I roll my eyes with a sigh.

"I thought you said that I was leaving soon." I turn to the butler beside me as I voice my complaint, shivering slightly in the cool air. I'm not really sure what time of year it is, or what the climate of this place is, but it feels like September in New York to me.

"Yes, Your Highness - the carriage will be here shortly."

I roll my eyes again. I guess even across worlds, you can't get away from bullshit delays, huh?

"Well, they better get here soon…" The butler doesn't respond to my mutterings.

As if on cue, we hear the approach of a carriage, betrayed by the clopping of hooves on cobblestone.

I watch as a pair of horses drag an oversized carriage up to the front steps. Upon seeing my conflicted expression, the butler assumes that I'm thinking of my family.

"I'm afraid your parents and siblings will be unable to see you off - they are investigating who procured the drugs that were given to you."

I nod, taking that in for a moment. So, he told my parents about the drugs - I suppose not seeing me off is meant to be a message of some kind.

Honestly, that works out quite well for me. If I were to interact with someone familiar with Eric right now, I'm pretty sure I'd blow it and reveal that I've replaced him.

Once I'm done considering that, I turn my attention back to the carriage. No matter how I look at it, it just seems…excessive.

"Do I have to ride in this?"

The butler sighs. "Your Highness, I'm aware that it is rather modest, but at the Academy, all students are equal. It would be a poor first impression to flaunt the wealth of the royal family upon your arrival."

"Modest?" I look at him, eyebrows arched in shock. "You call this modest? Fuck me, man - I could live in the fuckin' thing! Don't you have anything smaller? And more importantly, lighter? Those poor horses didn't ask to be strapped up to this fuckin' thing, you know."

"You're concerned…for the horses?"

"Yeah, of course I am!" I can't help but bristle - memories of horses being forced to cart around tourists in Central Park in the winter fill me with bitterness.

The butler frowns at me. "But…Your Highness, this is a very light carriage."

"How could it possibly be light?"

"There are magic stones embedded in the wood that decrease its weight. They have been inscribed with Intentions of Weightlessness."

"Intentions of…?" I shake my head, giving up on making sense of the phrase. "So, what you're saying is that it's magic."

He hesitates to answer. "...yes, Your Highness."

I can't help but scoff. I guess in a world with magic, I can expect to encounter some hand-waving nonsense like that.

"Alright - so long as it's not putting too much strain on those poor bastards, I'll get in."

"Uh…very good, Your Highness."

I give the horses one last glance of pity before climbing into the carriage. It barely moves in response to the additional weight, making me think that either it's already plenty heavy, or it really does have some kind of magic acting on it.

It's much more spacious than I ever imagined a carriage would be. There are two plush benches on either end of the carriage, with enough space in between for me to comfortably lay down.

As I take a seat, I notice that there's a steamer trunk pushed underneath one of the benches. Guess that's my luggage, then.

"Alright, well…tell my family I said goodbye, I guess."

"Of course, Your Highness." He closes the door, and turns the latch. Once it's closed, he continued to speak. What a chatterbox!

"You'll first be picking up your knight escort, Your Highness. They will be accompanying you throughout your time at the Academy."

"Didn't you just say that we shouldn't flaunt our wealth at the Academy? Wouldn't a personal knight be doing just that?"

"All noble students will have a knight escort, Your Highness."

"Oh, so everyone else can go scratch their ass, is that it?" I'm starting to get a feel for what this world is going to be like, and I have to say - I'm not sure I love it.

The butler ignores my comment as he carries on. "Now, Your Highness, please do not be upset, but…the knight that will be escorting you is Dame Alex."

The name triggers something in my mind. One of the more clear memories I've inherited from Eric.

Dame Alex is the only female knight in the entirety of the Beruzia Kingdom - and, as such, she's constantly being given shitty assignments, as she's looked down upon for her gender. The fact that she's been assigned as my escort means that guarding me is just that - a shitty assignment.

"Alright." I shrug and lean back in my seat.

"Er…" He seems to be at a loss, before bowing. "Very well, Your Highness. Have a safe journey."

"Thanks - see you, uh…eventually, I guess."

He nods, and waves to the driver, who shouts and jostled the leather lead. I grimace in pity for the horses.

As the carriage lurches forward, I can't help but notice how smooth it seems to be moving. Either they've figured out top-notch suspension here, or this thing really is magical. Honestly, given that all the lights seem to be powered by some kind of crystal, I'd lean towards the latter.

I start to make myself comfortable as the carriage trundles onwards. The gently rhythmic rocking reminds me somewhat of being on a train. That, paired with the mental exhaustion of having just recently died, eventually lulls me to sleep.