"Your Grace." An attendant at the stables greeted Chantria with a low bow and then he bid greetings to Dewei also.
Chantria had known the castle itself was huge, but she had not realized there was a vast estate beyond it that still belonged to Saint Chantria.
Not just a stable, there was a vast training ground which Dewei had said was used by Chantria's guards.
There was also a separate residence for the guards and attendants who were off duty.
There were many caves spread through the mountain, Dewei had said they were used for meditation and focusing.
There was so much more he said Chantria would have to explore herself, or there would be no need to if she was able to recover her memories.
"Now that you have returned, the rest of your retinue will be returned to you soon. And if they are not, you will have to demand it of the Order... your retinue have endured much accusation during this time." Dewei said to Chantria.
Chantria nodded slowly, Gemi had also said the same, that everyone who served Chantria from guards to attendants had been taken away for questioning after Chantria's passing.
Chantria had not dared ask just how they had been questioned, but the terror in Gemi's eyes when she spoke of it, spoke more than her words would be able to say.
That was why Chantria needed to learn, learn to face the Order as the Noble Saint would and make the demands she needed to without raising their suspicions.
"Saddle two horses, swiftly." Dewei instructed the stable hand, glancing over his shoulder.
Chantria guessed he was watching out for any of his guards who would then alert the rest of his retinue that he was attempting an escape.
"They will eventually get to know of your absence, Dewei." Chantria pointed out, finding Dewei's wariness of his entourage amusing.
"We will be far gone by then." Dewei assured Chantria.
Soon, the stable hand emerged with the two horses, handing the reins to Dewei and Chantria.
Chantria stared warily at the horse for a moment, it was not the first time she would ride a horse, but it was the first time she would be riding a horse somewhere out of the polo club she frequented in her own world.
Chantria was used to riding within a protected fence and monitored by professionals, she was not certain how things would turn out if she was allowed to ride free.
"Well? There is no time to delay, we must leave castle grounds as soon as possible." Dewei reminded Chantria.
Dewei had already mounted his horse and waited expectantly for Chantria.
'It is just riding a horse, I will have to face much more than this to survive here.' Chantria reminded herself, sucking in a deep breath.
Chantria mounted the horse and grabbed the reins like she knew how to, nodding to Dewei.
Dewei rode away first and Chantria stirred her horse to follow after him.
_______________
The mountain on which Chantria's estate was built was truly vast.
Without Dewei's carriage and entourage, it had taken Chantria and Dewei quite some time to descend the mountain.
Though they could easily have travelled through a portal, Chantria preferred experiencing every step herself, because one way or the other, she would have to get to know this world she found herself in.
The harem system had made it clear that there was no going back, Chantria herself had begun the difficult attempt to let that sink in.
Chantria realized her castle was built in a secluded part of the citadel, though it was still within the citadel's gates, it was a good distance away from the bustle of the city.
At the base of the mountain, Chantria and Dewei rode past a lonely field and it took a short time before they arrived the citadel itself.
Throughout the ride, Dewei dutifully answered all and any of Chantria's questions, satisfying her curiosity as much as he could.
Dewei's answers did not help jog Chantria's memory and Chantria had not even expected it would but at the least, it provided her a deeper understanding of her family situation.
Chantria needed to know more than the harem system's basic introduction had provided.
"So... the Emperor is our uncle?" Chantria asked to be certain.
She had known they shared ties with the royal family since Dewei was addressed as a prince, but Chantria had not known it was such close ties.
"Father is Arch Prince and the only Arch Prince who shares the same birth mother as His Imperial Majesty." Dewei confirmed with a nod.
His countenance was casual, Chantria could tell their birth status did not mean much to Dewei.
"How many Arch Princes are there, aside from father?" Chantria asked curiously.
"Amongst the royal harem of the previous Emperor, four of his ladies birthed sons." Dewei revealed to Chantria.
"Four of them..." Chantria murmured, not the least bit surprised.
"The previous Emperor's harem boasted of six great beauties and four Kei's, a considerably smaller harem when compared to his predecessors." Dewei carried on, taking Chantria's words to be her curiosity.
"Of the five sons born to the previous Emperor, our father is the fourth and His Imperial Majesty is the second born son." Dewei explained further.
"Oh..." Chantria murmured thoughtfully.
"Whatever happened to the first?" Chantria asked.
Dewei stirred his horse to a stop, fixing Chantria with a serious look.
"I have said something wrong." Chantria surmised.
"Do not ever mention that again before anyone, not even your bonded or attendants. The Grand Prince is an existence that is never spoken of here in the Kalavan deep, Chan...you must be extremely cautious of this one thing." Dewei warned.
"Especially amongst the royal family and in the presence of our father and Imperial Uncle." Dewei emphasized seriously.
"Can I ask why?" Chantria asked slowly.
Dewei breathed a sigh and shook his head slowly.
"You will naturally come to understand as you recover your memories. Until then, it is not my tale to tell. I only implore you to take heed of my words, never mention this again." Dewei asked earnestly.
"I understand." Chantria