"It's no use. He really hates her."

"... I agree. It seems a bit far-fetched to assume he will be amicable towards her within the span of a few days."

Aderia was groaning, gripping her head as she wallowed in despair over their failed attempts. Brandon tried getting in a good word or two about the princess when Troy was complaining about his work, only to be kicked out of the office. When Aderia suggested they have tea together to commemorate Irene's first week staying at the castle, she was relieved of duty.

What a stubborn prince.

"That reminds me, is he taking you or me for today?" Aderia finally got herself off the table, directing the question at Brandon, who was still practicing on his own. "He wants to walk around town, right?"

"He asked for me, but I'll have to leave the job to you. I'm not very... accustomed to the ways outside the castle." Brandon panted, finally putting his sword away.

"Oh yeah, sometimes I forgot you're a noble too."

Brandon's father was His Majesty's personal guard, and so was his father before him. It was an inherited position, reserved only for the extraordinary swordsmen of their family.

"Not so much of a noble than a mere servant." Brandon noted, though he wasn't exactly offended. This was where he belonged, at the side of a sire he had sworn his loyalty to.

Lately he began thinking whether had actually made the right choice, though...

"Don't you want to tag along? I know it's dangerous if people recognize him if there's too many of us and all that, but I'm sure you're bored cooped up in the castle too."

"It's quite alright. I still have to overlook the squires practicing for the evening, so my schedule is already filled."

"What a shame..."

Aderia picked up her sword that she had neglected by her side, strapping it on her waist. She turned back to Brandon with a half-wave. "Guess I'll see you later then. I'll buy you some sweets!"

He returned the wave with a half-hearted smile, burying his disappointment. He really wanted to go as well, but alas.

Aderia went to meet up with the prince, who was visibly rejecting her as the guard of the day. "Why is it you? I thought I asked for Brandon!"

She pouted, sulking. "Why does it matter who goes with you? Do you really detest me that much?"

"Aderia, you have the directional skill of a broken compass. We'll end up at the next country by the end of the day."

"Bwahaha, isn't that ironic, since their princess is actually here?"

Her laughter was immediately shot down by a warning glare. "I'm sorry. You said you wanted to visit around the town's center, so I won't get lost. That area's my hometown."

Troy's eyes widened at the revelation. "I didn't know that. Actually, thinking back on it, I don't know much about you in the first place."

"That's right! I'm very hurt you have so little interest in me, you know!"

"You don't look like the type to share, so I never inquired."

"Hmm, that's true. I just don't find my past to be anything worth sharing."

They continued the small talk as she lead the prince through winding streets lined with cobblestone buildings. The prince had on civilian's clothes, so nobody was paying attention to him, which in turn let down Aderia's guard.

It wasn't until they arrived at a dead end that she realized something was wrong. "Huh. We should be at the fountain at the town square."

Troy let out a disgruntled groan. "Are you sure this is your hometown?!"

"I mean, it's been a solid 8 years since I left, so..."

Before Troy could finish his lectures, a commotion nearby caught their attention. A fruits seller at a stall had a struggling young boy in his grasp.

"What's going on?" Troy got closer, his eyes squinting to get a better look.

"He's probably caught stealing." Aderia pointed out at the apples rolling on the ground."

"Kids these days... Do they have nothing better to do?"

"Uh, I don't think that's what you should be concerned about here."

The seller was yelling at the boy still, obviously angry that his fruits had been stolen. The boy managed to break free and dropped to the ground, but before he could flee the area, he was caught by the other people who had surrounded the stall.

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Aderia lurched forward as one of the men raised their fist to hit the boy, but someone else had already stepped in to stop him.

It was a woman with blonde hair, who swatted away the man's fist like it was nothing. When he was angered that she had humiliated him, she threw a punch into his gut that effectively knocked him out cold.

Aderia whistled in amazement, while Troy stood idle, with an unreadable face. It wasn't until she turned to the seller that he finally gasped.

The princess was holding out a significant amount of coins, perhaps worth even more than what the boy had stolen. The seller was ecstatic by this unexpected deal and let the boy off as he gave him a fresh batch of apples.

Aderia wasn't surprised by the princess' actions, as she already knew beforehand that Irene must had a measurable amount of skills. She was an assassin, after all. Self-defense wasn't compulsory for those who lurk in the shadows, but it was an added bonus.

She stole a glance at the prince, curious about his response.

Troy was still staring at Irene, his expression complicated. "Is that normal?"

"What is?"

"Helping out a criminal. The boy is a thief, but he got away scot-free just because someone else paid for it."

Huh. She was expecting some sort of a snarker, not a deep question. "If the experience of being caught taught him not to steal anymore, I guess it's worth it. I do disagree with beating the hell out of a helpless kid."

"... I see." Troy said simply, turning away from the scene. "Let's get going, then. No point loitering around here longer than necessary."

"Oh, now that you said that..."

Aderia pranced towards the opposite side, leaving Troy behind. She got up close to Irene, who was chiding the boy for his behaviour.

When the boy finally got the message and promised not to steal again, the princess didn't even turn around to greet her. "What a coincidence running into a royal guard here."

"Yeah, well... Troy... Uh, I mean, His Highness wants to take a look around. That being said, are you alone, Your Highness?"

"Yes. I've heard of the liveliness of this town and came to inspect myself."

Inspect? She said that as if she was already ruling over the country. "Forgive me for asking, but have you come across the town square?"

"Yes? It's in the other side of this area." Irene blinked at her questioningly. "Are you not familiar with this place?"

"Um, I used to be, but I'm directionally challenged, so I brought us here on mistake."

Irene pondered on something, then looked up at her with a smile. "Shall I guide you over there, then? Provided the prince gives his consent."

"Meh, he's fine. I don't baby him much like Brandon does, so don't worry about it."

Or so she said, but dragging along the prince was a damn hassle. He kept sneaking death glares at her whenever she fell back to check up on him, so Aderia resolved herself to just stay by Irene's side.

On the contrary, the princess was quite a pleasurable companion to hold a conversation with. Alarm bells would already be ringing inside her head if the princess acted strange, but she was just talking about mundane things.

Aderia was itching to know what kind of rumours were associated with her.

"Did you have fun with your trip here?" The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Brandon would have pulled her away if he was here.

Irene tilted her head to one side and hummed. "Mm, from the environment itself, I'd say it was joyous. As a princess though, I can point out some corrections that can be made for the merchants."

Oh no.

Aderia didn't have to look back to know that the princess had stepped over a landmine. She waited for the wrath of the prince to envelop them, but nothing happened.

And then...

"... You said a few days ago that an international trading is essential for the merchants." The prince's lone voice came from behind them.

What? Aderia's steps halted and she gawked at the prince.

Irene continued to walk without a shift of expression at the sudden interruption. "Yes. I believe I ask you to take it into consideration."

What?? She turned to Irene with a similar expression.

"Before, when you dealed with the merchant." Troy's voice sounded hesitant, like he didn't want to actually say anything. "Why didn't you leave the boy be? He did something wrong, and he's supposed to get what he deserved after committing a crime."

"Who are you to dictate that? The child was poor. He didn't have money to cure his hunger, so he resorted to the only way he could think of." Irene finally stopped walking. "The root of the problem here is the mismanagement of the commoners. Do you not notice how poor some of your citizens are, for you to decide that they're all criminals for a reason they're not responsible for?"

Aderia almost flinched at the brutality of her words. She couldn't guess what the prince's reaction was, as he was in front of her now.

In front of them was a grand fountain, with water gushing out of a statue in the middle. They'd reached the town square.

Aderia stepped up to the prince's side and bowed deeply. "Thank you for guiding us here, Your Highness. We'll be off your radar now, but please be careful on your way back."

"It's nothing much. I'm rather glad I can converse with a woman my age." Irene took Aderia's hands in hers, her blue eyes clear and bright. "You made me see something new today. I appreciate that."

The princess let go and flashed another genuine smile, before disappearing into the crowd. Aderia watched her go with mixed feelings, but she was mostly happy that everything had turned out well. Irene's last words were probably from Troy's interest in her suggestion, and the fact that he was showing signs of listening to her without blowing off steam.

It's a good thing she accompanied the prince for today. If they hadn't gotten lost, they wouldn't have encountered the princess.

Troy was unusually bleak after that. Aderia tried her hardest to uplift his mood, but he remained that way until they got back to the castle. The prince isolated himself in his office after telling her off, and Aderia was guilt-ridden.

"What happened today?" Brandon asked, concerned that they both were equally depressed. A walk around town was supposed to be stress-relieving, right? "Did you get jump by a group?"

"No, it's just... I messed up. I thought I was doing good at first, but I was wrong... hnghh."

They were both standing guard in front of the prince's office. The prince simply greeted Brandon with a simple 'Hey' when he returned, and had locked himself in. 3 hours had passed since then.

Aderia went ahead and gave his partner a recollection of the day, complete with dramatic hand movement. She also included her observation of the princess.

"I see. So he was hung up about how the boy was let off scot free?"

"... I was hoping you'd say more, but yeah, that's the gist of it."

Brandon glanced at the door, unsure whether he wanted the prince to actually listen in on their conversation or not. When there was no response whatsoever from behind it, he turned to Aderia with a wistful smile. "I guess I owe you an explanation."