Chapter 17
Arriving at the Lepia Palace, Jaina looked around.
As a child, she used to visit every Founding Day, holding her father and mother’s hands—but it was still an unfamiliar and overwhelming place.
Even the annex, reserved for military use, was grand and beautiful.
This year, the number of royal knights applicants had reached an all-time high.
The waiting room was packed with brawny men.
They all looked incredibly strong.
“Will I really be chosen?”
Having taught herself swordsmanship, Jaina wasn’t sure how skilled she truly was.
What if they mocked her?
Her confidence steadily dwindled.
The test was simple: one-on-one sparring.
This format reflected the opinion of Knight Commander Andre, who believed a duel revealed a knight’s real ability, talent, temperament—even their past.
Before she knew it, it was Jaina’s turn, and she faced her opponent.
A man named Arnold—twice her size.
He had graduated top of his class from the knight academy and was dumbfounded to see her as his opponent.
It was already infuriating enough to be matched with someone who looked so weak—but a woman?
Arnold felt humiliated at the idea of sparring with a woman.
In his eyes, women should be protected like flowers in a vase. He couldn’t understand why she was trying to become a knight.
Meanwhile, Jaina was horrified to see Arnold standing in front of her.
He was the one person she’d hoped not to be paired with.
Among the three sisters, Jaina was always the unluckiest when it came to picks—and today was no different.
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“That’s the girl!”
Luihardt spotted the female applicant at last and cheered inwardly.
He was glad he had followed Andre’s advice and kept his identity hidden.
Wearing a robe that concealed his hair and face, Luihardt avoided drawing attention or stares—which he greatly preferred.
He leaned back into his chair to get a better view of the duel.
Though her face was hidden by a helmet, her tall and slender frame was clearly that of a woman.
“Talk about bad luck.”
Maybe it was just because her opponent was much larger, but Jaina really did seem to be at a disadvantage.
Luihardt couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“Begin the match!” Andre shouted.
Arnold swung his oversized greatsword at Jaina with brute force.
She dodged quickly.
The humming sound as the blade cut the air testified to how much power was behind the swing.
The match was one-sided.
Arnold used his strength to attack relentlessly, while Jaina struggled to evade.
Everyone watching assumed that if even one of those strikes landed, the match would be over instantly.
“…Wait a moment!”
In the middle of the match, Jaina called out.
To ensure fairness and safety, the royal knight entrance exams encouraged contestants to speak up if there was a problem.
In a previous match, one applicant even asked to use the bathroom—much to the judges’ annoyance.
“Is there a problem?”
“Is armor mandatory?”
Although armor was provided for safety, it wasn’t required.
One previous applicant had fought without a helmet because his head was too big to fit into any of them.
“It’s not mandatory, but the royal family won’t be liable for any injuries,” Andre replied.
Jaina beamed brightly at the response.
She removed the borrowed, iron-like helmet and tossed it aside.
With the helmet came the release of her hair tie.
Her long, brown hair unfurled, capturing the gaze of everyone present.
“She’s actually… beautiful.”
They had assumed the drawing in her application was fake.
But she looked like a deer in the wild—a woman so beautiful it seemed unreal.
She was even more stunning in person than in her portrait.
Above all, her green eyes sparkled like the finest emeralds.
Jaina didn’t stop there—she removed her leg guards as well.
Only her chest and arm guards remained.
“If she gets hit now, her bones will shatter…”
Andre believed Jaina would lose, so at the very least, she should be wearing protection.
Still, since she insisted, he could say no more. He just hoped nothing terrible would happen.
The match resumed.
Though Jaina was strikingly beautiful, Arnold believed a duel should be treated seriously and held his sword firmly once again.
Now wearing only partial armor, Jaina moved with incredible speed.
Before anyone realized, she had closed the gap and struck Arnold’s abdomen with force.
The tide had turned.
Arnold was always one beat behind Jaina.
No matter how powerful the attack, it was useless if it didn’t land.
Plus, his swings were so forceful they left him vulnerable during recovery.
Jaina didn’t miss her opportunities and kept attacking.
Arnold, unable to keep up with the rapid strikes, soon lost his balance and collapsed.
“Match over. Jaina Emeldia wins!”
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“Why?”
Luihardt slammed his desk in protest.
“I understand. Her swordsmanship is excellent, fast, and intelligent. But she’s not knight material,” said Andre, organizing the list of accepted applicants.
This is why he hadn’t wanted to review the test with the crown prince.
Apparently, Luihardt had become very emotionally invested.
“But she won.”
“This isn’t the Colosseum. It’s not about winning or losing. We’re assessing if they’re suited to be knights. Jaina is talented, yes, but her swordsmanship is unorthodox and too wild—likely because she never attended the academy. She wouldn’t mesh with the other knights. Her skills would be better suited for mercenary work or as a private guard.”
Andre had overseen the royal knight entrance exams for many years.
From experience, he knew that sword skills alone didn’t guarantee survival in the royal knight order.
Hierarchy and discipline were vital traits—among them, “conformity” was key.
He didn’t want to see Jaina fail, but he’d seen too many like her join on skill alone, only to be ostracized or quit soon after.
To Andre, Jaina wasn’t a hunting dog—she was a wild wolf.
“Then she can be my personal guard.”
As if solving a simple problem, Luihardt clapped his hands and smiled.
It was just like the prince—rumored to be the only person who could beat the emperor in a verbal spar.
“Her name was Jaina, right? I appoint her as my bodyguard. Why not? She’ll blend in better than most regular guards… and Andre, you can teach her how to integrate like a knight.”
“Your Highness… don’t tell me…”
Andre narrowed his eyes with suspicion.
“I-it’s not like that!!”
Realizing Andre’s implication, Luihardt flinched and shouted.
Even if Jaina was beautiful, he didn’t harbor such lecherous thoughts.
Ever since he had fallen for Angelina, no other woman had caught his eye.
His interest in Jaina was purely from admiration for her swordsmanship.
And as the future emperor, he believed it was wrong to overlook such a rare talent.
“…If the budget comes from Your Highness’s side, then I have no objections.”
Andre relented.
Unlike the royal knight order that operated within strict budget limits, the crown prince had effectively unlimited funds.
And as Luihardt said—maybe even a wild wolf could become a loyal hound with proper training.
As commander of the knights, Andre also felt a strong desire to teach someone of her caliber.
He added “Jaina Emeldia” to the list of accepted applicants.
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“Match over. Jaina Emeldia wins!”
Helene jumped up and screamed with joy.
Her throat was hoarse from cheering, but her face beamed with happiness.
It was worth sneaking out with a few coins to see the entrance exam in the capital.
Wearing a royal maid’s uniform, Helene had secretly watched the duel live.
No exaggeration—this felt even better than when Korea made it to the World Cup round of 16.
She had never seen Jaina smile so brightly or purely before, despite being drenched in sweat.
Helene had always believed in Jaina’s skills, but when she saw her paired with Arnold, she’d thought there was no way to win based on size or strength.
Yet Jaina far exceeded her expectations—she was on a whole other level.
She’d never gone to the knight academy, and her only sword training had come from her father in childhood—everything else was self-taught.
Even in those terrible conditions, she’d won.
Helene couldn’t have been prouder.
Even if winning didn’t guarantee acceptance, there was no way they’d overlook someone who beat a monster like Arnold.
Once Jaina’s match ended, Helene quickly changed clothes and hid in a royal cargo carriage to sneak back out of the palace.
Oh Andre… I thought you would be Jaina’s ML