The cart was very comfortable.
Its interior was approximately twice as spacious as a regular carriage, and it was equipped with soft upholstery that allowed for comfort and deep sleep at any time.
But on Precipe's face, the worry was quite evident.
“Is it really right to do this…?”
Prisippi muttered to herself, quietly recalling the events of last night, that is, after she left the Imperial Palace and returned to the palace.
[Tell him to give me time to say hello. In the end, everything went according to His Majesty's will, so he could at least allow it, right?]
Dietrich fulfilled Priscipe's plea, but throughout the ride home, she could not find the right words to say to Fenrik.
She knew his background well, having heard about him again and again. I knew how hard it was for him to get into this position.
But now, because of her, he lost the emperor's trust and was almost expelled to the Forbidden Forest without any work. No words were needed to describe how Precipe felt about it.
It was true that Siegfried and his knights were going to accompany him, but Presibe could not shake the suspicion that this was merely a means of keeping an eye on him. All they had to do was keep him there and then summon the knights again whenever they wanted.
Silence was taking hold of Fenric as well. He remained deep in thought the whole way, making it difficult for Preseppe to speak first.
In the end, after exhausting herself, she could barely utter a few words when they arrived at Fenric's palace.
[I'm sorry... Duke.]
She was honest. I felt bad about everything. She had promised herself never to say words of apology or gratitude again, but this was not the time to keep that promise.
But Fenric looked at her as if her words did not make sense and asked her again:
[Did you do something that requires an apology from me without my knowledge?]
[No, but because of me, you ended up going to the Forbidden Forest. They call it going out to war, but in reality it is nothing but a banishment...]
Prisippi lowered her head and whispered to herself.
[Moreover, you saw how the Emperor was behaving. That crazy Ivan… I mean, the chief magician, must have said something strange to him for sure.]
Then, Fenric smiled.
Then he replied with a response that was not easy to understand.
[But I don't see it as that bad.]
What would this man consider “bad”? Does he have to have an arm or leg cut off for this to be serious?
Prisippi wondered to herself.
After they arrived at the palace, Fenric briefly explained to Hanna what had happened, and then began preparing to leave.
But there wasn't much to prepare.
Fenric sent orders to his soldiers to prepare, while Hanna carefully prepared his armor and sword as if she was accustomed to the command.
And with that, Fenric ended his very short preparations in a completely calm manner.
[All we have to do now is get going.]
She followed Fenric out of the palace with Hannah.
I wanted to at least say goodbye. I also wanted to tell him...
Over the past few days, thanks to you, I have been very peaceful. Of all the moments I remember, I have never felt so happy and comfortable.
For that, I am very grateful… and I feel sorry too…
But before I could catch Fenric, a carriage suddenly arrived.
The huge cart I'm riding now.
[You look at the cart in amazement. Do you not like it?]
Whether I like it or not, does it really matter?
I also wasn't looking at her with surprise for that reason.
[Ah, no, it's not like that… but since it's a military trip, I thought you'd be going on a horse.]
[I'll go on a horse.]
[What? So, why was this carriage sent?]
...ah.
Is this carriage intended to take me to the Imperial Palace?
Duke Fenric's last caring gesture towards me.
I knew we would part, but seeing the carriage that would take me to the palace made my spirit suddenly sink.
In front of Precipe's face, which grew increasingly gloomy, Fenric extended his hand.
[Go up.]
[So fast...?]
But I haven't even been able to say goodbye properly yet.
[I know you're tired, but given the current situation, there's no other choice.]
While Prisippi was biting her lip, Fenric said something she didn't expect at all.
[It's better for you to get some sleep during the flight. I'll be on my horse, and we'll go together, so don't worry.]
...together? Does this mean that he will accompany me to the palace? But Dietrich's guard is supposed to accompany me.
[You said that before, didn't you? That you were longing to see the outside world.]
Prisippi saw Fenric's look grow serious, and then he continued.
[We also talked about this, that when things stabilize a little, we can go anywhere you want. Not necessarily the capital, but somewhere else… with me.]
[...Duke?]
[Of course, things haven't settled yet, but everything can't be perfect all the time.]
Presibe stared at Fenric in amazement, while the latter smiled slightly sarcastically.
[I kept the promise. That I will protect you.]
[…]
[You said you would trust me, but it seems that was just talk.]
Presibe felt confused. She wasn't expecting this development at all.
But she wanted to go with him.
Not only because there is a possibility that the Forbidden Forest contains a clue about the true hero of the novel.
And not just because she didn't want to return to the palace.
Dietrich, Ivan, and Siegfried…the people who always tied her down and made her life bitter. She didn't want to be with them anymore.
Even if she didn't live in the comfortable palace, even if there was no Hana to serve, even if life became more difficult…
If she had to stay with someone, if she had the right to choose, Precipe's only answer was Fenric.
Finally, she reached out and took Fenric's large, warm hand.
Then she climbed into the carriage without hesitation.
“...Huh.”
As Priscipi reminisced over the events of last night, a heavy sigh escaped her lips.
“No, well, I already did it, but...”
Is it really acceptable for this to happen?
When did she feel so guilty that the Duke was in this situation because of me? But in the end, I didn't get him into a bigger problem?
Since morning had come some time ago, Dietrich had no doubt heard the news by now. He would be told that he came to get me only to discover that I had completely run away.
Of course, for Pricipe, this was a valuable opportunity. If it wasn't now, I would never have been able to visit the Forbidden Forest.
But, regardless of everything…
While Priscipi was oscillating between thinking: “I have reached this point, what do I do now?” “But how will I deal with the consequences?” she was about to lose focus.
Then, the carriage that was moving quickly stopped smoothly.
“Miss Presby, are you awake?”
There came a soft tap on the window, Fenric's low voice echoing from outside.
"Yes."
“I will open the carriage door.”
He had barely finished speaking when the door opened with a soft sound.
It seemed that he had already dismounted from his horse, as he stood in front of the carriage and extended his hand towards the Presibe, moving for her to get off.
Precipi cautiously took Fenric's hand and got out of the carriage, then looked around for the first time.
“It's a forest?”
“The view here is beautiful.”
Sorry, but is this a good time to talk about the views?
She had that thought, but she couldn't deny that the scene actually looked amazing.
“The journey from the capital to the Forbidden Forest takes more than two days even with continuous travel all day. To you, it may seem longer. So it would be nice to get some fresh air every now and then.”
Logically speaking, he was correct.
“My soldiers are traveling separately, except for a few of them guarding the carriage here, so you can relax.”
As was the case in the palace, Fenric was still very quiet.
He smiled at her calmly, then looked at the soldiers surrounding the vehicle, motioning for them to remain in their positions.
“Hold my arm, even if we haven't gone deep into the forest yet, it's still a forest after all, and you might get hurt.”
Precipi cautiously took his arm, and only then did Fenric show a satisfied expression.
Then, walking with calm steps, he began to lead her gently, as if directing her.