Hearing such information has made Tristan sad and confusedly happy.
He really likes Valeria, even at first sight. But with Adrian going to marry her, he cannot tell her his feelings now. Still, knowing he will endure his long journey with his life at stake together with Valeria, he is happy! At least confusedly happy.
As Tristan drifted into his thoughts about Valeria, Valeria tapped his shoulder.
"Tristan. Let's get out of here." She said it while holding Tristan's hand and dragging him out of the dining room.
"Huh? Okay," said Tristan without resisting. "Where?" he asked with a clear obedient tone.
"Just follow me without a word. Can you do that? Nod if you can." She said it with a cold voice.
"Hey, hold up." Said Tristan while he suddenly stopped and pulled his hand from Valeria's.
"I know you are a crown princess, but I think I'm older here. Can we agree on seniority over royalty on our journey?" Asked Tristan. He seems to have returned to his logic and escaped from being charmed by Valeria's elegance and beauty.
"Look, Do I look to care about that? Did you want to be called big brother? Fine. Come on, big brother, we got to go." She said it with a cold face and a sarcastic tone.
"Okay. But could you give me a second? I need to say goodbye to Leylla and Mother. I'll be right back." Tristan hurriedly returns to the dining room, and in one minute, he's already running toward Valeria.
They strolled to the Castle's main lobby. Right before the lobby's door, a jet-black sport sedan stopped. The valet driver exited the car from the right door and left it open for Valeria.
The car is the kind of car Tristan has never ridden before in his previous life. But he has seen a similar type in a TV commercial. It's bonnet and rear spoiler made it almost like a McLaren GT in his world. The difference is its right-wheel drive, higher ground clearance, and no visible exhaust.
Valeria suddenly ran and jumped into the driver's seat, leaving Tristan swearing inwardly because his chivalry instinct told him to drive it, even though he's never driven one before, not in here, not in his world.
Valeria is driving fast and precise. Her skills in sharp turning and braking have awed Tristan. The road was winding, but Valeria drove fast. So fast that Tristan couldn't enjoy the beautiful mountain and waterfall view on the left and right of the road.
Although driving fast, the distance between The King's Castle and Prince Alexander's Castle is far. It took 20 minutes of driving at the car's top speed before they entered the Castle's main gate. And from there, they must go much slower because the road is much narrower. And it was another 5 minutes passing an elegant forest with big pinewood trees and the right and the left before they saw a colossal castle, slightly smaller than The King's Castle.
Unlike The King's Castle, Prince Alex's Castle is much quieter, with fewer sightings of people walking out and about around the Castle. Valeria parks the car next to another similar vehicle, but it's a maroon car. It's the car Prince Alex just drove.
When they walked toward the Castle's main door, the door opened before reaching the terrace. A lady butler and two lady servers welcomed then asked Valeria and Tristan to follow them.
"Do you remember any of your visits to this filthy place before, Tristan?" Asked Valeria while walking with a frown face.
"Filthy? I mean, I have no recollection of ever visiting this place. The memories of it were probably wiped out too… But why did you say it's filthy? I don't see any filth around us." Said Tristan with a clear confusing tone.
"You'll see," Valeria answered without even looking at Tristan.
They followed the lady butler for almost five minutes, passing aisle after aisle with beautiful paintings and sculptures elegantly decorating it. Then the lady butler stopped before a grand massive wood-arched door with a lion's head sculpted beautifully on its surface.
She knocked on the door by swinging its door handle several times. Immediately, the massive, heavy door swung open wide, revealing a sprawling room bustling with people.
The sheer size of the room struck Tristan as he took in the sight—an Olympic-sized swimming pool nestled within. And in an instant, he understood why Valeria had referred to this place as "filthy." There were no men present except for Tristan himself. Instead, the room was filled with women, many of whom were either completely naked or clad in revealing bikinis, engaged in various activities.
Tristan even saw a few women leisurely reading books in the nude. At that moment, he remembered Shania, one of Prince Alex's harem members who had given him a massage in his room, and he briefly scanned the room to see if she was among the women present.
Valeria looked at Tristan, her lips curled into a cynical smile, before saying, "Enjoying the view, bro?"
"What? N-No... I don't... um... What view?" Tristan stammered, abandoning his search for Shania, attempting to appear composed by pursing his lips tightly.
"Your 'unbothered' expression is quite amusing, Tristan," Valeria chuckled, making air quotes with her fingers to mock his supposed nonchalance.
Tristan turned to Valeria, relaxing his lips but keeping them tight. "Alright, I'll keep my focus on you and nothing else. So, guide me, or I might stumble over things," he whispered, trying his best to maintain his composure.
"Hahaha... Okay. Give me your hand," Valeria replied, her eyes now gleaming with happiness that Tristan was making an effort to avert his gaze from the naked woman.
As they walked past the women, they entered a smaller room—a smoking room. Prince Alex sat inside, puffing on his cigar and holding a small glass of bourbon-like liquid.
"Ah, you're here. Come, have a seat. Thank you for bringing them, Matilda. You may leave now," Prince Alex said, his cigar in one hand and the glass in the other.
Now, only the three of them remained in the room. Tristan and Valeria appeared uneasy while Prince Alex leisurely savored his cigar and drink.
"Would you like something to drink or eat? Help yourselves," Prince Alex offered, pointing to a table in the middle of the room adorned with delectable cakes and wines.
"No thanks, Prince Alex. I think we're good, right, Tristan?" Valeria replied with a frosty tone.
"S-sure, Valeria... s-sure. Um, whatever you say," Tristan stuttered slightly, affected by Valeria's firm and commanding voice.
"Oh my god, Tristan! You've only spent a couple of hours with the princess, and you're already head over heels?" Prince Alex chuckled almost hysterically, teasing Tristan.
"What? No... No! It's not like that, uncle!" Tristan quickly retorted, almost shouting, as he desperately tried to hide his feelings for Valeria.
But his response only made his uncle laugh even harder. Valeria frowned, looking away.
"Alright... Alright, enough with the joke. But I suggest you both relax and enjoy the food here or perhaps try a cigar. The airplane won't arrive to take us to Astrialia for another two hours," Prince Alex stated casually.
Tristan and Valeria attempted to relax in the room, nibbling on snacks and sipping wine. They silently agreed to sit apart from their mentor.
"Sorry if my uncle's joke offended you," Tristan said, guilt evident in his expression.
"None was taken," Valeria replied curtly.
They sat in silence, occasionally glancing at Uncle Alex, who seemed to doze off several times.
"Are you ready for the journey, Valeria?" Tristan whispered.
"Are you?" she whispered back.
"Of course I am. I have my armor. What about you? I don't see you wearing any," Tristan asked, curiosity lacing his tone.
"I don't need armor. My AI and I have merged, including my protective gear. I can summon it at any time or shield myself from projectile attacks in a nanosecond," Valeria explained.
Tristan was taken aback by what he heard. It dawned on him that Valeria's abilities surpassed his own, and he grew disheartened, feeling like the weakest member of the team.