Leon was sparring with Al in his private training room. A circular space in his private suite with high ceilings windows cutting through the width of the pale gray walls, an armory wall with various sections each dedicated to a weapon type.

From daggers and swords to maces and axes, the armory boasted real weapons and their wooden counterparts used for training.

Felix would have a heart attack if he knew what Leon was doing, but the inactivity was driving him insane.

Besides, Al needed some sense beaten into him. And Ida simply refused to get involved with him any longer.

Leon, too, realized he couldn't change his friend's heart where Summer was concerned. Al had to come to his own conclusions. So after a grueling training session, Al and Leon plopped down on the ground, sticky with sweat and gasping for breath, while Ida threw daggers at a training dummy in a methodical manner.

Ida had gone to have a talk with the four boys who had ganged up on Summer in prison. They had been in the infirmary over the past week. After they recovered, Leon would have to pay them a visit as well.

"They're remorseful," Ida said, weighing the throwing dagger in her hand. "Well, three of them are. There was one who looked as if he thought he did nothing wrong. He also seemed to be the leader of the group. They take their cues from him."

"Who is he?" Al asked.

"Blake." Ida looked at Al. "You know him."

"Blake?" Leon asked.

"General Brodrick's son." Ida made a face. "Blake is a first year student, like the other three. He seemed to believe that since Summer was presumably involved in the murder of the museum guards, she didn't deserve to stay in the comfortable confines of prison without paying a price."

"According to who?" Leon asked.

"He made the decision himself," Ida said, throwing the dagger with a curl of her lips.

The blade hit the lower part of the dummy with a resounding thud, right where the crotch would be on a human. Leon and Al winced.

"He also seemed to think I wasn't qualified enough to render judgment on them." She smiled, the effect chilling, then threw another dagger. This one hit the target smack in the middle of the chest.

"What did he say?" Al said, his voice cold. He and Ida often bickered like children, but they always had each other's backs. Except when Al messed up occasionally.

"He didn't have to say anything," Ida stalked to the mutilated straw dummy and retrieved the knives.

Leon sighed. General Bordrick was known for his radical views on women and their roles in society. He was one of the few generals who were vocal about their dislike of the presence of women not just in the military, but in the governing body of the kingdom. Apparently, his son adopted his ideas.

"The problem isn't just that brat." Ida looked at Leon. "I talk to some of the girls who are now in training. The view that women are less than men, whether it be in physical or intellectual abilities, is widespread among the ranks of the first years. It's not a new issue. But if we're going to let these girls have a chance in making a difference in the Kingdom, this limited point of view has to be shattered."

Al sighed, "it helped when you were an instructor. It was a brief period of time, but it changed many notions the students have. That's why the second and third year students are more accepting of their female colleagues."

That was a problem they had to remedy.

Leon felt guilty. He had been stuck in a dark place over the past couple of years. Not caring about anything other than getting his son to open his heart again. Consumed by guilt and sorrow, he had let Ida and Al handle most of his responsibilities.

He understood now why his brother had insisted that Leon go on the journey to retrieve the artifact. His brother knew distance and time away would be good for Leon. As always, Victor thought two steps ahead.

Now that he was back with a clearer head, he needed to deal with the issues he'd left pending. Ida and Al were good, but they could only do so much. Leon had more authority and his voice had more weight.

"Female instructors would be a good way to start." Ida put the daggers back in their spots in the armory. "The problem is that there aren't many women to begin with-"

"My lady, please wait!"

Logan's affronted voice and his rushing steps echoed in the hallway outside. Leon and Al stood up. It was uncharacteristic of Logan to be loud. A few seconds later, the reason for it burst through the door.

Summer paused by the doorway, her eyes almost glowing with temper.

"What did you do?" Al whispered.

"What makes you think it's me?" Leon asked. "You are more susceptible to be the object of her wrath than I am."

Al moved two steps away from Leon. Summer's gaze didn't move with Al. It stayed on Leon as she strode forward.

"Nope," Al said. "It's definitely you."

Leon had given the order that Summer be allowed in his wing if he was present. Now he was beginning to regret his decision. He could wager a guess as to the reason for her anger.

"Summer-"

Her tiny fist smashed into his side. It may be tiny, but it sure packed a punch. Logan, standing by the door, made a strangled noise, his eyes bulging.

Leon groaned, holding his sore ribs. "What's that for?"

"You lying, conniving asshole!" she poked him in the chest with each curse.

Logan was having a heart attack behind her, his mouth opening and closing with soundless words.

"She found out," Al said as he joined Ida. The two of them crossed their arms and leaned against the wall, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"Logan, you're excused," Leon said.

"Your- my lord!"

"Go." He told the man as Summer paced back and forth. Logan left.

She was still dressed in that breezy yellow dress, the material flowing around her ankles. Her brown hair was almost a living, breathing entity around her face. Her violet eyes lit up from within, and her cheeks flushed under the dusting of freckles. Her fists curled and opened.

"I didn't lie to you," he said.

She laughed, her look scalding him. "Oh, that is rich. But you are right, you didn't lie. You just didn't mention one tiny detail about yourself. That you're the damn prince. Ugh."

She fisted her hands until her knuckles went white. Her frustration was a tangible whip on his skin.

Leon moved to the weapon rack. He considered their options and decided on two wooden staves. If she truly was Boyd's disciple, then she would be adept in all sorts of weapons. His suspicions were confirmed when she snatched the staff from the air after he threw it to her. Her glare seared him.

"What are you going to do about it?"

He stalked around her. She bared her teeth in a feral smile.

Without warning, she came at him with her staff. Leon, despite his size, had always been fast. But he felt like a sluggish giant next to Summer. She was so damn fast that she blurred before his eyes.

He managed to block her staff with his. She spun with the grace of a dancer and hit his other side, he barely stopped it in time. Their staves collided. Summer strained against him.

Summer had speed. But in brute strength, Leon was better. He pushed, she smoothly moved back, using the strength of his attack as momentum.

"You didn't even think to mention it," she said as they circled each other again.

"It didn't come up." He swiped his staff down, trying to knock her off her feet. She jumped up and back like a frog. Damn it, she was so agile. "You didn't ask."

She scoffed and jabbed her staff at him. He knocked it aside with his. But she used the opening to get closer and kicked him in the side where the jagged edges of his scar were still sore. He caught her leg despite the pain and twisted. She twisted with it, let go of her staff and brought her other foot down on his temple, both her hands holding her upside down on the ground.

He leaned out of the way, her foot breezed by his head with a swish. If that strike connected with his temple, his vision would have blurred.

He let go of her foot and dropped his staff as well. They were now both weaponless. But neither of them cared.

Summer's dress swirled around her ankles. It covered her legs and made predicting her moves difficult. She made fighting in a skirt into an advantage.

Summer charged, her hands striking a blindingly fast rhythm. He docked every blow, letting her vent her frustration. Soon, however, he couldn't stop himself from going on the offense. A real fight.

It was exhilarating. He'd never before met anyone who could put him on edge in hand to hand combat.

Her leg struck his thigh. His fist glanced off her ribs. They went blow for blow. Their loud breathing filled the air, sweat trickled down their bodies, and wild smiles stretched on both of their faces.

It was unlike anything he experienced before. His body dodged and struck in a speed barely matching hers, too fast for a normal human eye to discern.

They disengaged. Summer smiled at him. A genuine smile, so unlike the one he was used to seeing on her face. Her cheeks glowed and her eyes luminescent.

Leon realized he, too, was smiling.

"Truce?" he said between gasps. She nodded wordlessly and flopped down with her back on the ground, her arms stretched wide open and her eyes closed.

"Wow," Al said, his eyes wide. Ida's smile held a knowing glint. Leon blew out a breath and laid down beside Summer, his eyes on the gray ceiling.

"Rose is getting married to Felix," she suddenly said.

"We know," Ida said. "Felix told me. He wanted to get your blessing since you're the closest thing Rose has to a family. But Rose wanted to be the one to tell you."

"My blessing." She chuckled. Then laughed loudly until she curled on her side, facing Leon. Leon turned his head her way. Violet eyes met his, the smile still on her face. "You were never going to take her instead of me for the theft, were you?"

"No."

"You're an asshole."

He shrugged. "It was the easiest way to ensure your cooperation."

"You're still an asshole," she said. "A royal asshole."

Ida and Al chuckled. Summer made a face, as if she tasted something sour. "Do I have to call you your highness?"

Leon said, "no." just as Al and Ida both said "yes".

Leon sighed and closed his eyes. He heard Summer sit up beside him.

"So I have to?" she asked.

"In front of other people, you have to," Ida said. "We, too, have to call him that when we're in the presence of others. Leon hates it, but it's a matter of keeping up appearances."

"So he hates it." Summer hummed. "I see."

A poke in his side. Leon opened his eyes. Summer's toe touched his ribs. She grinned. "Thank you for the chocolate, your highness."

"You're welcome," he grumbled.

"Shall I take my leave, your highness."

"Stop it."

"As you wish, your highness."

Leon growled low in his throat. Ida just had to tell her that he hated it.

"Well, then." She flowed to her feet and brushed her skirt off, bowing with a flourish. "Thank you for the exercise, your highness. I will now go back to my room and find something to do lest I die of boredom."

As she twirled away, an idea popped into Leon's head. "Wait."

A few minutes later, the four of them stood in the hallway next to his study, before the painting of his father and four of his most trusted men.

Summer had gone absolutely still. Her gaze anchored on the big bear of a man looming right behind his father's chair.

His father was a big man, with dark eyes and black hair, Leon was often told he'd inherited his dark looks. In the painting, all the men were dressed in green and gold, the colors of their kingdom. With a golden crown adorning his head, his father sat in a simple chair. Two men stood on either side of him, and one right behind him; Boyd.

Leon had vague memories of Boyd. He was a giant man, quiet, always scowling with a scruffy face that was never clean shaven. A distinct mole on his right cheek, brown hair that fell in waves over his shoulders, and light brown eyes radiating a sharp intelligence even through the lifeless canvas.

"It's him, isn't he?" Leon asked. "Boyd, the man who trained you."

"What are you talking about?" Al asked. He and Ida wore matching frowns.

Everyone knew Boyd The Blade. The man was a legend. The fact that Summer was his disciple since childhood explained all her skills.

Summer swallowed several times before she turned to him, a sheen of wetness covered her eyes. "How? Who is he?"

Leon explained. Boyd was one of his father's most trusted men. He didn't have an official capacity in the military, nor in the ranks of his father's guards. But he'd always been there next to his father as long as Leon remembered.

He had spent a few years as an instructor in the Royal Academy, where young people trained before being assigned either to the royal guard or the military. He fought battles and executed missions under his father's orders. But as far as Leon knew, Boyd never had an official title.

He'd disappeared a few months after his father passed away, never to be seen again.

Summer rubbed her eyes and stared at the painting again.

"How did he die?" Ida asked.

"He was ill," Summer said. "Ever since I was seven, he came a few times a year to visit. When I turned fourteen, he stayed the entire year. He knew he was dying. I knew he was dying. One morning he simply didn't wake up. I buried him in the woods."

Al looked at Summer with a new glint in his eyes, and Leon had the impression that this might be the thing that would finally change his view of Summer. Because everyone respected the legend of Boyd the Blade. To be his disciple was a great honor.

Judging by Summer's reaction, however, the old man was more than just a mentor to her.

As Summer struggled to get her emotions under control, Leon asked, "how do you feel about revenge?"

--- ---- ---

Thoughts?

Also, sorry guys about not updating this past week. I was focused on finishing my other story (Loving the Ice Queen) and couldn't find the right headspace to be in this story. (That will teach me to juggle more than two stories at once.)

But now that Loving the Ice Queen is (almost) done, I'm going to have more time for The Prince, the Thief and the Artifact and His Miracle Mate II. Hopefully. Wish me luck.

Don't forget to vote and comment. and follow me on Insta to get news of the next update. ( when_mia_writes)

Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.