At the palace, formerly the heart of the kingdom Ahara, and currently a province of the empire, several attendants were standing anxiously at the front gates.
The prince's entourage was about to arrive, but the princess was yet to be found.
As they stood still in formation, a bead of sweat rolled down the chamberlain's forehead.
He already sent the messenger bird back to the prince's advisor and said the princess would definitely be at the forefront of the welcoming party.
However, at lunchtime, when the maids knocked on her room to deliver food, no one responded.
When they opened the door, there were no signs of her nor of an infiltration, so they searched the entire palace and the nearby towns.
However, even after three hours had passed, they hadn't found a clue as to where she had gone.
With every report the chamberlain heard, his suspicion that the princess might've run away grew.
However, that would be nothing but disadvantageous to her. With the continent almost united under one rule, she had nowhere to run to. Thus, vocally speaking his suspicions would be the same as saying the princess is a dimwit… and that would also mean he is insulting the prince who had chosen her.
The chamberlain released a deep sigh as his forehead wrinkled more. "Stella, come forward."
"Yes, my lord chamberlain," a ginger haired lady said as she moved swiftly to the front and stood still one step behind him.
"Are you sure you have told me everything that happened?"
"Yes, my lord chamberlain. I swear to the ocean deities that I have left no word unsaid."
The chamberlain turned to Stella and eyed her from head to toe.
She had a relax posture and an unwavering gaze that could easily make one believe her. However, he could hear her heart thumping louder than before, so he circled her.
With every step he took, his silver hair bounced back behind his waist and his green eyes constricted more.
He could almost sniff out a lie oozing from her.
"Swear to the gods of life, Stella," he said as he stopped in front of her and whispered. "The ocean deities you've sworn to have weakened. They would not be able to give you retribution."
Stella's jaw tightened as she prevented herself from cutting his throat right off the bat.
To insult the revered protectors of her kingdom is a sin.
If she was not the princess's lady in waiting, she wouldn't have held back.
"I swear to the gods of life that I have told everything that transpired when the princess called for me this morning," Stella said as the details she hadn't told him flashed in her mind.
The princess had given her a long hug and a treasured jewelry after she helped her dress and accompanied her to eat, but that's something she would never tell as it would only raise his suspicions.
With the princes entrusting Farah to her, even she suspects she might've left for good, but that's something she had to keep to herself.
When Stella caught a glimpse of people on horseback, she shifted her gaze to them and took a step back.
Seeing this, the chamberlain naturally followed her gaze and saw the prince's entourage coming from afar.
"Prepare yourselves," he said as he looked at an enormous eagle soaring ahead of the entourage.
"The prince approaches. Make no mistakes." He turned swiftly and scanned the welcoming party to ensure everyone was in their designated position. Then he faced the entourage.
Once the eagle passed them by, the tension within the welcoming party grew.
They all knew they had made a mistake.
The prince temporarily left his post at the border to honor the princess' birthday.
Although he did it as part of the tradition, it would be a great embarrassment for him if the princess whom he returned for was not there to welcome him after he had been away for almost a year.
The chamberlain swallowed hard as the faint thud of approaching horses drew near.
He couldn't believe they had been so negligent to the point that not even a single person discovered the princess was missing sooner.
Besides, if they had given her proper treatment, she wouldn't have banned all the maids from serving her. Thus, they would likely know if she's going somewhere or if she's doing something unusual.
The chamberlain clutched his left wrist as he turned his attention to the prince at the forefront of the entourage.
His black war horse stands out amidst the snow-covered path, and his presence naturally commands attention.
Even from afar, the chamberlain could tell, the prince's eyes were dead set on the princess's supposed to be location.
Then he briefly scanned the entire welcoming party, before setting his predatory gaze on him.
As a shudder ran down his spine, the chamberlain averted his gaze to the prince's advisor, who was riding one meter behind his right.
His body eased up a bit when he saw him. However, when he remembered the reply he sent back, he began to sweat.
Knowing the prince's advisor, he would've surely spread the message that the princess would be there to greet the prince… and he would've done it repeatedly like a parrot.
Since the advisor follows the prince around, who else could he have repeated the message to the most other than him?
The chamberlain rubbed his temples to reduce his stress. As he did, his eyes landed on the divine witch who was riding one meter behind the prince on his left side.
'We're done for,' the chamberlain thought.
The divine witch was a renowned figure in the empire, but his genuine concern was the rumor that the prince would've surely chosen her to be his bride if he arrived at the imperial palace before his brother did.
'To embarrass our lord in front of her… my future is slipping away…'
The chamberlain almost wilted like a leaf when the horses stopped in front of him.
However, when the prince looked down at him with a chilling gaze, he remembered what he was supposed to do.
As soon as he raised his right arm to the level of his shoulder and pointed his closed-fist to his other shoulder, all the attendants followed suit.
They kept their heads high as they looked at the prince. Then they activated their inner force to acknowledge his presence and give him the highest form of greeting.
"Welcome, your highness. The people of Hse are honored by your return."