Footsteps echoed through the grand corridor of the royal palace as Nova followed Veliora, who was leading him toward the throne room to meet her father, the King.

'Ever since I stepped inside, I've had the unsettling feeling that someone's watching me. I can't tell how, let alone who. Though, honestly, I can guess who. Still, it's just a feeling I'm getting,' Nova mused, eyes tracing the pristine white-and-gold walls.

Noticing Nova's pensive expression, Veliora offered a reassuring smile. "You don't need to worry so much, Sir. My father is easy to speak with. And since you saved me, he'll be even more welcoming."

Nova shook his head lightly. "Miss, that wasn't what I was thinking about. I was simply admiring this place."

He gestured toward the first portrait along the hallway and sighed in admiration "For example, I still can't believe the King looks that dashing at his age. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was your brother."

The princess chuckled at Nova's remark but quickly remembered where she was. She covered her mouth with her hand, attempting to regain composure.

"Forgive me for that display," she said with a smile. "What you said was simply too amusing I couldn't help myself."

Raising an eyebrow, Nova replied, "Was it?"

"Of course! You just pointed at a portrait of my second brother and said he was my father." She stifled another laugh. "It's taking everything in me not to laugh."

'Her brother? Seriously? That guy looked like he was pushing forty,' Nova thought.

Not wanting to leave Veliora hanging, he quickly added, "Ah, yes, of course. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Who wouldn't recognize the great Second Prince?"

"I'm glad someone around here is smart enough to appreciate how grand I am."

Both Nova and Veliora turned to see a striking man in his late twenties dressed in royal purple, a finely-crafted sword hanging at his side.

Veliora shot Nova a quick, worried glance before turning back to the newcomer.

"Second Brother," she said calmly, "are you on your way to see Father?"

"Little sister, must we speak of business the moment we meet?" the Second Prince said, his tone light and teasing. Then, turning his gaze to Nova with a smile, he added, "And we certainly can't leave your new servant out of the conversation, that would be impolite."

Nova's eye twitched 'You want to take a jab at your sister? Fine, that's your business. But dragging me into your little feud? Alright then. From now on, I'll let you in on my plans too.'

Veliora glanced at Nova, but seeing him remain silent, she stepped forward, her voice sharp.

"Osvald! Don't you dare play your tricks on my guest or I'll tell Father about your little 'night watch' at the border."

Osvald blinked in mild surprise at her outburst, but when her words registered, he threw his head back in a short laugh "You think Father doesn't know?" he said, smirking. "If you know about it, then trust me, everyone here does. Even the servants." His eyes flicked briefly to Nova before returning to Veliora.

"And yet… here I am. Perfectly fine, perfectly untouched. Do you understand now?"

"You—!"

Veliora started to speak, but before she could continue, Nova chimed in.

"Save this for another time. Don't we have somewhere more important to be?"

His words cut through the tension. When Veliora met his gaze and saw his relaxed smile, the knot in her chest eased. She exhaled and gave a nod.

"You're right, Sir. We have no time to waste on him."

Without sparing another glance at Osvald, the two turned and walked away.

But before the second prince could speak, Nova turned just enough to shoot him a sidelong glance, a wide grin spread across his face as he silently mouthed: We'll meet again.

Osvald's expression darkened.

We'll meet again?

"Since when did servants grow the nerve to speak to me like that?" he muttered, his voice laced with irritation. "Next time we meet, I'll remind him exactly where he belongs."

With a final snort of contempt, Osvald turned and strode away.

////////

"I'm sorry about what happened with my brother, Sir," Veliora said quietly. Her mood had clearly dimmed since their encounter with the Second Prince. "I didn't think we'd run into one of them so soon after entering the palace."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Nova gave a casual shrug. "You don't need to apologize. But I do have a question."

"A question?"

"Mhm." He glanced at her. "Why does he pick on you so naturally? Aren't you a princess too?"

Veliora hesitated, her steps slowing just a bit. "Because they all know… I have no one backing me but Father. Even Mother, since I didn't qualify to become a mage, sided with the princes. If I wanted to push back, I'd need to build a faction of my own, and I'm… not good at that. And if I retaliate and lose…"

Her voice trembled. Tears threatened to fall, but Nova had already tuned out.

'To think I'd find another Caroline in this shitty kingdom… heh.'

Outwardly, Nova wore the same easy-going smile, calmly listening as Veliora continued. But, despite his relaxed expression, he was far from unaffected.

The Mana around Nova trembled violently, threatening to go out of control at a moment's notice, but his two years of training had not been in vain. Not a single tile cracked beneath his feet, and the pristine walls remained untouched. The only indication that Mana had just been violently trembling was a soft breeze that gently fluttered both his and Veliora's hair.

"His Majesty is waiting for you, Princess."

Nova's eyes refocused, settling on the tall, ornate doors ahead, flanked by two guards in polished armor.

'They're not suppressing their Aura… but it doesn't feel that strong. Still, having two knights stationed just to guard a door…only a king could afford to be that extravagant.'

Veliora turned to Nova. Her red, puffy eyes met his and started nd said "Sir, come-"

But before she could finish, one of the knights interjected without so much as a glance in Nova's direction.

"His Majesty has requested that you enter alone."

Veliora blinked, then tried to rationalize it. "He probably doesn't know I brought someone with me." She looked at Nova with a small, apologetic smile. "Sir, I'll go in and ask Father to receive you properly. Please wait here, it won't take long."

Nova gave a simple nod as she disappeared behind the throne room doors.

'As if,' he thought, watching them close. 'They've been watching us since we stepped foot in the palace. If the king wanted to meet me, he would've called for me directly. Splitting us up like this… what is he planning?'

The moment Veliora was gone, one of the knights turned toward him, expression flat.

"You'd best forget about associating with the Fourth Princess. Leave."

Nova didn't flinch. "Did the king order that?"

His voice was calm, almost amused as if he'd expected this much.

"Leave now," said the second knight, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, "or you won't be able to leave at all."

Nova met their eyes with a long, unreadable look then turned without a word and walked away.

"Hmph. Another beggar turned away," one of the knights muttered.

The other chuckled. "We're getting close to triple digits."

"Hahaha."

Their laughter echoed faintly behind him as Nova made his way down the corridor, his footsteps slow, taking his time to think.

'If I didn't have to assist this kingdom, I would've gladly watched it burn. A narrow-minded king who doesn't even want to meet with her daughter's savior, a worthless queen who abandoned her daughter, and, at least, one dumb son who…nothing. No wonder the city is split cleanly between nobles and commoners.'

'Without the king's support the situation just became more bothersome but still manageable. Second Prince, your father just bought you a little more time. How lucky for you.'

His pace quickened, and without another glance back, Nova made his way out of the palace.

//////

Two others were present in the throne room alongside Veliora.

Seated on the grand throne was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and long, flowing hair. He wore ornate purple robes embroidered with golden patterns, King Wulfric, ruler of the Lotra Kingdom. A kind smile rested on his face as he listened to his daughter speak.

Standing silently beside the throne, hands clasped behind his back, was a man of similar age. He wore a tall blue mage's hat and a long robe of deep sapphire. This was Granier, the royal court mage who rarely ever left the king's side.

Right after Nova left the palace, Granier stepped forward, leaning slightly toward the king to whisper a few quiet words.

Wulfric nodded. "Good."

"What's good, Father?" Veliora asked, glancing curiously between them.

Wulfric gave her a faint, dismissive smile. "Nothing important. Now, you were saying?"

Veliora paused, uncertain, but chose not to press further. She gave a small nod and continued, "At that moment…"

///////

Nova stepped into the carriage and addressed Letto, who had been waiting outside the palace the entire time.

"Do you know how to reach both the Blackridge Kingdom and the Westoria Kingdom? Which one is nearer?"

Letto paused, brow furrowed in thought. "Sir, the Blackridge Kingdom lies to the east while the Westoria Kingdom is in the west. As long as we keep heading either east or west we should eventually reach one."

He didn't actually know the route. But he had to sound useful. He had to.

"As for the distance…" Letto's voice dropped. "This one doesn't know."

There was a limit to bluffing, one had to know how far they could go before getting caught.

Nova gave a slight nod. "Take me to the outer city. And while we're on the way, ask around, find out how far Blackridge is from here."

"Yes, Sir," Letto said quickly, climbing into the driver's seat and turning the carriage around.

It didn't take long to find the answer. The capital was a hub for travelers and merchants, and even the average citizen knew basic geography thanks to the constant stream of stories and news from the roads.

It was so effortless, in fact, that Nova cast a side glance at Letto as he returned with the information.

"It takes about three weeks by carriage to reach the western border of Blackridge while a month to reach the east border of Westoria," Letto reported.

"Alright, we're going to Blackridge" Nova said calmly.

Then he stepped out of the carriage, walked around, and grabbed Letto by the waist.

Stunned by Nova's actions, Letto tried to drop to his knees in the middle of the busy street but was held firmly by Nova. Scared, Letto didn't give up, voice trembling he begged, "Please, Sir! Let me live… please!"

A few people glanced over at Letto's desperate pleas, but when they saw it was just a servant begging, their interest faded quickly. One by one, they turned away.

"Shut up. Don't make a scene," Nova said flatly, knocking his knuckles lightly against Letto's head. The servant flinched.

"I'm taking you with me."

Letto swallowed hard. "Sir… why are you going to that kingdom? And… why are you holding me?"

"Just don't move too much."

Before Letto could ask anything else, Nova quickly stepped out of the city and made his way to a secluded spot, away from any prying eyes. Once there, he retrieved Dreadscape from his Inventory.

Wind Mana particles swirled around his feet with a soft hum.

"If you move… you die" repeated Nova, this time even more seriously than before.

Nova's tone made Letto understand that he wasn't exaggerating. The bandit's body went rigid, stiff as a corpse.

Nova took a single step and they both vanished into the horizon.

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