.The Shadow Knight.

-33-

I freaking knew those maids would gossip.

I sighed, disliking the position that gossip put me in.

How did they all hear of this so fast.

"Please, with all due respect..... Shut up." I said coldly, to Melore who was right up in my face.

"Now that's mean." She putted, today hair a bright yellow color and short, face a bit rounder then it was until now and blue eyes, I do wonder what her true face is.

"If Akito wasn't the one to tell you you shouldn't ask about it." Kia said.

"Thanks." She nodded with a smile. "But yes, I have the..... Ding dong as you called it, happy now?" I knew she would keep annoying me about it anyway.

"God Elise's parents will be angry." She chuckled.

"She did tell me they'd be since I can give the heir they wished for without her forced to rule with a man." I shrugged.

"Do be careful tho, they'll be aware by the end of the day and will try to humiliate you in some way, they are like that."

"Don't worry Rain they have nothing on me, they might be emperor and empress of their own land but they know not of what a shadow knows."

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After that little interaction I couldn't help but think about the gossip getting out of the castle, what bad thing they will say about Elise because of me being me?

Highly unsettling.

I headed to the place I started calling the stone court since it was made of stone after all, finding Owen with the new shadows, making them do push ups while the rest of the guard stopped training and watched in awe so I guess they have been at it for a while.

The festival was still going  on in town but it was still early for the royal family to be present so we put in a bit of training.

"I know what the empress said but any news with the bird befriending?" I asked him, stopping right next to him, feeling a welcome scene of belonging somewhere with him here and matching my uniform.

I still was a bit homesick even if Solor was to never be my home again, Sel was from the castle too but my bond with her only existed since we left, Owen here knew me from the shadow knights so it was a bit more personal.

He gave the small welcoming bow and I gave it back, not feeling out of place and looked at weird as he knew of the customs.

"Good, there is a crow I've been working to befriend, I already came link minds with an eagle but I thought an eagle is too obvious as they only carry message here or are used to hunt, a bit too suspicious but not a crow."

"Right.... Owen keep and eye on the princess."

"Princess Lilia?"

"I'll fill you in later but she is the prime suspect in all of this, the only one with no motivation so way to secretly control the things."

"Right I trust your judgment."

"Than--" "How long will we need to do this?" Karem cut me off.

"First, you don't cut of your instructors speaking with each other and second do I need to explain it again why you are training like this?" I asked.

"I just wanted to know."

"Until he says stop." 

"And be happy it is just push ups for you, Akito." Owen said, I nodded, knowing what he was asking of me.

I put my hands on the ground and did a handstand before bending my elbows and extending them again, doing push ups like that.

"You see this? You should be able to do this with ease if you are a shadow knight, Akito." I shoved on my arm to send me up away from touching the ground and landed on one arm, still doing push ups with my feet up in the air but with one arm. "Even this is easy for us and it didn't come like that, it was years of training so be happy we don't ask you to master this in a week."

I pushed myself up in the air with another shove on my arm and threw my feet backwards, spinning my body fast enough to land on my feet in a crouch before standing normally and dusting off my gloves.

"Get back to work." I told them and looked at Owen. "I am going to find Sel."

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I found her in the garden of the castle, writing fast in a leather bound book.

"How is training going." I asked.

"Ah-oh hi Aki."

"Hi, so?" I sat on the bench next to her.

"Rain asked me to sort every plant in this garden by name in alphabetical order and I don't know why." She sighed. "I am mainly a fire mage not a plants mage."

"You need to be proficient in every sort of magic an elemental can get their hands on and this exercise helps, you learn the name of the plants and how they look, like this little guy here, what is it."

"Euh, I don't know."

"Wonderer's flute, because the flower that blooms is long with an opening at the bottom of the petals, sounding like someone blowing into a flute when wind blows in it."

"And that is useful to know?"

"Yes, because you can use the leaves of this plant to keep yourself awake, grinding the leaves between your teeth leaves a bitter taste but it wakes you up."

"Oh it is useful, what is that one?"

"That one is--" And I spent many slices of sun helping her with her work, she should learn it correctly instead of just guessing.

It was all good until a guard came to get us for the midday lunch, I had a feeling some trouble would start so I was ready for what could happen.