It was a considerably longer ride from Stanint to Tethore than it was from Felbole to Stanint. Their time on the road ended up being close to four days which, although hard on Calluna's stomach, was a very beautiful and easy journey.
Tethore was an important stop on the trade route to the nation to their East, the Kingdom of Teforbia.
The population was only a couple thousand less than that of Stanint, meaning it was around 26,000. It was a fairly wealthy city, and from what she had read was a pleasant place for travelling to.
The part that Calluna was most looking forward to, however, was the fact that there was both a Baron and Baroness in charge. Her chances of being able to appeal to a woman were a lot higher than with a man, so it made the prince feel at least slightly more at ease.
As the royal carriage made its way into the outskirts of Tethore, Calluna pulled the curtain that took residence over her window to the side to observe the goings on. The street was extremely busy going both directions, and a strange variety of different smells filled the air. Foods, horses, flowers, wood, etc.; all such scents were identifiable.
Trade carts loaded with foreign goods passed them by, and the sound of their tired wheels squeaking accompanied the busy ambience. There were a handful of fruit stands and other types of market-like kiosks that lined the sides of the cobble road.
With the amount of traffic that was clogging the gate to Tethore, their ride from the outer part of town to the center ended up taking three hours. It was just past noon when they finally passed through Tethore's walls and into the inner city. It was chilly despite the sun bearing down on them unhindered by any clouds, and an icy breeze nipped at Calluna's cheeks as the icing on the cake.
The infrastructure of Tethore was quite impressive, and the quality of its buildings even more so. Calluna found herself admiring the greek-like architecture, eye wide with awe at the beautiful stone pillars used on most of the buildings. She also took note that there were a lot less homeless people in Tethore than there were in Stanint, but rather there were many different travelers that seemed to inhabit the alleys.
"There are very many law enforcement officials," Calluna observed aloud, voice quiet and unsure.
"Yes, we have quite the crime problem here, miss," Guinevere replied.
"Oh, right! You're from Tethore," the prince realized, "I'm sorry, I completely forgot. It's awfully rude of me."
The maid chuckled, "It doesn't matter to me. You've far more important things to think about before where your ladies in waiting hail from."
"It's important to me," Calluna stated indignantly. "Anyway, you mentioned a crime issue? I'm interested in hearing more."
"Hmm… well, what would you like to know?"
"How about starting with the types of crimes and any reason they're so common."
"Mostly burglary and theft of all kinds, however there is the occasional whisper of potential human trafficking as well since it is a large trade city. As for why it is common it is just as you said earlier: we have very little law enforcement here, and the officers that do patrol here are easily bribed." Guinevere explained.
"I see… interesting. I will keep this in mind while I speak to the barons."
"Happy to be of help, miss."
It was then that they pulled into a gated community full of large mansions and manicured lawns. There were also a ton of deciduous trees growing within the area, obviously well taken care of. There were two royal guards stationed outside of the community's gate, both standing at attention as the carriage approached. It seemed as though they were going to stop them, but upon seeing Vincenzo leading the way on his horse they opened the gate without a word.
They bowed their heads deeply before their captain and the King's carriage, and the party passed through without difficulty.
As they made way to the mansion belonging to Baron and Baroness Evgarde they passed many breathtaking houses. Calluna came to the conclusion that gated communities were also one of the things that remained the same regardless of the universe; rich people were the same everywhere, herself included.
Four servants stood outside the Evgarde Estate ready to guide the crown prince and her entourage into the extravagant and large tan dwelling to meet their masters.
As they stopped, Calluna felt her stomach lurched once again and began to feel the all-too-familiar sensation of her intestines wanting to eject themselves forcefully from her body. She clasped a hand over her mouth and opened her door with haste, stumbling out and falling to her knees.
The fresh air eased her nausea enough that she didn't feel the urge to vomit, and the Prince began taking deep breaths to fend off her motion sickness. All of the servants rushed to her side when they saw the girl collapse immediately after stepping out, but Calluna stopped them by holding up one of her hands.
"Don't worry, I am only motion sick. I wouldn't mind some water, though, if it isn't too much trouble," she said with a shaky voice. One of her arms gently held itself against her belly for extra support as she stood from the stone street and returned to her feet.
"Yes, your Highness!" One of the girls said and hurried off.
"Baron and Baroness Evgarde will be home this evening, they desire to have their discussion with you over dinner. We are to show you to your chamber until then, and you are free to do as you wish," another servant explained. He was older and dressed extremely well, which led Calluna to assume he was probably a butler or head attendant.
"Yes, please. That sounds well to me," the prince replied with a polite smile.
-
Calluna's chamber was very similar to the one at Baron Shen's estate; very nice and decorated with a lot of lace and quilts. It definitely wasn't her style, but it was pleasant enough.
She laid on the bed, belly down, with her corset and blouse off as Guinevere applied the healing salves. It was extremely cool to the touch and left her skin feeling like ice, but the pain relief was so quick that Calluna decided she could easily deal with the strange feeling. Sitting up in the uncomfortable wooden box for four days with hardly any rest would be difficult on anyone's body, but the crown prince's ribs cried out the entire trip.
Being able to rest while lying down felt so good that she thought she might just fall asleep, but it was then that there was a knock on the door. Guinevere was about to call that they were busy, but Calluna knew just from the pattern of the knock that it was V. She stopped Guin from answering by raising a hand, and instead called out on her own:
"Come in, V."
The man strode in with his usual confidence and let the door close behind him, but the smug expression on his face immediately disappeared when his mind registered the sight he was witnessing. He let out a loud groan of frustration but continued toward the bed.
"What the hell, Luna." Vincenzo pulled one of the chairs into the room to her unoccupied bedside and sat, "Are doing this on purpose?"
"Doing what?" Calluna queried sarcastically, keeping her face down in the pillow.
"So you are!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What did you need, dear Captain?"
"You're a handful, you know that?" He whined. "I came to ask about your plan for talking to the Evgardes. Have any ideas?"
"Of course I have ideas, who do you think I am?" Calluna's voice came out muffled through the pillow.
"Well… will you tell me?" He prodded.
"Hmm. I guess I could tell you," she said, sitting up for Guin to wrap her torso with the supportive bandage. "Wait until she's done, though."
She was still facing away from Vincenzo, so he didn't bother turning his head away. Instead, he looked at her shoulder-blades and the dent of her spine unabashedly.
"Wow, someone's gotten brave," Calluna teased.
"What of it? Did you think you could just tease me forever?" The man retorted. "Unlucky for you, I seize opportunities when they come to me."
"Pfffft, whatever. I think you're just a dork," she said with a light-hearted chuckle.
Their banter continued as usual until Guin was done tending to the prince. It was after Calluna was snugly bandaged and clothed in a silk robe that she began to divulge her ideas to Vincenzo.
'I can and will be successful,' she decided that afternoon as she spoke with her two confidants. Their support made her feel empowered, and she was determined to utilize that power to help save Lukas and the Kingdom of Killia that had begun to take seed in her heart as home.