For the crown princess of the kingdom who spent most of her day studying etiquette in her room, she sure could run fast. Aldrich gasped for air as they finally stopped in front of a pair of large, elegant looking white doors.
"Where," Aldrich paused mid sentence to take another deep breath. "Where are we?"
The princess smiled at him as she pushed open the door. "My room. Come on."
She walked into the room and beckoned him to follow. Aldrich swallowed as he entered the room. Veliona Daenarys Reinhardt the crown princess and first and only daughter of the king Rysander Aurelius Reinhardt. And here he was, in her room.
He was so dead. What was he thinking. His father was going to kill him. He almost turned back when Veliona called him over in a loud whisper. She was sitting on her bed.
He already came this far, he thought to himself. So Aldrich walked up to her. She studied him for a few seconds.
"I know you..." She started. "You're the Virtue-less boy trying to become a knight, aren't you. Sir Alastair's son."
Is that who people knew him as?, Aldrich thought. Just a guy without a Virtue.
The princess reached under her pillow and brought out something. A dagger, its sharp edge glinted.
Aldrich took a few steps back upon seeing it. Veliona rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to stab you. Come on, sit down."
She patted the space on the bed beside her. Aldrich sat down cautiously. "So, how exactly are we supposed to see what's happening in the throne room?"
Veliona grinned, something Aldrich had never seen any women from royal bloodlines do. She flipped the dagger in her hand and then pointed it forward. She brought it down slowly as if cutting through the air.
Aldrich watched her, thoroughly confused. Then he saw something. It was as if a rift had opened in the space. His eyes shifted back to the princess. "How did you..."
"This dagger, I got it from a merchant during my 'studies' in Yumekawa. It allows me... to cut through space. Or something of the sort anyway, not exactly sure how to explain it," she said. "My dad doesn't know about it, so don't tell anyone. Now shush, let's listen."
Aldrich wondered if he could get a weapon like that. It would definitely even the playing field against his father. He pushed the thoughts away and stared into the rift as the princess instructed. Inside it, he could just barely see something. They looked like feet, armored feet. He recognised them. They were his father's.
Beside his were another pair, probably belonging to Sir Andrius. "Couldn't you have gotten a better view?"
Veliona ignored him, the king had started to speak.
"So, Sir Alastair. I would like you to accompany Sir Andrius on this. Just the two of you, I would like to keep this situation as quiet as possible until we confirm the magnitude of this threat."
Alastair's foot moved forward slightly, "With all due respect your highness, I currently have my hands full dealing with the monster outbreak in the East province. As well as a handful of the Order of the Rose's affairs. I am afraid I just don't have the time to leave everything and go on a quest based on unconfirmed information."
"As said earlier, your Majesty, I'll be fine on my own," this voice belonged to Andrius.
The king sighed deeply before agreeing. "Very well then. Andrius, you will go and investigate the disturbance in the South province alone. Report back on whatever you find. But... please be careful. If it really is a dragon..."
Alastair spoke up again. "Even if it is the fell dragon, there is always Sir Kazuki. Where is he anyway."
"He said he was visiting his homeland," the king replied.
"Well, that would explain why it's started to rain again."
Andrius interrupted their exchange. "If you'll excuse me, your Majesty. I will set off immediately."
A loud knock on the princess' bedroom door startled Aldrich. He exchanged look with Veliona, who promptly closed up the rift.
"My lady, I know you're in there." It was the voice from earlier.
"Arissa, my lady-in-waiting. It seems she finally found me." The princess whispered hurriedly.
"I should go. I don't suppose you have a secret door leading out of here?" Aldrich asked.
Veliona shook her head. Aldrich cursed softly under his breath.
Veliona got off the bed and rushed to the window. "You could go out the window?"
"Are you crazy?!," Aldrich exclaimed. "I'd die."
The voice outside seemed to have heard him. "My lady, is there someone in there with you?"
Aldrich had to think of something fast. "Could you do that thing with your dagger again, except make it bigger?"
"You want to jump into the rift?," Veliona responded. "I've never tried it before. I have no idea if it would even work."
"My father would never let me hear the end of it if I was caught in the crown princess' chambers," Aldrich responded. "I'm willing to try."
Veliona stared at him for a second before nodding. She gripped the dagger and, in the same motion as before, began to tear through space. Aldrich looked into the rift. He could hardly see anything on the other end.
"Where, um, does this lead?"
"No idea. It was nice to meet you..."
"Aldrich."
"Aldrich." She smiled at him. "Let's do this again sometime."
Then she shoved him into the rift and closed it up right as her lady-in-waiting burst through the doors. Arissa looked around for the source of the second voice, but all she found was the princess standing quite suspiciously in the middle of the room. Her hands behind her back.
"Sorry for barging in like that, my lady," Arissa apologised. "I thought I heard another voice."
Veliona smiled awkwardly. "No, no other person. Just me. Must have been the wind."
×
For a little while, falling through the rift, Aldrich had felt like he was weightless. Then he landed, flat on his back, on something hard. It was the ground. He groaned as he sat up and observed his surroundings. He was in the castle stables. And the stable boy was a few metres away, staring at him wide-eyed.
"W-where did you-..." He spluttered.
Aldrich got up and brushed himself down. He patted the stable boy's shoulder as he walked past. "Believe me, you don't want to know."
Aldrich thought about all that he had just heard as he walked. There was something happening in the South province. Something big. A dragon, those hadn't been around for centuries. He wondered what it would be like to see one in person.
That's when he saw Sir Andrius leave the castle. He had said he was going to investigate immediately. He could follow him and get some answers.
Aldrich trailed the knight from a safe distance. Then Andrius suddenly turned down an alley. Aldrich hurried to catch up, but when he got there, the alley was empty.
"Where did he-..."
His sentence was interrupted by a firm hand landing on his shoulder. "Why are you following me."
His heart almost jumped out of his chest. He let out a nervous laugh. "Sir Andrius, it's so nice to see you. It's been a while, hasn't it."
Andrius lifted his hand off Aldrich's shoulder. "You were listening in on our conversation, weren't you. Back at the castle. I sensed someone was, I just couldn't figure out how."
The princess had asked him to keep her secret, so Aldrich tried to move the conversation along. "Never mind that. I followed you... because I want to come with you. On your quest."
Andrius lifted an eyebrow. "That is... completely out of the question. You don't have a virtue, your fighting skills are sub-par, and your father would kill me if he found out."
Aldrich flinched. "Okay, ouch. But that's exactly why I want to come. My father doesn't think I'm good enough, but I am. And helping you with this will prove that. Come on, please."
Andrius wouldn't budge.
Aldrich had to resort to other means of persuasion. "If you make me go home, I can't guarantee the secret about what happened to my father's favourite pair of shoes will be kept much longer."
This time, Andrius was the one to flinch. He shut his eyes for a long time, his eyebrows furrowed, before finally giving in. "Fine. But you do exactly as I say, it could be dangerous."
Aldrich pumped a fist in the air. "Yes, of course. You won't regret this. Probably."
Andrius let out a resigned sigh. "I'm going to gather supplies. Meet me at the city gates at dawn with a horse."
After that, Andrius left Aldrich alone in the alley way.