.
"...Is it?"
"Just throw it," Lucas said, pointing at the field. "It is too small to be used properly."
Jennie nodded obediently.
She raised the wooden sword.
And tossed it.
Not with strength.
Not with any intentions.
Just a toss of a little girl.
The sword went spinning through the air, end over end, and fell somewhere on the grass next to the training grounds.
Lucas clapped once.
"See? Easy."
Jennie gave him a slight smile.
"Good."
"No mistakes."
The breeze started blowing over the estate.
Initially soft.
Then becoming stronger.
The old oak tree near the training ground groaned quietly.
Creeeeak.
Everyone froze.
Lucas turned to look.
"Hm?"
Arthur looked up.
The noise became louder.
CRAAACK.
The whole tree shook.
Then, without a warning, it collapsed sideways with a loud crash that shook the ground.
BOOM.
Dust and leaves rose in the air.
Birds fled from the branches.
Silence fell instantly.
Lucas blinked.
"...Did it just collapse?"
One of the soldiers scratched his head.
"Wasn’t it already an old tree?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It was okay this morning."
Another knight nodded.
"Probably rotted inside. This happens to the old wood."
The explanation spread rapidly.
Nods followed.
Agreement.
Acceptance.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Wind must’ve done it."
"Surprised it lasted this long."
Jennie stayed silent among them.
Her face remained expressionless.
Inside her mind...
There was only one thought.
"That was close."
No one saw it.
No one felt it.
But in the moment when she let go of the sword, a fragment of unconscious sword intent left with it.
Too pure.
Too subtle.
Not noticeable in this world.
Slowly looking away from others.
"I shouldn’t hold swords in public for a while."
---
A few days later...
The gates of the estate opened to the royal escort.
The horse hooves echoed in the courtyard.
A carriage carrying the emblem of the Seraiya Royal Family parked in front of the main hall.
Arthur immediately stepped out.
Following him, wearing his training clothes, was Lucas.
Elena carried Jennie in her arms.
Knight stepped out of the carriage and unrolled a sealed scroll.
"The Royal Decree of His Majesty, King of Seraiya."
Arthur bowed slightly.
Knight continued.
"The family of Queens is hereby invited to the Royal Capital."
He paused.
"This invitation is mandatory for the celebration of the Royal Wedding of Her Highness, the Eldest Princess of Seraiya."
The quiet silence followed.
Arthur straightened up.
"...a royal wedding?"
Lucas widened his eyes.
"Really?"
The knight nodded.
"The invitation is extended to Lord Arthur Queens, Lady Elena Queens, Young Master Lucas Queens..."
His gaze briefly fell on the little girl.
"...and Lady Jennie Queens."
Jennie, who was in Elena’s arms, blinked slowly.
Royal Capital.
These words rang quietly in her mind.
One thousand years ago...
She walked these halls as a king.
She formed the laws of this city.
She once sat in the highest throne room, hearing nations bowing to her.
Now...
She returned.
Not as Leonis KingHeart.
But as Jennie Queens.
Four-year-old girl in a white dress, with white hair bound with ribbons, carried like a little girl.
She sighed inwardly.
"How far have I fallen."
Then, after a pause...
A small smile formed.
"No."
"How interesting this became."
The carriage waited outside in the golden light of the sky.
The capital was calling.
And something deeper than memory stirred quietly inside her.
Something that was once a crown... and a sword.
