571 Spar Between Drayce And Slayer
Early in the morning, Seren was listening to her lady-in-waiting give her a rundown of her schedule for the day while her maidservants helped set her long hair in a beautiful long braid, fixing delicate accessories that went along well with her dress.
Just as Seren had come out of the side chamber, the door of the main chamber opened to let in a grinning Eva.
“Your Majesty… good morning!”
Eva looked excited, as if she could not wait to say something, but she was panting so hard her cheeks were flushed.
“Why are you so excited about, Eva?” Lady Xena, Seren’s lady-in-waiting, asked. “Didn’t you leave for the royal kitchen for the Queen’s meal?”
“Y-Yes! That’s why…when I heard the news…I ran all the way back!”
“Dear me. Do calm down. Breathe…”
But Eva laughed as she tried to catch her breath. “Your Majesty! Did you know what I heard on my way back? Some knights were talking about His Majesty the King and Sir Calhoun. They are going to have a sword spar in the training grounds!”
Other than Seren, all the other women inside the chamber turned excited as well, though they did attempt to control themselves in front of Seren.
“Is that something special? Practicing with a sword, isn’t that what they do?” Seren asked. In her opinion, though it sounded interesting, it should be a common occurrence.
Although she was unfazed, Seren was curious to see how Drayce looked when he used his sword. She was sure he must look more handsome than he already was.
“Your Majesty, it is not every day we get to see His Majesty and Sir Calhoun sparring,” Eva informed excitedly. “Both are famous in the kingdom for their swordsmanship, but even till now, there’s controversy on who is the real best swordsman in Megaris.”
The other women chimed in.
“Some say it’s the King, but some claim it’s the Commander. His Majesty inherited the royal swordsmanship that focused on overwhelming strength, but Sir Calhoun’s swordsmanship focused on efficient techniques, something he personally created and honed himself in the battlefield.”
“Those who got to see them sparring against each other all claimed that they witnessed the pinnacle of the sword.”
“That’s why whenever it’s rumoured that the King and the Commander would exchange swords, except for those on duty, all the knights in the palace run to the training grounds to watch it.”
Eva was almost jumping on her toes. “Even though I have heard everyone praise them, I have never watched it in person. It must be really exciting to watch them exchange swords—””
The group of women continued to talk and praise those two swordsmen, and Seren enjoyed listening to them chat. It was a welcomed change, because back when she had just arrived, the servants were wary of their behaviour in front of the new queen. The longer they got to know the master they served, the more they realized how lenient and kind Seren was, and this made the general atmosphere in the Queen’s Palace warm and happy.
“How about we all go there and watch?”
Just as she said those words, pin-drop silence filled the entire chamber. All the women gave their Queen a wide-eyed look, their mouths gaping open as if she had said something shocking.
Seren blinked, feeling somewhat embarrassed to see their reaction. “Are we not allowed to go there?”
Marie was first to get out of her shock. “Of course, Your Majesty. If you want, you can go there.”
“Fine then. Let’s go,” Seren said.
“All of us?”
“Yes, I want you all to accompany me.”
Though she was still calm, her ladies-in-waiting and servants almost jumped towards the door in glee.
Marie threw a smile at the excited group. “But, Your Majesty, how about your morning meal?”
“I can have it later,” Seren said as she walked towards the door.
Behind her veil, a beautiful smile was hidden as she too was excited to see Drayce sparring with someone.
Even as they climbed their respective carriages, Seren could hear them giggling and talking about the spar between Slayer and Drayce.
Their group were eventually led by a high-ranking knight to the army barracks at the rear of the royal palace.
Contrary to expectations, the training place where the spar would commence was not an open field with plenty of space, but a flat stone building with an empty space in the middle. There were rows of seats arranged downwards like a grandstand on the sides, a railing dividing it from the practice space; however, compared to the middle part, it was obvious that the structure of the building showed preference to the combatants rather than the audience.
At the bottom, the middle part looked like a combat arena. It was spacious enough to fit about a hundred people practicing their swords all at the same time.
The enclosed training grounds had both the knight’s and guard’s quarters adjacent to it so they could train there every morning before they started their duties.
By the time Eva had shared the news of the spar with the Queen, the entire practice grounds were already teeming with knights and royal guards that were off duty. There were also some officials and palace servants who hurried to spectate the moment they overheard others spreading the word.
Most of them were on their feet, hanging out by the railing rather than sitting on the tiered seats, eagerly waiting for the two men in the middle of the arena.
It was a novel experience for Seren.
Even earlier, the moment she alighted her carriage, she could already hear the rowdy noise by the spectators, as if they were cheering for their champion in a competition, despite not yet entering the building.
She could also see a lot of people hurrying inside, some even gesturing for their companions to hurry up. Be they royal knights or guards, at this moment, they all had expressions similar to young boys.
Though this was something that wasn’t particularly extravagant, it was the first time Seren experienced this kind of heated atmosphere. Back when she had just arrived at the Royal Palace of Megaris, Lady Tyra had toured her around and when they passed this place, she got the impression that the strictly guarded palace was a place where everyone followed the rules.
Yet, a scenario she thought she could only see among commoners in the market had unfolded in front of her. The place was noisy and unruly, but for some reason, she did not find it bothersome.
Seren and her subordinates who never got the chance to see this before were all in awe.
Seeing her arrival, more of the high-ranking knights moved to escort her through one of the huge doors in that stone structure.
“Your Majesty the Queen!”
“Please follow the Vice-Captain and his men, Your Majesty. He will lead you to the most ideal viewing position.”
What they heard from the outside was nothing as compared to what they saw inside.
‘Too crowded!’
As the railings were surrounded by standing men, Seren could not see beyond it. Fortunately, the knight vice-captain guided her way towards the stairs which led their way towards a partitioned sitting area at the frontmost part of the arena, where she could easily look down and see the people on the open space of the training grounds.
As she walked up the stairs, Seren could see Drayce and Slayer on either side of the arena where they were preparing for the spar.
When she arrived at her destination, the young queen realized she was not the only royalty there; the four princesses were there to cheer for their Second Brother as well. The young ladies hurried to curtsy in front of her.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“You may dispense formality.”
After sharing brief greetings with them, Seren turned her attention back to her husband. Only then did she notice that the person standing by Drayce’s side wasn’t his aide, but rather, his younger brother, Prince Ruven.
‘Did he not return to the Royal Academy? Is Prince Ruven skipping classes today as well?’
The two Ivanovs were still talking to each other by the time the King’s attendant, Orion, handed an ordinary steel longsword to Drayce.
‘Dray looks like he’s in his element.’
Compared to his usual cold and dignified appearance in his royal robes, the swordsman Drayce appeared more humane and easier to approach. Clad in a simple white top with only a leather pauldron to protect his shoulder, one could see hints of his trained body through his shirt, because there were no decorations to distract the viewers from admiring his tall physique.
As if he sensed her admiring gaze, Drayce turned in her direction and she froze. She didn’t know why she reacted that way. It was strange.