"Yo!" Jeongyeon grinned while casually waving at us as if she hadn't popped out of nowhere in the middle of our training.
Excited screams erupted from all directions as everyone dropped their weapons and began jumping like kangaroos at the elite knight's sudden visit.
I smiled and watched Jihyo greet the newcomer. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if the trainees are still alive" The taller woman answered and handed her a bottle of wine. "I brought a gift for you, so let me stay and observe these youngsters"
And before Jihyo could even reject her, Jeongyeon patted her shoulder and made her way in front of me and Tzuyu. "Looks like you two are doing fine, ey?"
"No, no we are not" Tzuyu said while pointing at her bruised legs. Jeongyeon winced at the sight and hurriedly casted a healing spell on her favorite brat's injuries.
"Geez, was she really that rough with all of you?"
"Yes, but she treats us nicely after training" I stated, afraid that Jeongyeon might strangle her for going too far on a bunch of rookies.
"That still doesn't give her the right to make all of you suffer like this" She sighed, throwing Jihyo a quick glare.
"It's fine, really. We're benefitting quite a lot from her training, it's terrifying and difficult but I guess it's worth it"
"If you say so" The corners of her lips lifted while she ruffled my hair. "As long as she doesn't make you climb a mountain then I'll let it slide"
The whole place fell silent as an awkward atmosphere loomed over us. We all glanced at each other, deciding between telling her the truth or covering it up to avoid unnecessary problems.
But it seems like she noticed the look on our faces when her eyes widened in concern. "Wait, did she actually─"
"What about Nayeon? I'm surprised she isn't with you" Jihyo quickly changed the subject while looking around for the bunny-like woman.
Jeongyeon immediately shifted her gaze elsewhere, awkwardly clearing her throat while checking her nails. Jihyo caught sight of her nervous movements and eyed her up and down suspiciously.
"What did you do?"
"No- Nothing in particular..." Jeongyeon turned away and tried to start up a conversation with me but Jihyo wasn't letting her get away.
"What in the world did you do? Answer me" In a threatening tone, the queen said and leaned closer.
The captain instinctively backed away, slightly shaking under her gaze. "Well..." She muttered while signalling me to save her.
And although I would have loved to, there's no good enough reason for me to risk my life just to help her out. Jihyo was terrifyingly intimidating at the moment, there's no way I'd let myself get scolded for interfering.
Sorry, but you're on your own...
I shook my head, gesturing her to accept her fate and be honest. Lying would simply make things worst, might as well just straight up say it instead of tricking her.
Jeongyeon's shoulders slumped as she sighed in defeat. "She's at home..."
"Where exactly?"
"In her room"
"And what is she doing in there?" Jihyo looked at her sharply. Jeongyeon gulped and avoided her narrowed eyes.
"Probably trying to get out of the rope I tied her in..."
"What!?"
"She was being annoying, so I used that magical rope you bought and tied her up when she was sleeping. It's clearly her fault for bothering me!" The captain instantly earned herself a hard smack on the head.
"Are you insane?! How is she going to eat and pee if she can't move!?"
"You say that as if she isn't strong enough to break free after a few hours" Jeongyeon rolled her eyes and caressed her aching head.
"That's a very childish thing to do..." I carelessly voiced out my thoughts and before Dahyun could pinch me for being rude, Jihyo agreed with me.
"Even a trainee knows what you did was wrong. And you call yourself a knight?"
"Y/n, how could you betray me like this?!" Jeongyeon looked at me as if I had just stabbed her in the back.
I pressed my lips together while approaching them. "In what way was she annoying you?"
Hearing this, her eyes lit up as she got ready to defend herself. "She covered my room with trees because I ate the last cupcake! Yeah, she worked super hard to make it, I'll admit that─ but that doesn't give her the right to make a whole forest inside my private chambers!"
"Okay maybe she does deserve to be tied up..."
"See!?"
It was just a cupcake, she didn't need to go that far just to get revenge. But knowing them, I'm 100% sure there's more to this─ Jeongyeon is probably hiding a few more details that led Nayeon into doing such a thing.
From how I see it, both of them are at fault. They've always been like this. Even before we became knights, they were at each other's throats despite being best friends.
Jihyo's sigh made us look at her as she dragged her captain aside and ordered everyone to get back to training. "Fine, I'll let you stay but if Nayeon comes here to get revenge you better take the fight somewhere else. I don't want you involving my students into your shenanigans "
"Whatever you say, Queen" Jeong grabbed a chair and sat down, observing every last one of us.
If looks could burn, we'd be on fire by now. Her stare was rather strict─ it was the exact opposite of how she usually gazes at someone.
She's usually seen with a calm and gentle smile, but now she was expressionless. She lifted her right leg and placed it on the left, crossing them. Since she had no armor on, she could move more freely.
I looked away from her when Chaeyoung called for my attention. "Y/n, let's get back to training" She raised her wooden sword and charged at me without a second thought.
Chaeyoung was rather quick on her feet, she could easily dodge any attack the others throw at her. She wasn't as fast as Momo, but her speed was remarkable─ as expected from someone who ranked 5th in the entrance exam.
She was skilled in magic, too─ a fast learner as well. Whenever our magic teacher teaches us a new spell, she usually gets it on the first try. She soaks up everything taught to her like a sponge, and was always ready to learn more.
Dahyun and her were pretty much equal in terms of brute strength, but she's something else when she gets serious. She once knocked out one of the guys in our class with one punch after he kept mocking her height, that punch almost broke his jaw... He deserved it, though.
Chaeyoung was smart, skilled and powerful for someone so young. A young girl brimming with talent and potential, I can't wait to see how strong she'll get when we're older. She's seriously one of a kind.
If she was up against anyone else, she wouldn't have struggled as much. But since I was her sparring partner for today, laying a single scratch on me was bound to be difficult.
I blocked her weapon with my own and pushed her back. Dropping to the ground, I kicked her ankle and swept her off her feet. She fell on her bottom and yelped, wincing at the stinging pain her ass was in.
She was beginning to sweat and shake a bit. Her energy wasn't the only thing she was losing, her motivation to win was also starting to crumble.
Well, this is my 10th win against her, it wasn't a surprise to know she was thinking of giving up after all the defeat she's tasted.
"Come on, don't lose hope so quickly. Try a little harder" I cheered while pulling her up to stand. "Once you become a knight, giving up will never be an option"
She smiled tiredly and got ready for another round. She tends to give up quite easily, but with a few encouraging words she gets right back up. That's why I like her, she isn't a difficult person.
"Y/n, how about you train with me instead?" Jeongyeon stood in front of us just before Chaeyoung could attack. "Giving up is never an option for knights, but that doesn't mean we're not allowed to stop and rest once in a while" She grabbed the wooden sword and gestured the short girl to sit down.
"You're starting to look pale, you should take a break for now, okay?" The older woman said, making Chaeyoung nod and follow the orders given to her.
"You should be more observant, if I hadn't stepped in she would have fainted, y'know?" Despite the slight disappointment in her tone, the smile on her face didn't falter.
The moment she got into a fighting stance, I nervously swallowed the lump in my throat while taking a step back. "What? Are you scared?" She teasingly said and chuckled a bit.
"After all the fights I've lost against Queen, I kind of am..."
Jeongyeon's chuckling turned into hysterical laughing when she heard what I said. "She really toned down that confidence of yours, hasn't she?"
I glared at her a bit and got ready. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to chicken out" Not giving her the chance to reply, I gathered all my strength onto my legs and leaped forward.
She single-handedly blocked my weapon with her own. Although it was made out of wood, it was surprisingly sturdy. I've been using this for days but it still hasn't split in half or shattered.
Impressive, really.
"You're fast, huh?" She grinned and pushed me back before aiming for my side.
I quickly ducked and grabbed some dust from the ground, throwing them into her eyes to blind her. She winced and closed her eyes, giving me the chance to crawl behind her.
I kicked the back of her knee and she instantly stumbled forward. Loud cheers resonated from the sidelines as everyone clapped and rooted for me. Even Jihyo was paying close attention to us.
Standing back up, I raised my sword above my head and brought it down. However─
"Did you really think it would be that easy to beat me?" In a blink of an eye, she was already behind me.
My eyes widened as I moved away in a heartbeat. That grin on her face was definitely a mocking one, a smile to purposely provoke me and force me into fighting with everything I have.
I clicked my tongue and started running again. "Of course not!" Our weapons collided, a seemingly neverending saga of strikes and blocks going on at an incredible speed.
The audience watched intently while also making sure they don't get caught up in the fight. Unlike Jihyo who likes to end things quickly, Jeongyeon preferred to keep the battle going despite being at an advantage.
She could see through my attacks and read my movements, so trying to throw in feints was impossible. Not to mention she was fast and had outstanding reflexes, I could barely see any openings.
But instead of seeing this as a pointless battle, I took it as a lesson. She's purposely prolonging the battle so I can observe the way she fights. She wants me to learn from them and apply them to myself.
Jihyo's way of teaching me was through speech. She points out all the mistakes I make after each battle whilst Jeongyeon gives me tips during the battle but doesn't say anything.
She wants me to see it myself rather lecturing me about it. And it's probably to make me more observant, she did complain about it earlier so I'm sure it has some kind of connection.
"Granbell, your movements are starting to get sloppy" Jihyo yelled from the sidelines.
Of course it would with all this chaos. Jeongyeon's been slowly stepping up her game, how am I supposed to preserve my energy if she's starting to get merciless!?
I titled my body sideways to avoid her kick before sliding under her legs when she was about to strike me again.
"What idiot slides under someone's legs like that?..."
"I'm desperate right now, okay!?" I yelled at Dahyun while dodging Jeongyeon's hits. A few got me but luckily, I'm still standing─ slightly shaking, but still standing...
"Jeong, that's enough. She's begining to tremble" Jihyo quickly stepped in just before I could advance forward again.
"No! I'm alright, so please let us continue!"
"Sorry, but I can't have another one of you fainting" She shook her head as a no and gestured me to go back to my tent and change.
"But─"
"No buts" Her glare instantly shut me up as I gulped in fear.
"Oh come on, Queen. Look at how determined she is, let the girl have her fun" Jeongyeon backed me up while patting my shoulder.
"I already said no" The woman cladded in armor crossed her arms, an intimidating aura floating around her once again.
Jeongyeon's eyes narrowed at her as her hand stopped patting my shoulder. "Alright, geez..." She turned away with a huff before walking back to her seat.
Jihyo sighed and returned to observing the rest. I stood there awkwardly while shifting my gaze from Jeongyeon to Jihyo and then slowly back to Jeongyeon.
Deciding to stay with the latter, I sat beside her and put my sword aside. "Are you two always like this?"
"We argue, but not all the time" She released an annoyed breath. "I just don't like how she's publicly bossing me around like this. Everyone's going to think I'm some sort of chicken even though I'm her captain. Do you know how embarrassing that is?"
I chuckled at her slightly pouting lips. I actually do know how embarrassing that is. Whenever Jennie was in a bad mood because of me she'd forget I was her captain and would straight up yell at me for doing something stupid.
The same goes for Taehyung. There was this one time I accidentally ripped his favorite shirt and the next thing I knew he wasn't listening to a single order I gave him. I almost smacked him to the next world but luckily his sister was there to stop me.
Jeongyeon's situation was kind of acceptable since Jihyo was far above her, but I guess it still bothers her. "Well, Jihyo is the queen of this world. I guess she's not used to getting orders from anyone other than my aunt"
"Eh?..." She stared at me, dumbfounded.
"I mean, my aunt is helping Jihyo with her career as a knight, so it's natural for her to do whatever aunt Ji says" I stared back, completely unaware of the mistake I was making. "Or is it not? I'm not really sure" Chuckling, I rubbed my nape and smiled innocently behind my mask.
The sound of a chair falling backwards and Jeongyeon's yelling made me flinch. "WHY DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!" She pulled me up from my seat and looked me dead in the eye.
Realization hit me like a ten-wheeler truck as I internally slapped myself and looked around to check if anyone else heard me. Fortunately, no one else was listening in on our conversation.
And just when I thought I could relax, someone suddenly tackled Jeongyeon to the ground. "Yoo scumbag!!" Im Nayeon pulled her fist back and aimed for the captain's nose.
Jeongyeon moved her head away just in time as Nayeon ended up punching the ground beneath her target, leaving a very visible hole with cracks.
"Are you trying to kill me!?"
"Yes, yes I am" A white rapier formed in the bunny-like woman's hand. "I'm about to show you why they call me the White Demon" A fire ignited within Nayeon as her whole body glowed along with Fflur.
Normally, Jeongyeon wouldn't let herself get attacked like this. She'd fight back like her life depends on it, but now wasn't the time for that nonsense. "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!"
Nayeon halted her movements the moment she saw the desperation in the captain's eyes. The latter quickly pointed at me with a panicked look on her face, expecting Nayeon to know exactly what she meant.
However, she was wrong to expect so much from her lovestruck friend...
Instead of grabbing me and tying me up, Nayeon jumped into my arms with heart eyes as she squealed like a little girl. "Darling, it's so good to see you again!!"
She happily rested her chin on my shoulder while locking me in a tight embrace, jumping up and down in a cute manner. "Today must be my lucky day! Fate has brought us together once ag─"
Nayeon instantly choked when Jeongyeon pulled her away by the back of her collar and proceeded to drag me to somewhere more private.
"Yoo stupid rascal..." The bunny said between her coughs while following after us. "What the hell was that fo─"
Jeongyeon wasn't giving her any chances to finish a single sentence as she held my shoulders tightly. "How in the 6 worlds do you know about Queen's identity!?"
Nayeon fell silent, eyes wide and jaw dropped. She turned to me, coming closer before gripping on my arm to make sure I don't escape. "You know?!"
I swallowed the lump in my throat, slightly trembling under their intense gazes. The heat must be messing with my brain, my tongue slipped and now I can't even make up a good excuse to get out of this situation.
"We- Well..." If I told them the truth, they'd find out about how I punched a queen and won against Jihyo. If I lie, they'd see right through me and might use violence to make me speak truthfully.
I'm doomed either way...
How do I get out of this mess!?
"What are you 3 doing here?" Jihyo emerged from the shadows and eyed her members suspiciously after seeing them holding me like I was some sort of wanted criminal. "And what are you doing to Granbell?"
"Queen!!" Jeongyeon let go of me and jumped to her side. "Why does Y/n know your identity!?"
Nayeon joined in on the interrogating and grabbed a fistful of her own hair. "Shall we knock her out and erase her memories?!"
Jihyo sighed, gently pushing them away before taking her helmet off. "First of all, when did you get here?" She pointed at Nayeon.
"Now is not the time for that!"
"Don't answer a question with another question!"
2yeon yelled at the same time and pointed at me. "Why and how does she know!?"
"STOP YELLING, DAMN IT!" She glared at them. The 2 zipped their mouth shut at the speed of light and patiently waited for a reply. They love messing with her, but they sure are obedient...
Sighing once more, she told all of us to sit down while she stood at the center of our little circle. "Long story short, I let my guard down and got myself exposed. It was entirely my fault, Y/n here just happened to be there when I was being too careless"
Tying her hair into a neat ponytail, she wiped the sweat off her nape and took a deep breath of the fresh air. "Y/n already swore she wouldn't tell anyone and I trust her, so let's not make a big deal out of this, alright?"
The 2 elites looked at each other, not fully convinced with Jihyo's explanation. "Doesn't sound very believable..."
"You're hiding too many details" Nayeon added to her captain's statement.
"Well believe or not, that's exactly what happened. I don't need to tell you anything else because there's not much to share anyway" Jihyo put her helmet back on and turned around. "I have other things to attend to, so I'm leaving first. If you plan to stay make sure you don't get in my way of training my temporary students"
That was the last thing she said before returning to where the others were, leaving us here with an awkward atmosphere floating around us.
Silence engulfed us as we sat there, lips zipped and gazes shifting. It was an unusual sight, really. The women in front of me were just sitting there and not arguing.
I've been told they don't always fight but in the memories I've remembered recently, they attack each other every chance they get. They're good friends, but they sure do love quarrelling like a married couple who are on the brink of getting a divorce.
"Are you sure you won't tell anyone?" Nayeon was the first to speak.
I nodded in a heartbeat. "I'm a woman of my word, I can assure you I won't tell a single soul about her majesty's identity. I don't want to die either, so you don't have to worry about anything"
Nayeon giggled, resting her cheek on her open palm. "You say that as if we'd actually kill you. Jihyo would probably throw you behind bars but I'm sure she wouldn't take your life. The worst thing she can do is exile you from the 5th world, that's all"
Going to jail is one thing, but being exiled from my homeland? I shivered at the thought. "I don't want to go through any of those..."
"That's good to know then" Jeongyeon uncrossed her arms. "We can't really do much now that Jihyo has put her trust in you, so our only option left is to trust you as well"
A smile slowly formed on my lips as I straightened my posture. "Thank you very much, Lady Yoo. I promise I won't disappoint you"
She nodded, seeming to be satisfied with my reply as she stood on her feet. "Let's get going then, your friends might be looking for you"
Nayeon and I got up at the same time before following after the captain. "Oh, by the way" She turned to me. "Darling, could you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Could you please force Jihyo into letting us stay here for the rest of the week? Just make up a good excuse and have her say yes. I'd appreciate it very much"
I stopped walking and began looking at her weirdly. "I have to do it?"
"Jihyo seems to have taken an interest in you. If you were the one asking then maybe she'd agree" Jeongyeon explained and earned a nod from Nayeon.
"Good girls listen to what adults say, so be a good girl and do what we say" The bunny smiled brightly. "Okay?"
"You're making it sound like you're super old. Our age gap isn't even that big..."
Nayeon's brow shot up in confusion. "5 years is plenty, though"
Ah, that's right... Lord Dandi took 3 years of my age which means I'm 5 years younger than Nayeon instead of only 2 years. Nayeon is currently 23 while Jeongyeon and Jihyo are 22.
A sigh of defeat escaped my lips. "I'll do what I can..."
"Good girl" Nayeon happily placed a kiss on the side of my mask as Jeongyeon ruffled my hair with a grin.
-
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled deeply and smiled. Morning classes were over and it was finally time to start training, nothing could make me more relieved.
Sitting in one room for several hours without a break made me feel like my brain was about to melt. Not only was it boring but also tiring, thank the gods it was over at last.
"Y/n, I'm taking this idiot to the infirmary. He ate something nasty and now he won't stop whining about how much his stomach hurts" Jennie's hand tapped my shoulder and pointed at her brother who was crouching in pain behind us.
"Need any help?" She shook her head, declining my offer before swinging Taehyung's arm over her shoulder to support him.
"It's fine, I got this. Just stick with Im and Yoo while we're gone, so you don't get lonely"
I watched them slowly walk away and turn to a corner, completely disappearing from my field of vision. I uncrossed my arms and also began walking to find the two yeons.
My search didn't take long after I heard 2 voices yelling and throwing insults like it was normal. I couldn't help but chuckle while observing the 2 girls bickering as usual.
"I told you to bring the green ones! Why did you get an entirely different color!?" Jeongyeon shouted, shoving a pair of pink socks in front of Nayeon's face.
The latter immediately smacked her hand away. "There weren't any green socks in your drawer, you should be grateful I even went to get you a pair!!"
Looks like they're arguing over something stupid again... I still don't understand how these girls are best friends when they can barely tolerate each other's shit.
"You two okay over there?"
Nayeon's eyes instantly lit up when she saw me coming closer. "Y/n, darling!" She threw herself into my arms, hugging me tightly.
I caressed the back of her head while Jeongyeon scoffed in disbelief at her friend's sudden change of attitude when I arrived.
"Yo, Jeongyeon" I greeted and waved at her.
She smiled with a sigh before pulling Nayeon away from me and resting her arm on my shoulder. "Let's go, Y/n. Staying with this old rabbit will only exhaust us"
"Rude!" The said girl glared at her partner. She quickly pinched her arm and then proceeded to hide behind me just before Jeongyeon could take revenge.
"Quit fighting, you two. We have training to attend to" I placed my hands behind their back and guided them to our destination.
"It's rare to see you away from the Kim Siblings, did something happen?"
"Taehyung ate something nasty, so Jennie took him to the infirmary" I answered Nayeon's question, making Jeong shake her head in disappointment.
"That guy eats just about anything given to him..."
"I'll try telling him off later, don't worry"
As we strolled through the spacious halls, a familiar figure caught my eye. "Oh, it's Queen"
The 2 turned to where I was looking, humming as we watched the mysterious girl walk ahead of us. Queen, a quiet and distant classmate of ours who hides her face with a mask.
Little is known about her and she has no friends. She rarely communicates and only makes acquaintances, always avoiding others and stays away from crowds.
The typical cold girl who has a rather odd codename...
"You know, I've been curious about her for a long time" Nayeon whispered.
Jeongyeon nodded. "We've been attending this academy for 6 months now, but we barely know anything about her"
"She's our classmate, too" I added, staring at Queen's back intently. "And yet we still don't know what she looks like"
"Well, it's not like it's any of our business anyway. If she wishes to stay mysterious then so be it, we can't just force her into making friends"
Completely agreeing with Jeongyeon's words, I tore my eyes away from Queen's back and focused on walking. We eventually reached our destination, lining up with everyone else and patiently waited for our instructor to appear.
-
Rolling my strained shoulders, I sighed loudly and leaned on Jeongyeon. "I'm so tired..."
She chuckled, snaking her arm behind me and rubbed my back. "That's surprising to hear"
"How so?"
"With all your stamina, you could climb the tallest mountain and still have the energy to do a victory dance. It's honestly odd to see you so exhausted like this"
"It's because I haven't been getting enough sleep these days" I yawned as a few tears escaped my eyes. She reached her hand out and wiped them away for me, patting my head.
"You should head straight to bed once you get home. Training without enough sleep is bad for your health"
"Yes, ma'am"
I've always admired how Jeongyeon treats people. Although she's mean and bossy towards Nayeon, she's always kind to others including me.
She can cook, clean and is good at taking care of kids─ she's the ideal wife. A shy smile stretched on my lips as I imagined a life with her as my wife.
I suddenly want to marry her...
"Stop cuddling there like a married couple" A hand that suddenly got in between us separated me from Jeongyeon. "I'm hungry, let's change clothes and eat" Nayeon huffed.
Well since Taehyung was sent home because of his condition, I might as well eat dinner with 2yeon at a nearby restaurant. Jennie was with her brother and I don't like eating alone, so I'll stick with these 2.
"Let's go then" We got up and grabbed our bags, making our way to the changing room.
It looks like everyone else had already gone home, the hallways were as empty as my wallet. It was honestly weird, the academy was usually filled to brim from morning to afternoon, some even stay till midnight to train─ not to mention we were dismissed only a few minutes ago.
"We should hurry, there's a festival going on in the capital city. There's a ton of good food being sold today"
Ah, so that's why...
"Well, what are we waiting for?" We gathered all our remaining energy and sprinted to the changing room, running with all our might as if a horde of danger beasts were chasing after us.
The moment we got there, I slammed the door open and quickly got inside without much thought. But the moment our eyes landed on a familiar back, we froze.
"Oh hey, Queen. I'm surprised to see you h─" I couldn't even finish my sentence when she turned around and froze as well.
Our eyes almost fell from their sockets as we stared in shock at the girl in front of us.
"You... Yo- You are..." Nayeon stammered, knees buckling and hands shaking from the shock.
"Holy crap..." Jeongyeon took multiple steps back before covering her mouth.
"Queen Park!?" I screamed, absolutely astonished by the unexpected face I was seeing.
Her beautiful face displayed a look of horror and annoyance as she instantly closed the door with magic. "I thought everyone went home, why are you still here!?" She screamed, marching to us and grabbed my collar.
"Pardon my rudeness, but that's what we should be asking you! Why is the reigning queen of this world here?!" Nayeon butted in, going in between us to stop the queen from ruining my shirt with her extremely tight grip.
"That's right, your majesty! Why are you attending Honor Academy as a trainee?!" Jeongyeon added.
Queen Jihyo's long sigh sounded like it held a lot of stress. Judging by the expression on her face, she looked immeasurably irritated with us. If she didn't have a reputation to uphold, she would've strangled us by now.
I gulped thickly when her burning glare met mine. "I assume all 3 of you already know what to do, right? If you speak a word of this to anyone else, I'll exile you from this world"
A shiver went down our spine at what she said. We quickly nodded our heads like obedient puppies while she sat on a chair in front of us, arms and legs crossed.
An eerie silence engulfed the room. No one dared to speak or even look the queen in the eye. The atmosphere was heavy and it was getting hard for us to breathe properly. It was seriously nerve-wracking...
"Since you're here why don't you accompany me to the festival?"
"Pardon?" We looked up from the ground in shock.
She's... not gonna yell at us? Wasn't she supposed to be furious since we unintentionally found out her identity? What's even more surprising is how she's suddenly inviting us out to have fun...
She sighed, picking up her things and putting her mask on. "You heard me, hurry up and get changed. That's an order"
Without a second thought, we immediately followed her commands and changed out of our training uniform and into casual clothing.
The moment we finished, Queen Jihyo didn't hesitate to leave first as we nervously followed behind her. The anxiety bubbling within us didn't seem like it'd stop soon─ considering how we were literally in the presence of our queen, I don't think it'll go away that easily.
Her aura was even more intimidating up close, I feel like I'm about to vomit from all the negative thoughts going on inside my head. Although she said we were accompanying her to the festival, we don't know if we'll actually make it there. What if she summoned a group of assassins to get rid of us along the way!?
Oh geez, I think I'm gonna be sick...
"You alright back there? You look awfully weak at the moment" Her majesty turned around, eyeing me up and down.
"I- I'm alright! I think I ate something nasty earlier, this must be the results" Lying my way out, I awkwardly chuckled while rubbing my sweaty nape.
"Hm, I guess even you make mistakes sometimes, huh?" She said before moving her legs again.
"May I ask what you mean by that?"
"You're Honor Academy's ace, aren't you? It hasn't even been a year since you joined but you've officially become the top trainee. Even I can't help but praise you sometimes, your power is truly incredible"
"I'm honored to receive such praise from her royal highness! Thank you very much, my queen!" I'm used to hearing compliments, but this one was seriously something worth remembering. After all, it was a queen who praised me, who wouldn't be overjoyed!?
"Jihyo" She twisted her neck a bit to look back at us. "Just call me Jihyo"
"Bu- But your majesty that's─" Nayeon tried to explain how disrespectful it would be for us to call her by her first name, but the queen didn't let her finish.
"Well you obviously can't call me 'your majesty' in a festival filled with thousands of people now, can you?"
That instantly made Nayeon shut up while Jihyo exhaled through her nose. "On second thought, call me by my code name since we're in public. You are only allowed to call me Jihyo when we're alone, do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear!" We simultaneously shouted, giving her a salute.
She giggled. "Now I'm sure you 3 must be curious as to why I'm currently attending Honor Academy as a trainee, so I'll be explaining the reason behind that now" She gestured us to walk closer and like the obedient puppies we were, we inched closer and listened carefully.
"It's simple, really" She started. "Being Queen is boring"
Damn, it really is simple...
"Sitting around all day in an empty throne room, doing mediocre tasks, wearing uncomfortable dresses, having meetings with old and boring men about the economy" Jihyo winced just by thinking about it.
"I could go on and on about how uneventful it is inside that damned palace, I can't even water my own garden and clean my own room because the maids refuse to let me work" She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing to herself.
"And when I do get busy half of my office gets flooded with paperwork! Do you know how tiring it is to read through a thousand papers that are asking approval for stupid things?"
She huffed. "Being a knight is waaay better than being queen, I can roam around freely while also helping my citizens. I can climb mountains, swim the ocean, conquer the sky and no one would bat an eyelash!"
After her little speech, all of us fell silent. Was she always this... whiny?
The 3 of us looked at each other, communicating through our eyes before bursting into a fit of laughter. Who knew the ever so graceful and elegant Queen Park could complain like a little girl behind closed doors?
And here I thought she was some kind of strict and terrifying woman who'd execute someone for insulting her. Turns out she was just like any ordinary girl out there who desires freedom and an eventful life.
"What's so funny?" She glared, immediately shutting us up. Okay, she's still a little terrifying...
But still, she seems like someone worth befriending. I'd feel bad leaving her alone and pretending none of this happened after hearing her complain like that.
"It's nothing" I grinned, mustering up the courage to rest my arm on her shoulder. "After hours of training, all I need right now is a fun time at the festival. Come on, let's hurry!"
The next thing we knew, the 4 of us were racing each other out of the academy and onto the festival.
"Last one there is paying for dinner!" I yelled and jumped over the barrel that was in my way.
"This isn't a fair race, you're way faster than us!" Jihyo retaliated while Nayeon laughed at her.
"Well if you don't wanna lose then you better run quickly, Jihyo!"
A fire ignited within Jeongyeon as she ran like her life depended on it. "The fun is just about to start!"
And there began the start of our friendship that'll surely last for an eternity.
-
"Y/n, Y/n wake up" I groaned, rolling to my side as the person next to me sighed. "Come on, Jihyo's gonna yell at you if you don't get up. That woman loves to complain"
I opened my left eye, twisting my neck to see Jeongyeon sitting there. "Up we go" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me up, smiling softly while fixing my hair and adjusting my slightly tilted mask.
"It's morning already?" I yawned and stretched my limbs.
She nodded, rummaging through my bag and handing me a clean set of clothes. "Hurry up and change. Nayeon's cooking breakfast for everyone, so come out of this tent once you're done changing" She crawled out of the tent, giving me a wave before leaving.
"She's as caring as ever" A soft smile stretched on my lips. "Some people really don't change, huh?"
-
Although it's a bit late to announce, T6W has officially reached 100k reads!!🥳🎉🎈🎊
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