Chapter : 23

  "Alright, everyone out!" Finlay ordered, his deep voice echoing across the parking lot. "Look sharp. We are representing the 13th Princess today."

  Ken slowly rolled out of the car. He stretched his arms high into the air, letting out a massive, loud yawn. He was still wearing his servant uniform, but his shirt was completely untucked on the left side, and his tie was totally crooked. He looked like a guy who had just finished a ten-hour nap on a park bench.

  "Ken," Princess Iris said gently, walking over to the trunk of the car. "Could you please carry my bags? It is part of the servant duties today."

  Ken looked at the three heavy leather bags sitting in the trunk. He immediately let his shoulders slump and put on his best puppy-dog eyes. "Princess," Ken whined, making a fake crying face. "My arms are like wet noodles! If I pick those up, my spine might snap in half! Can't the Grandmaster carry them? He has muscles on top of his muscles!"

  Finlay glared at Ken. The giant knight looked like he wanted to throw Ken into the sun. "Servants carry the bags, Eliot. Pick them up before I make you run fifty laps around this parking lot."

  "Okay, okay! Don't yell at me, scary silver man," Ken grumbled. He grabbed the bags, groaning loudly as if they weighed a thousand pounds. He dragged his feet across the pavement, making a loud scuffing sound. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

  As they walked through the parking lot, Ken looked around. It was absolutely packed with the most expensive things he had ever seen. There were luxury cars that hovered above the ground, shining with gold and silver paint. But there were also magical beasts. Some Princes and Princesses didn't use cars; they rode giant, terrifying animals.

  Ken walked past a massive, armored tiger the size of a van. The tiger turned its head and growled at Ken, showing teeth as long as swords.

  Any normal person would have run away screaming. Ken just stopped, adjusted the heavy bags on his shoulder, and made a highly exaggerated, totally fake scared face. He put his hands on his cheeks. "Oh no! A giant kitty cat! This is the part where I should make a scared face!" Ken yelled out loud, striking a dramatic pose. "Let's make a scary cat face back at it! Meow! Please do not eat the potato boy!"

  The tiger looked extremely confused and slowly turned its head away.

  Naomi stormed over and grabbed Ken by the back of his collar. "Are you an idiot?!" she hissed, dragging him forward. "Stop embarrassing us! That is the 4th Prince's battle tiger! It could bite your head off like a grape!"

  "It started it," Ken mumbled lazily, letting himself be dragged.

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  As they got closer to the grand entrance of the Upper Council building, they noticed a lot of people standing around. Guards in shiny uniforms and other servants were grouped together. Everyone was whispering. The air was buzzing with gossip, and it was easy to hear what they were talking about.

  "Did you hear the news from the forest road?" one guard whispered to another.

  "Yes! The 13th Unit was ambushed by mercenaries," the second guard replied, his eyes wide. "But they were saved! Did you see him? They say he moved like a shadow!"

  A servant from another Royal family nodded eagerly. "I heard he used poison magic. He took down twenty men in less than a minute. Who could it be? A hidden master? A legendary knight?"

  Ken walked quietly behind Iris, carrying her bags. He slouched his shoulders and looked completely bored, staring at a cloud in the sky. Internally, however, he was laughing. He thought it was absolutely hilarious that everyone was making up wild rumors about "The Sovereign."

  “If they only knew the scary shadow swordsman was currently complaining about his back hurting from carrying luggage,” Ken thought, trying hard not to smile.

  Sayma, the smart Vice-Captain with the thick glasses, slowed down her walking to speak with Naomi. "You hear that, Naomi? Even the guards at the Upper Council know about our savior already. News travels fast in the Empire."

  Naomi nodded, her face looking very serious. "Whoever he was, his speed was incredible. I specialize in wind magic, and even I couldn't see him move. I wish I could meet him. I wish he was in our unit." She turned around and glared at Ken, who was currently trying to balance one of the bags on his head. "Instead, we are stuck with the lazy farm boy who hides behind tires."

  Ken caught the bag before it fell off his head. He gave Naomi a goofy, happy smile. "I totally agree with you! That shadow guy sounds super cool and scary. I bet he works out every day. You should totally fire me and hire him! Then I can go home and take a nap."

  "You cannot be fired, Ken," Sayma said with a polite smile, pushing her glasses up her nose. "You are bound to the Princess for the rest of the Succession War. But you must admit, the shadow swordsman is a mystery. What kind of person hides their face behind a mask like that?"

  Ken shrugged carelessly. "I don't know. Maybe he was a ghost? Or maybe he was a really angry ninja who got lost on his way to a comic book convention? Honestly, the mask with the glowing purple eye is a bit too dramatic, right? It screams 'anime villain' to me."

  Naomi groaned and rubbed her temples. "Listening to you speak actually makes me lose brain cells. Just shut up and carry the bags."

  "Yes, boss lady," Ken replied, giving a lazy salute.

  Princess Iris stopped at the bottom of the grand marble stairs leading up to the massive wooden doors of the Great Hall. She looked back at her team. Her violet eyes scanned Naomi, Sayma, the other girls, and finally landed on Ken. She gave them all a warm, encouraging smile, even though she looked very tired.

  "Listen to me, everyone," Iris said softly. "Inside those doors are my brothers and sisters. They are not going to be kind. They will try to intimidate us. They will try to make us feel small. But we hold our heads high. We survived the ambush today, and we are here to claim our right to the throne."

  Grandmaster Finlay pounded his fist against his armored chest. "We stand with you, Your Highness!"

  Ken raised his hand slightly. "Uh, quick question, Princess. Are there going to be snacks inside? Because carrying these bags burned a lot of calories, and I was promised a good Royal salary. A free buffet would be a great start."

  Iris just chuckled softly, shaking her head. "We will find you some food later, Ken. I promise."

  "Awesome. Let's go meet the scary family," Ken said, totally unfazed by the intense situation.