"To tell the truth, I was surprised His Majesty allowed you to miss Prince César's wedding."

Young knight, third son of Earl Berg, Dietrich was in a great mood. Not only was he given the honor of accompanying the princess on her long journey, but his presence was actually used by Cornelia as one of the arguments to convince the king. Proud of being acknowledged by Carlos the Second, Dietrich used all his accumulated experience to prepare for the trip and make it a success. He checked the carriage, went over the list of soldiers selected to guard Her Highness, and even made sure that the horses were the best ones. To his great joy, the princess also shared his enthusiasm. Unlike last year's mission to the Towers, this time she took several chests full of clothes and jewels. Maybe it was even too much, but considering the level of this journey, it was better to be prepared for anything. The knight did not hesitate to share his thoughts about the trip with the princess, and avoiding discussion regarding the size of her luggage, she eagerly replied..

"He had no choice," Cornelia answered. My aunt, the Grand Duchess, sent me an invitation, so he said there would be certain conditions, but I was free to go. And he was probably worried that I might make a scene or something.

Dietrich didn't have the chance to ask about the conditions. They approached the carriage and their escort. The luggage had already been packed and the guards were waiting alongside with horses. Knowing the princess, she was probably hoping to ride horseback again, but etiquette demanded that they use a coach with a royal crest when visiting another country. During the Draw mission, the honor of riding one was given to General Rodrigo, who was the head of the delegation. This time, it was up to the princess to do so. Unfortunately, Kroghan was still not allowed to leave the capital after his misdeeds in keeping important information from the king's ears. However, Vice-Captain did appoint a few trusted soldiers to serve as Cornelia's guards. Several of them were also familiar to Dietrich. Some of them were familiar to Dietrich, as well as the servants chosen by her Highness.

Everyone on the square in front of the royal palace was ready and waiting for the command to move. The knight looked around, pleased by the sight, as well as the presence of Gahiji, the captain of the Royal Guard, also known as Viscount Fayek. A strapping man from Aisiki, he reminded Dietrich of "black beauty" pansies, his mother's favorite. Like these flowers, Gahiji's fierce amber eyes and rich black skin drew everyone's attention wherever he went. The Royal Guard's uniform couldn't hide the man's muscular figure, while the medals on his chest, as well as battle scars on his chin and hands, let others know about his past combat experience. The soldiers at the square behaved exemplarily in Gahiji's presence. And Dietrich shared the same feeling. Just one look at the Royal Guard captain was enough for a civilian to understand - this man wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

Gahiji stepped forward to greet the princess. A broad smile on his face contrasted with the serious and almost intimidating impression he gave.

"His Majesty wishes you a wonderful journey, Your Highness," he said. "Unfortunately, governmental matters prevented him from seeing you off."

"As did my mother and brother," Cornelia replied with a smile. To the knight's dismay, her words were true - aside from the princess, none of the royal family was present at the square.

However, Gahiji was not fazed by her remark. He concluded his task of seeing the princess off with his final words: "Safe journey, Your Majesty."

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"Thank you, Viscount Fayek. I hope the César's marriage celebration doesn't cause you too much trouble."

The captain bowed and headed towards the palace's training grounds. Despite receiving the title of viscount after fighting side by side with Carlos during the Nereid War, Gahiji never slack off. He could have lived a life of luxury, resting on his laurels as the king's closest ally and hero who came to rescue him in times of need. Instead, he used the received title and fortune only to support his family. Gahiji remained at the side of the Castro king after the war ended, and after Castro moved to West territory, he served faithfully as head of the royal guard. There was not a single day of leisure in that man's life, and that drew even more admiring glances towards him, than his bright appearance.

This short exchange of pleasantries was well accepted by the princess. Dietrich had expected worse, though he had hoped for at least the queen's presence. Now, with Gahiji gone, the young knight could breathe freely for the first time. He glanced at Cornelia. Certainly, she should be pleased with her escort and the upcoming journey. However, the princess's relaxed shoulders tensed up. Leaving the perplexed knight behind, she walked straight through the yard to the man with jet-black hair and a fern-colored scarf.

"So, my father's choice of spies has fallen on you," Cornelia said to the guard without sugarcoating her words. Dietrich could only guess that the guy was a guard, as he was wearing the marching uniform of the Castro military, but he lacked any insignia.

"Greetings, Your Highness, - the young man bowed deeply. His face remained calm, even indifferent. Truly a rare sight to witness for a young and inexperienced soldier or servant during their face-to-face meeting with royalty. "His Majesty the king assigned me to be part of the escort."

Dietrich looked the man up and down. The princess's uptight figure, as well as her direct approach to this soldier, were both concerning matters. Even if the king had assigned him personally, it was Dietrich's duty to make sure that no harm would come to Her Highness.

"What is your name and title?"

"My name is Sieg, my lord. I don't carry any title," the young guard's husky voice still sounded calm despite the attention from the royal knight and the princess.

But Dietrich was not going to give up easily: "What about your family name?"

"I don't have one, my lord."

"Goodness! At this time and age? What are you, a runaway slave from another kingdom?" Young knight noticed how the princess stepped into the carriage and hurried to offer late assistance. But the girl shook her head and addressed the officer, who approached them.

"If everything is ready, I would like to leave. We have a long journey ahead of us."

"Understood, your highness," the man said, making a gesture, and the soldiers mounted their horses.

Dietrich planned to start the journey on horseback, but questions kept piling up, so the knight signaled to his squire to take care of the stallion and boarded the carriage with Cornelia. He had to sit on the opposite side, because the one next to the princess had a pile of notebooks.

The squad started to move, leaving the palace's walls. Dietrich looked at the window, still brooding over the sudden encounter the king's man.

"I suppose these types of people are useful for dirty work, but how could His Majesty send a no-name man as part of your escort?"

"He has a name," retorted Cornelia, picking up the nearest ledger. "Sieg, if I hear correctly."

"You know what I mean. I hope he won't cause any problems and will be easy to get rid of if necessary. But what about all those papers?" Dietrich nodded towards the notebooks. "Did you take your homework?"

"Something like that," the princess replied, concentrating on the record's contents.

Dietrich expected to have a meaningful and enjoyable conversation, but he was left to look out the window out of boredom. The exciting trip began with a wrong start.