(Part 3)

After bidding his farewell to the Lady Rowena, Kyrano made his silent but quick walk back to the dormitories, hoping to catch a sleep of few hours before his duties for the new day began. He knew he should be worried about the new information that both he and Miss Rowena now had, but the rational side of him told him that it was useless to fret about something that he could not change.

Asking for the duel to be cancelled was out of the question. There would absolutely be no way that Kyrano would ever ask for his mistress to humiliate herself by calling off the duel that she herself first started. The duel was to be attended by most of the school –for the populace was excited by the Recall of a Duel that was initially 'banned'.

Kyrano opened the door to his mistress's room silently, thinking of checking on her once before changing up and turning. What made him hesitate was the fact that the lights were turned on, but still Kyrano braved up and stepped into the room, looking towards the bed. His mistress sat awake, a book opened on her lap, but she was still dressed in her nightgown, clearly awake from sleep.

"Miss Louise," Kyrano greeted with a bow, "What are you doing awake at this time?"

The imperceptible face that replied him contained an accusative gaze.

"The question instead should be why you were outside at this time, Kyrano."

"My apologies." He bowed sincerely once more. "I was escorting Miss Rowena back to her room."

"And why were you and Rowena outside at this time of the morning?"

"We had a talk while in the school, and it was unsafe for a woman to be walking back from school alone in the dark."

"Why were you in school? I don't recall leaving anything there to be retrieved."

Kyrano let the considerations fly through his mind before a conviction strengthened itself in his head. He could not possibly tell his mistress about his situation, for it would be pointless to worry her. He did not expect her to be able to do anything about the duel, and telling her about his own problems would only further add on her troubles.

"It was under my impression that I left my gloves back in class. I had to check it out, Miss Louise." Kyrano tried his best to sound embarrassed, but it was a hard emotion to fake especially when the woman he served knew him so well. Still, Kyrano silently prayed that the woman would not be too suspicious.

"Such carelessness. What was Rowena doing in the school, then?"

"Her answer was veiled, but she gave impressions that she lurks around in the school regularly while her butler is asleep to enjoy her freedom." Kyrano answered honestly, then stepped closer to the bed, where his mistress sat leaning against the headboard. "Miss Louise, you should go back to sleep, or you might be unable to present your best self during the duel tomorrow."

"What about you, Kyrano? Given what little sleep you will receive, how will you present your best condition during the duel tomorrow?"

"I will be able to get by, Miss Louise." Kyrano excused, taking the book gently from his mistress's laps and subtly sliding the bookmark between the pages before closing it. "You need your sleep."

His mistress looked ready to protest for a slightest moment, but she looked up at her butler. There was something he was keeping from her, and much as he was unaware of it, it disturbed her greatly. Kyrano didn't keep things from her. Her butler never kept things from her –at least not so obviously. But why? What was the reason behind his keeping a secret from her this time? Was it something to do with Rowena Julian?

"Don't keep anything from me, Kyrano. You are my butler." She said, just to confirm what she already knew. Once more, nothing showed on her butler's face, and that itself was confirmation of his hiding something from her.

"I would not keep anything important from you, Miss Louise. I am here to serve you with my life." Kyrano answered, gently pushing his mistress's shoulder back to make her lie back down obediently. Her eyes remained on him unnervingly even as she laid down, turning on her side to keep her gaze on him.

"Don't go off anymore." She said softly, even as he pulled the covers over her once more. "You represent me, Kyrano. You are a part of me and my family."

"Of course, Miss Louise. There is no need to think too much. Sleep well." He assured with his gentle voice, still remaining by his mistress's side. "I will stay here right by your side."

"Good." His mistress closed her eyes, and he could see that her lethargy was quickly taking over. Kyrano wondered softly how long his mistress had stayed up waiting for him. She had still been sleeping when he left the room, but he had spent some time walking to and from the dormitory. "Stay by my side, Kyrano..."

Kyrano knew that his mistress was drifting off into slow troubled sleep, because she only mumbled incoherently when she had many frustrations in her head when she fell asleep. The woman wouldn't remember all that she muttered during her sleep after she woke up, but Kyrano would know quickly all that was troubling his mistress, and work quickly to make her sleep peaceful once again.

"Stay together with me... Kyrano..." She continued to mumble even though Kyrano knew that his mistress was already falling into the clutches of sleep.

"Forever..."

____________________________________________________________________________________

It felt like a doomsday walk. The atmosphere was unintendedly heavy as Louise, in her best and most presentable pastel pink dress, walked alongside her butler, who himself was dressed in the most formal duelling attire. In the few rare times, the silence between them was uncomfortable as they walked side by side towards the coliseum where most of the school had already gathered. The crowd had grown by the hours –ladies coming early to get the front-row seats. Kyrano had even heard that some teachers and staff at St. Clair were attending 'to control the crowd', and 'offer assistance where necessary'. It was the euphemism amongst the staff office of being there to watch the show as well.

The sword hung by Kyrano's waist, threaded through its sheath at his belt. It was a heavy but respectable weight that bounced slightly with every step he took. As they neared the coliseum, the noise of the crowd muffled around them, the sight of the empty circular arena that would be the place to decide which family would be humiliated opening up in front of them, and Kyrano adjusted his gloves one final time.

It was the first pair of gloves his father had given him. Kyrone had passed it to him with the strict instructions to wear those pair of gloves only if a situation arose where Kyrano had to protect the family reputation of Crawford. This was good time as any to wear the gloves that Kyrone had once worn to protect Miss Louise's father.

Kyrano was so caught up with adjusting his gloves firmly so that it wouldn't hinder his grip of the sword that he was almost unaware when his lady had stopped walking. Jerking his footsteps to a halt at the absence of an accompanying click of heels against marbled floor, Kyrano spun around to find his mistress looking at the ground, hiding her face from him. He had already seen to her perfect appearance before they left the Dormitory; her hair was carefully braided and not a single strand laid out of place. The length of the dress was perfect for Miss Louise's height, and no inch of dirt or stain coloured its hem.

She was a walking specimen of beauty, and Kyrano was utterly proud to call her his mistress.

"Miss Louise?" He offered. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you think about this, Kyrano?" His mistress looked up suddenly to meet him straight in the eyes. And even though a butler could not look into the eyes of his mistress, Kyrano did not find himself averting his gaze, but held the eye contact bravely instead. "What is your view on this craziness that I wake up to find both of us into?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Miss Louise." Kyrano said carefully, unsure whether his mistress was having the last-minute jitters. Every woman was allowed to have doubts, but Kyrano was glad that this doubt was setting in now instead of later, when the Rose of the Academy would be out on display, to be scrutinized.

"What do you think of my starting the Recall of Duels and using you as my sword and shield?"

Kyrano turned fully to face his mistress, hoping that she saw nothing but full truth coming from every bit of him –his face, his eyes, and the aura that he exuded.

"I think that you could not have done any better, Miss Louise. I would serve willingly as your weapon, as your shield, as anything as long as you wish it of me. To serve your goal, I am willing to do anything asked of me, because I am but a butler to your family, and still you faithfully place your trust in me to hold your reputation."

"I have unwittingly placed you into a four-way duel despite your shoulder injury, Kyrano. Your life could be at stake should the butlers have been given the orders to display no mercy."

"Then if I die, let it be my most humiliating death, for a butler of the Reyes family who cannot protect his mistress's name and reputation in a duel as simple as this does not deserve to live."

"I'm not going to let you die, Kyrano."

"Miss Louise, you must understand that I am here for your service. All of my being belongs to you. There is no part of me that will serve anyone else. To die for you is the best death that will ever happen to me." Kyrano covered the distance between him and his mistress, daringly taking the limp hand of his lady in his gloved ones in hopes of him being able to pass his strength to her.

"Let me assure you that regardless of all things, I will pursue to win the duel for your sake. The only thing you are able to do now in show of support for my cause is to become Louise Crawford, the Rose of the Academy, and show me your strength as a lady. Show me the strength of my mistress, and your butler will be as strong as you are. It might be a duel of butlers, but all butlers gain their strength from their mistresses."

"Then I have to be strong for your sake." Louise came to the quick conclusion, the understanding flashing quick in her eyes as she looked into his eyes, her hand warm in his. "To win, I have to be ruthless so that you are."

"Exactly that." Kyrano offered his rare smile –the smile that only Louise had seen since he became a butler.

"This Recall of a Duel is a duel amongst ladies, represented by their butlers. If a lady is weak, then her butler will ultimately be weak. So I ask of you to be strong, Miss Louise, so that I will win. Leave no space for doubt, no space for mercy, no space for hesitations. Strike fast, strike quick and strike hard." Kyrano continued, but let the hand of his mistress go gently, reclaiming his hand to close over the hilt of his sword, in a show of utterly handsome readiness.

Louise paused for one final moment, collecting the thoughts in her mind. It was making sense –everything made sense. With the conviction and steadiness once more clear in her eyes, Louise made herself forget her insecurities. She made herself forget how Kyrano had spent the night outside in the school with Rowena before the duel. There was no space for hesitations and doubt about Kyrano.

As long as she believed in him, it was going to work.

Louise nodded seriously and looked at her butler once more, taking in the handsome features that defined the man who walked by her side. She had watched him grow up, his features becoming more and more defined –more like his father every day. Kyrone Reyes himself was a handsome individual, but the combination of gentle and suave features from his mother and father had made Kyrano a rare breed of gentle charisma.

"A butler's happiness is his mistress's happiness." Louise repeated to herself, remembering somewhere in her memories of when Kyrano had still been studying books about housekeeping, fresh from graduation from the Imperial Butler Academy. "Then this must work as well: A butler's strength is his mistress's strength."

"Yes," Kyrano fell back in step beside his mistress, his confidence regained now that he had seen the regaining of composure of Louise, "When you are strong, I am strong."

He still refused to tell her about his injury, because it was the state that he needed his mistress to be in. He needed Louise to be strong and confident, because if he failed, she would discard him away without a single doubt. That was what he needed her to be; hard and unforgiving in front of the student body so that no one would ever think of crossing Louise Crawford ever again.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Kyrano was surprised at the grandeur of the duel, which had somehow been made official by the academy. A stage had been set up for the ladies to sit and watch while their butlers fought on the arena, a microphone raised standing in the middle for a host. At the spectator's stand, Kyrano's surprise was directed at the fact that the director of the academy sat there, waiting peacefully with her own butler standing readily behind her. As if to acknowledge Kyrano's gaze upwards, the director passed a gentle smile forwards with a wave at which Kyrano bowed briefly to.

The crowd went wild at their entrance, and though Louise showed no signs of acknowledging this crazy crowd, Kyrano knew that his mistress was a little more confident with every increase in volume. The school was still supporting its Rose in a duel.

The opposing side had long arrived and were already waiting with clear impatience on their faces. The women were dressed nicely as well in their flattering dresses; their butlers in their smartest, most functional duelling outfit. The faces of obedience and understanding filled the faces of the men, but Kyrano knew when he saw resignation and some lethargy written in the eyes. These were the men who were obliged to all that their ladies spoke, to be used as pawns to be placed around the board, to be sacrificed in the situations that required of it.

Yet, their sacrifice was over something so petty –simply over their combined dislike over a woman who had achieved her status through her own hard work, diligence and gentle demeanour. Side by side, Louise and Kyrano made their way to the middle of the arena to meet their opponents, faces unchanged despite the obvious displeasure thrown in their faces. Rowena's eyes held some sort of secret as she raked her eyes over Kyrano, but Louise knew better than to let her mind wonder. She had her trust and faith in her butler.

The sound of the mic being taken took everyone's attention as they turned to face the stage, where the Mistress of Disciplinary Affairs stood.

"Here we are, gathered at a traditional affair that has not been placed in attendance for many years. While it is true that the St. Clair Academy for Ladies had suspended duelling by the order of the 25th Rose of the Academy, we now witness the crafting of new history in the Recall of a duel by our current Rose, Louise Crawford, the 42nd Rose."

The crowd broke out in applause, and Kyrano took the chance to wonder if the crowd were truly in support of his mistress, or if they were simply looking forward to entertainment in the idea of potential bloodshed by the butlers. Kyrano knew better than to believe that the ladies were all as demure as they appeared to be. In the cold, heartless world, the ladies acted pristine and pure while their insides twisted with desires that could not be expressed. Perhaps that was why duelling was cancelled in the past –because too many butlers were sacrificed due to their ladies' exuberance and thirst towards violence and bloodshed.

The Mistress awaited for the calming down of the crowd before she began once more, the authority ringing clear.

"Let us not delay any further. On one side, we have the 42nd Rose, Louise Crawford, who will be sending in her butler Kyrano, also the Butler in Black, as her representative." The Mistress introduced, though Kyrano doubted very much that they needed to be introduced. To say that everyone knew Louise and Kyrano was a safe statement to make. After all, the Rose and her butler was often recognised; much less such a stunning, startling perfection of a Rose that Louise Crawford made.

"On the opposing side, we have Class S students Rowena Julian, Drina Aegis, Yvette Arrow and Ashelia Nargins. They will be sending in Scott, Hunter, Justin and Jay respectively as their representatives."

"Details of the duel are as follows: Should a butler allow himself to face a strike that can potentially end their life with no possible resistance attempted, then he will be declared the loser. No lethal strikes are allowed. Duelling boundaries consist of the arena and the arena only. Should a butler choose to back out, he may place his sword on the floor and remove his gloves. This is a gentleman's fight, therefore there will be no dirty tricks to be played. No other weapons to be used other than swords designed for duelling. No butler is allowed multiple weapon. Butlers are allowed to engage in contact-fighting -that is, using hands and legs, if he is unhanded. Are we clear on the following rules?" The Mistress listed out, and received nods from the participants quickly, knowing better than to protest. It was the Academy's attempt at placing rules for the start of duels once more.

But weapons had no eyes. 'Accidents' could happen any second.

"The following four-to-one duel will be placed upon the bets of Miss Crawford's position as Rose of the Academy and her possession over her butler Kyrano against the expulsion of the opposing ladies from the S Class and their utter promise to stop the malicious bothering of Miss Crawford and her butler." The Mistress looked up from the script that she had been reading from, and met with the eyes of every single participant of the duel.

"The ladies may now proceed to the stage." The Mistress announced, and there was no chance for any words to be exchanged before the ladies left the sides of their butler. However, Kyrano caught the sight of his strong-willed lady looking back at him, the Rose persona belonging to his mistress looking at him with encouragement in her eyes. There was no space for doubt about his abilities, and he immediately felt her intentions even as she turned away to walk to the stage, following behind the remaining ladies.

The butlers stood in a line as they watched their ladies take their seats daintily, close to the arena so that they could see everything clearly, and experience the pain of their knights first-hand.

The arena was now almost silent with anticipation, save a few whisperings here and there as Kyrano looked upwards a little, gauging the weather. He had almost forgotten the important factor of weather in a duel. The clouds hung over them and though it looked peaceful, Kyrano very much doubted the facade the weather seemed to be pulling over the duel.

"Butlers, move into position." The Mistress gave the cue, and Kyrano obeyed, taking steps that brought him further and further away from his enemies. With equal distance away from the stage, in the centre of the arena, Kyrano faced down his enemies, all of whom now had looks of grim determination hung upon their faces. Kyrano simply looked over them passively, running over his strategy in his head.

It would be a hard fight.

He looked over to his mistress once more, who sat pristinely, eyes of cold heartlessness looking out at the arena, ready to make sacrifice, ready to win.

"Butlers, ready your swords." The Mistress announced once more, and Kyrano mimicked his opponents as he drew his sword, feeling its comfortable weight rest on his palm, against his fingers. Chucking the sheath beside him, he allowed his free hand to relax. It would be the hand and arm that he relied on the most –the arm that was not injured.

It would be a hard fight, Kyrano decided as he readied himself into position.

But he had already lost an eye protecting his mistress. Losing an arm, losing his life –none of it would matter if his mistress was protected.

If it came to protecting his mistress, he would never lose.