Surprisingly, mother wasted no time in finding the kingdom's finest men to accompany me, and all of them had to endure rigorous questioning from my father, even if he had known them to be loyal for many years.

"Your father and I compromised on an entourage of fifteen, but three of them will travel close to you, even if the others need to spread out their search." She explained, opening the heavy door to the guards' quarters. The humid stink of musk immediately wafted in my face and my eyes tried to adjust. The dim torchlit room was surrounded by thick cobbled walls and wooden benches. Weapons were displayed on the walls and kept in pristine condition, unlike the moulding clothes and bedsheets hung on a single rope across the ceiling. Even as the queen's men, they were men, nonetheless.

Fifteen soldiers kneeled before us, their armour freshly shining in the torchlight.

"Be stood."

The men immediately followed. Chief among them was Sir Rafael Jimenez, Captain of the Guard, seemingly ten feet tall with a face coated almost entirely with hair.

"At your service, Prince Andres." He had one of those voices which was naturally bellowing no matter what he said. He cracked a hearty smile and went to shake my hand. Try as he might, he never perfected the royal customs that were so far removed from his upbringing. He had always put me on edge, although I knew that he was never malicious.

I nervously took his hand despite the faux pas and it was shaken with the force of an earthquake. "That's my boy!" He exclaimed. Mother would usually be appalled by such informality, but instead she just smiled.

"Sir Jimenez, you forget yourself." She spoke politely. He straightened himself up.

"Apologies, your majesty."

From the gathering, I could see a familiar shape in the shadows. I squinted intensely to get a better look.

"Emiliano?"

From between clattering armour, my tutor emerged, fashioned in a leather tunic of his own.

"I volunteered myself to join you, your highness. I believe I can offer some expertise in the outside world."

I smiled wider than I had ever smiled since the ball.

"And to complete your core entourage, I have selected this year's most promising new soldier. Sir Zolin Gabriell."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

A smaller soldier, the one unfamiliar face, stepped forward and bowed. He looked younger than a knight should be, and his voice didn't do him any favours.

"Your highness."

The other guards snickered. Sir Rafael threw an arm around Sir Zolin and rubbed his poorly-cut brown hair with his knuckles.

"Squeak here bested all the wannabe soldiers in Mendessa. Knocked 'em on their arses, he did! He may not look like much, but there's a warrior in there!"

The small soldier smiled awkwardly at the sudden affection from his superior.

"It's an honour to serve you, your highness." Zolin spoke. Rafael patted him on the back a little too hard, pushing him forward. The rest of the guards continued to laugh. Zolin turned red. I stepped in.

"It is nice to meet you, Zolin. I have no doubt you will prove yourself a fine member of my entourage."

Despite what my mother thought of it, I reached out to shake his hand - I assumed this was what guards and soldiers did, even when greeting royalty. Zolin looked to my mother for approval, and then took it just as awkwardly as I had offered it, a shaking smile returning to his lips.

Out of nowhere, mother dropped a bombshell.

"I shall leave you to lead them." She turned away towards the door.

"Lead them? Now? H-how?"

"This is your investigation and these are your men," she said, "if you have been taught your royal duties well, you should not need me to tell them what to do."

I was unprepared. I was uncertain. But before I could protest further, mother had left, and I had no choice but to take her advice. In an ideal circumstance, I would have spent hours practising a speech in my chambers, laying out all the plans meticulously. But I was instead met with fifteen blank faces, all waiting on me to say something. The more I looked back, the more apparent it was that fifteen was far too many people to do what was needed.

I looked to Emiliano. He gave me a look to say he wasn't getting me out of this situation, so I reluctantly cleared my throat, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my cheeks.

"You have all… been summoned to-"

"I can't hear you for the life of me," Rafael turned his ear towards me, "could you speak louder, your highness?"

The other soldiers and Emiliano didn't know what to do with themselves. They stood awkwardly, also leaning in as if they had not heard a thing. My throat felt caught in my throat, refusing to let me speak. I avoided eye contact, looking above them all as Emiliano once advised in my lessons. Staring back at me was a fading mosaic of my father, standing valiantly above a crowd of adoring commoners. I cleared my throat again.

"You have all been summoned here for an important cause. The mystery woman from last night's ball is yet to be identified. I need your help to find her."

"What did she do, your highness?" Zolin spoke up, hilt in his hand, unsure on whether or not this was a manhunt.

"I think he intends to marry her, Squeak." A tall soldier flicked him on the back of the head, making him sink into his oversized armour.

"That is correct," I said, "So if by chance, you find her, do not use violence. Do not capture her or make her feel unsafe in any way."

"And if she runs away again?" Rafael raised an eyebrow. Unfortunately, I'd spent all day and all night pondering that worst case scenario. The reality where I am forced to marry someone I do not love; kept inside a place I cannot stand; preparing for a duty I do not want. After having seen the outside world, would I ever even return after facing such rejection? Could I stand to be the prince who didn't conquer anything, least of all love? Could I walk willingly back into the place I am held hostage, having seen only a fraction of the world I wanted to explore? I didn't know the answer, nor did I ever want to. But the choice was not mine to make.

"Then we respect her decision," I said, looking away from the mosaic, "understood?"

The soldiers bowed their heads in unison,

"Yes, your highness."