Nameless King

"The King? What does he want?" Knight of the Bloody Rose asked with a disgruntled look.

"I don't know. I'm only delivering you a message!" The man exclaimed while clasping his palm to his chest, "Something urgent has come up. Please come with me, the King is waiting for you."

"Brother, has something happened?" Cecilia approached them as she removed her apron and set it aside.

"Oh, Miss Cecilia, you are here too, what luck. The King said to call you too." The man smiled.

"Damn, what does that senile old man want?" Knight of the Bloody Rose shook his head in a disgruntled manner, "All right, let's go, but I'm not going to do anything, and remember, because of you, I didn't eat my soup."

The man didn't answer anything. He just nodded since he didn't realize whether the Knight of the Bloody Rose was in a good mood.

"Cecilia, get ready."

"I'm ready now!" The girl exclaimed as she was already wearing a set of white armor with a long silver sword on her belt.

"Good. Let's get this over with as soon as possible, hopefully by the time we get back, the soup won't be cold yet." Knight of the Bloody Rose muttered before stepping forward.

"Wait! You're going to appear before the King like that?!" The man exclaimed with a confused look.

Knight of the Bloody Rose was wearing only a shirt, a metal chain, and pants, so outwardly he looked like a commoner.

"Yeah... Do you have a problem with that?" The Knight of the Bloody Rose said with an ice-cold look as though he could pierce a man with one look.

"N-No! Of course not! I'm sorry, I'm just not used to seeing a knight without armor." The man flinched as he stepped aside.

"Let's go." The Knight of the Bloody Rose headed forward.

...

Because of the heavy rain, the streets of the city were deserted, so they didn't encounter a single person on their way to the castle until they reached the main gate.

Two guards in bulky armor with halberds stood at the entrance like gatekeepers.

"Who are you?" One of the guards asked in a menacing voice when he saw the man.

"The king called us!" The man uttered as he raised his head.

"Huh, really? It doesn't sound like the King was expecting someone like you." The guard said in a mocking manner as a smirk appeared on his face.

"What... but..."

"Eh, I haven't been here long, but some things don't change. Those two useless idiots are still standing here." A serene voice rang out behind the man.

"Hmm? Who's that cheeky bastard?!" The second guard exclaimed as he prepared to fight.

Whooooooooosh.

A flash of light flashed near the guards. They reacted instantly, but when they noticed the blue hair, they froze as if petrified.

"Well, well, can't I get into the castle now?" Knight of the Bloody Rose asked while shaking his head in a non-approving manner.

"Of course not!" The guards simultaneously exclaimed as they opened the gate for him, "Please come in. I'm sorry we didn't see you right away!"

"All right, I forgive you this time." The Knight of the Bloody Rose waved his hand with a careless look as he stepped inside.

Cecilia followed him with a smile on her face. It wasn't the first time she'd seen a scene like this, and each time she was proud of the heights her brother had reached.

"Damn... I guess I don't fully understand the importance of this man..." The man muttered to himself, "Even the royal guards are afraid of him... It's incredible..."

...

They walked through a wide corridor into the main hall of the castle, there where the King and a few other people were.

The King was an old man with a long white beard but a sly look. He was sitting in a splendid chair at a massive wooden table with knights in white armor that stood near it.

"Oh, good. The ones we've waited so long for have finally arrived." The King said with a slight smile on his face as he waved his hand.

The knights turned around since some of them had a disgruntled look on their faces.

"Hey, why do you keep us waiting? Do you really think you're so special?" The girl with the long white hair spoke in a rough manner.

"White Lily, you don't have to be so rude. He is special, for him, I could wait even a few hours if necessary." The King shook his head.

"Pfft, I don't see anything special about him. He's just a simple upstart that undeservedly got his fame." The girl frowned.

The Knight of the Bloody Rose looked at her, tilted his head, and asked, "Old man, what kind of noise kid is that?"

"What did you say?!" She exclaimed with an angry look.

"Stop." The King said as he slapped his staff on the floor, "This beautiful girl is the new head of the House of the White Lily, you should not treat her with disdain, she is the best with a rapier in the kingdom."

"A rapier? Huh, that weapon is only good for showing off during fairs." The Knight of the Bloody Rose shook his head, "Since when did the Royal Blades get clowns?"

The Royal Blades were knights from eight of the kingdom's strongest families. However, as of late, one of the families had stopped interacting with the King due to personal tragedy.

"Bastard!" The White Lily could not bear such humiliation, so she pulled her rapier from its sheath and attacked the Knight of the Bloody Rose.

Whooooooosh.

She reached for it instantly, but at the last moment, before she attacked, she stopped as a shudder ran through her body.

The dark blade with the rose petals on it was at her throat, so if she'd taken even one more step, her head would have fallen from her shoulders.

"How... is that possible...?" White Lily muttered with a shocked look while in disbelief.