The Vice Commander of the Royal Knights stood at the door, which Vesserian opened.
“Princess, His Majesty the King is awake,” he said, bowing before adding, “He was informed of your safe return and wishes to see you.”
Dolores agreed and followed him toward the palace where the King was recuperating, with Vesserian trailing behind.
“How is my father’s condition?” Dolores asked casually.
No one had answered this question earlier. Those in the know had not been in the side hall, and her attention had been occupied by Grimm and Vesserian.
“His Majesty’s condition is fair. He faced the dragon head-on, but Master Grimm lured it away at the critical moment. Therefore, the King only exhausted his accumulated power.”
“The Royal Knights suffered dozens of casualties, and hundreds in the Kingdom Guard died from mana exhaustion. However, at least 70% of our personnel survived.”
“We will begin relief efforts in the city once we have finished recuperating. I hope everything can still be saved. Princess, we have done our best.”
The Vice Commander’s tone grew somber as he spoke, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and changed the subject.
“Princess, you were not in the palace during the dragon attack. What was the situation like outside?”
“It was not great, but I saw everyone working hard to maintain order. The guards from the Garrison did not back down, even when facing monsters.”
“Additionally, organizations like the guilds and the university provided quite a bit of help. I participated in relief, rescue, relocation, and medical efforts alongside them…”
Dolores answered the Vice Commander’s questions as they walked. He nodded and replied:
“I will petition the King to reward those guards who performed their duties faithfully. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten. It seems you experienced a great deal while you were out, Princess.”
“This should have been our responsibility, but because of the dragon… *sigh*… you have worked hard, Princess. We will finish our recuperation quickly so we can join the relief efforts as soon as possible.”
“You must not leave the palace grounds for the time being, Princess. Aside from the dragon, we discovered many mysterious forces took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. They attacked the palace, forcing your brother to recuperate in the Silver Hall,” Hagel said.
As he finished, Dolores added further, “I was attacked on my way back. The attackers were retainers of Count Kanke. I still have their tokens with me. Here.”
Dolores displayed the seized family crest, and Hagel nodded in confirmation.
“Their target seemed to be the Old Church Ruins.”
Dolores took the opportunity to share a bit more intelligence.
The Vice Commander of the Royal Knights, Hagel, was her father’s confidant. Any important information she told him would eventually reach her father’s ears.
A look of concern flashed across Hagel’s face. Recalling what he had learned before arriving, he knew Vesserian had fought desperately to protect Dolores.
The doctor had told him Vesserian’s condition was dire. The maid had not mentioned this to Dolores, but she had told him.
He needed to find an opportunity to speak with Vesserian later.
“Count Kanke… he still has his title and territory in Vasna as a fallback. Those southern nobles have always been flip-floppers. Their betrayal is not surprising.”
“The dragon attacked our newly reinforced seals with precision, yet the older seal sites were left untouched. There is likely a high-ranking traitor within the palace who collaborated with the dragon, and this traitor is likely quite young.”
“This disaster was not a natural one, but a man-made one. Therefore, you must be careful during this time, Princess. Specifically, you must not leave Vesserian’s side.”
“His Majesty and I will find a way to purge these traitors, including those southern nobles, once the Kingdom’s Eastern Expeditionary Force returns.”
‘The Eastern Expeditionary Force won’t be coming back…’ Though she knew this from her memories, Dolores saw no need to ruin the mood right now.
The people in the palace were not fools; they could deduce from the information at hand that there were human factors behind the dragon attack. They were not much slower than Dolores in reaching that conclusion.
Furthermore, rather than mere guesses and deductions, Grimm might actually have a list of the traitors.
After all, he had lived through the First Loop and served as the King of the Rand Kingdom for decades.
‘Grimm…’
Dolores instinctively placed her hand over her heart. She felt a momentary warmth in her chest, seemingly because she was thinking of him.
She gave a self-deprecating smile, which Hagel noticed and interpreted as a bitter smile of helplessness.
“Princess, we will make them pay the price, even if it costs us our lives,” he promised solemnly.
Dolores comforted him instead. “There is no need to be so serious. You should try your best to live if you can. Do not be impulsive in a moment of passion.”
“After all, nothing is more important than being alive.”
“Princess, every member of our Royal Knights swore an oath when pledging loyalty to the King: we will place the interests of the Rand Kingdom above our own lives.”
Mentioning the oath, Hagel instinctively straightened his back, seemingly returning to the most brilliant moment in his memory.
At the same time, he glanced at Dolores, as if there were more to his words.
“Your father… he did not have us swear loyalty to him, but to this entire kingdom… I have never seen a king like him. He will surely be remembered as a great king by the people of Rand.”
Dolores smiled slightly and whispered for some unknown reason, “If there is a chance, I’ll talk to you again about loyalty and staying alive…”
Without realizing it, they had arrived at the palace where the King was resting. Reliefs carved into the milky-white building pointed toward the main doors. Hagel pushed them open.
However, the King was not in the main hall. They still had to walk a bit further. Hagel stopped in front of a bedroom door.
“Princess, His Majesty is resting inside. Vesserian and I will wait out here until your conversation is finished.”
With that, Hagel made a welcoming gesture with one hand and closed the door after Dolores entered.
A soundproofing array cut off any noise from within, leaving only Hagel and Vesserian outside.
Vesserian could tell from the subtle expressions on Hagel’s face that he had something to say to her, so she spoke first.
“Hagel, what is it you want to say to me?”
“Vesserian, the doctor who treated your wounds told me about your condition… please do not worry, she did not tell the Princess. She only said you needed quiet rest.”
Vesserian reined in the sudden, sharp movement caused by her momentary panic. She straightened her back, assuming the posture of a capable maid.
“So, what do you want to say?”
“Vesserian, you cannot keep being stubborn here in the Rand Kingdom. Your strength was exhausted decades ago. You need to return to the elven realm to recuperate; otherwise, the Elven Curse will soon flare up again within you.”
“We will guarantee the Princess’s safety. Dolores would not want—”
“No!” Vesserian interrupted Hagel. Her usually cold face was now filled with a rare expression of anger.
“Hagel, I cannot leave. Maybe I could have before, but now… I absolutely cannot leave the Princess’s side. Not by a single step, not even half a step!”
Vesserian’s tone was categorical, and her hands were even trembling.
However, this only met with Hagel’s lack of understanding and confusion.
“Why?”
“We can take over the safety of the Princess, which is your primary concern. What possible reason could you have to refuse to leave the kingdom for treatment, even at the risk of your own death?”
“This is about your life, Vesserian!”
Vesserian lowered her head and bit her lip until beads of blood appeared.
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