Early morning. Twilight blue light filtered through the thin satin curtains. Adi, whose sleep was so sensitive that even such a small change could wake him, shaded his eyes with his hand. The eyelids were wet. He had a dream - it seemed not a pleasant one.
- Annoying...
It seemed like a nightmare about one terrible winter day. However, he didn’t really remember it.
Adi got out of bed, left his muslin nightgown right on the bed and went into the bathroom and turned on the water. Warm water immediately poured onto the body. Pale golden hair became wet, sticking to her neck and cheeks.
Adi looked down. The rounded breasts seemed to remind her that this was, in fact, a woman's body. Frowning, Adi immediately raised his head as if he had not seen anything. After staying under the streams of water for a few more minutes, he got out of the shower, somehow dried his body and put on a chemiz.
A leather chest brace was pulled over it, securing the straps to the shoulders and sides. Muscular knights had fuller breasts than women, so no suspicion arose with such bandaging.
Water dripped from wet hair, soaking the chemiz. Where the fabric got wet, it became transparent, exposing the skin.
Adi pulled his hair up and secured it, then put on stockings and secured it with a belt. He pulled on socks over the stockings, then pants. Then he put on his boots, put on a vest over his chemise and looked around at himself.
Is this what Adrian Grimaldi's face would have looked like if he had lived to his age?
Maybe his features would be sharper. Still a man. Although he is already over twenty-five, his face is still youthful. Will anything change after thirty?
Adi ran his hand over his smooth cheeks, on which there was not even a hint of stubble, and sighed. After thirty, the difference can become even more noticeable.
It would be better if this day came quickly so that we could end everything and return to the Grimaldi domain. But there was still no news from the count.
Adi lifted the collar of the shemiz, then tied a white krawat around his neck and tied it off. He attached a cameo with the emblem of the knightly order to the knot, smoothed his wet hair again, securing it tightly, and looked in the mirror again.
If he had scars on his face, wouldn't he look scary? But the body had an amazing ability to recover - any wounds would heal as soon as they got even a little wet. Regeneration was ridiculously fast. No matter how much you frown, you still won’t achieve a scary look.
Exhaling, Adi took out his dress uniform from the closet and put it on, then sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the sheath that was lying next to him. Drawing his sword, he heard the ringing sound of steel.
Taking care of the sword every night was a knightly virtue, so Adi, too, having finished all his work, lubricated and cleaned the sword until late at night. Although nothing bad could happen overnight, he carefully inspected the blade for damage, then put the sword back in its sheath, stood up, and clipped it to his belt.
Then he silently looked at the bedside table. There were small frames with portraits of Adrina and Adrian.
The little twins, dressed in the same color, were never drawn together. Adrian had a portrait where he is depicted with his family, but Adrina was not even given this opportunity.
And yet he is the one alive now.
Adi's gaze turned back to the bed. There were two more swords under the bed. But they haven't been available for a long time. Adi slowly turned around and headed towards the door.
- I'm off.
He said it as a goodbye.
Adrina, and maybe Adrian.
* * *The official looked at Adi Grimaldi with a concerned face. How many times has his unit changed since Adi was assigned to Palesa? Initially, he was assigned to the eleventh section of the first battalion of the Third Knightly Order of the Palace Guard.
“They say that this time you caused an incident again.”
At the official’s words, Adi scratched his ear with an irritated look. The official shook his head. Appearance and behavior did not match at all.
Adi Grimaldi, who looked as if he could not handle even a single sword properly, was fierce in temper, thinking only of himself, cruel in his treatment, indifferent to others, but never shied away from a fight if provoked.
The height is exactly average for an adult man, the physique is slender.
With such a pretty face, all he had to do was smile sweetly and he would be pampered everywhere. And yet he did not take such an easy path. Is he really Grimaldi?
“But how can you crush a person’s eggs?” He is the only legitimate heir of his family.
- What do I care?
“Last time you got into a fight and almost knocked out someone’s eye.”
“It was a fractured eye socket, not a broken eye.”
“I don’t know how many times I’ll have to make corrections to the knight’s notebook.” And in general, what to do with the emblem of the order? How many times are you going to alter your camisole?
— The Order does not change. It's just a different battalion, that's all.
- No, this time the emblem of the order will also change.
-...
At the official’s words, Adi froze.
Three orders of knighthood are housed in the Palace of Pales. Unless special circumstances arise, most knights are members of the Third Order of Knighthood. You can get into the First or Second only if certain conditions are met.
Changing the order's emblem - doesn't this mean that she is being kicked out of the palace? Then what to do? Become a free knight and get out of here? Perhaps there is a way to escape from this damned country?
Adi doesn't like Palesa. Hates Palesa. Adrina felt this way, which means Adrian hardly felt much differently.
My heart beat faster. What if you manage to free yourself from this yoke? Not being tied to him anymore, not being tied to him... will it work?
- So I'm being kicked out?
What then should I say to the Count?
- Are they kicking you out? No matter how it is. You are being transferred to the Second Order of Knighthood.
-...
She didn't expect this. Seeing Adi's eyes widen in amazement, the official clicked his tongue again. If he had shown such a look to his comrades, he would not have known any troubles. Although they would spoil him in a slightly different sense.
The official was not going to reproach Adi Grimaldi for deliberately choosing the difficult path instead of the easy one. After all, he himself knows perfectly well how to live peacefully, but he still chooses differently.
Adi Grimaldi's face became strangely distorted.
- Damn it.
Of course, the official expected to hear something bad, but to immediately start with swearing - truly, Adi does not disappoint expectations.
-Are you crazy?
- Blame your pretty face.
- So, then, their lordships are ready to treat bazaar speech leniently if the mug is good?
- You will have to be lenient. If you don't want to lose your head.
-...Only skilled fighters are recruited there.
-You are also a skilled fighter.
“Then I would have been assigned there right away.”
“No one knew then that you were so skilled.”
The official decided that he would have to change the carpet on the floor, and then a small thought came to him: I wonder what made Adi Grimaldi like this?
He probably got his pretty face from the Countess, but where does his character come from? They say about Spencer Grimaldi that he is cruel, but not violent.
- Fuck your mother.
- Express yourself more decently.
“Isn’t it enough that the face is good?” Surely the speech must also be good?
- ...OK. Keep up the good work you've been doing, Your Worship.
The official did not deny it. And I couldn’t deny it from the very beginning.
“You will be assigned to the first section of the first battalion of the Second Order of Knighthood.” Here's a new knight's notebook.
There were only two conditions for admission to the Second Knightly Order of the Palace of Pales, where Adi Grimaldi was transferred.
- You're lucky. Those who know how to make money with their faces gathered there.
One of them is appearance.
The Second Order of Chivalry consists of knights who specialize in protecting high-born nobles visiting the Palesa. Outstanding skills and appearance. If at least one of these requirements is not met, it is impossible to get into the Second Order of Knighthood. Therefore, a transfer there from another order was considered unthinkable.
The requirements for the first department were especially strict.
- Here, the appointment order.
The official handed over a piece of paper with a calm expression. Adi silently stared at the document.
- Just don’t be a brawler there.
Even if you refused, it was impossible to return an order that had already been received.
“However, you won’t be able to make a fuss there.”
Adi, without answering, jerked out the paper and stood up. The official called out to the departing Adi:
- Grimaldi.
Adi stopped and turned around, looking at the official only out of the corner of his eye.
“They say Duke Woodpecker is coming.”
Having said this, the official pointed to himself. Adi opened his mouth for a moment, then closed his lips, turned around and walked out. Looking at the door slamming shut with a thud, the official grinned.