Though with great difficulty and Cecilia's help, the King was able to persuade the Knight of the Bloody Rose to wait for them and not begin the operation alone.

At the King's command, the King's Blades, the six strongest knighted families, began urgent preparations for battle against the Dark Lizards. Also, all forces were enlisted as soldiers alerted the inhabitants and distributed food to them. The inhabitants, in turn, helped in every way possible to build protective structures.

'Well, well, they're really serious. I didn't expect that a group of some assassins could force an entire kingdom into action.' Wain muttered to himself while watching the second and first rank knights of the House of the White Lily train.

The knights were simultaneously swinging their swords and practicing techniques that could help them survive as two charming girls watched them.

"Why did you call me?" Cecilia asked while picking up a porcelain cup of tea.

She was sitting on the veranda on the second floor of the White Lily's mansion that invited her for tea.

"Hmm? Do I need a reason to want to know more about the sister of the best knight in the kingdom that has long neglected his duties?" White Lily said before taking a sip.

"I see my brother didn't beat you up for nothing, you learned some manners." Cecilia smiled in a snide manner, "Actually, you're very lucky he wanted to humiliate you and not kill you."

"I admit, since I'm the youngest of the Royal Blades, I didn't know much about the Blood Rose, even among Royal Blades, not everyone is equal, but shouldn't that apply to you too?" While Lily said in an ice-cold voice.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Cecilia leaned naked on her arm.

"You're talking to one of the Royal Blades right now, being only the second knight of the House of the Bloody Rose. Don't you think that's inappropriate?"

"Huh, you want me to respect you? I'm sorry, but I don't think so. I can't have respect for someone whose head my brother stomped on like a bug." Cecilia shrugged her shoulders.

While Lily was infuriated by this attitude as the cup in her hands shook and her aura became chaotic, but some time later, she was able to calm down.historical

"You're pretty cocky, but you must follow the cardinal rule of knights anyway." White Lily said with a serious look.

"Hmm?" Cecilia tilted her head.

"The weak must obey the strong, right?"

"Yes. You want to fight me to make me respect you?" Cecilia raised her eyebrows.

"Exactly." While Lily nodded, "The strongest knight taught me a lesson, then it's my turn to do it, so we'll start right now."

Whoooooosh.

White Lily drew her rapier from its sheath as she instantly attacked.

Cecilia's pupils narrowed, and with a kick of her foot, she threw the table upwards that pierced the rapier.

"Away!" While Lily exclaimed as she shredded the table into small pieces.

"Damn, I thought we were going to finish our tea first..." Cecilia muttered while looking at the shards of a cup on the floor, "My brother definitely wouldn't like that."

"He's not here. I'm your adversary!" While Lily turned into a flash that reached Cecilia.

Clang.

Cecilia reacted quickly as she blocked the attack with her sword, but then Lily turned around and attacked again at the same point.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A shiver went through the entire floor as the impact of the attack tossed Cecilia aside. She did a somersault in the air and landed elegantly on the training ground as dozens of knights stared at her with dazed looks.

"This place is more suited for battle, don't you think?" Cecilia asked as her sword was covered in rose petals.

"Everyone, away!" White Lily said in a menacing voice before leaping toward Cecilia.

The knights immediately retreated. They did not expect that suddenly their leader would start fighting someone who was not even one of the Royal Blades.

"Who is this girl? Why is the Mistress so angry with her?" Someone asked.

"I don't know. They were drinking tea, but suddenly something happened." His buddy said.

"Fools, look at her sword! She's definitely from the House of the Bloody Rose!" The knight exclaimed.

"Wait... Bloody Rose... Isn't that the Royal Blade that disbanded all the knights?"

"Yeah... Something like that, but... then who is this girl?"

The knights were puzzled, so they whispered to each other as they tried to figure out what was going on here.

"Silence!" Cecilia exclaimed, and all the knights fell silent, "Remember, all of you, I am the sister of the strongest knight in the kingdom as well as the second knight of the House of the Bloody Rose! Now you will see what I am capable of!"

Cecilia plunged her sword into the ground since the training ground trembled as if in an earthquake, then dozens of spiky vines burst from beneath the ground and headed for While Lily.

"You're too cocky!" While Lily exclaimed as her hand turned into a blur.

She attacked with her rapier more than ten times in an instant as she shattered all the vines and headed toward Cecilia.

Cecilia stepped forward as they clashed. It was a confrontation not only between the two families but also between the rapier and the sword.

Whooooooooosh.

Suddenly a shadow appeared between them that, with its fingertips, touched their weapons, so it stopped them both.

"Well, well, shouldn't two beautiful girls fight so fiercely? It's not elegant at all." A tall man with long black hair and amber eyes said with a slight smile on his face.

"Who are you?" White Lily exclaimed as she tried to attack, but she couldn't even move from her seat.

'What?! He's only holding a rapier with two fingers! How is that possible?! White Lili inwardly exclaimed.

The man was wearing dark armor with a picture of a bloody rose on his back.

"Cecilia, I didn't mean to interfere, but your brother sent me to get you, so I can't keep him waiting."

"Lucian..." Cecilia muttered with a dazed look, "I thought you weren't coming back..."

"Huh, I'll always be a part of the Bloody Rose House."