We awoke that morning feeling particularly refreshed. We got dressed and said our goodbyes to everyone at the diner, then we were on our way.
After we had arrived at the castle, we found two large carriages surrounded by knights on horses. These men were to be our guards for the trip. I could see Sir Gordon at the front of the convoy. He was speaking with one of the knights and I chose not to bother him.
We would have plenty of time to speak later, most likely.
We decided to go into the castle and say our goodbyes to the King and Queen as well as Walter before leaving.
"I hope the two of you have a safe trip. Mizik, your documents are in order, I hope?" The King said.
"Yes. I have everything I need to prove my identity and ownership," I replied.
Of course I did. The documents scarcely ever left my inventory because they were far too precious to just leave lying around...
"Protect my daughter for me, Mizik. I'm counting on you. I don't expect Tyranus to just simply roll over, but if he has any dignity, he will have no choice. Be careful. That man is dangerous..." The Queen said.
It seemed somewhat unlike her, but I was happy that she trusted me.
"My lady! I do hope you'll stay out of trouble on your journey. It puts me at great unease that I won't be able to protect you, but Mizik is a fine warrior. I'm sure you'll be safe!" Walter said gleefully.
"Walter, I hope to see you again soon as well. I'll do my best to stay safe, of course," Isabella said happily.
"Ah, I almost forgot... Isabella, here is the magic pouch containing the funds for your trip. Use all of it for negotiations if necessary. Including Bravery. You still have it, yes?" The King said.
"Yes, of course. Bravery hasn't left my inventory."
She seemed distracted all of a sudden.
The subject of that sword seemed to bother her, somewhat.
Perhaps it had something to do with its previous owner?
I couldn't be sure, in all honesty.
These swords could be unpredictable at best sometimes...
"Good. See that you present it to the Emperor once you arrive in the capital. We're counting on you!" The King said.
After that, we left and boarded the second carriage.
I had expected others to join us within the carriage, but it was just Isabella and me.
There were a few servants as well as a couple of officials in the front carriage, but we had this one to ourselves.
It was quite luxurious, as expected. The seats were silken and very comfortable. There was one door on the right side complete with a window and a curtain.
Across from us, there was a small opening that would allow the cab driver to speak with us. We could also close it for privacy if we needed to.
It seemed like we were in for a very comfortable journey.
And especially so, since the weather was getting quite cold. Isabella and I made sure to dress warmly and were thankful for the carriage.
A few minutes after we boarded, the knights surrounded us in formation and we were off.
* * *
As the carriages left the capital, I thought about how we were the only ones here.
"Hey Isabella, are we the only ones that are supposed to be in this carriage?" I asked.
"Hmm...let me think... They only sent us, two servants, two officials, and the carriage drivers. We also have twenty-five guards including the Grandmaster. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I wasn't expecting to just share a cab with only you... Doesn't that seem strange?
"It's not strange. I think I prefer this, to be honest. Is sharing a cab with me a problem for you?" She asked with a worried look.
"Of course not! I'm more than happy to share with you if-"
Isabella suddenly wrapped her arm around mine and laid her head on my shoulder.
"I'm cold, Mizik. So I'll just stay like this and warm up."
"O-of course... Whatever you say, Isabella..."
"I love hearing your voice all flustered, my love. It makes me so happy. This would be much more awkward if others were here and I'm glad that it's just us so I can do this..."
This girl is going to give me heart problems...
Regardless, I remained awake just in case of any emergencies.
The royal guards accompanying us were some of the best.
Every one of them was at least level 90.
Some of them were as strong as level 105 as well.
I felt very safe here. In fact, I was more sure that they could handle themselves in battle than I could.
I decided to relax and allowed Isabella's warmth to wash over me.
It was a bit cold in the cab, but it was still far better than our trip to Albatross the first time.
Although Isabella had been with me under the identity of Rose, it was still a difficult journey.
After some time passed, I began having a hard time staying awake.
I noticed that Isabella hadn't really been snoring like she normally did and I tapped her hand.
"Hm? Everything okay?" She asked.
"I wanted to make sure you were awake. I'm feeling kind of tired, so I might take a nap. It could be dangerous if we don't sleep in shifts..." I said.
"Mizik, you're being a bit paranoid, you know? You don't need to get permission to sleep."
Isabella scooted away and then patted her lap.
"U-umm..."
"You can use my lap as a pillow!" She said.
I reluctantly laid down and found it to be very soft... Very conforting as well. She placed her hand on my head and gently stroked my hair.
"Just relax. Sleep as much as you like. I don't mind," She said with a smile.
I could get used to this.
A few moments later, I passed out.
* * *
At some point, while I was sleeping, we were apparently stopped by a group of bandits.
They thought we would have some important people or valuable items on board, but they were mercilessly slaughtered before they could find out.
I was especially glad to hear that last part, because the First Princess of Albatross was here.
If they'd put their hands on my wife, I probably would have torn them limb from limb...
I didn't know how long I slept, but eventually, I slowly opened my eyes to the sweet smile of my beloved.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Isabella said.
"Is it...morning?" I asked.
"No, it's the afternoon. But that's what people usually say when someone wakes up, right?" She said.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
I slowly sat up and blinked a few times.
That was easily the best nap I'd ever had. In the future, I would likely try to sleep that way whenever possible.
"How far have we come?" I asked Isabella.
"Pretty far. We've passed a couple of towns so far and had an incident with bandits, but nothing major," She replied.
"I slept through a bandit raid!? Why didn't you wake me?" I said.
"Because I didn't want my sweet Mizik to have to lift a finger when he was sleeping peacefully on my lap."
"I don't think that's completely necessary..." I said quietly.
"Yes it is! If my husband needs rest, I'll let him rest. Let the knights do their job, my love. And let me admire you," Isabella said with a proud smile.
"Well...if you insist... Are you tired? Do you need to sleep?" I asked her.
"I'm fine for now. But when I feel like a nap, I'll let you know. You can be my pillow this time," she replied.
I was slightly thrown off by how forward Isabella was being with me here. She didn't normally speak to me this way, but I couldn't say I minded it.
Still...I was curious as to why.
"Isabella, are you okay? You're being a bit more forward than usual."
"Well...I've been holding back for a long time and now that we're married, I want to talk to you the way I want to. I couldn't do that for a while because of the issues with the unknown skill. But now..." She said as she leaned heavily on me and stared into my eyes. "Now, I don't have to hold back. You're all mine and no one can reprimand me for being lovey-dovey with you!"
"Lovey-dovey...?" I said.
"Of course! I want to shower you in affection, Mizik! After all, I see you staring at me all the time. Even before we were dating you would always stare at my face when I took the helmet off," she said.
How observant is she!?
"What!? I wasn't...staring..." I said.
Liar. I'm a liar. I have been staring at her. Constantly. All the time. Even back then... Especially back then!
"Liar. You stare at me all the time. You should try to be more like me. I can keep my eyes to myself!" She said with a sly smile.
Hold on just a second here!
"That's not true. I catch you looking at me all the time! Not in a loving way, either. Like you're sizing me up. As if you're a predator about to devour a fresh kill!" I said.
"Wh-what!? I don't...do that... No way!" She said.
"I've definitely seen you do that!"
"W-well...maybe... I guess I can forgive you in that case... Ah...oh! Wouldn't this trip to Noir technically be our honeymoon?" She said.
"I guess so, but it seems a bit stressful to be something like that. I'd much prefer going somewhere less dangerous... Somewhere that we can relax with just us. Like Lorelei. But, it would probably be better to wait until the world is safe," I said.
"You're a kind man, Mizik. Thinking of the world before yourself. Please don't ever let that kindness go. Do you promise?"
"I promise. Even if my heart is full of hate, even if I have nothing left at all, I won't let it go."
I didn't see myself as kind, though...
Sure, I was nice to people, but at this point, I might not hesitate to end someone's life in an instant if I had to.
But if Isabella said I was kind, I was glad to hear it.
Nevertheless, we stayed just like this for a while. As I sat there with her, we continued talking. About the world, about our future, and many other things.
Eventually, we got up when the carriage stopped and went out to eat dinner with the knights. The servants that were brought here also knew how to cook, thankfully.
Even if they didn't, I wasn't opposed to doing it myself.
Later when it was time for bed, we were told that we could sleep through the night as the knights would take turns keeping watch.
We were told to sleep in the carriage and blankets were provided.
The seats of the carriage were very luxurious. They could even fold out into a bed connecting the two sides.
But still...we didn't sleep side by side.
Isabella held me in her arms like a body pillow for warmth like she always did. I certainly didn't mind, and it made it easy to sleep.
Since we were warm and comfortable, we fell asleep very quickly.