That night, Leticia met with Laurenn in her chambers. She wanted to know how his meeting with Rachel had gone. Laurenn's response, however, was discouraging.
"I think I ruined everything!" he lamented with a sigh. "I'm no good at these things. I should have borrowed some books from the Spring Kingdom."
"You're a great catch, Laurenn. I'm sure she liked you," Leticia consoled him.
"Thank you, Leticia," Laurenn replied, a little more cheerful. Seeking to change the subject, he added, "By the way, I ran into the knight you mentioned, Aleph."
"Did Aleph come to work for you?" Leticia asked curiously.
"Not exactly. But, to my surprise, he accepted my old invitation to train at the castle," Laurenn revealed with a satisfied smile.
The next morning, King Hayden, accompanied by a group of imposing knights, summoned Leticia. The time for choosing had come. It was time for Leticia to select her official knight.
"Leticia, these are some of the bravest warriors in the kingdom," Hayden announced, gesturing to the men who accompanied him. "I recommend you choose Sir Ritz. He is one of my most trusted men."
Leticia, maintaining her composure despite the pressure, responded diplomatically:
"I will consider your suggestion, Your Majesty. However, I would like the opportunity to carefully evaluate each candidate before making a decision."
"I grant you a deadline, Leticia," Hayden declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you do not make your choice within the allotted time, I will make it for you."
"Even if he chooses, I cannot disobey my mother's instructions. I must find a knight who is loyal only to me," Leticia thought, reaffirming her decision.
Hayden, despite his impatience, agreed to the request. Then he added:
"However, to ensure your safety on the journey to the Autumn Kingdom, you will not be accompanied only by your personal knight. A full escort will be assigned to protect you."
The urgency to find a trustworthy knight increased with each passing day. Leticia decided, then, to thoroughly investigate Aleph's abilities. She began by gathering information from the kingdom's citizens.
At the confectionery, she overheard the young employees praising Aleph's insight and wisdom in resolving conflicts. But Leticia needed more. She needed to know about his skills as a warrior.
In a nearby tavern, some men were talking animatedly. Leticia approached discreetly, just close enough to overhear the conversation.
"That Aleph is a stallion!" one of the men commented with a mischievous smile. "He goes out with a different woman every day."
"I doubt he's all that," another countered. "A friend of mine said he didn't try anything with her. She even offered herself, and he refused! I wouldn't have."
The table erupted in laughter.
The town gossip was proving useless. Leticia then decided to discreetly follow Aleph. She observed him during his work shift, impressed by his ability to mediate conflicts and appease heated tempers without resorting to brute force. She also noticed that, at the end of his shift, he was always approached by some woman. The nature of these conversations, however, remained a mystery. Aleph was undoubtedly popular with the ladies and maintained good relations with the men of the city.
Intrigued, Leticia questioned one of the young women who used to talk to Aleph. She explained that, depending on the location suggested by the young women, he would accompany them, but that he usually only sought information about the customs of the kingdom. Being a newcomer, he wanted to integrate quickly. And he ended up winning people over with his genuine curiosity and interest in their stories, without any romantic intentions.
Aleph's popularity, however, was not what Leticia was looking for. She needed to assess his combat skills. And for that, she would have to resort to more drastic measures.
Leticia, as princess of the Winter Kingdom, had received royal combat training, but this was interrupted by the death of her mother, Queen Elyza. To keep her skills sharp, she trained sporadically with some of the city knights—avoiding the castle knights, who treated her with condescension and didn't take her seriously in training duels. She decided, then, to go to the knights' training ground, an isolated grove on the outskirts of the city.
"It's time to test Aleph's skills," she thought with determination.