The morning started innocently enough.
Fiona had mentally prepared herself for another round of pretending to be Jeannie. She was ready to battle social conventions, fake her knightly discipline, and continue deceiving everyone.
What she had not expected was to be summoned by the Head Commander of the Order of Knights in an instant.
The old man sat behind a desk towering with paperwork. His scarred hands shuffled through the endless documents, and he barely looked up when Fiona entered.
"Leonhartt," he grunted.
Fiona stood stiffly. "…Yes Sir!?"
He sighed. "Since you've been gone for so long, your bureaucratic responsibilities have piled up. You need to complete them before the next knightly evaluation."
Fiona blinked.
"…My what?"
The commander raised an eyebrow, "Your evaluation. The King himself will be reviewing the progress of his knights soon. You have been keeping up with your duties, haven't you?", ask the Commander with suspicious expression.
Fiona's brain went blank.
The King? The absolute ruler of this kingdom? And she would met him sooner!? And she was supposed to stand before him and report like some obedient servant?!
"Well… of course," she said quickly.
The commander nodded approvingly. "Great. Then finish this before tomorrow! I will wait here. Feel free to ask anything you did not understand."
He dropped a massive stack of documents onto the table in front of her.
Fiona stared.
This… was not a battlefield.
This was suffering.
And so, she left the office with enormous documents to be finished this day, until Marianne Saw her.
"Woah,woah! Look at our diligent knight here!.", said her while holding her laugh.
Fiona's expression darkened.
"You better help me carry this rather than laugh like an idiot here!"
Marianne smiled and joint her carrying the documents and finished all of them.
And now, she was being dragged into royal etiquette lessons.
Fiona had never bowed to anyone.
She had never followed orders. She had never played the role of a subservient knight.
"Your posture is incorrect, Jeannie!" Marianne scolded.
Fiona's eye twitched. "It is fine."
"You're joking, right? It is not fine at all!" Marianne adjusted Fiona's shoulders. "You're slouching! You're walking like a criminal! The hell this pose was fine!."
Fiona gritted her teeth. "If only you knew."
Marianne narrowed her eyes. "Are you… deliberately trying to fail the King's evaluation?"
Fiona froze.
Marianne had been watching her like a hawk ever since their sparring match.
Any mistake could give her away.
Fiona forced a stiff, awkward bow.
"…Is this acceptable?" she muttered through clenched teeth.
Marianne stared and sighed.
"…We have a long way to go."
--------------------------------
If there was one thing worse than etiquette training, it was patrolling the capital.
The knights were expected to maintain public order, which meant interacting with people.
As a demon, Fiona could not adapt to it.
The streets were too crowded, too noisy, and too much human.
Everywhere she looked, people were talking, laughing, shopping
For her, it was infuriating.
And then a child suddenly ran up to her.
"Miss Jeannie! Miss Jeannie!",said her with a happy tone,approaching her with both of her hands hid something.
Fiona froze.
"…Yes?"
The child held out a flower.
"Thank you for protecting us!"
Fiona stared at the flower as if it were a deadly weapon.
What was she supposed to do with this?!
Behind her, Marianne and the other knights watched expectantly.
Fiona slowly took the flower.
"…I will… protect… you?" she said with awkward smile.
The child beamed. "Yayyyy!"
The child then begone in the crowd.
Marianne smiled at Fiona. "See? The people really appreciate you, Jeannie. I just hope that you did not hide something from us."
Fiona resisted the urge to scream. "Like hell i would told you that i am a demon! You Will probably gonna kill me after you know this!"
Fiona's acting was slipping.
Marianne was becoming more convinced than ever that something was wrong.
Jeannie suddenly couldn't eat properly. She forgot basic knightly duties ,and she acted weird around the common people.
Marianne decided to test her again.
That night, as Fiona was dragging herself back to her quarters, Marianne appeared.
"Jeannie," she said casually. "Let's go drinking."
Fiona stopped.
"…Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"We always drink together after long days like this," Marianne said with a knowing look. "Unless, of course… you've suddenly lost your tolerance?"
Fiona felt a chill run down her spine.
This… was a dangerous trap.
If she refused, it would only made Marianne suspected her more.
But if she agreed and couldn't handle it, it would be even worse.
Fiona forced a smile.
"…Fine, but you must treat me!"
At night in the bar.
Fiona had never tasted alcohol.
Demons didn't drink. They absorbed energy through mana.
The moment she took her first sip, she knew that he was doomed.
The drink burned down her throat like liquid fire.
Her vision blurred.
Her body felt warm.
"Another round!" Marianne cheered happily like it was nothing.
Fiona panicked.
She was an Archdemon. She could not be defeated by something as pathetic as human alcohol. Her competitive spirit would never accept this shame.
And so, she drank more.
And more.
And then she could not remember anything, and her view became dark.
The next morning, Fiona woke up in bed with the worst headache of her life.
Her body ached. Her mind was foggy.
She turned her head, and saw Marianne sleeping next to her.
Fiona stiffened.
Slowly, she began to lifted the blanket.
She was still in her knight uniform.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Marianne stirred.
Fiona immediately pretended to be asleep.
"…Jeannie?" Marianne's sleepy voice muttered.
Fiona did not move.
"…I can hear you breathing," Marianne said flatly.
Fiona internally cursed her.
As the day continued, Fiona realized something terrifying.
Marianne ,still, was not giving up.
Her suspicion was only growing stronger.
If Fiona was not careful, her secret would be discovered.
And if that happened…
She would have to act first to avoid the worst things that could happened.