Kim was skeptical about Elin's suggestions, but she had explained on their way over to her that no matter what she said, unless it has to do with her safety or some that would be a previous instruction from her, then Kim should remain silent unless they direct a statement or question towards her.
Even though Elin admitted that she hadn't had a bodyguard of her own before, she at least had snuck into some meetings her father had and that's how her father's guests bodyguards always had been. Although, she was certain that on more than one occasion they caught her, while her father and her father's guest didn't.
However, what Kim hadn't expected was how boring this conversation would be. It just boggled her mind. Then there was the idea that she'd given Guy about asking the king to allow him and his friends to essentially create a Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, when they would certainly have absolutely no experience in doing that, was so ridiculous that she wanted to smack Elin upside her head to try to see if she could knock some basic sense into her.
Fortunately, Elmo came to the rescue, even though his argument was not anywhere close to where she would have taken the argument. Not that it was a bad approach. As it did shoot the idea down without hurting Elin's feelings too much.
Although, when Jonas mentioned the movie Fight Club and Elin asked what it was, she couldn't resist quipping the line from the movie: The first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club.
However, Elin didn't seem to notice, but she doubted that she'd be that lucky. She expected that Elin would talk with her about it later. As Kim suspected that Elin just didn't want to bring attention to Kim's lapse. Yet, she wasn't worried. After all, once they were done with this party, Kim was sure they'd return to the dynamic they had between each other after.
As they rode in a carriage with Lord Guy and a couple of his servants, Kim felt like they were riding a rickety roller coaster made for little kids with how bumpy the ride was. It was clear that shocks had not been invented yet. Although, she suspected that the automotive vehicle would be invented before shocks would get invented, but she wasn't going to push the issue.
Guy's servants were on the outside of the carriage, at least one of the them were driving the team of horses that were pulling the carriage. Which left the entire amount of room in the carriage for Lady Elin and her servants and bodyguard.
With all five of them in the carriage, it was rather cramped for Kim. She did her best to ignore it, but it wasn't easy for her. What helped her was being able to see the cleavage in Elin's dress. Not that she could see that much.
Elin's dress was a creamy yellow that was similar to the dress they'd found in the dungeon, in that it was divided into two parts, but this one was clearly made out of a finer and more delicate fabric. It was cut so it flattered her face, her azure hair flowing down over her shoulders, creating a pleasant contrast of colors.
If Kim hadn't already started essentially dating her, she'd really have liked to get with her just by looking at her in that dress.
"So, what's the occasion for the party?" Elin asked as the carriage started slowing down, which made Kim suspect they were nearing the venue for the party.
"It's Lance's youngest sister's birthday," Guy replied.
"So, why a party for that?" Elmo asked. "I mean why would Lance and his friends be invited to that?"
Kim smirked as Elin gave Elmo a look that said he should have kept quiet, that his question was so far out of line that he should be ashamed for even having had the thought in the first place.
Guy, however, merely laughed. He didn't seem annoyed or upset at all. "You know, if you hadn't told me that you weren't from this country already, I'd have started wondering with that question," he said as his laughter started to subside. "Look, mage. With the nobility, even if I was in my eighties, the birthday of a member of any noble family would require my presence. Especially for the daughter of a Duke."
"Sorry," Elmo muttered, clearly uneasy with Elin's continued heated gaze at him.
"You said that all the noble families will be there, right?" Jonas asked.
"Yes," Guy answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Would the king himself show up or would he merely send a representative?"
Guy laughed again. "You're just full of surprises!" he declared, earning a smile from Jonas while Kim rolled her eyes. "The king himself usually doesn't show up, but he has on occasion. Usually he send the crown prince instead. Presumably it's to help the prince establish good relations with those he's supposed to rule over one day."
Jonas' eyes furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Shouldn't the prince be doing that anyway?"
Guy looked out the winder. "Well, you didn't hear this from me, but the prince is a little… well, he doesn't like being around other people," Guy answered in a whisper, as if he was worried someone might overhear. "There's rumors that the crown prince dies long ago and he was replaced by a commoner who is scared of someone recognizing he isn't the prince."
"How old is the prince?" Elmo asked.
"He'll be eight next month. As such, when he arrives, he'll be escorted by his uncle, the previous crown prince," Guy answered.
Kim noticed the carriage started to speed up again, which made her wonder what the slow down had been about. Though, as she glanced at Elin, she also couldn't help but wonder why she was the only one who wasn't allowed to speak. Elmo and Jonas seemed to have free rein to ask whatever they wanted. Not that she could think of anything to say herself at the moment.
All this gossip just annoyed her in general. It wasn't something that she usually sought out. Yet, in this case she was sure Jonas was merely getting whatever information he could to try and figure out when and where an assassination attempt on the king might be made.
"You know, I just realized," Elin suddenly said. "How old is Lance's sister today?"
"She'll be turning ten," Guy answered. "There's already stiff competition to get her married to various families. Soon she'll have to start meeting others as her parents whittle down the selection, but word has it that the crown prince is a possible candidate."
Elin suddenly looked troubled. Kim couldn't help but wonder what might be behind it. Though, she couldn't tell if Elin was just suddenly tired, about to cry, or about to explode. It wasn't clear to Kim, but felt she should try to find out anyway. Even though she'd have to do what Elin told her not to do, which was to speak without being spoken to. Although, she had a feeling Elin wouldn't mind this time.
"Is something wrong, my g- Lady?" Kim asked, nearly calling Elin by her pet name rather than what Elin insisted they refer to her as.
Elin looked at Kim blankly for a minute before her eyes focused again and she shook her head gently. "No, it's fine," Elin answered. "It just reminded me of something from home."
Guy nodded solemnly. "Yes, I can't imagine being taken away from my home like you had," he said sympathetically. "Would that I could find a way to help you get back there. It would be the least I could do for what you helped me and my friends out of this morning."
Kim fought the urge to roll her eyes. From what Jonas had explained to her before they'd arrived at Guy's family's estate, or mansion, that they'd essentially been taken in for brawling and they were more worried about how their parents would react to them being arrested again.
Kim was sure these were the men who had annoyed her on her way back to the inn, not that she was going to say anything. Especially since they were sticking with the story that it was demons who attacked them. Though, she definitely accepted that they were drunk when they'd made their proposition to her. Not that she wouldn't have been so harsh with them if she had known that at the time.
If anything else, she'd probably have done more damage to them if she had known that they were drunk then. Especially since she knew that they clearly didn't remember her very well. Otherwise, she was sre that they'd have given her more of a reaction at the inn. Or even Guy here would have recognized her voice or something. It just felt like a missed opportunity for her, as she thought about it.
"Ah, we're finally here!" Guy suddenly said, pulling Kim out of her thoughts.
Kim looked out the window to see the gate of Lance's family's mansion. It was engraved with various patterns and words. Though, the overall motif was the emblem that Kim could remember herself seeing on multiple individuals that she'd killed when they were attacking Kim and her group on the road.
Although, this was more of a mosaic with smaller engravings being used to create the emblem. Kim wouldn't mind getting the name of the artist who designed this. Even if it was a man, she'd certainly like to be able to get something from them. Just the way the lines made up of the symbols and other things just made her feel entranced.
The door to the carriage opening up pulled her ou of her thoughts and allowed her an escape from the spellbinding mosaic that caught her eye. Although, she still let everyone else leave the carriage before her.
She suddenly had a bad feeling that there was something dangerous nearby. Not that she could see anything or could identify where the danger was coming from. Yet, she could feel the threat as if it was something physical. It was almost like the entire place was a trap for them.