Selena stared blankly at the arrow. “I obviously just aimed and shot at the bull’s-eye….” She murmured.
It seems that she had no talent whatsoever in archery.
Well that was okay. As they say, a genius in one field can be a hopeless mess in another. Selena gave a jerk and lowered her bow, as she said: “I think that I need to practice a lot. I will practice more thoroughly from tomorrow.”
The instructor shook his head and said, “Before that,” he pointed his hand towards the place where the arrow had flown, “Pick it up.”
“…Yes?”
“Pick it up.”
‘God damn it’ Selena rubbed her forehead
“You have to be back in five minutes and continue practicing!”
Selena found this to be greatly humiliating. She bit her teeth and broke into a run.
***
“Even if you shoot, do you have to shoot so far away…?” Selena scowled as she scratched her back, as she dug out the arrows.
Somehow, she felt that things have been twisted since the first day. And it was very troublesome to go to two classes every day.
She was not actually scared of getting married or going to a matchmaker’s meeting. Though she did not have much experience with dating in her previous life, she was still able to hold her own for a long time.
However… If she grabbed attention in any way…. She didn’t like it. Nor was it a situation that she wanted to imagine. If she made a single mistake and it was found out that she was a woman…
Selena patted her chest down and saw that it was still flat.
No matter how identical she was to Celestine, she couldn’t avoid having the skeletal structure of her gender. She was a woman in military uniform.
Though no one looked closely at her right now, no one can predict what could happen in the future.
She should avoid being noticeable as much as possible. It was essential that no one ever found out that she wasn’t her brother.
‘It just meant that the basic average should be maintained.’
Selena gave a long sigh, ‘Celestine, just come back. I will give you a concussion.’
“Where did the arrow go again?” She was sure that it had fallen at the back of the training field, where the grass grew lushly. Finding an arrow in such a place was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Selena looked around nervously, ruffling her hair.
Just then, not so far away there was a glint of an arrowhead. She walked quickly towards it.
“I couldn’t find it because of where I was standing…” But she couldn’t finish her statement. Because, Ignis was standing right in front of the place, where the arrow was stuck.
Selena could only blink without saying anything. Because he was the last person she wanted to encounter.
“You….” The man narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be observing Selena’s face, “Celestine Evans, right?”
Ignis, the person she never ever wanted to face, was standing right in front of her.
‘Why?…..Why?… Didn’t I make a pledge just an hour ago to never face him?’ Selena thought with frustration.
Didn’t she keep an eye out so that she would never meet this man and stand out in his eyes?
But what was this situation. This was a classic example of when things can go wrong, they will definitely go wrong. She thought that perhaps her horoscope today had the worst fortune.
“Sir Celestine Evans. That is your name correct?” Ignis smiled as he held his hand out for a handshake, as if he cared whether he got her name correct or not.
Selena shuddered as she quickly nodded.
It was awkward. She was reminded of the etiquette rule which said that you should never make eye contact without permission, when you face a member of the Imperial family.
Even in this situation, the fact that she was worried about etiquette made her give out a self-deprecating laugh.
“Yes, I am honored to meet you, your majesty.” Selena shook Ignis’ hand
“How do you know me?” Ignis asked in a surprised tone.
Selena flinched and quickly let go of his hand “Uh….. Three years ago, I saw you for the first time from a distance, when you returned victoriously from the battle with the Penoc Kingdom.”
Of course, it was all a lie. Selena silently rolled her eyes and said “Your majesty’s appearance was so outstanding when you entered in the parade. How could I forget it?”
It can be said that everything that came out of her mouth was to overcome this situation as fast as possible. Selena gulped, suppressing her nervousness.
“Haha, though you don’t look like it, you’re really good at making jokes. Raise your head.”
“…Yes? Even if I look up, I don’t think that I should look at your majesty’s face.” Though Selena was reluctant to do so, she could not help but raise her head.
And squarely met Ignis’ eyes in front of her. Ignis, when seen up close, had a much more striking appearance than she had imagined.
His large, red eyes with long lashes were sharp but moist at the same time and the raised nose was smooth enough to draw a curved line over it.
His red lips that contrasted with his white skin felt seductive along with his fluffy silver hair all of the combined so beautifully together and made him look perfect.