Wings of Ivory and Edge of Steel, Part II

The girl before me was definitely not someone ordinary.

Crimson eyes that seemed to be on fire. Shining silver hair neatly tied up in a bun. Long, pointy ears like elves’ in fantasy stories. As if those unusual features were not enough, she was also blessed with a doll-like face that charmed people regardless of their gender. At least it should, if not for the fact that her fiery gaze was one that could seemingly pierce my body like a laser beam, and the fact that she wore a sabre by her waist which might pierce my heart for real.

Averting her inquisitive gaze, I took a step back and looked at her again. A black-and-red uniform and a solid posture. Gold-and-black insignias on her shoulders. The long handle of aforementioned sabre, elegantly decorated in silver patterns, and her hand that was instinctively holding the said handle. A subtle smile, or perhaps, a smirk that conveyed wariness and surprise, but also the delight of seeing an unforeseen opportunity. She was, quite obviously, a military veteran despite her tender age.

Who is her? What is the reason for her visit? Why is such a young person a soldier? I had so many questions, but judging by her attitude and her reaction, one thing was unquestionable: whether it was my previous life or this one, I’ve never met someone overflowing with determination and ambition like her, just like I’ve never met someone overflowing with arrogance and curiosity like Dandelion.

“…Your majesty…?” The girl probed me with her words, her hand still holding the sabre. She was wary of me.

“What…? You must have mistaken me for someone else, young lady.” I was still pissed that someone disturbed my peaceful morning.

“I must have.” She quickly backtracked and released her hand from the sabre’s handle. “I am here to see Her Excellency the Witch for official business. May I ask you to lead me to her?”

“Dandelion is still sleeping. She’s not gonna wake up until noon. Can you please go back? I will pass along your message.”

“I will wait, then. I must discuss my business with Her Excellency as soon as possible. Please lead the way inside.”

“I might consider that if you tell me what your business is, who you are and who sent you. I can’t let a stranger into my place after all.”

“I have no obligation to answer you.” She replied coldly. “Why not introduce yourself first?”

“Will you tell me who you are afterwards, then?”

“It depends on your answer.”

A moment of silence passed, and neither of us was willing to back down. It wasn’t until a certain blonde head popped up over the corner that this silence was broken.

“Ah, Grey, you are here. What’s happening here ---” Neil came down the stairs and recognised the silver-haired, red-eyed visitor. “Lieutenant Claudia! I haven’t seen you for a while. Are you here for the business with master again? Please come inside.”

“It’s been a while, Neil. I am here on behalf of the Imperial Army and I have some urgent business with your master.” The girl recognised Neil, and her attitude visibly softened. “By the way, who is this man?” She asked.

“Grey? He’s the master’s new assistant.” Neil replied. “It seems that you two already talked to each other. Why not come in and continue your conversation? I will make a cuppa for you two.”

The Lieutenant visibly frowned; she was not happy with the idea that she had to talk to me alone. “Thanks, Neil, but I must talk to Her Excellency now. I can’t waste any time ---”

“Oh, don’t worry! She’s still sleeping and you know it will take a while to wake her up. Just come inside and sit down first!” Before the Lieutenant had a chance to speak, Neil disappeared beyond the stairs.

“So you weren’t lying.” Lieutenant Claudia stared at me. Her eyes was still filled with distrust.

“Why should I lie? What made me suspicious? I am just a normal young man, currently employed by that witch,” I replied, “unless you thought that my hair colour and my eye colour are strange. But yours are exactly the same, Your Highness the Princess.”

“You noticed.” The Lieutenant was completely unfazed. “It’s not like I am trying to hide it. But you didn’t know who I am at first. How did you find out?”

“It’s a guess. You thought I was similar to someone in the Imperial family, despite that we should have never met before. The only thing I could see why you thought that way would be that my hair colour and my eye colour. Silver hair and red eyes must be rare even here, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they are considered to be characteristics of the Imperial family. The fact that you have the same hair colour and eye colour means that you must be related to the Imperial family.”

“Is that the only reason?” The Lieutenant was not yet satisfied.

“You are a teenager, but you are already a mid-ranking officer, which means you have strong backing. Your fancy sabre must be very expensive, possibly a family heirloom. You are a high-ranking noble, even though you don’t necessarily behave like one.”

The Lieutenant chuckled. “You are really an impertinent man, aren’t you? Aren’t you afraid that you could get into trouble by acting rudely?”

“I am not afraid. We are not in the Empire anyways. Besides, I don’t believe Your Highness is a narrowminded person that will punish me for telling the truth.”

“And you are right…” The Lieutenant sighed. “Her Excellency surely only likes to gather oddballs. And this arrogance… Are you sure you aren’t related to the Imperial family? Like an illegitimate child of the Emperor or something. Only members of the Imperial family have red eyes and silver hair.”

“No, fortunately. I am a wanderer from another world, and I only arrived here a few weeks ago.” I replied. “Let me introduce myself again. I am Grey, who is currently working as the assistant of Dandelion.”

“’Fortunately’… You are a rude man.” The Lieutenant sighed. “I am Augusta Claudia Eugenia von Clausewitz, First Princess of the Vestinian Empire. Please call me Lieutenant Claudia or just Claudia. Nice to meet you, Mr Assistant.”

“Me too, Princess Augusta. Since we will probably see each other again, I hope we could have a friendly relationship in the future.”

“For sure, Mr Assistant.”

Somehow, I felt that it would be a long time until an amiable relationship will be possible.