Everything is Wrong
“It seems there’s no longer anywhere to stay.”
“Indeed.”
Vera looked around at the hotels with horses that were lined up on the road and sighed. Liu Yue asked the youngster, “I feel that we don’t need to stay here. Since we’re here, we need to go to the imperial palace, don’t we?”
“That’s right.”
The youngster nodded, but it was clearly discernable that he was anxious enough to run off to the imperial palace. The group lined up until sunset. The guards checked everything very carefully, even going through wallets. There were lots of people in the city at the time, after all. If a rioter endangered people, it’d negatively impact the coronation ceremony.
“Let’s head straight to the palace, then. We’re Dad’s envoys, you know. I’m sure Queen Vera will be sure to take proper care of us, so there’s no need to worry.
Daisy lied lifelessly in the carriage. She had a nap at noon in the warm carriage, enhanced with the cool breeze and fragrant scent of grass, during the day, but she lost all interest during the journey when there was virtually no movement. The city wasn’t much different to home. As a human, she wasn’t interested in humans. Liu Yue, on the other hand, was interested in the crowd of humans coming and going.
Nona hid at the back. She opened up a grilled piece of meat in a cloth bag and excitedly ate it while sitting with her legs crossed. Grilled meat wasn’t a really delicacy since the heavy scent of smoke wasn’t exactly pleasant. Still, having something to eat to kill time was a blessing.
Vera watched her sister and sighed. She sat down next to Nona. She picked up a piece of dried meat and tossed it into her mouth then had a drink of water. Liu Yue squeezed past her elder sisters to make room for herself to sit. She picked up a strip of meat and tossed it into her mouth. After a few chews, she remarked, “Rabbit meat? Mm, it’s rabbit meat.”
“Your taste buds are really something.”
“I am a fox, after all.”
The anxious youngster looked back at them. Seeing the sisters chow down strips of meat and chatting away, he randomly wanted to join them. With a smile, he said, “If you eat now, you won’t be able to fit anything else in your stomach at the welcoming banquet in the palace.”
Nona placed down her strip of dried meat and enthused, “Will there be lots of tasty food at night?!”
“Yes. Famous chefs have recently come to the palace for Miss Vera’s coronation ceremony. As King Troy’s envoys, you will be treated well. Therefore, there will be lots of good food at night.”
“Yeah? I still think dried meat is good, though.”
Liu Yue placed her dried meat down in spite of what she said. She began to slowly wag her tail. Liu Yue, who liked food, was looking forward to the aforementioned food. The seafood by the port was delectable, albeit cold, so she had high expectations. Upon hearing that there were more delicacies in store, Liu Yue was even happier.
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Current time inside the imperial palace.
“Miss Vera, it is my great pleasure to meet you. I am the envoy of the King of the North, Troy’s envoy, Raul Mordanas. I came to your esteemed nation this time to protect you.”
“Protect me? Why do you have to protect me?”
“Sorry, but I do not know about that. However, His Majesty did unmistakably order me to protect you, so I will be sure to fulfil my duty. Though I cannot promise you that you do not need to worry about your safety ever again, for as long as I am around, I will fight for you.”
“I see… So, did King Troy give you anything else? A letter would be fine. Is there nothing else, but you?”
“I am afraid so. His Majesty is currently at Troy City. Not the Imperial Capital. The command was sent back to the Imperial Capital. The command was, ‘Keep Vera safe,’ which is why I am came to protect you.”
Frankly, neither of them understood the thought process behind the order. Raul didn’t understand why his King gave him, an apprentice soldier, the mission. Vera was a monarch of a nation. Being assigned as her bodyguard out of the blue rendered him nervous. Vera was even more puzzled than he was for the reasons behind it.
“What does His Majesty mean by this? Does this mean that Troy supports me? He needs to send a letter to make it explicit in order for it to be of use. What does he mean by sending somebody to guard me?” contemplated Veirya.
Vera couldn’t figure it out no matter how she thought about it. Nevertheless, she couldn’t identify any issue with the young man before her. He obviously wasn’t a local, and he had a chest pin, which went to show that he was a member of King Troy’s personal guard unit. The young man wasn’t lying.
”But the question stands. Why did was this young man sent to protect me? Could Troy be aware of Ikana and wants to notify me? Does sending this young man resolve the issue, then? No matter how I look at him, he appears to be just an ordinary person,” analysed Vera.
“All right then. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this, but you are the envoy King Troy sent and an ally sent to protect me; therefore, I will arrange for you to live in the palace. How about a meal for now?’
“In my opinion, what is most vital at this moment is not eating. This is my first time here; hence, I am not familiar with the imperial palace, meaning that I do not know where enemies will appear from. As such, I wish to check the imperial palace and familiarise myself with the paths and secret passages. May I have your permission to proceed?”
Smiling, Vera answered, “Sure, no problem. That is within reason for you as a guard. Guards, you two take our friend around to check out the palace. Fill him in on our secret passages. You don’t need to hide anything. He is our friend. I will invite you to share dinner with me in the dining hall afterwards.”
“It is an honour.” Raul bowed and then turned to leave.
Vera looked watched Raul’s white cloak disappear off into the distance. She sighed. There was one more person by her side. Most importantly, she didn’t know why Troy sent him.
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Current time outside.
A man picked up his glass of alcohol. He observed the slowly moving horse carriage with puzzlement written on his face: “You’re saying that Vera is in that carriage?”
“Correct. I personally heard someone mention the name Vera from inside. Also, it’s headed to the imperial palace; it’s most probably her. Perhaps she’s out on a private trip? Who knows?”
“Good. Watch the horse carriage, then. Have you how Vera looks?”
“I have.”
“Good. When the time comes, make sure you don’t capture the wrong person.”
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