[i]Mm? Hesitant?
...I wonder.[/i]

"[i]Rivalen[/i]..." the princess repeated to herself aloud. A name that elegantly flowed off the tongue. However, perhaps a name she mightn't, despite all the attempts made by her tutors to teach her to never ask for a name twice lest it be deemed rude, remember instinctively. She repeated it to herself a couple more times to cement it into both her speech and her memory, though loud enough for the gentleman to hear her take note of it, after her curious little threat. "Rivalen, Rivalen. I pray, for your safety, that you swear true to the Lord."

Roxanne listened to what he had to say, concerning himself and his origins. Though it was only a brief introduction, it didn't strike her as particularly spectacular, or anything worth her father singling him out to be her caretaker. A humble [i]woman[/i] from a humble village would still be just as qualified for the job as this person, Rivalen. Her gender would give her an advantage this man did not have, concerning perhaps more private matters, such as-
Her thoughts wandered to an area in which she drew blanks.
[i]...just how am I supposed to ask, when I wish to bathe?![/i]

Shaking her head noticeably to rid herself of the idea, reassuring herself that said hurdle would be crossed when they approached it. She looked the man in the eyes again to catch the end of his sentence, '[i]-my princess is well taken care of.[/i]'
"I appreciate your concern." she spoke softly to the man now, being unable to hide the traces of being flattered through upturned lip corners in a tiny smile. If her tutors had ever taught her anything about common courtesies, concerning men, women, nobles and commoners, she had completely put hours and hours of teaching to waste. [i]Never appear too eager, or too yielding.[/i] the words of a strict old woman echoed in the back of her mind. Roxanne, [i]habitually[/i], paid it very little heed.

Alain was next to speak, and what he said made the intrigued princess' eyes widen and eyebrow quirk. [i]Witch-slayer? This common looking gentleman?[/i]
It was an interesting title to bestow upon a man like Rivalen. Though it seemed oddly...satisfying. As if she finally realised just why her father was doing exactly what he was doing. His paranoia over the taking of his wife's, Roxanne's mother's, life continued to resonate strongly with whom he had become. Somebody who claimed to have the ability to [i]slay witches[/i] would be, in her father's mind, absolutely instrumental in his daughter's safety, and ideal to protect her from that very thing he grew to fear the most.

Roxanne listened attentively to each and every last word that Rivalen said to Alain, curiosity piqued after learning what this man supposedly was.
[i]Dumb luck and circumstance.
The wizards' secret.[/i]
And, all of a sudden, Roxanne found herself very curious just to find out exactly what these circumstances were, and, more importantly, just what exactly this secret was.
Though that would have to be saved as a question for a later time. After all, if this man would be her personal attendant, there would be many a thing she would ask him about many a matter concerning him, his life, and many a thing she would potentially tell him about her and her own life on top of the affairs of the kingdom. If only as a casual adviser, than anything else.

His wink and words that followed, though they shouldn't have, sparked her own curiosity and mischief both. It was almost refreshing having somebody [i]not quite as uptight[/i] as everyone else in the kingdom was. Humour was a scarce commodity among noblemen and noblewomen, and the slightest attempt to joke around warranted scoffs and stares. She usually had to contain herself, though thankfully, with her brother being the jester in private he was, she had been saved from the torture and had not yet gone mad. Her brother, [i]and...him.[/i]
The thought of him made the tips of her ears go hot, and she was thankful they were hidden behind the dark curtains of her hair.

She returned a smile of her own, bringing a hand to her lips to stifle a coy chuckle. Something told her this man would be [i]dangerous[/i], though not so much for his fists, since he did look unarmed and quite plain, but more for his demeanor. It might, if he wasn't careful, get him into hot water with the more uptight members of the castle staff.
"[i]Oy vey[/i]," she began, feigning a tiny gasp, "dust bunnies and dirty stockings are the absolute [i]worst[/i] enemies a princess must deal with, mind you. I think, Rivalen, you would be noble in your ways to make very sure she never has to encounter the like, so long as she lives." she smirked.
The irony in her statement was unbeknownst to her.

"Alain." she called to the guard again, who was clicking his tongue at the misbehaviour of the young man, even gesturing from where he stood, behind the princess, that he'd behead the man if he continued to act that way.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Have you shown Rivalen his quarters yet? I...presume he will be occupying Maria's, unless other arrangements have been made."
"No, Your Highness. I have not been given direct orders by the king to make any changes."
"Ah, I see. So he is assigned to Maria's quarters."

[i]Dong, dong, dong.[/i]
The sound of bells chimed in the distance. It was the nearby church, signalling the hour.
"Oh..." Roxanne began, looking to the guard. "Alain, what is the current hour?"
"It is approaching midday, Your Highness. The clock would have just struck eleven." he replied.
"It would be time for my afternoon classes then, it would seem." she nodded, trying to recall what had been scheduled for her on that day and at that time. Her father, despite everything that was happening, made the value of education apparent to his children. He had assigned numerous tutors to teach them through their teenage of the life of nobles, and the information about their kingdom, and others, so his children would go out into the world knowing exactly what they had to do.
He however banned the tutoring of the history and development, the uses and virtues of magic within the kingdom. It became to a point where the children had heard of the words 'witch', 'warlock' and 'wizard' and deemed them all malevolent entities by default.

[i]Maria would have kept track and delivered the message to me,[/i] she thought to herself and her eyebrows knit in thought. When nothing came to her, she sighed and looked to both Alain and Rivalen again. "I wish to retire back to my chambers, where I pray somebody will be waiting to inform me of the tutor that will be arriving by midday. I believe it would be an appropriate time to guide Rivalen to where he will likely spend most his time in the near future."
Roxanne's decision was made. On top of that, perhaps she would have a chance to learn more about the man as they made their way to her chambers. She intended for the walk to be a languid one.

"Your Highness, allow me to escort yo-" Alain spoke up, clearing his throat.
"I think I will be fine, Alain. It is apparently this man with whom I will have to spend a lot of time in the upcoming future with. As much as it continues to feel out of place in my mind." she reassured him, eyes hardening on the man in a way to finalise her statement. "However, if you are so very worried, you may follow behind at a safe enough distance to impale him with a sword or spear should he, at any moment, forget his place."

She looked to Rivalen again, "You might just be one of the luckiest men in the world, sir. Personally attending to a woman. I pray you have made arrangements for the tasks that are more...[i]unsuited[/i] to you, or you plan to make them. For now, however..."
She took one slow step first, and then a couple more, away from the man, before sparing the blue skies and the green grass and the stables nearby one last glance, and then turning on her heel and beginning a slow walk, back to where the doors leading into the fields were, and eventually all the way back up to her chambers.
She could only pray Rivalen followed, and that Alain did not give him much more trouble. However, the set of heavy footsteps behind her that unmistakably belonged to the guard confirmed his intentions to her. Perhaps he would spare the young man with the silver tongue, even if just in the current moment.