It was like a beautiful portrait, painted in bright colours with the most delicate brushstrokes. The young men gathered on the training field to spar stared at the sight of the girl in awe. They all blushed nervously in her direction and shied away from her gaze.

She had soft features: a round face, small, curved nose, and round eyes. Dylan's curly, golden hair was gathered into a ponytail down her back. It glistened in the afternoon heat, reflecting the sun's rays.

Her long pants clung to her thighs and were tucked into training boots. She wore a long-sleeve cotton shirt, snug enough to show her physique without clinging to it. Although she was skinny, she had soft curves in all the right places.

It was an odd sight—a woman with a sword. It was considered improper and unladylike for a noble woman to wield a weapon. It would surely affect Dylan's reputation, but she didn't care. She was already widely known as the illegitimate child of the Duke.

"Lady Dylan."

She turned around to see the voice that was speaking to her. And when she turned she saw strawberry blonde hair.

"Lord Lucas," she said awkwardly, not knowing how to greet him after their last encounter.

He paused, then looked at her. "Would you like the spar with me?" he asked.

Dylan hesitated, glancing around in search of him. She spotted Axil walking towards her from across the field and instantly paled.

She turned around quickly, like a nervous animal, and said, "Let's go."

When they got to a free spot on the field, she unsheathed her sword. Its light and well-balanced design made it easy to handle. As much as she despised the meaning behind the sword, she couldn't deny its splendour.

"I didn't know milady was interested in swordsmanship," Lucas said, drawing his blade with a skillful gesture.

"I'm more interested in swordsmanship tactics rather than swordsmanship itself."

The boys on the training field gathered round them to watch the match. They whispered excitedly, wondering how long Dylan could last against Lucas.

"Well," Lucas said with a slight chuckle, "feel free to use any tactics you want on me."

"Really?" she asked, smirking.

"Really."

Dylan took a few steps back and flinched at the first contact of his sword with her own. She parried, deflecting her opponent's blade out of the way.

"Not bad," Lucas said, backing up again. "You managed to block pretty well."

"I think you're underestimating me," she said coldly, "brother."

She took a few steps, moving sideways. Lucas adjusted his stance to line up with the direction she was in, but the sun blinded his eyes. In the brief second he was dazed by the bright light, Dylan slashed her sword downward at him.

Lucas nearly missed the block, staggering backwards to regain his balance. He stared at her, too shocked to speak.

The first thing Dylan did before their match was assess the environment around her. She figured out how to use the sun's direction to her advantage.

"Like I said," she told him, gripping her sword will a firm hold. "I like tactics."

Lucas blinked at her. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Instead of answering, she charged forward, lifting her arms and sword above her head. By doing this, she created an open opportunity for her opponent to attack her unprotected body.

Just as Lucas charged towards her, she blocked his attack and pushed her foot against his body with as much force as possible. Lucas staggered backwards, tripped over something and fell hard on the ground.

"You might be stronger than me," she said, the tip of her blade lined up with his throat. "But you can't outsmart me."

For a moment he was shocked by her words, then he laughed till tears started to his eyes. "Ha," he said, wiping the tears with his sleeve. "A Red Coat is a Red Coat for a reason."

The crowd around them erupted in cheers and applause.

Lucas rose up on one elbow and frowned, staring at the large rock he had tripped over. "Did you know that was there?" he asked.

'Obviously, I intentionally set you up to trip over it.'

Taking him by the right hand, she helped him up. "Spar with me once every day," she said.

Lucas hesitated, dusting off his dirty pants. "Only if you call me brother from now on—like you did during our match."

Dylan was silent a long time and then she finally spoke, "Why?"

"I don't know what kind of relationship you had with our—no, sorry—my father. However, you are still my sister, whether you want to be or not. Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Dylan glanced at the crowd, searching for Axil's face. If she sparred once with Lucas each practice, then Axil couldn't tell the Duke she skipped. She also wouldn't have to deal with Axil's aggressive sword during a match.

"Okay," she said after a moment of silence, "brother."

After practice, rumours spread about the Duke's adopted daughter. It became widely known that she was not only exceptionally smart and a Red Coat, but an exceptional swordsman as well.

People then began to question her origins and the real reason behind her adoption. It couldn't have been a coincidence that the child he adopted was both exceptionally smart and competent with a sword.

Why would the Duke bring in a child with skills that surpass his own son—the heir apparent?

***

Dylan sighed as she trudged toward her room. She feigned ignorance, but kept her ears open towards the whispers around her. The rumours circulating about her could be useful in the future.

People began to see Dylan as a threat to Axil's position as successor. Since she had an intellectual ability significantly higher than average, it was only natural for people to question if Axil really was most suited to rule over the Duchy of Beaumon.

Since legitimacy affected a child's right to inherit a hereditary title; whether she was an adopted child or an illegitimate child; Dylan had no right to the position as successor. That is unless Axil was legally removed or banished from the Beaumon household.

Peoples' eyes will soon turn to Axil. They'll try to figure out why the Duke needed to bring in a backup.

'I can start rumours stating he's incompetent. That way, when he falls, it won't be as suspicious.'

Dylan glanced up and spotted a man leaning against her bedroom door. In one hand, he held a pocket watch that he stared at while tapping his foot. In the other, he held a beautiful bouquet of white roses.

"Lady Dylan," he said upon seeing her. He straightened himself and bowed politely. "I deeply apologize for my sudden visit. My name is Victor Olio, serving His Highness. I come bearing important news."



AUTHOR'S NOTE

Just to clarify:

Since Dylan is a Red Coat and a skilled swordsman, people are starting to question whether Axil is more suited to inherit the Dukedom over her. It seems suspicious that the Duke adopted a child with exceptional skills that surpass his biological son and heir apparent.

As such, Dylan plans to spread rumours that he is incompetent and not skilled enough to be an heir apparent. That way, people will begin to question Axil and will think the Duke adopted Dylan as a backup.

So when Axil gets framed and is made into a commoner, people won't question Dylan's ascension to heir apparent. They'll think that the Duke expected his son to fail and adopted Dylan in case this happened.

People will already think poorly of Axil, so they won't be surprised he was involved in illegal gambling.

Hope this clarifies it a bit!