I smiled at the two men who were now escorting me to the city centre in the carriage I had borrowed from the Queen. Well, I didn’t exactly borrow it. And it wasn’t given by the Queen directly.

“Your majesty, would the Queen pardon me for stealing her carriage?” Arjun asked up innocently and I nodded my head immediately. I wanted him to feel comfortable and at ease since he was useful to me. I didn’t expect the man to actually get me a carriage from the Queen’s stables. But he just didn’t get me the means to go to the city. He also got us a driver, which Victor pointed out with wide eyes suddenly.

“Arjun, you didn’t just steal horses and a carriage, you also threatened the driver.” Victor was giving the young man a disapproving stare, but I wasn’t going to let my favourite guard be berated by the other man’s words.

“Don’t listen to him, Arjun. You did excellent and the Queen will be as merciful as she always is.”

I didn’t know that for certain, but I was going to take the blame if matters worsened in the young man’s favour. “Why are we even going to the city anyway?” Victor questioned as he looked at me with squinted eyes, and suddenly I was missing the man’s previous behaviour towards me.

“I have to get my things from my house and meet a friend.” Not like I had much to begin with. But they didn’t need to know that.

Arjun nodded his head in understanding. “Friends should always be given time.” The sentimental outlook of this man for everything was a little contrasting to his straightforward personality but I was fine with it. As long as he was doing what I wanted him to; he was going to be an asset for me.

“Not at the cost of upsetting the Queen.”

“Hey now! I am a King!” Yes, yes, I was going to use that to my advantage. It had been a week since I had been at the castle, and both the Queen and Elric had been restricting me from several things while calling me King. Well, now I was a King, and I was going to go meet Felix. And there was nothing they could do about it!

Victor leaned back in his seat in defeat.

“Yes, your majesty. You are the King.” Arjun immediately bowed his head in terror while I had a little stare off with Victor. I really did like him more when he wasn’t maintaining eye contact with me. Now, he just seemed like another person.

An idea popped into my mind as I looked outside the window. We were approaching the city centre soon, and I didn’t want Victor to come along to my house with me. I could already predict him judging me all the way there. Arjun alone was fine for me.

“Victor.” I smiled sweetly, looking at the bigger man. He narrowed his eyes at me immediately. “How about you go visit your wife and children while I go meet my friend.” Victor frowned and before he could say anything, I was speaking again while looking at the other man now. “I can take Arjun with me. He’s capable enough to keep me safe.” And I was also a trained fighter so I didn’t really need the younger man either.

The glimmer of adoration in Arjun’s eyes was a little difficult for me to handle, so I turned away from him and gave all my attention to Victor. He was contemplating the decision by the looks of it, and just so he would make the right decision – I added more incentive.

“You can also take the day off. Take your wife and children for a nice meal or something.” Victor’s eyes widened when he saw me take out a pouch of gold coins from my mantle. Another thing I borrowed from the Queen.

It wasn’t my fault she kept pouches of coins laying around in our chamber at odd places. She should know better. We shared that room now.

“Your majesty, that is so wonderful of you!” Victor could ignore me, but he couldn’t ignore the big eyes of the man sitting beside him. His dark and round eyes were manipulative, and adorable. As if a small innocent child was staring up at you.

“Fine!” I smirked in satisfaction before handing the money to Victor. He glared at me and to bring matters more in my favour – we finally arrived at our destination as well.

“We are here, your majesty!” All three of us heard the voice of the driver who had halted the horses. Our carriage also came to a stop gradually, and I turned to Victor one last time for the day. “Enjoy your time with the missus, Victor!”

And with that, I was out of the carriage, followed by Arjun.

“I will tell the driver to come pick you up right here in a few hours.” Victor grumbled from inside the carriage, and I gave him a smile of approval. “Thank you, Victor.” Arjun and I watched the carriage begin moving again, and I secretly rejoiced as soon as it was out of view.

The city centre was just as busy as I had remembered, a week ago.

“Ah, home sweet home.” I mumbled quietly, not expecting my companion to hear but he did so surprisingly. “Your majesty, which house here is yours?” Now, that was a question. My house was not at the city centre but a few streets away from it.

Fortunately, it was a walking distance, and I was in the mood for a stroll in the city anyway. I missed being by myself and not surrounded by Elric and Amelia.

“It’s just near here.” I glanced at him before beginning to walk towards the centre’s left turn. My mind was so occupied by the delight of finally being back home that I failed to notice how the people around me were glancing at me.

It wasn’t like I wasn’t used to being seen in such a way. Before everything, people knew of me as the sad person who had lost her parents. They pitied me but their stares this time were terribly different.

Arjun and I walked quietly. He didn’t ask anything but chose to walk close to me for protection. Maybe he had forgotten that I was also a trained fighter, but I wasn’t going to toot my own horn at him.

As we turned into my street, something unexpected happened.

“Your Highness!” My eyes widened as most of the people in the street bowed immediately, and the others followed suit after seeing the others bowing.

“Where!? Where!?” I turned around to look behind me. Maybe she had followed me here or Elric found out I was missing and got people to come after me. Arjun came forwards and whispered to me. “They mean you, your majesty.”

I was frowning immediately as I raised my hand to my head and came in contact with the crown I was wearing. Damned crown for giving me such a scare and damn all these people for being too gullible. “Uh, get back to whatever you were doing, uhm, good people!” Arjun nodded his head as I turned back to the bowing people to announce. It was like they were waiting for me to do anything and stood up straight immediately.

“Thank you, your highness, for gracing us with your presence.”

“Hm, yes, I came here to do just that.” I rolled my eyes internally as I remained walking forwards. My house was right there at the corner, though I couldn’t quite see it. That was odd.

I frowned immediately as we got closer to the edge of the street. My house was supposed to be right there next to the corner house, but there was nothing there anymore. How could a house just disappear like that?!

I turned to the people who were still there staring at me, hoping for something I had no clue about. “There was a house here. An old one. Where is it?” The man, who I had asked the question to, looked at me with a frown before shaking his head. “The resident sold it and gave the Queen’s men permission to renovate it.”

Sold? Renovate? The house was completely gone, and who the hell was living in my house?

“Who was the resident?” I smiled sweetly at the man, though my voice had emerged from the depths of hell. Even Arjun was terrified of me as he stepped away from me as if I would kill him accidentally. Though I was going to kill someone alright.

Swallowing nervously, the man stuttered out a reply. A reply that boiled my blood more than knowing my house had been demolished. A name that was so familiar to me that my feet were already moving away from the man, and going towards the one place I knew the person would be at.

Arjun followed me quickly before he asked the question which had me screaming out the name loudly into the street.

“Who’s Felix, your majesty?”