Cecilia listened to Monticourt's calm reasoning, her lips tight. He was right, of course. An army of loyal followers was a luxury that she simply did not have. Her sharp gaze flickered from the two talking men to eye Harper curiously. He didn't say much, that one. Just looked around and made odd faces. While he seemed a bit strange, he was at the very least loyal, and that was all that she could ask for in her position.

Turning back to Monticourt and Cromley, Cecilia tilted her chin down in a curt nod. "Very well, then. You may hire [i]some[/i] mercenaries, but only on the condition that they are not privy to who I am, what we are doing, or where we are going beyond town immediately ahead of us." She paused and met the gaze of each man in turn. Her eyes lingered on Harper the longest, not because she enjoyed staring at him, but because it seemed to take half a second longer to truly get the acknowledgment from him that she was seeking.

"Anyone working for us out of gold instead of allegiance will be left in the dark on any matter that does not directly concern them. The last thing we need is anyone associated with my aunt being given the opportunity to get a step ahead of us." Apparently all those years of sitting silently at her father's side while he conducted meetings with his counsel had paid off. While she had not paid much attention at the time, some of it must have sunk in.

With that settled, the princess decided that it was time to move on to the next matter.

"Where will we be meeting these potential allies that you mentioned, Baron Monticourt?" she asked, addressing him directly this time. "I somehow suspect that it isn't safe for anyone involved here to keep me in one place for long with Her Grace's men scouring the countryside in search of me."