Ink: Living Life as Serena Gleis

Chapter LIV: Emperor for a Day

"Good thing you are awake, my Lady." Maurice said as he assisted me to sit on my bed, my arm still aching due to the burn it suffered from.

"How long was I out?" I asked, looking at the window. The daylight shining warmly, a sight so rare in Clye. "A week." He gave me a reassuring smile and handed me a glass of water which I took as my throat is dry and needed rehydration. I tried standing up but Maurice stopped me. "No, absolutely not. You need to rest." He said.

"Everything's alright, Mau. I am fine. I need a little stretching for laying in bed for too long." I explained, he let out a deep sigh. "Alright, just let me get Azrael at least to-" I stopped him mid-sentence. "I am fine by myself, really." I said and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulders and stood up, showing him that I could stand up and walk without anyone's supervision.

Maurice left the room to give me privacy to change my clothes which I did. After changing, I went out of my chamber and walked outside the manor. I had a feeling that Azrael isn't here but on the training grounds. Once I left the premises of the manor, I crossed-paths with some Clyian happily enjoying their days. "Good Morning, your grace!" A mother and her child waved at my direction which I returned with a warm smile.

As I approached the training grounds, I spotted Azrael surrounded by three men who clearly weren't Clyian. "Oh, you're alive," Azrael remarked upon seeing me, drawing the attention of the men. It was then I recognized them: Arthur, Elizor, and Felipe. It seemed they were fully recovered.

What caught my eye, however, were their armors. Though reminiscent of their old uniforms, they were now crafted from tears of cerce, casting a crimson hue and adorned with the Clye crest.

"Looking good," I said, smiling. The three of them beamed at my words, clearly proud of their new uniforms.

"Thank you, Lady Gle- I mean Duchess. Maurice made it for us," Arthur replied.

"What about me?" Azrael interjected, stepping in front of me to display his ordinary attire. I simply shrugged him off and settled onto one of the vacant benches at the training grounds.

They all made their way towards me, settling on the nearby benches, with Azrael choosing the spot beside me. "Aren't you guys supposed to be training?" I inquired. Felipe scratched his head, chuckling, "Are we?" he replied.

"Yeah, you should get back to training," Az commanded, prompting groans from the three knights, but they obeyed their general nonetheless.

"Is Az giving you a hard time?" I asked. The trio exchanged glances before turning back to Azrael, who shot them a death glare, warning them to keep quiet.

"If he's giving you a hard time, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll kick his ass for you," I teased, giving Azrael's shoulder a playful hit, to which he just rolled his eyes.

Just as they were about to resume their training routine, Gerald, a Clyian trader, approached us. "Here you go, General Az, your daily tabloid," he announced, handing Azrael a newspaper before departing.

"Since when do people call you General?" I teased with a smirk, interrupting Azrael before he could respond.

"And since when did you start reading?" I added, earning a death glare and an eye roll from him. "I'm kidding. Let me see that," I said, snatching the newspaper from his hand.

"That's for Mau, he likes reading it," Azrael explained as he stood up to do his stretching.

As my eyes scanned the pages of the Yeoris tabloid, most of the news focused on Yeoris itself. However, a shocking headline on the last page caught my attention.

"A new emperor will be crowned, huh?" I murmured, drawing the attention of the three knights. "There is? Who?" Arthur asked, his apprehension evident.

"Please, let it not be Cyn," I silently prayed before reading further.