As I reflected back on the dismal events of winter, I felt my cheeks grow hot. The amount of twists and turns since then had been almost dizzying. There had come news of Lady Elianna’s survival and the discovery of a cure, followed by that decisive showdown in the temple. If all of that had truly been planned ahead of time, I had to tremble before the crown prince’s sharp mind.
Now, the two lovers were on the verge of making a name for themselves all over the continent. In the interim, I’d heard that General Theoden Bakula of the Black Wing Knights would be returning to the eastern defenses, having completed his various duties at the royal palace. Apparently, he’d invited Lady Elianna to accompany him back to her home domain.
“If your wedding ceremony is set to be moved up, you won’t have another chance to stop for a visit. Don’t worry, you just have to go and come back before His Highness makes it home from the harbor.”
Lady Elianna had still hesitated, arguing that she shouldn’t leave the royal capital while the prince was away.
At that, General Bakula had affected a more somber tone. He revealed that on the Black Wing Knights’ way to the capital, he had stopped for a quick visit to the Bernstein’s domain, where he’d discovered that Eduard wasn’t faring too well.
“What? Is Grandfather going to be all right?!”
“He’s gotten old. There’s no telling what might happen to him. Are you so reluctant to go see him while you still have the chance, Eli girl?”
Lady Elianna fell silent, and his next push was the clincher.
“Go with him, Eli. If General Bakula and his men are accompanying you, you needn’t worry about safety or speed. It should only take ten days or so to get there and back. You’ll be home before His Highness returns,” urged her father, Marquess Bernstein. With that, her return home was decided.
The one who had told me about the whole exchange and asked me to go along was Lord Alfred. “I have to admit...I feel a little bad for pulling this right after we sent His Highness off to the harbor.”
He had explained that if I went with them, Eli would feel pressured to get back as soon as possible. As further incentive, he had thrown in something that he knew would pique my interest. “The library in our domain has history books the royal palace doesn’t. And if Uncle Andrew is around, you might be able to ask him about his archaeology work and the hidden histories of all sorts of places.”
In hindsight, I might have jumped on his offer a little too readily. Still, it was true that I wanted to visit the Bernsteins’ renowned regional library at least once. If I were still back in the Edea Domain, I might never have had a chance to visit their territory for as long as I lived.
Normally, it would take eight days to get there from the royal capital, but thanks to the sturdy carriage we’d borrowed from the royal palace and General Bakula’s forced march, it only took six. Outside the window, I could see an idyllic view of the countryside, its low plains uncultivated for farming or grazing.
The cry of a skylark gently roused the girl sitting opposite me from her slumber. It was as if she’d been lured to wakefulness by the spring bird’s song.