The journey to the capital was calm. There wasn't any danger or ambush that happened along the way, although some towns they encountered wondered why such an army was passing through, looking so exhausted. When they arrived in the capital territory, the army couldn’t just waltz into the city. There are over 500 people in the Blue Rose, so only a few people can go. Those who will go are the general, some officers and soldiers, and the prince. While the others will be assigned to order and deliver food and other resources needed by the army as they wait for the dissolution.

So, the Blue Rose decides to stay at their barracks – the barracks the capital gave to them but have not been used in years since they are always getting mission after mission limiting their exposure to the capital and noble society as much as possible. When they arrived in the barracks, it was in disarray (not surprising), and there were some squatters in the area who ran when they saw the sight of them. To be honest, the General would not have minded if they stayed. This barracks is going to be left unused when they dissolve anyway. Those people were homeless, after all, and Claes is not very kind towards the homeless.

Even then, they don't have to live in such a filthy place. Those squatters did not take care of the barracks very well, leaving the rest of them to clean it up. The general, his nephew, the prince, and his butler, along with 20 people, three officers, and 17 requested soldiers, are going to the capital tomorrow. The capital is close, just a few hours’ ride left, but they can't go to the city in full gear. If all of the soldiers were to go with them, the capital would view it as an attempted coup, and they will all be killed.

General Aster is leaving Silas (his second in command) and some of the other officers in charge of the barracks. Because the capital is close, they now have access to better food and resources that they should order to be delivered to the barracks, and someone should manage them when they are away. Hopefully, it will go so well since most people probably did not know where their barracks were located.

Silas is the Blue Rose army's second in command. He is a tall man with olive skin and wears an eyepatch on his left eye. He also has scars around his body and his face. He was already like that when he arrived at the camp so many years ago, so nobody knows where he got the scars and why he covers his left eye as he never really shared it, and nobody pushed him for it. Normally, in Claes, people with scars like that are often discriminated against, but in The Blue Rose, scars were the norm, and nobody cared whether they had it or not. Regardless, he is a very quiet man, and he treated them fine, so people have no complaints.

As for Rufus, he has been very busy making preparations for the capital. He traveled to the capital first along with two of the soldiers, set appointments at the palace, and bought and rented various items for their meeting with the nobles and the emperor. He rented a carriage as well, and he made sure it was high-end. Because the prince has no backing, he can't easily borrow a carriage from the palace with the royal insignia. He just hoped the guards wouldn’t stop and search them. Those are usually reserved for the visitors to the palace, such as merchants and (although rare) foreign nobles. Some nobles find it humiliating to go through with it since a past empress did that to a powerful Duke’s family because she was envious of their power and wanted to flaunt that the royal family was more powerful (that did not go so well for her).

Rufus was also the person who educated the soldiers who would go with them to the palace about proper posture, etiquette, and behavior when they were there. Unlike their merry band of men in the Blue Rose, who is more forgiving of their rowdy behavior, the palace is not that environment. One wrong move can get them killed or all of them killed. It's a test of their awareness and their teamwork.

Even though Rufus is the butler of the third prince, the soldiers have a lot of respect for the man. Because of his skills, he was assigned administrative duties such as managing the finances of the army and making sure they had enough money or resource to eat and take care of themselves, which was not very easy thanks to the lack of funds. But he was the one who set the schedules for hunts to get food and managed to stretch out their food for longer.

Once everything was set, Rufus went to the prince's room – the one assigned to him in the barracks – carrying a tray of food for him. He has prepared his clothes and a bath in the bathing area. He has to be meticulous. This is the first time since his banishment that the prince will return to the palace, and Rufus has to admit that the prince has every right to be angry at the emperor for everything. But that doesn't mean he will allow the prince to not look his best. Let those nobles cry at the sight of the prince's beauty. Rufus thinks very highly of his young master.

"Your Highness, I have heated some water in the kitchens; it will be rea-" Rufus paused.

…

"YOUR HIGHNESS?!" Rufus almost dropped the tray. Who is this gorgeous man standing before him?

It is his highness! But why – why does he look so different?

Prince Victor looked so dignified and clean. He is standing in the room in front of the window with an open book in one hand and his other hand on his hips. His wispy stubble is gone, and the prince cuts his hair short. Short! It is so short that there is barely any hair left that clings to his neck. How is it possible to get that hair so short and cut so cleanly? Also, the prince looked like he had bathed, and his clothing looked clean. Cleaner than the last time he did the laundry (despite the lack of detergent in the barracks). "How do I look, Rufus?" the prince smiled.

"You look – you look so handsome, your highness." Rufus stammered, also feeling a little proud.

"Thank you."

"Did – did you already take a bath, your highness?" Rufus asked.

"Yes."

"Where? I didn't see you in the bathing house." Rufus asked, looking a bit perturbed. "There were so many people in there earlier." As it is rare for them to take a bath when on the go, the soldiers have taken advantage of having a fixed place to bathe.

"I, uh, took a bath in the river." The prince answered, looking a little guilty.

"Were you alone?"

"Uh…"

"Your Highness! You can't go bathe in the river alone! You must have someone with you! What if you drown!" Rufus scolded the young prince.

"As you can see, I am fine."

Rufus sighed. "Still, your highness, you cannot just go anywhere without telling us where you are. You are a prince. If you go missing, we will be in trouble."

"I see. I am sorry, Rufus." The prince said apologetically with his arms up trying to calm down the doting butler.

Rufus paused and looked at the prince's outfit. The trousers look clean, and the boots are shiny. When did he make the shoes shine? Rufus was the one who cleaned those shoes. "I haven't seen this shirt, your highness." Rufus pointed at the prince's white shirt. It was very white and clean and looked like it had not been touched by the elements. It also looked very different. Not so "flowy.”

"It's a shirt that I have kept in my space," Victor said.

"I am surprised it has remained this pristine," Rufus said, as the item should have at least rotted in the space by now (but he doesn't know the prince's space can stop the time of the stored items). Rufus even turned towards the cloak lying on the chair.

"This cloak looks clean!" Rufus looked astonished. The black cloak is old, and Rufus has cleaned this one multiple times to remove the mud and other impurities unsuccessfully. The prince does not have a lot of clothes, and most of them are related to the army, not his status as nobility. After all, they can't purchase more revered clothes for the prince in the middle of battle. It's not like he is attending any balls and/or parties. Luckily the dark color of the cloak made it difficult for dirt to be noticeable. Rufus just made sure that they were clean enough. However, the cloak looks cleaner than usual, and the cloth feels softer.

"Is this the same cloak I prepared, your highness?" Rufus asked in disbelief.

"Yes." The prince answered. "Thank you for preparing them. You have done a nice job."

"I see." The man still looks doubtful but decides to forget about it. "Please eat your highness, as we prepare the carriage. It is almost time for the departure."

"Thank you, Rufus. Make sure not to forget to eat as well."

"Of course, thank you, your highness." Rufus left the room.

Victor sighed. He felt guilty lying to Rufus since he worked hard in cleaning the clothes, but Victor wanted to make a better impression on the emperor in the palace, so he decided to deck himself up. He shaved and even used clippers to cut his hair in a regulation cut, his favorite cut in his second life as Jeffrey. He used gels to keep the hair look shiny, in place, and neat. He even used the washer and some fabric softener to remove the dirt on his clothes that was not removed on the first wash. However, he couldn’t wear sneakers in Astoria, so he cleaned the boots with a shoe shiner. He was surprised it worked well. He was in the army in his second life. Shining shoes was not a new task for him.

Victor did not like the shirts in Claes. They were too open in the middle, and the sleeves were so flowy and loose. It reminded him of those movies about Shakespeare. They were also easy to rip off if need be. No wonder some women find them sexy here in Claes. But the shirt even has laces at the end of the sleeves. Laces! Ugh. They were so itchy. So, he opted for a cotton button-down long-sleeve white shirt with wooden buttons. It looked well with his outfit. Besides, with the cloak, he highly doubts it will be noticed.

After he finished his breakfast, Victor set out to the carriage. Rufus helps with the cloak over his shoulders and pins it together with a large silver rose brooch with a sapphire in the middle of it. The general and Jason are on the first carriage with Victor and Rufus, the second one is the three officers who will accompany them, and the rest will ride to the capital on horses and serve as the guards around the carriages.

Victor glanced in the direction of the capital. This is it. This is where it all starts.