After leaving Lorenzo, Artorius and his party continued their journey on horseback. Since the exact arrival time of Princess Guinevere's convoy was unknown, they decided to ride along the main road toward Camelot to meet them.
After passing through a dense forest, a massive convoy finally appeared at the far end of the horizon. Artorius and Bedivere spurred their horses forward, identifying themselves to the knight commander in charge of the escort, Bart Mury. Upon hearing that he was facing the foster son of Count Ector and the younger sister of Lord Lucan, the tension finally bled out of Bart's face.
Bart admitted that because of reports of Saxon raids on nearby towns, he had originally wanted to set up a fortified camp. However, Her Highness the Princess was worried about delaying the Selection Ceremony and had insisted on pressing forward. Artorius offered a polite promise that as long as they were on his family's lands, he would personally ensure the Princess's safety. Seeing Artorius's youth, the old knight was initially skeptical—until Bedivere stepped in to describe his feat from the previous night: how he had single-handedly slaughtered a hundred enemies and a tribal chieftain's son while completely unarmored. The revelation left the veteran knight visibly shaken.
Just then, a gentle, elegant voice drifted from the rear of the convoy:
"Could you tell me more about that?"
The curtains of a lavish carriage were drawn back, and a young woman with long, snowy hair, dressed in a magnificent blue-and-white gown, stepped out with the help of her maids. Artorius lost his train of thought for a moment. He had expected Guinevere to be beautiful, but he hadn't expected her to possess such a refined, dignified grace—a presence that could actually rival his ever-changing teacher.
Guinevere's behavior, however, caught everyone off guard. Not only did she step down from the carriage herself to thank the two knights without any royal pretension, but she even admitted to using magecraft to "eavesdrop" on their conversation. She walked slowly toward Artorius, and her noble, reserved mask suddenly vanished. Using a soft, almost coquettish tone intended for his ears only, she whispered:
"Go on then, tell me all about it~"
Artorius was utterly floored. His mind went into overdrive, screaming in protest: This is King Arthur's woman! Acting like this at a first meeting... is this that legendary potential she has for getting entangled with Lancelot?
Maintaining his composure despite the pressure, Artorius politely declined the request, citing the need to keep moving. Guinevere immediately put on a piteous, crestfallen expression, which instantly provoked a golden-armored knight in the convoy—a man clearly harboring a crush on the Princess. The knight stepped forward, challenging Artorius to a duel out of jealousy. Artorius simply ignored the meaningless posturing and turned back to ask for Guinevere's opinion on the schedule.
However, Guinevere was currently cupping her burning cheeks, her eyes dazed as she stared at Artorius in a trance. It took a second prompt from Artorius for the Princess to snap out of it. When she spoke, her tone was as obedient as a devoted young bride:
"Ah... my apologies. I'll do whatever you say."
Alarm bells rang at full volume in Artorius's head: You are definitely not right!
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