An Aide /Kamisato Ayato/

15~ A Glimpse of the Past (2)

The sight of sword dueled against one another with more effort than before, exchanging blows without the intention to stop or to slip by, was a sight to behold in front of the elders.

Many sang praises for (Name)'s fast learning ability, how her body could quickly catch up to the rest of the kids who were more advanced in this art than her. All without knowing the sleepless nights she spent, sparring against the guards who had too much of their free time, holding the sword till leaving blisters and calloused hands until she was left with a feverish state.

All those efforts just for the sake of her father to look, and praise her to be a daughter with duties she could take on.

A puff of breath suffocated with teeth clenched as she took a step back, blocking another block from the rapid movement of the boy in front of her, she was beyond frustrated.

Now all attention from the elders had been transported to the boy, soon to be her husband in the future. The boy left no opening to his swordsmanship, leaving (Name) no choice but to block the consistent powerful slash, despite it coming from a frame of a child.

It continued, again, and again until sundown. Ayato quickly placed his sword near (Name)'s grip on the hilt, removing the weapon from her tiny hands now filled with blisters and bruises. Both panted heavily after dueled for hours and hours, forgetting the fact the world around them existed.

The two children fell onto the ground, breathless; and there's no oxygen to supply their lungs, but the gasp for air. "...That was incredible..." Ayato spoke first, wiping away the sweat trickling down his forehead continuously. "You've... improved.. despite only have—" pant, "—trained for a week..."

"..." no reply came from (Name), as she was also lost in desperation to breathe normally after an intense fight. "Thank you, Young lord."

"Young master!" Faint calls of repeated "young master" sounded behind (Name)'s ears, listening to a lighter voice belonging to a worried woman with a drink served on top of the tray. "Young master..." she huffed, seeming to no longer be in shape seeing the age she was in. The maid handed him the drink she served, leaving (Name) with none as if (Name) wasn't anyone significant between them.

The maid didn't even spare a glance to the young daughter, only keeping her focus still on her young lord. It's not like (Name) minded anyways, since people tended to put the sons above. "Are you alright? You sparred for no end, Young Master."

Ayato let out a polite laughter, nodding his head. "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you for the drink, but may I ask where's one for the Young Lady?"

"O-oh," she stammered the moment Ayato pointed out (Name)'s presence to the maid. He stood there, waiting for an answer, yet he gained none from the maid. An unnoticeable exhale left his lips as he kneeled down to face the same level as (Name). The drink that's left half was given to her. "Here, Young Lady. My apologies for the water's not full and well prepared for you," he offered.

However, the girl shook her head, declining his offer as nice as she could. "No, it's alright, Young Lord. I'm alright. The drink's meant to be served for you, I can't possibly drink what's not mine."

"And I'm serving this for you, Young Lady," Ayato shot, keeping his gaze stern with his voice now as an authority as he handed the water to her still. How could a young boy like him be full of authority?

"...Very well then, I'll take it. Thank you very much for your kindness and consideration," (Name) finally gave in after giving him a contemplation.

The friendship between them bonded just like that.

****

As (Name) walked down the hall, she couldn't help but hear faint whispers of the maids crowded along the hallway, gossiping in such shameless ways. It's normal to hear whispers every now and then—at least to (Name), for back in her estate, it was full of whispers and eyes of an owl staring fiercely at her family, when they thought she wasn't looking.