This book alternates between the Emperor’s perspective and the knight’s. The Emperor’s perspective will be blue.
Pretending to be a man has become second nature to me. I couldn't attain my dream without doing so. Women can't become knights, merchants, or any other profession considered honorable, or get any job in leadership in the Soledad Empire. I just want to be strong enough to protect the one I come to care for, whoever they may be. I have lost enough as is and can't bear to lose anymore. It is my dream to rescue a woman and fall in love. Then, to swear my sword to her. Though women tend to be afraid of me, so it is not going well. That is what is keeping me going each day, the hope of stumbling upon a woman who isn't scared of me and will love me. That, and killing bandits.
I am currently wandering, taking bandit jobs where I can find them, and I currently do not have one at the moment. I'm traveling to the empire's capital since there is most probably plenty of work for a knight to do there. I don't have a horse since my last one was slain, unfortunately, in combat. I have been without a horse for 2 years and could not find a horse within my budget that could handle my strength, so I have been walking everywhere ever since. Though, since I'm still a woman, I like to not travel on the main roads but travel parallel using cover unless I have to travel on a road. Sometimes it is unavoidable. This area is pretty heavily wooded, so I stick to the trees.
I hear a commotion on the road, smelling a strong scent of blood before seeing anything. I approach while hiding my presence and observe momentarily. It appears that a noble's carriage is currently being attacked by bandits. I HATE BANDITS. I hate them as naturally as the air I breathe. I WANT TO KILL ALL OF THEM. There is a beautiful, noble man with long black hair put up in a neat masculine pony, wielding a bow, being overwhelmed by bandits as the last of his attendants fall. He is so beautiful at this moment, he almost appears to be a woman. Though from the sound of his very deep voice, he is definitely a man. I remove my bag and immediately join the fight after realizing bandits were involved.
Just when I thought I was done for, this flash of light brown flashed in front of me, and I heard the sound of swords CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! This man saved my life. I have no idea where he came from, but if he had been any later in joining the fight, I would have died just now. I was just about to pull out my sword as a last stand since they were getting too close for my bow. I don’t know who he is, but I can’t take my eyes off him. He has short brown hair and icy brown eyes. The level of his swordplay is so much higher than anything I have seen with my eyes, and he is dispatching these bandits as if they were small children playing pretend. His style of swordplay is quite beautiful to watch. It is refined yet slightly wild in nature, telling me he has learned more through experience. The icy cold stare I see in his brown eyes with each bandit slain would send shivers down most people’s spines, but I am quite captivated by that stare. One of the last bandits standing said while trying to run away, “Shit! We should never have accepted this jo-” before getting slashed by this mystery knight. A job? It is no surprise to me that somebody wants me dead. The list of suspects is quite large. I would use my bow to assist, but I am afraid that at this moment, I would just get in his way.
I struck them all down and sheathed my sword. It is directly when my hand leaves my hilt that I sense a moment's worth of bloodlust. AN ARCHER. SHIT. I sheathed my sword without checking my surroundings. Without really thinking, I jumped in front of the nobleman in the direction I felt the flash of bloodlust, catching the arrow in my chest. Damn, I wanted to sacrifice my life for a damsel in distress. I guess a beautiful, feminine man will do. As everything is hazy, I see a flash of what looks to be an arrow coming from behind me before everything goes black.
The moment he got struck by the arrow, I followed the path and took aim and let loose a shot, killing the sniper. I scan the trees looking for any more enemies, and I don't see any.
I turn to the brave knight who is covered in the blood of his enemies and his own. He is a very handsome man upon closer observation, and I pick him up and place him into my carriage. He is surprisingly light. I take the reins and drive it myself since the attendants in my entourage are all dead from trying to protect me. I make the horses work and run full speed ahead. I hope I make it in time to save my hero's life.
Everyone in the castle is in a panic when they see me manning my own carriage covered in blood, and they rush to me as I pull up to the Sun Palace. My well-manicured and mature butler, Killian, rushes to me, “Your majesty, what in the gods' names happened? Why are you alone? Are you injured, your majesty?”
I jump off the carriage and place a hand on my butler to calm him, “We were attacked, and I am perfectly fine, all thanks to the brave mystery knight fighting for his life in my carriage. Please send for my personal physician at once and send them to the first-floor guest room. Make sure no one besides me and the physician is allowed in.” Killian bows, “As you command, your imperial majesty.” I then pick up my hero and take him to the guest room. A few attendants try to help me, but I turn them away since he is not that heavy. That and I don't want to put his fate in anyone else's hands.
I pace back and forth outside the room while my physician, Doctor Gregorio, is working on my hero. My nervous energy was distracting him, so I had to excuse myself earlier when he was delicately trying to remove his armor without making the wound worse. Doctor Gregorio eventually comes out with blood stains on his imperial doctor’s robes, “Your imperial majesty, please join me.” I nod and follow him in, and he shuts the door and approaches the knight, “Your imperial majesty, upon treating the knight, I found out that they are not as they appear. They are like you. She should survive now that she has had emergency aid.” He says while lowering the sheet that was covering the knight to expose the knight’s bandaged chest.
Are those breasts I spy underneath the bandages? This knight IS just like me. Pretending to be something they are not for a role. I never asked for this emperor role. It was thrust upon me by my parents, and they were determined to make everyone believe I was a boy from as early as I could remember, for my cover. I wonder if she had to do the same for her cover? I say to him, “Let’s keep this between us. I owe this woman my life.” The first thing I notice besides her chest is how chiseled she is. I see countless scars on her muscular body, and some look a lot older than others. Just how long has she held a sword? As I look over her body, I smirk, looking at her tan lines. Her hands, face, and neck are all really tanned while everything else is pale. We call this the knight's tan line.
I wake up feeling very hazy from what I assume is blood loss, and my chest aches with a dull pain that is not that bad in comparison to wounds in the past. There were many wounds I got that scarred worse than others because they got infected and took forever to heal. Those in particular were the worst. I turn my head and see two blobs that soon come into focus. I see a doctor looking man with salt and pepper hair, and a nobleman sitting next to them. The same nobleman whom I ran into on the road. He seems a bit taller than the doctor sitting side by side. He says, “Welcome to the imperial castle. I am Emperor Jonilias Soleil, and you saved my life, lady-knight. You have my utmost gratitude.” I panic and start sweating, though I try not to let my panic show. Is my future over?
I notice a flicker of fear in her eyes, and a bead of sweat falls from her brow. Is she scared of my status or something?
I respond in kind, trying to keep my panic down, “My name given at birth was Leondra, but I go by Leo, your imperial majesty.” The emperor then asks, “How would you like to become my personal knight, Leo?” I am taken aback by this proposal. The emperor wants ME to be his personal knight after hearing I am a woman? I am not sure I can trust him, but the pay sounds amazing. After a while of being the emperor’s personal knight, I can journey for a while without having to worry about work. I ask, “Will I be able to quit at any time, your majesty?” He nods. What if he is a pervert? Well, I guess if he does turn out to be a pervert, I can quit. I came to the capital to get a job, and this one seems like a great one. After thinking about it, I respond, “I will humbly accept your proposal, your imperial majesty.” He smiles in a manner that makes me a tad suspicious.
SHE SAID YES! I was prepared to negotiate, too. Stay calm. Stay calm. Don’t let the excitement show too much.
He responds, “Fantastic news. I will be coming to check on you periodically during your recovery. I will need you to rest up, and when you are all healed up, I will personally give you a tour of the palace. I need my personal knight to know where everything is after all. Please let me know if there is anything you need.” I nod, “Ok, your imperial majesty.” He says while tilting his ponytail slightly, “When we are alone or in the company of my physician, Doctor Gregorio, like this, or my personal maid, you can call me Jon. When others are around, you can refer to me as Lord Jon or Your Highness, depending on your discretion.” I shake my hands, “I could never address the emperor so informally as a commoner!”
Don’t you try and wiggle your way out of this. I want to keep you close, and you are trying to push me away. I tell her, “If you are going to be my personal knight, it only makes sense you know me on a personal level.” I say with a wink.
I sigh, closing my eyes. He says it is fine. He is the most powerful person in this empire, and he said it is ok. I responded after deliberation, “Ok. J-Jon.”
I really like my name coming out of her mouth. I responded wearing a pleasing smirk, “Much better. Let me go now so you can get some rest, Leo.”
Why did he smirk like that when I called him by name? He is suspicious. I sense that he is not being truthful or maybe keeping something from me. I need to keep my guard up around him.
Every day of my recovery, the emperor came to my room to visit me, and he asked me about my childhood. I don’t really talk to others much, so nobody gets close because of my secret, but since he already knows my biggest secret, I told him a few stories. First, I told him a story about how my father had a dumb addiction to gambling on slime races. He would often waste all of our money on slimes, and he was convinced that water slimes were the fastest because of how slippery they are. Though anybody who pays attention to these races sees that each slime has its advantages and disadvantages, and has about an equal chance of winning. I still can’t believe he constantly blew our savings on creatures that could fit in the palm of my hand. I could probably fit three of those bastards in the palm of my hand. Slimes are so small and their elements are very weak, and they are considered pests. Well, at least to me and my mother. I don’t really talk to others about anything, much less slimes, so we may be outliers for all I know. My mother hated slimes with a passion, killing any slime that wandered into our home. She kept our family from being homeless by hiding money from my father. If she didn’t hide the money, my piece of boar shit father would have thrown it away at the tracks. She often would strip him to nothing but his undergarments so she could sell his clothes and kick him out of the house. He spent many cold nights curled up in the hay in the town stables, practically naked.
Where is this father of hers? I shall find him and have some of my knights beat the shit out of him. I had no idea that commoners bet on something as silly as slime races.
The next story I tell is about how my father got his eyebrow burned off by an acid slime when he was at the tracks. While he was leaning over the barrier onlooking the track, the acid slime was attracted to a lemon cookie he was eating and overshot and got him in the eyebrow instead. My father didn’t know that acid slimes were attracted to the acidic properties of lemons. Otherwise, he would not have been hanging over the barrier, eating his snacks like an idiot. They used a healing potion on him so it didn’t scar, but he looked so funny with only one eyebrow. I remember my mother being beside herself with laughter and telling him he deserved every bit of it. It wasn’t long after that that I started seeing a lot fewer healing potions, as if the source stopped providing them. Though I am sure the events are unrelated and purely coincidental.
Serves that piece of shit right. That story is funny. I found myself chuckling when she told this one. I can’t remember the last time I genuinely showed amusement like this in this role as emperor.
Before I can tell the next story, he asks me, “So, why did you become a knight, Leo?” I grip the sheet on the bed tightly while recalling, “At first it was more of a suicidally homicidal path, but then it turned more into honing my skills so I can protect what comes into my life that I treasure. I am not sure when exactly the change happened within myself, but it has been that way for some time.” I am so close to crying right now. Thinking of my parents and how they were tragically murdered. That feeling of being utterly alone with no one by my side. This is my first time talking about my parents after their funeral I had for them all by myself.
Suicidal? Why would she desire death? What possibly could have happened? With the way her eyes are shimmering with the moisture of tears not yet fallen, I don’t think asking her here is the best, so I ask instead, “Do you have something you treasure now?”
I responded while still gripping the sheet tightly and slightly dejectedly, “I haven’t found anything yet.”
She must have been journeying a while to have attained the level of skill she has, but she has yet to find something to treasure? That seems sad to me. No wonder she looks as if she may start crying any second. I feel like any more digging on this topic might make her mood turn sour. I respond while excusing myself, “I really hope you find what you are looking for. Let me get out of your hair, so you can rest. Don’t forget you can ring that bell and someone will fetch either me or the physician to attend to you.” She must have things haunting her. Over these past few days, I would enter her room sometimes and wait at her bedside as she was napping. I would see her having nightmares and waking up sweating often. She would greet me like everything was normal after every time she woke up like this. Though I don’t ever mention seeing her distress in her sleep, so she doesn’t know I know.
I am getting the vibes that he is interested in me, but that can’t be. I am just a commoner knight. Maybe he is just fascinated by me? I have no idea what is going on in his head. He is completely different from the “Iced Sun” image that the rumors portray him as.
