Six hours later, high walls appeared in Alex's vision and he could see a lot of soldiers standing in front a gigantic gate. As soon as the soldiers spotted his entourage, one of them waved his hand and the gate slowly opened. Normally, the 5 meter tall opening in the gate was enough for normal people to enter the city, but for larger merchant groups and special guests like Alex, the gate had to be opened.
Sylvia galloped ahead of the group and had a chat with a man wearing high quality armor while the rest of the entourage entered the gate. As the carriage passed through a wide street with throngs of people moving on either side, Alex observed the robes and fashion sense of this world. People were wearing all kinds of robes. Some looked similar to how medieval europeans dressed back on Earth. He could also spot some ancient chinese robes. There was no fixed norm to the dressing style, some people wore extravagant clothes while some wore leather armor with weapons attached on their back or waist. Some ladies covered their entire bodies while some showed off quite a bit of skin.
Alex was also fascinated with the architecture of this world and kept observing the buildings. Soon, he noticed that as he moved closer to his sister's castle, the buildings became more extravagant and large mansions started appearing. It seemed the minor nobles and rich merchants lived near the castle. Alex knew that there was much more to the city than the road he traversed and decided to tour it later when he had time.
Soon, most of his soldiers split from group and a only his personal guards, numbering ten, remained with him.
'I guess they might be going to some military camp, where the castle's army is situated, to rest and recover.'
As the carriage entered the castle's outer gate, Alex soon spotted a humongous castle. The carriage stopped in front of a fountain and Alex stepped out. A guard approached the group and bowed.
"My lord, please follow me. Lady Vanessa awaits."
Alex nodded and followed the guard. To his right was Sylvia and to his left was a middle aged woman carrying a huge sword on her back. Her name was Ingrid and she was the second in command of his personal guards. She was a powerful warrior who once served his mother and even though her age was in 40's, she looked quite young. She wasn't as pretty as Sylvia, but there was a wild charm to her which was quite attractive.
Alex inwardly smiled. Seven members of his personal guards were females. The remaining male members were all in their 30's and had their own families. Even though the previous Alex was dense and shy, atleast he knew how to treat himself right. Stepping into the opulent hall, Alex was amazed at the wealth of his family. Who knew how many such cities and castles were under their control?
Soon, they reached his sister's private chamber in the 3rd floor and the guard carefully knocked on the door.
"My lady, Lord Alex is here."
There was a click and the door opened. A beautiful maid bowed and gestured inside.
"Lord Alex, please enter."
Alex raised his hand to signal his guards to stand-by as he walked in. The room was quite big and looked luxurious. All kinds of ornaments and decorations were arranged throughout the room. The beautiful maid closed the door and smiled at Alex.
"Linda, it's been a while. How's my sister doing these days?" Alex grinned.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Amanda laughed as she gestured inside.
The reason Alex knew her name was because as soon as he saw her, some memories stirred in his mind. Linda was the personal maid, secretary and the closest friend of Vanessa. Additionally, she was also a Soul Mage. As to what her powers were and what a mage was, Alex had some ideas but he got no information from his memories. Thanks to her relationship with Vanessa, Linda and Alex were not so polite with each other in private and treated each other as friends.
Alex suddenly had a mischievous thought. He suddenly stepped forward and hugged Linda. She clearly stiffened. Before she could react, Alex gently whispered in her ears.
"I really did miss you, Linda."
With that he let go of her and quickly walked in. Behind him, Linda's face was beet red.
"Y...You, Ummmm"
Alex laughed hearing her voice. Soon, he spotted a woman sitting in front of the dressing table, combing her hair. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and smiled.
"Alex, you are here. Come, come, quickly help me choose a dress for tomorrow."
Looking at the beauty in front of him and hearing her voice, something flashed in front of Alex's eyes and a lot of scenes appeared in his mind. He did not feel any throbbing in his head, but a lot of memories had been triggered when he heard his sister's voice. Alex estimated that he had access to almost 70% of Alex's memories now.
"Sister, you will look beautiful in anything you wear. What's there to choose?" Alex grinned as he snatched the comb from her hands and started combing her silky hair.
Vanessa laughed.
"Oh my, when did you start complementing ladies? I though you were too dense for that."
Alex was a bit embarrassed since the previous Alex was indeed dense.
"Anyways, how are your preparations? Are you ready to depart tomorrow?"
A hint of red appeared on her cheeks as she replied.
"Of..Ofcourse"
Alex gave a sly smile.
"Hmm? Did you just blush? Are you that eager to see Sir Warrence?"
Vanessa hit him in his stomach as she pouted.
"Stop teasing me. If you are exhausted, you can go and rest in your room till supper."
Alex handed the comb back to her.
"Hmm, I think I might tour the city a little."
Vanessa tied her hair as she replied.
"In that case, let Linda accompany you."
Alex nodded as he waved his hand and walked towards the door. Recalling how Vanessa was blushing, Alex shook his head. The story of Sir Warrence and Lady Vanessa was quite famous in the capital. When Vanessa was attending the Royal Academy, Warrence was smitten with her beauty courted her for three years. At that time, Vanessa thought he was just another playboy, which was quite common among the teenagers in the upper nobility. But slowly and gradually, Warrence broke through her defenses and won her heart. Ofcourse, it was also because Warrence himself was a handsome and kind person.
Alex knew his sister was very smart and if she accepted a man, he had to be pretty amazing. He had never met Warrence, but he had heard about the man. He was pretty popular when he was in the Academy. Many people were surprised when a Duke's heir such as himself chose a Count's daughter as his bride. But when they found out that the lady was Vanessa Nightsteel, they accepted it wholeheartedly. Even Warrence's family did not oppose their relationship.
It was because of Vanessa's amazing talent. She was ranked 3rd in the entire Academy when she graduated and was one of the most powerful mages in her age group. What nobles cared most about, apart from lineage, was talent. If Warrence married a lady as talented as Vanessa, their off-springs will have a high chance of surpassing their parent's talents. Count Nightsteel also approved of their union since the groom was a Duke's heir.
Alex was excited to witness a marriage in this fantasy world and was looking forward to meeting the upper nobles of the empire.