"Do you know her?" Shirley asked, pointing to Lady Kalasena.
"Let me introduce her. This is Grand Lady Kalasena of the Dewshard Grand Nobility Household. We met once a long time ago. Lady Kalasena, this is Lady Shirley, my Protector. You met Sir Benedict before. As for these two, they are Lord Freon and Ten Dawn Nassandra."
"A Grand Lady?" Shirley, Freon and Nassandra were tongue-tied. They clearly did not expect this abnormal lady wielding a sword to be a Grand Noble, a person who stood at the apex of the Alzar Kingdom's nobility! Elizabeth suppressed the urge to laugh upon seeing their weird faces.
"But… But what is she doing here?" Shirley carefully asked.
Elizabeth was wondering that too, so she gave an inquisitive look to Lady Kalasena. Throughout the conversation, the lady in question kept silent, as if the person they were talking about was not her. Her clear eyes blinked, evidently thinking, before she stiffly answered, "We… came to negotiate."
"Negotiate? With who? And why?" Shirley was bewildered. The Grand Lady took so long to reply, yet her reply explained almost nothing. What was wrong with her? Once again, everyone had weird faces.
"…"
Elizabeth coughed. "Lady Kalasena is a lady of very few words. Please do not fault her for that. However, Lady Kalasena, you used the word 'we'. Who is 'we'?" If she could find someone else to communicate, that would be for the best.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!" a man shouted as he pushed his way through the crowds with tens of city guards. Upon seeing the twenty people beaten like dead dogs on the ground, his expression rapidly changed. For a big fight to occur in the marketplace he oversaw, he would definitely be punished! His hopes of getting promoted were grim. Most importantly, there was someone with a very high status walking behind him. He was unaware of who this man was, but he had to be important considering he came with a Perception Realm guard! He stepped aside, with an ugly smile, and gave way. A young man appeared before everyone.
"Lord Fredrick?" Elizabeth blurted out, dumbfounded and shocked. She could not believe her eyes. It was unexpectedly Lord Fredrick Ovarr, a Grand Lord, and one of the rising stars of the next generation! She met him, Lady Kalasena, and Lord Archibon last year at that Grand Nobility party. But why was he here? Did he come with Lady Kalasena?
Hearing his name called, Lord Fredrick was startled. Despite being a famous Grand Lord, he liked to remain lowkey and unassuming. It was a burden to be too famous after all. This mature and steady mentality stood out amongst his peers and earned him the title Graceful Willow. Hence, he came to the marketplace without announcing his presence, only taking a few guards with him. The number of people who could recognize him might be high, but they all had lofty statuses in the Alzar Kingdom. None of them would have come to this lowly, and frankly filthy, marketplace. That was why he did not expect to be recognized here. He turned to the speaker and his eyes widened incredulously.
"Your Highness, why are you here?"
"I should be asking you that." Elizabeth smiled wryly. "I didn't expect to run into the two famous young scions of the Grand Nobility today."
Nearby, the captain of the city guards collapsed, his face aging from despair. It was over for him! Although Elizabeth disguised herself, he was present when the Zino Kingdom welcomed her into the city. He recognized her instantly. A big fight in the marketplace was bad enough already, but if it involved Princess Elizabeth? And what did she say? Two young scions from the Grand Nobility? This… This was… This was too damn much! He nearly vomited blood. Then, he fainted! Elizabeth, Lord Fredrick, and the others looked at each other. They were confused why this captain fell. After Elizabeth explained things to the dazed vice-captain, and the twenty mercenaries were escorted away, she led their group to somewhere quieter. Only then, did she introduce Lord Fredrick to everyone, like she did with Lady Kalasena.
Freon was humored. "Isn't he the one who provoked you in that party before?"
Elizabeth was at a loss. "Yes, he's Lord Fredrick from the Ovarr Grand Nobility Household."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Freon, Lady Nassandra, Lady Shirley. I've heard many stories about you three." Lord Fredrick was unperturbed by the comments and kept his respectful attitude.
"Really? What was your favorite story about us?" Shirley asked with a grin.
"…Of course, it would be when you survived the Battle of Liguang to reappear at the Quiton Gates of the North. The news of your survivals shook the world back then." His expression was more strained when he answered, since his greeting was just common etiquette. He did not expect someone to continue the conversation. It threw him for a loop.
"And why was that story your favorite?"
"…"
"Alright, Shirley, stop teasing him." Elizabeth suppressed the urge to laugh. This must have been Shirley's way of getting revenge for her. She felt better inside. Addressing Lord Fredrick, she wondered, "Why did you come to Firecast? Was it for the same reason as Lady Kalasena?"
Lord Fredrick nodded. "To be honest, we came together. When we passed by the marketplace, she noticed the commotion and charged over. Meanwhile, I went ahead to call the city guards over. As for why we're here in Firecast… the topic is rather sensitive. I'm afraid I can't elaborate any further, Your Highness."
Normally, she would have lost interest immediately; however, today's events were too peculiar. She would not let him go this easily. With a heavy tone, she stated, "Might I remind you that I am the Royal Ambassador for the Zino Kingdom? You two are incredibly famous Grand Nobles from the Alzar Kingdom. I need to know why you're here. Explain."
Faced with her pressure, he smiled wryly. "…I understand, but we'll need to discuss this in a private setting. That is my only condition."
She nodded. "That isn't a problem. Freon, Nassandra, do you two have anyplace in mind?"
Freon chuckled. "No, I don't know any clandestine places."
"I might know some place," Nassandra pondered.
"You do?" Freon was surprised.
"Ten Dawn Tengon mentioned it in passing once that many people liked to use the restaurant Overreach Garden for private discussions, though I've never been there myself."
"We'll go in the evening then. Is that fine for everyone?" Elizabeth wondered.
"That's fine."
"Okay."
"No problem."
Having decided that, Elizabeth left with her friends. She was not particularly interested in getting along with Lord Fredrick or Lady Kalasena. Lord Fredrick watched as they left before exhaling, "Her Highness has changed."
"How?" Lady Kalasena tilted her head.
"I think matured is a better word." He smiled. "Back when we met her, she was still naïve, a newborn in the world of politics. She was like the rest of us, pawns for those who really had power. However, her current self is incomparable. Although she hasn't become a player yet, she has the makings of one. Her rate of growth is staggering. I'm eager to learn more about Her Highness now."
The girl remained reticent, as usual. Anyone else would feel frustrated trying to hold a conversation with her. Fortunately, he was used to her weird quirks, so he treated it like he was talking to himself. He chuckled and moved on. This did not mean her head was empty though. Inside, her thoughts were ablaze. She kept repeating Benedict and Shirley's fight in her head, trying to dissect, digest, and discern every action to the tiniest detail. She wanted to use it to sharpen her strengths and fix her flaws. Her aspirations were admirable, yet they were bound to end in failure, because the missing key laid in Martial Energy, something she could not see nor understand. That, and Benedict and Shirley had much more combat experience than her, especially in life-or-death fights. It presented an unbridgeable divide to her. Lady Kalasena was unconvinced. She needed to feel the difference herself!
Overreach Garden was a high-class restaurant in the upper districts. Its special trait was the thousands of flowers that bloomed throughout the year, thanks to Arcanists who carefully controlled the temperature. This created a magical sight, even in the capital of magic. Elizabeth's group arrived after buying formal clothes for Benedict, Shirley, Freon, and Nassandra for the banquet in five days. As for Elizabeth, she had an abundance of dresses to use, so much that she could probably wear a new one everyday and never run out. That was one of her unspoken benefits of being a princess. Currently, she had changed into a simple dress, Benedict and Shirley had changed into their armors, and Nassandra wore her Ten Dawn robe. Freon was the odd one out without a uniform. When the waiters saw Elizabeth's flaming red hair and her golden crown, they immediately knew who she was. Her group was quickly escorted to a private room.