8. The Royal Palace of Nigren
I’D made it to the kingdom of Nigren.
Nigren, located to the south of Najir, was warm year-round. It was a dry heat without much humidity, so it was very pleasant in the shade. It was comfortable enough to spend all day outside.
Nigren also boasted an aqua-blue ocean around most of its landmass, breathtaking in its beauty and so unlike the indigo blue seas that lapped Najir’s northernmost tip. It seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and became an even deeper shade of blue the further you went from shore.
“Look, Ed! The sea changes color!”
“It does indeed.”
Ed was standing beside me, gazing out at the endless ocean. There were boats bobbing on the waves, ranging in size from two-person rowboats to large galleons.
The Royal Magicians at our palace’s Magical Research Lab had recently installed a Magic Sigil to facilitate travel by Transference between the major cities. It looked a lot like the secret Sigil located in Charles’s closet, but this one was public, used by the royal officials to travel between municipalities. I was sure it hadn’t existed in my old timeline. It was yet another form of proof that this world was very different from my old one.
We’d traveled to a city near the border using this Magic Sigil, and from there, we’d boarded a carriage the rest of the way. Since we didn’t need to travel across Najir physically, we were able to arrive in Nigren’s capital, Bulben, in only three days.
“Shall we get going, Princess Annabel?”
I heard a voice behind me as I was gazing outside. I turned to see Hendrick, looking overheated in his white knight uniform with the long sleeves.
Hendrick was currently employed as one of my personal guards in the position Ed held in the old world. Despite being a member of the Armed Guard, he was proficient with magic as well. He could have even become a Magic Knight if he’d wanted to.
“Just a little longer, please? Oh, Hendrick, don’t you think it’s just lovely here?”
“I do, Princess. It’s stunning.” Hendrick gazed out at the ocean behind me. His eyes were a similar aqua-blue.
“Don’t you wish you could show this to Lietta?”
Hendrick blinked rapidly at this. Then he looked out at the ocean again, smiling. “Yes,” he said, “I’d like to bring her here someday.”
“I hope you can. We only get one life. We have to do everything we want to do in the time we have. Otherwise, it’ll be too late and all we’ll be left with is regret.”
Well…for most people, it’s like that, I thought to myself.
“You’re right, Princess. I’ll make sure to remember that.” Hendrick lowered his head to me politely.
I grinned wryly back at him.
Hendrick was a very good knight and bodyguard, but he tended to be a little too serious. I had the feeling he was too focused on work to take more than a day or two off. He’d never be able to bring Lietta here like that.
Oh, I know! I can offer him two weeks’ paid vacation as a wedding gift when he marries Lietta. That’ll solve it! I grinned to myself, picturing the look on Hendrick’s face when I sprung my surprise wedding gift upon him.
“You seem to be amused by something, Princess?”
“What? Me? Just, uh…admiring the view!”
Ed was looking at me, one eyebrow raised.
Oh, yikes! Smirking isn’t very ladylike of me!
I quickly composed my features and readjusted my sunhat.
Hendrick was right, though. We needed to get going. We were going to be late for our arrival at the Nigren palace.
“Your hand, Princess.”
Hendrick opened the door to the carriage and helped both my maid Ellie and me climb inside. Ed and the other magicians got into the carriage behind ours.
Charles received an invitation to visit Nigren as well, but he had some official business that’d been in the works for a while, so it was decided that only I would go this time. I was accompanied by Ellie, several knights, and several diplomats, including Claude. I also brought several magicians, including Ed, since Karina had specifically asked me to bring some of my country’s best magicians.
“You must be very excited to see Princess Karina again, since the two of you are such good friends.”
Ellie smiled at me from the next seat over as I gazed out the window at the sea. The carriage clattered and jostled us, but I could never get tired of the view.
Ellie knew that Karina and I had enjoyed tea together almost every day while she was visiting Najir and that we’d been exchanging regular letters ever since.
“I am excited. Very excited!”
I’d sent a letter to Karina along with my official response, using the International Affairs Office this time. And I’d gotten a reply back too! Only, it was sort of brief. She just politely thanked me for accepting the invitation and asked me to bring some of our best magicians with me when I came. There was none of our usual friendly gossip included this time. It was strange.
And I was very disappointed.
I smiled back at Ellie and turned my gaze back to the ocean again.
I suppose I can ask her what’s wrong when I see her.
I wondered if I might’ve done something to upset Karina, but nothing came to mind as a possibility.
A flock of sea birds soared calmly together in the cloudless blue sky overhead.