It was their 2nd day of journey and quite late at night, but Prince Hugine's group continued their journey, and not before long, they were finally able to see the lights of the city visible at a far distance. It was the capital city of Tristan Kingdom, Cianna. As they reached closer, Heather could see more details about the city under the moonlight. The city had high and thick walls around them to prevent wild animals and armies from invading. Set within those walls were heavy gates to allow entrance and exit. They soon arrived at the gates of the capital.

At the gates, two knights wearing old-fashioned armor were standing guard firmly. Their job was to prevent the passage of unauthorized individuals and to be alert of any signs of trouble as well. Waris urged his horse forward and said to the guards, "Open the gates. Crown Prince Hugine and Princess Eunice are onboard the carriage". Upon closer look, they recognized the Head Captain Waris and hurriedly opened the gates, allowing the carriage to enter the capital city.

Upon stepping through the gates, Heather looked through the window and saw many tall buildings. Most of the buildings around the main street looked magnificent and grand. There were a couple of shops but mostly closed or shuttered as it was late at night. Lamps and lanterns were lit in many places illuminating the area around them. Heather could see a few people occasionally out laughing or working along the streets. Some appear to recognize the royal carriage by the royal crest on the carriage and quickly gave way to the guards and the carriage.

As they passed through a large square in front, a golden statue that seemed to belong to a sovereign stood in the center. Eunice had told Heather that as per the old legends, their ancestor had founded the Tristan Kingdom a thousand years ago, and this statue was built in his honor.

For the next hour, the coach kept a steady but moderate pace, weaving through the city. After a right turn, the group drove down the streets filled with rows of even grander and loftier houses with gray or brown roofs. They formed magnificent avenues and streets. The king's closest retainers and a thousand other nobles lived near to the palace. So most of the buildings around here were owned by nobles and wealthy merchants. Guards then brought the carriage to the castle by the light of the moon.

The palace was huge, and it had several turrets and towers, all made of beautiful white stones that made the fort look quite majestic even at night. The palace was under heavy guard. Several knights patrolled its walls or stood before the gates that separated it from the rest of the city. There was a large courtyard in front of the palace with a beautiful garden, whose beauty, obscured in the dark of night. Hundreds of magic crystals replaced the dim-burning candles, brilliantly illuminating the whole castle.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the gates of the palace. Prince Hugine and Eunice stepped out of the carriage and entered the castle, Heather following them close behind. A group of servants welcomed them inside. They had been waiting on the two sides of the carpet. Before them, Prince Hugine's butler came over happily with a group of palace maids behind him. The old butler was wearing an outfit, very conservatively, and formally.

"Welcome back! You must be tired from the long journey. Meals have already been prepared and are ready to be served.", the butler courteously said.

With a hint of curiosity, he looked at Heather and wondered who she was, to follow closely behind Prince Hugine.

Prince Hugine introduced, "This is Heather Quinn. She is to be treated as our guest for tonight. Also, have a place set up at the dining table for her."

The butler raised an eyebrow and answered, "As you wish, Your Highness."

The lobby itself had pristine floors, with white pillars built at regular ten-foot intervals from the doorway to the other end. Pillars were profusely covered with flowers. A single massive staircase in the center of the lobby went all the way up to a room at the top, while Several small stairs along the lobby walls seemed to lead into the small towers and turrets which were seen from the outside. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the center of the lobby. Many life-like statues and paintings covered the walls and ceilings of the palace depicting crowded, colorful scenes.

Walking across the red carpeting that led to the massive staircase in the center, Heather and the group climbed through the stairs and to the dining room, which seemed empty. Meanwhile, Prince Hugine made several requests to his butler. Soon, they sat around the table set with silvers and flowers, while the servants served several dishes, some of them being freshly baked loaves, roasted meat, and salad. The rest of the food items were unknown to Heather but were magnificent and delicious. There were many fruit drinks in crystal goblets from which she took a sip of each one. It was sweet and tasty.

Table manners and which fork to use were drilled into Conan by his parents when he was a boy. As a single consciousness, Heather knew which utensils to pick up and use. Also, she was smart enough to pay a lot of attention to Hugine and Eunice's table manners. Hugine noticed her table etiquette and was more sure of her being of noble origin.

Eunice had already become very fond of Heather. She told her all kinds of gossip and stories circulating the castle. When dinner concluded, Hugine called one of his maids and asked her to escort Heather to a room so she can rest for tonight. Soon after, Eunice said, "Take rest for today. Tomorrow, I will bring you to my teacher so that he can help you restore your memories." Then they said goodbye and went to their room.

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A maid took Heather into her room. It was a huge living room with a bed in the middle and a small space that had been done up as a study, with a desk and bookcase. Also, there was a small bathroom attached to the room. Fluffy pillows and bed-sheets embroidered with colorful floral patterns. The dark yellow walls were adorned with red frames, and each frame was filled with pictures of flora and fauna. Heather admired the room's decor while the maid took out all the lovely dresses and displayed them.

"These dresses are at your disposal until you stay here. Please choose any dress you like and wear it", said the maid.

"Thank you. These look wonderful." Heather replied.

"For any further assistance, please inform the guard standing outside the door," the maid said and then left the room.

Heather finally heaved a sigh of relief and started to remove her dress. Then she looked at herself in the mirror. Now, Heather had a better look at the body she had transformed into. She had long, smooth legs, a toned stomach, and a slim body. Her features, however, were enchanting and had a delicate complexion, fine dark eyes, a slight but graceful figure, a lovely mouth, and teeth like pearls. She cautiously explored all her curves of her feminine body. She ran her hands along the smooth, firm bottom, and perky, beautiful breasts. After being amazed at her own body, she soon put on the nightwear she selected and then laid on the bed. Her thoughts were about what she had seen and found out so far. She was also a bit anxious about how her meeting with Eunice's teacher will go tomorrow. With these thoughts, she drifted into a deep sleep.

In the meantime, Conan and the adventurer party have arrived at the edges of Willow Woods. They have mostly followed along the river and were several meters away from the river bank.

"We will have to camp down here till morning," Jack said.

With his command, they busied themselves. Theo and Vindra helped set up the tent while dwarf built a campfire. Conan also made himself useful and helped pick up some firewood from the woods and stacked them near the tent. While sitting around the fire, they ate some bread and meat. After the meal, everyone felt full and happy.

Listening to fireside stories at night was what adventurers did for entertainment. Usually, it used to be Jack, who used to tell adventure stories of his early days or the stories he heard from others.

"Mr. Jack, Tell us a wild and exciting story tonight. " Theo said.

"I don't have that many unique stories. Conan, Do you have any good stories with you?" Jack asked.

"I do have some, but I am not sure if you guys will like it," Conan answered.

"Give it a try," Jack said

Conan nodded and said, "Then, I will tell the story of the Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs."

He had deliberately picked up a story from Earth having a world similar to their own, in the hope that they might like it.

"Once upon a time ..." he began. Contrary to his expectations, they enjoyed the story. They were fascinated by it as they never heard a story like that. Even Vindra, who was rude to Conan, showed interest and looked curious about what will happen next when he took long pauses in between.

While everyone was so engrossed in the story, no one realized that a snake crept behind him. As quickly and quietly as possible, a snake moved into position behind him. The snake was coiled up, raised its triangular head, and stared slit-eyed at Conan's hand, which was well within striking distance. As the snake's rattling increased, Jack shouted, "Conan, don't move .." just as his knife flew through the air and hit the striking snake through the head and lodged it in the tree trunk.

When Conan noticed what happened, he gasped in real alarm. He has again reached so close to dying. Then Jack went and picked up his knife before hurling the snake's lifeless body far away.

He said, "That's one terrible poisonous snake you were about to become the victim of." Jack had saved his life again.

Conan said, "Thanks again." He realized how vulnerable he was in this world and decided to get stronger.

Conan hadn't finished his story yet, but it was already late. Against others' wishes, Jack suggested that they should go to bed now. They split the guard duty into two shifts with two at a time guarding the camp. Conan wanted to help, but he was exhausted from a long journey while carrying the heavy baggage. So as soon as he laid down, he drifted into a deep sleep. Jack let him sleep peacefully, and decided to take him and Igor into the first shift while Theo and Vindra were in the second shift.

Another maid knocked and entered the room in the morning. The maid placed a tray for Heather's breakfast, with coffee, eggs, and toast.

"Good morning. The prince and princess will be here shortly. Please, have breakfast." the maid said and left the room.

She got off the bed, had breakfast, and then refreshed herself. She picked a dress with a giant yellow blooming flower trimmed into the skirt, the hem of which went to her knees. After wearing the dress, she heard a knock at the door.

Heather said, "Come in."

It was Prince Hugine, but he stood still for a moment while mesmerized by her beauty in the new dress.

"You look quite lovely in the new dress." Prince Hugine praised her.

"Thank you, your highness," Heather said gratefully.

Behind him, Eunice also entered the room.

After exchanging greetings, Eunice continued, "Master should be in his study at this time. So let's go and meet him."