A large wagon caught the attention of several residents of the village as it pulled into the area. They immediately approached the vehicle to aid in unloading the collected wood it was carrying. Unseen by them, however, were Eliezer and Hildebrand, who had managed to sneak onto the carriage when it had stopped in the forest. The two cautiously disembarked in silence so as not to alert anyone around of their presence, and swiftly made their way out of the village and in the direction of Dainia Palace. Eliezer had to admire his knight's skills in stealth which, though were nowhere near those of an assassin's, still managed to keep them hidden thus far.

To the prince, there did not seem to be any drastic differences between the Dainia of the past and the one he knew. Almost everything looked to be familiar, except for the people, but it was not as if he knew the people in the lower and middle-class districts sufficiently well to recognize the difference anyway. His mind had been on the aforementioned, as well as staying out of sight, before he was startled by Hildebrand stopping abruptly. The knight was peering around the corner of a house, and Eliezer expressed his confusion in a whisper to him.

"Is everything alright, Sir Hildebrand?"

A sad smile formed on the knight's face as he looked ahead. "Yes, Your Highness. Forgive me, I just cannot help but linger here for a while. You see, this is my home."

Eliezer followed Hildebrand's gaze to see two dark-haired boys, an older and a younger, playfighting in the garden. Both were laughing from enjoyment as they tumbled about on the grass.

The prince nodded in understanding. "I see. You and Sir Aldebrand were close since the both of you were at such a young age. I had always thought this to be the case for myself and Prince Mathazar, before I came to know that his affection for me had been a lie all the while. However, with the loss of one brother, I believe that I have gained another. I sincerely appreciate everything that you have done for me thus far, Sir Hildebrand."

"Your Highness, I…" Hildebrand trailed off, touched that the prince considered him to be as close as family. He then shook it off for the time being, turning to the view of Dainia Palace from where they were. "We should continue on, Your Highness. Perhaps the opportunity for a quick trip to the palace shall cross us if we wait by the road."

"That we should," Eliezer agreed. "Provided you are ready."

"I am, Your Highness," Hildebrand replied, before taking one last glance at the boys in the garden and sighing in bittersweet satisfaction. "Goodbye, brother."
[hr]
"You..." Adelina sighed and narrowed her eyes, immediately recognizing Shadow from the first time he showed himself to her.

"So says you," she responded to what he had to say about Mathazar, and then took a step closer to the assassin so that she could lower her voice. "I do not suppose that you know of Prince Eliezer and his knight's current whereabouts? My guards have done all they can to ensure that the prince was safe during his stay with us, and I would rather they not be answerable to an incident that is not a result of their negligence."