Refining the Heavens 5 (炼天五)

Chapter 75: Luftie Meets Jim

The maid was told that her stable stay will last a month, and afterwards, she will no longer be needed in the Pendragon Castle.

To say it was devastating will be an understatement, but it is deserving at the least.

The person who gave this order was none other than the housekeeper, who saw this as brilliant opportunity.

When Snow spoke up for the soldier and his young lover, the housekeeper knew that the crooked nose maid had displeased the guest.

As custodian of the castle, very little can escape his ears, and that very same day he found out every detail behind the squabble.

The subsequent punishments mete out to the handmaid were much to the amusement of Snow and Tommy, and a pretty parting gift for the soldiers leaving for Snowdrifts.

The men felt they are following the right leader, finally. Although unintended, the maid being punished was proof that the Snowdrifts is a force to be reckoned with.

The soldiers thought back on how they had lived and collectively sighed. The soldier that was sent on a death mission because his girl had been the target of envy was not an isolated case. Everyone here had similar experiences, if not because they offended someone, or they were simply in a vulnerable position.

Thinking of this only made the men look forward to the new life they will be welcoming.

As the soldiers made their way back with Tommy and Snow to the Snowdrifts' encampment, Princess Luftie wasn't far behind.

Touched by the citizens of Avalon that stood up for her honour, she vowed to recover their losses from the Snowdrifts.

When she arrived at the camp that is situated outside of Avalon valley, Snow came to meet her.

The two ladies did not wait to enter the place to start discussing about renumeration. Of course, Luftie who is used to people giving in to her status as princess, was unable to win an argument. She felt all the intelligence she had was flattened into a pancake. With Snow's silent approval, the pouting princess wandered lifelessly in the camp, defeated. After all, Snow could tell that this princess – despite how pompous she behaves – is rather harmless.

As Luftie zig-zagged aimlessly around soullessly, she came close to a place with a constant clashing of metal. The din was quite unlike the strike of sword against sword or armour plate, but more like a manic is persistently harassing an armoured knight. Pushing away the strange image in her mind, she snuck over to find the source.

Luftie's jaws dropped when she finally saw what made those noise.

A thin lad with oversized fur jacket charged at an unbelievable speed past a wooden dummy that is decorated with all kinds of bells, trinkets, and metal scraps.

Each time the boy ran past, a rustling sound followed. The boy turned around, and before the din settled, he would charge past it again causing another round of ringing and clashing.

"Ahahahaha!"

A silvery peal of laughter interrupted Jim's daily training. Wiping off the sweat on his face, he looked around for the owner of the voice and saw a pretty girl dressed in clothes unlike that he had seen in Saint Empire.

"What's funny?" he asked with a sneer. He could tell that the laughter was meanspirited. Much like the sound those bullies make in the orphanage he grew up in.

"I was just surprised that the famous members of Snowdrifts don't seem to have any attacking power," she pointed at the wooden dummy, "You can't even knock down a bell."

Jim who had earned his title as the spoilt brat amongst his blood brothers, decided then and there that he must not let this girl off easily.

For orphans of the empire, the term – spoilt brat – is not derogatory but something to envy.