Teresa didn’t seem to recognize the woman’s voice, so I assumed that this was someone Elisabeth didn’t know. I certainly didn’t know them either. There was no one I knew that correlated with her stature and tone of voice. We were both impatiently waiting for this individual to reveal themselves to us.

“Lady Carabell, you’ve changed quite a lot recently,” the unidentified woman remarked. “It would be ignorant of me to say that you’re still the same old Carabell’s Lowlife. The other nobles wouldn’t believe their eyes if they knew how much you studied and kept to yourself these days. It’s almost as if Grenada’s blood has only just started to flow through your veins. And I thought he was another one of those demons that suckled at the youth surrounding him.”

“Please refer to the duke as ‘Duke Carabell,’” Teresa reminded her. “Formality is important in Whitensen, especially if you’re not acquainted with the duke.”

“Hah! Funny, I thought he was below me. I can refer to whomever however I like,” she responded haughtily. That little declaration started to frustrate me.

“Excuse me?” I blurted out, highly pissed off that some people dare to act this way towards people they have only just met.

Who does this person think she is? At least, have some respect for people around you! Despite how much I hate certain people, I will refer to them accordingly to acknowledge their status.

“If you had been the same Elisabeth as you were previously, you would’ve just yelled at me and started rebuking my anonymity and style of manner. You see, you have changed a lot. You’ve become more stuffy and reserved,” the mysterious lady stated.

I had adopted Teresa’s “tilt head and furrow eyebrows” method of conveying I was confused.

How would she know I’ve changed? From what I can deduce, it doesn’t seem like this was someone Elisabeth has previously known.

Pulling down her dark hood, she revealed vivid blue eyes and silky chocolaty locks of hair.

Those eyes...they almost look like Prince Caydel and Prince Patrick’s!

Teresa seemed to make the connection as well, for she turned to look at me, and we both used body language to communicate the similarity. It went something like me mouthing “wow” and her nodding in response.

If I could estimate, she appears to be in her late twenties. Her composure carried this sense of dominance and intimidation. I could see her pink muted gown peeking out from the cloak. “It’s quite nice to meet you in person. I’ve been observing your every move since the day you were born. I was wondering how you’d react when we first met.”

Hold up. What?! That’s terrifying!

“You’ve been watching me for that long?!” I exclaimed.

Ignoring how shocked I was, she straightened her skirt and started to introduce herself. “I am Lady Millien, Winnifer Millien. I’ve come from the Kingdom of Vie to meet you. I was awaiting the opportunity to greet you at today’s debutante.”

Wait...if she has only just come to Whitensen, does that mean she’s been having people observe Elisabeth from her birth? And, you have to consider that despite how Elisabeth lives two whole kingdoms away from her, she still managed to monitor her!

Teresa attempted to register the name in her head, and suddenly, something had clicked together in her mind. Surprise flashed across her face. For some reason, she failed to say anything about whatever she had discovered. I was itching to ask her, but the threatening aura of this lady prevented me from making any discourteous actions.

Instead, I returned the greeting. “Ah, it’s nice to meet you too. However, did you just say you came from Vie?!” I sputtered.

Lady Millien went ahead and sat down on one of the creme-colored couches in the lounge room. She crossed her legs and adjusted her dress once more before responding with, “Yes.” I glanced at Teresa, she seemed to be as flabbergasted as I was.

Vie is two kingdoms away from Whitensen. It’s past Leonard, a kingdom wedged right between Whitensen and Vie. It’s difficult to enter through Leonard since their customs only allow royalty to pass through. Assuming she went around Leonard, through Lotte, which is located north of Leonard, it could have taken months. Meaning that it is remarkably far and difficult to travel here as a Vienese.

Teresa rushed to call a servant to bring drinks and some desserts, but the woman stopped her. “Oh no, I am not going to stay long, Teresa. It was quite convenient that both of you decided to go into this room.” My maid froze in place. Her mouth was agape at the fact that Lady Millien readily identified her. Only Garrod had noticed it was Teresa, and he has a reputation for knowing almost everything about anyone, so I wasn’t too concerned. But this? This is extremely strange!

How does she know so much? No one else has recognized Teresa nor noticed that the dress originally was a gift for Viktoria. It’s not that Prince Caydel cares enough about who accompanies me to know whether or not it’s Viktoria’s dress anyways. So, how could she know?

My maid moved swiftly by my side. She leaned towards my ear and whispered, “My Lady, there are guards outside the door!” I twisted my eyebrows.

“What? Are you serious?!” I questioned her.

Lady Millien watched us with amusement spread all over her smug face. She slipped her cloak off and tossed it to the side. Her dull pink dress was plain, which scarcely suited her dignified personality.

“You don’t have much choice besides sitting down and speaking with me. And, great Red Demon Knight, please, make yourself comfortable,” the woman confidently spoke, guiding her hand towards the empty space on the couch opposite her.

What? He’s here? What the actual⎯

“Sir Garrod?” I called out. The knight slowly made himself visible, stepping out from the balcony.

“Present, Princess,” he responded, placing one hand towards me and one behind his back, bowing to greet me. The gesture made me uncomfortable in more ways than I could count.

Teresa wasn’t fazed by his sudden appearance, but I was definitely concerned about the situation we caught ourselves in. The fact that she was more attentive to what the woman did than how Garrod has been tailing us all this time made my heart race. I whipped my head back and forth between the people who, I recall, weren’t invited to have a lovely discussion over tea and crumpets.

“Now that we have the presence of the crown prince’s eyes and ears, you can be assured that you’ll be perfectly safe. Though, it’s funny how you have a demon watching over you instead of an angel.” The lady laughed, twirling her dark curls.

“Safe? What a joke, Winnifer,” Garrod snapped at the lady. They seemed to have some tension. However, I knew that if Garrod shot arrows using his eyes, the winner would no doubt be him. It helps to research the people that surround you. I could tell why he would want to conceal his eyes, no one would want a crowd of ladies trailing them around. He seems to be the type to prefer having space and privacy, though he hasn’t been giving me any.

Lady Millien scoffed, chuckling for a moment before saying, “You don’t trust your own skills?”

“I simply believe that the way you said the word, ‘safe,’ is so hilarious,” he returned. Again, they scrutinize each other in silence. Which, I couldn’t really tell if they were staring at each other since Garrod always had his mask wrapped over his eyes. At that moment, I thought the only advantage of having his eyes concealed was so he could pull an eye roll at people without them knowing.

“Now, dear Teresa, please recite the meeting protocol from the Whitensen rulebook according to our circumstances,” Lady Millien requested. Teresa anxiously glanced towards Garrod.

The Red Demon Knight suddenly unsheathed his sword, the gleaming color of running blood, and directed it at the woman. Immediately, another knight appeared to deflect the strike. However, the opposing defender visibly struggled to withstand his strength. I noticed how Garrod didn’t seem to be putting much of his weight into his slash. “Must the Order of the Knights always defend this wreathed lady?” he questioned her, carelessly releasing the exertion from his sword and dodging the defender's swipe.

“Ah, ah, ah. Those two words you used to describe me don’t coordinate. It’s wreathed wench, Garrod,” Lady Millien corrected him.

He retracted his blade back into its sheath, and Lady Millien’s knight backed off into a corner of the lounge room. “Teresa, recite the protocol,” he commanded her. He sounded so displeased that I grinned.

Both uninvited parties glared at me when I did so. I couldn’t really tell from Garrod’s part, but the way he faced me gave me a general idea of his grouchiness. “Sorry, was I supposed to remain serious?” I questioned them. “It’s hard to take any of you seriously when you’re going back and forth like that.”

Lady Millien cleared her throat, and Garrod stepped back to lean on the decorated wall.

Teresa glanced at me for approval, and I nodded. She proceeded with the recitation. “The protocol for the sudden confrontation of two nobles without consent in private: both sides must have guards to defend the persons involved in the conversation. Both sides must meet on equal terms. Also, both sides must agree to keep what is discussed privately to themselves. Lest they are caught by the opposition and be beheaded. If one does not follow the outlined protocol, the other party can refuse the meeting or use methods to evade the confrontation.”

The reason for the protocol is to ensure that both groups partaking in the conversation are protected. I find it pretty useless, but it’s something to make you feel just a little bit safer. Even though I’m in an enclosed area with only Garrod to protect Teresa and me, which isn’t a bad thing since he’s practically a person capable of blinding people. However, we are definitely outnumbered, and I don’t have to look outside to know if I am.

“Do both parties agree to this protocol?” Teresa questioned the people in the room. We all slowly nodded. “If so, state your first and last name and say of agreement.”

“I, Winnifer Millien, agree to this protocol,” Lady Millien started off.

“I, Garrod Whitensen, agree to this protocol.” The moment Teresa and I heard his name, we flashed confused glances towards each other. Garrod’s not related to the Whitensen royal family last I checked, and it’s not like I can check right now either.

“Confirm real surname?” Teresa requested Garrod.

“Real surname confirmed. The day I was knighted and assigned to the crown prince, my last name was changed. I only use the last name when I do formal agreements. Otherwise, I am only known by my first name,” he answered.

Teresa nodded and pushed for the rest of us to confirm.

“I, Ellenor Millien, agree to this protocol,” the knight Lady Millien brought answered. This, Teresa and I were both shocked. Either the two are related, or, like Garrod, obtained a new surname on the day they were knighted and assigned to the person they were supposed to protect.

Then, I decided to go next. “I, Elisabeth Carabell, agree to this protocol.”

We all awaited Teresa’s agreement, but she shook her head. “My Lady, you are the first daughter of Duke Carabell, and still the future queen of Whitensen. Even if Lady Millien is a queen, she must only request to speak with you and await a response. These are the rules regarding the involvement of the kingdom’s future queen in protocol agreements. I, first and foremost, have memorized all of these rules from the Whitensen rulebook to protect you, my lady," she informed me.

Everyone else's jaws dropped, and we started sending glances at each other, including me.

Teresa continued with her argument. "I refuse to allow you to proceed with such a dangerous agreement with people whom you have not met before today. Therefore, this discussion is closed. Lady Millien, if you wish to speak with Lady Carabell, you must request a proper audience. Otherwise, you are violating the rules of the Whitensen kingdom. We will not hesitate to apprehend you and have you punished in ways we see fit.”