The last deed before going back home is to talk with Duke Grahm.
I invited him to have tea in our garden, and the Princess ran to organise it so that no incidents could happen.
The knights and the maids have been placed so that no inch of this place is without a guard. As if I was hosting a dangerous mercenary and not just a noble. Not even the Dowager Empress would have required such an amount of preparation.
«Thank you for coming this far, Duke Grahm,» I say when he sits in front of me.
The table is covered by the most delicious specialities from the kitchens. The Princess chose the finest tea, and the shadows of the trees shield us from the insistent sunrays.
«We have to talk about a little detail that escaped my mind for a few months. Now that I'm not in constant danger anymore, I remembered something that happened in Stoneyard at the end of last year.»
«Ah, I hope it's a pleasant memory, your highness...»