A group of people on the back of three-horned horses moved swiftly through the dirt road and created a huge cloud of dust behind them. All of the riders wore a full set of steel armor with only the rider of the silver carriage as an exception. The rider who effortlessly controlled the two steeds that pulled the carriage was wearing a black suit fitting of a butler. Together, they all rode in some form of formation that surrounded the carriage to protect it from potential threat.

A small rectangular section on the carriage behind the butler slid open and a pair of beautiful green eyes peeked through it, "Hey Stephan, how much longer it is for us to arrive?". The peeking eyes asked.

"About two hours, my Lady." the butler turned his head around to greet the peeking eyes. The rectangular section slid close again after hearing his answer.

"I can't handle another two hours! My butt hurts!" The Lady turned around from the sliding window and repositioned herself to sit properly on the red couch inside the silver carriage.

"Vina, you can't talk like that." A woman who sat across her scolded.

"But, mom! It has been three days! Don't you feel bored and exhausted too?" Vina cried out.

"It can't be helped, as our home is a Margravate, so our territory is at edge of the kingdom. It usually take more than a week to reach the capital, you know. You should be thankful we can ride as fast as three days to get here. So stop complaining. All you do is sitting inside the carriage. The knights outside have more rights on that than you." A young man who sat beside her spoke.

"Brother, it's precisely because all I can do is only sit that makes me bored and exhausted!" Vina whined.

"Why don't you just exchange place with one of the knights, then? You can move around outside, and they can rest inside." Her brother nonchalantly said.

"Vardan, Don't give your sister any weird idea!" Their mother protested.

"No no no, he has a point." Lady Vina opened her eyes wide, revelation on her face. "Can I do that, dad?" She turned to look at a man who sat beside her mother.

The man stole a glance at his wife who glared a dagger at him from the side, "No." He answered after weighing his options. "It's not safe, Vina. There are robbers and monsters that may pop up on the road."

Vina was dejected hearing his answer, "What kind of robber would attack a convoy full of knights? Besides, our knights can remove any monster that may turn up blocking our path." She crossed her arms and pouted, still trying to win the chance to move around outside the carriage.

Her mother sighed, gathering her husband and children's glances, "Why can't you just sit quietly? Aren't you always running around every morning in every inn we stayed at? How can you still have this much energy after doing that?" She leaned her back against the cushions of the couch.

"She has your looks, mother. But her personality is just like father. Never able to idle even just for a moment." Her brother mimicked their mother's sigh. "Sometimes I wish we can trade place, Vina. So father can make use of you excess energy, and I can take a break from father dragging me around to help him managing our vast territory."

Their father frowned, "You want rest? You can just take it you know?"

"And let you be buried by work? which in turn will ignite mother's wrath because you didn't spend time with her? Hell no. Mother is much more scarier than you and your mountain of works, father."

Their father could only smiled awkwardly.

"Damn, right. When this whole business about princess birthday party is over, you better not jump straight at work right after we arrive at home." His wife added from the side.

Just when this family banter would enter the next stage, their carriage came to a stop. Their conversation was ended and the everyone went silent. Not long after that, there was a knock on the door. Vina leaned forward and opened it, revealing a knight who was kneeling on the ground.

"What is it, Robert?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, Marchioness. There is something on the road that Marquess may need to see." Robert answered while still kneeling.

The Marquess looked at his wife who also turned to him.

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"Be careful, Vaughn." She told him. He gave her a nod and proceeded to exit the carriage.

Vina stole the chance and stepped out before her father, which in turn made her mother the Marchioness to yell at her, "What are you doing?!".

"I just want to straighten my legs, mom. We literally just talked about it." Vina looked up at the Marchioness from below.

"It is a serious situation! Stop playing around and get back!" Her mother commanded.

"Is it though?" Vina turned to Robert.

"It is... not, or so I hope, My Lady." The knight answered.

"It is okay, Clarissa. I'll be outside too, might as well let her spread her wings a little bit. Don't worry I'll keep her safe." Vaughn said to his wife after he got off of the carriage.

"I want to straighten my legs too." Vardan hurriedly stepped out of the carriage before her mother could block the door.

Clarissa sighed in resignation, "You two, really..." She said defeatedly before she too got off of the carriage.

Half of the knights were still mounted on their steed and kept up the formation to surround and protect all member of House Vheintia, while the other half were already on the ground to escort them properly.

"Well, show us." Vaughn commanded, and his knight obliged.

Robert led them walked for few meters ahead. They stopped when they reached the site where a carriage was laid destroyed in the middle of the road. Corpses were scattered around the wreckage.

"It's terrible." Vina said.

"Robbers attack?" Vaughn glanced to the knight beside him.

"I don't think so, My Lord. Their belongings are still around. Plus, the carriage had an emblem on its door." Robert answered.

"Assassination then." Vaughn walked up to the destroyed carriage. His eyes were glued at emblem that was carved at its door "House Mereworth."

"Count Yornold's vassal?" Clarissa asked.

"You are correct, My Lady." Robert nodded affirmatively.

"These are the whole family, aren't they?" Vandar said after scanning all the corpses that laid around.

"Plus their rider, My Lord." Robert supplied.

"Where are their escorts?" Vina poked at the conversation.

"Michael was a knight who served the previous Count Yornold, My Lady. He even had been a captain of the order for a short period of time. Maybe he thought he didn't need any because he could handle himself?" Robert informed. As a fellow knight, he had heard things about the man quite a bit.

"Well, with how notorious the unwritten law of 'No Blood on Royal's Day', his confidence about the safety of his travel is understandable."

"Ugh, His Majesty will not like hearing about this at all." Vardan grimaced.

"... and we are the one who would likely tell him about." Clarissa caught on, she then shared the same grimace as her son.

"Can we just, you know, not tell His Majesty The King?" Vina sugessted.

Marchioness shook her head at her daughter's idea, "We will put ourselves in the more ugly place. If we keep quiet about this despite of us passing the same road, people may speculate that we are the one who did this, and if a rumor are to be born out of that, other noble who don't like us will definitely use it to harm us."

Vina gave her mother a worried look. Then she turned to her brother who also wore the same expression as her, "Ugh, who is the stupid bastard that gave us this trouble." Vina annoyedly spoke.

Vaughn walked around the wreckage, he circled it so he could see the site from all angle. "Earth magic." He murmured. He then crouched down to take a closer look at what he believed to be Michael Mereworth corpse. "...and dagger attacks."

"What should we do, My Lord?" Robert leaned over and brought him back to the critical matter on their hand.

The Marquess looked up at him, "Burry them at the side of the road, then have one of your man to plunge his sword on the area to mark up their grave. After that, move the remains of the carriage from the middle of the road as much and as fast as you can." He gave him commands as he stood up.

"As you wish, My Lord." Robert bowed once and signaled the other knights to do as they told.

Vaughn walked up to his family and signaled them to follow him back into the carriage, "Let's wait a little as they work, then get ourselves out of here."

################

About ten minutes later, the marquess and his family who had already back in the carriage heard a knock on their door. Vina got out off her seat to open the door again.

Robert stood outside while bowing a little, "My Lord, we have... another problem." The knight informed.

"What is it this time?" Vaughn spoke and got a little annoyed.

"We found a survivor." Robert looked up at the Marquess.

"What?" Marchioness asked, surprised. "Who?"

"I believed her to be Michael's daughter, My Lady."

"How did you find her? We didn't see anyone who still breathing back then." Vardan inquired.

"We found her under the wreckage, My Lord. She sustains quiet a few stab wounds, but I took liberties to have her healed by one of the knights."

"Have you asked her how all of this happened?" Vina chimed in.

"Her wounds are healed, My Lady. But unfortunately the person herself is still unconscious."

"Bring her here. We must secure the only evidence that could lead to the culprit and prove our innocence on this assassination." Vaughn commanded.

Robert bowed and walked away to do the order. A moment later, he came back while carrying an unconscious girl in his arms. He stepped into the carriage and laid down the girl on the floor as there was no other space inside.

"What a poor girl." The Marchioness said looking at her. Her clothes are tattered and dirty, the white frills on the brown dress she wore were bloodied and muddy, and her face was pained and exhausted.

"Is she really still alive?" Vina asked doubtfully. To her, the girl looked like a corpse, being laid down like that on the floor and bloodied all over the body.

"Look closely, she is still breathing." Vardan assured his sister.

"Well done, Robert." The Marquess said to the knight.

Robert bowed in response, humbly accepting his lord's praise.

"What now?" The Marchioness turned to his husband beside her.

"We keep going. We still have to attend the princess birthday party. Then we will have to trouble this poor girl further by forcing her to present herself in front of His Majesty as we tell him this incident." Vaughn replied and looked at his wife. "It will be fine, Clarissa. We got this." He held her hands with his own, assuring her.

"Then, if you will excuse me, My Lord." The knight slightly bowed, and closed the door.

Not long after that, the convoy of House Vheintia began to depart and resumed their journey.