As the group chatted, a knight broke away from the ranks ahead and spurred his horse toward them.
"Halt!"
Muur—Artorius's number one lackey—performed his duties with canine loyalty. As the knight approached, Muur drew his sword halfway from its scabbard, the rasp of metal on metal punctuating his cold shout. "Who goes there?"
The knight didn't even spare Muur a glance. His eyes didn't even linger on Artorius or Artoria for a second. Instead, he simply nodded toward Bedivere and Kay.
"Lady Bedivere, Lady Kay. On behalf of my young master, I thank you both for escorting the Princess this far. I have been ordered to take over the hand-off."
"Hand-off? What hand-off? I recall my father sent a messenger last night to inform you that because of my brother's exceptional performance, the Princess was quite impressed with him. She specifically requested that my brother continue to be responsible for her safety during her time in Camelot."
Artorius silently steered his horse back a few paces, hiding himself in the crowd of knights in a desperate attempt to lower his presence.
Sis, you really didn't have to mention me right now.
"Is that so?" The young knight looked genuinely surprised. "But we never saw any messenger from your father."
Kay's face went cold.
They had seen him; she was certain of it. The road from their territory to the Royal City was swept by patrols every two days. It was perfectly safe—no bandits, no magical beasts. Furthermore, the distance was short; a swift horse at full gallop could make the trip in two or three hours. The probability of an accident mid-journey was virtually zero.
The conclusion was obvious.
These bastards had killed the knight her father had sent just so they could show off in front of the Princess, and now they were lying through their teeth!
A threat rose to the tip of her tongue, but Kay forced herself to swallow it. The Helmut family's influence was far greater than her father's. Even if they had murdered the messenger, there was no evidence.
And even if there were evidence, who would care about the life or death of a commoner who wasn't even a ranked knight?
Kay felt a surge of frustration. It wasn't just the death of the messenger—she wasn't the type to weep over a servant—but she was annoyed that she hadn't anticipated how crazed these people were. If she had known, she would have advised Bart to send two knights as insurance. No matter how insane the Helmuts were, they wouldn't dare kill the Princess's own men.
"Sis, how about we just hand the Princess over to them?"
Artorius spurred his horse forward again. "There's no need to offend them over a Princess. Besides, protecting her isn't exactly a 'rewarding' job..."
Kay shot him a murderous glare.
Artorius immediately tucked his chin and retreated back into the sea of knights, once again trying to become invisible.
"This must be your brother. He seems sensible. Lady Kay, if you would please..."
"How dare you!"
A cold voice rang out from behind the knight. A blonde youth clad in ornate black armor rode forward and delivered a stinging slap across the knight's face.
The force of the blow sent the knight reeling, nearly unseating him. His right cheek began to swell instantly.
"How dare you speak to Kay and Artorius in such a manner?"
"My apologies, Young Master!"
"Jayn Helmut."
Kay cut through their performance, her voice icy. "Say what you want to say. None of us are idiots; there's no need for this charade."
"You misunderstand me, Kay."
Looking at the sharp-featured, valiant black-haired girl, Jayn's expression softened. "I truly didn't see the messenger you mentioned."
"And now?"
"Now that I've heard you, I see the dilemma. But as you can see, I've brought all my men out. If I go back empty-handed, I won't be able to answer to my father."
Jayn offered a strained smile, then suddenly looked past Kay toward Artorius, who was still trying to use his sister as a human shield.
"Long time no see, Liss."
"Long time no see," Artorius sighed internally. He offered Jayn a faint smile and subtly nudged Muur's hip with his hand, signaling his restless lackey to stay calm.
"I've heard all about your exploits over the last few days," Jayn said, looking at Artorius's harmless smile with a knowing look. "First, taking out a hundred Saxon soldiers single-handedly to save your sister—killing a chieftain's son in the process—and then saving the Princess from a rampaging demon boar yesterday. I never knew my 'little brother' was so formidable. You've certainly been hiding your light under a bushel."
"I was just forced into it. I'm sure I'm nowhere near your level, Brother Jayn."
"Perhaps."
Jayn gave a disdainful laugh at Artorius's lack of spine, then glanced at the furious eyes of the knights behind him. He turned back to the cold-faced Kay.
"Don't be angry, Kay. My point is, your adoptive brother—my dear 'Liss'—has been busy killing Saxons and boars alike. He must be exhausted. He deserves some rest. Since I'm already prepared, why not just leave the Princess to me?"
"And if I say no?"
Kay smiled coldly, her hand moving to the hilt of the sword at her waist. "Are you looking for a bloodbath?"
Behind her, Ector's knights all gripped their hilts, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Artorius felt a headache coming on.
It wasn't that they couldn't offend Jayn, but they had to pick their battles. Why start a feud with a Duke's son over a "thankless task" like protecting a foreign princess—a job where you got no credit if things went well, but your whole family died if things went wrong?
This idiot was the Duke's only son, born to him in his old age!
But since things had come to this, Artorius also rested his hand on his sword. His eyes locked onto Jayn and the knights guarding him, mentally calculating how many seconds it would take to slaughter them all.
Just as Jayn's smile was reaching its peak of arrogance, Bedivere's voice cut through the tension.
"Jayn, don't push your luck."
Jayn turned to see Bedivere's displeased expression. "Are you siding with her?"
"And if I am?"
"Is this your brother's wish?"
"It is my wish!"
The smile slowly vanished from Jayn's face.
Everyone in Camelot knew that Lucan had no children and doted on his sister, Bedivere, as if she were his own daughter. Offending Bedivere was considered a far greater sin than offending Lucan himself.
Jayn didn't mind offending Lucan or Ector individually, but if the two families joined forces, even he had to tread carefully.
After a long silence, looking at the hostile knights on Bedivere's side, Jayn suddenly laughed again.
"Fine, fine. It was just a joke. Werner, tell the men to make a path for the Princess."
"Yes, sir."
The middle-aged knight behind him responded and retreated into the ranks. Soon, the blockade at the city gate split into two rows, though the knights remained lining the road, watching them like hawks.
"Well then, everyone, enter the city."
Jayn steered his horse aside to clear the way, but then he spoke up again. "Oh, a word of advice. This is the Royal City, but the Saxons were only thirty miles away two nights ago. No one can guarantee that even the capital is perfectly safe, can they?"
"So..."
"You all should be careful. Protect the Princess well. It wouldn't be worth it if you lost your lives failing to protect her."
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