Picking up History remained a thorn in my side, despite my grandpa’s lectures. Thankfully, I didn’t have to put up with that all of the time. My arms were starting to retain the memory of the near-daily sword training sessions with Adelisa. The arms were more solid than I remembered my six-year-old self in my last life having. Before they would easily squish under pressure, but now, it took more effort to push them down.

My sixth birthday was smaller than the ones before it. It was mostly the royal family and Janie. Of course, I still heard the city people outside celebrating. Remembering it made me cringe, but even with this position, I was happy Janie remained my friend.

I held her hand as we walked towards the gate separating the castle from the city, Mother watching over us, walking behind us elegantly. I didn’t know where we were going, but the surprise would hopefully be worth the suspense.

The royal carriage greeted us at the exit, and Roland opened the door when we passed the gates.

“Can you tell me where we are going yet?”

“Fufufu,” Mother laughed and picked me up, placing me in the back seat. She grabbed Janie and put her across from me before climbing in herself. “You ask a lot of questions, dear. No one could hate that curious nature, though. It is endearing.”

She booped my nose, my face turning a light red.

Yumi climbed in next to Janie, her orange ears perking up. “That’s right! But really everything the little princess does is so cute!”

Janie nodded her agreement. “Mommy said this trip is for having fun, so we should play!”

“Did you ask her parents before this, Mother?”

Elise pinched my cheek. “You are ever the worrywart. But since you have become the parent, yes, yes I did.”

The group started laughing. My face heated up even more, and the only thing I could do was bury it in Mom’s clothes.

“There, there,” she said, patting my back and rubbing it in smooth circles. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. We all love and cherish you. This trip is as much about politics as it is for you.”

“Politics?” I asked, looking up into her crimson eyes.

“Yes, our vassal, Shulk, needs to know we still support them, but that is more of a matter for me. Your job on this trip will be playing and having fun. After all, you have never ventured out of the city before, have you?”

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My eyes lit up. She was right. The furthest I had gone was into the city itself. The paint shop and the Pizza place came to mind. I smiled at the fond memories.

“Good girl. That is also why Yumi brought your painting materials.”

“Princess will make more magic paintings!?” Janie asked, bouncing up and down.

Yumi shared her sentiment. The fluffy ears on top of her head bounced when the carriage began to move. “Little Princess does make the cutest depictions, doesn’t she?”

“Fufufu, that’s right. Who knows what my dear En will be able to make? There are so many possibilities. So many landscapes outside of these walls.”

The blushing returned with their flattery, but there was an excitement building. I hoped that the trip would give me some idea about the world. What was adventuring like? The thought of getting caught by a monster or bandits was scary, but remembering Mom could slap down a literal dragon, made me feel a lot better.

We began our journey through the city, and it was bustling. It was like a parade with the people gathered on the side—big signs giving farewell to a princess. There were even a few people holding up the same depiction of me painting. It was beyond me how they knew so much about me. But I guessed that was the price of being a princess.

The real love must have gone to my parents. These people loved my parents so much that I was loved without even doing anything.

Looking ahead of us, I saw a few carriages leading, and glancing back, there were some following as well.

“Mom, what are all of those for?”

“A few Noble houses have joined us, but more importantly, it’s a security detail. Our lands are safe. However, you can never be too sure. Don’t worry, Adelisa is in one of the closer carriages!”

The fact that we brought the training demon drill sergeant made me more nervous than getting caught by bandits. I wondered if that meant daily sword training even away from home.

“Does this mean that will continue in Shulk?”

“Of course, dear!” Mother grinned, patting my head. Her smile made it hard to have second thoughts.

“Another playmate?” Janie asked.

Yumi nodded. “That’s right. Adelisa will play with both of you every morning!”

“Yay!”

No, Janie! Don’t cheer about that! My thoughts ended at the awe of a massive gate looming in front of the carriages. Banners hung off the crenelations at the exit. The stone cinder blocks holding it together looked too heavy for anyone to lift. The portcullis had already been lifted. On either side of the gate, the pillars held up guards.

They held up horns with little flags dangling from them, and as we rolled under the exit of my new home, the horns blared. People on the sides cheered, and they all made way for our entourage.

My stomach filled with butterflies. The first carriage exited, then the second, then ours. Before me sat a mostly unexplored world.

The well-maintained blocky road seemed to continue forever over rolling hills. The grasslands would be our first traveling companion. Way off in the distance thick trees signaled we’d reach a forest by the end of the day.

Despite my earlier unwillingness, I quickly climbed into Mother’s lap. I told myself it was only to see the scenery. Yes, only to see the scenery! My first journey outside of my new home commenced in earnest.