Chapter 2, The First Day.

As a few hours passed, Delta began her incessant chatter, audible even from different carriages. Her conversation was dominated by criticism, as she criticized the food, the pace of their journey, the slowness of their progress, the passage of time, and even the color of the sky and the number of your eyelashes. All of this seemed reasonable when you saw her swollen belly, as Delta was in her seventh month of pregnancy. But she had been like this since birth, and I don't think the arrival or departure of a child from her would change anything about her nature. I almost swear that the first words she uttered were criticizing the taste of her mother's milk.

On the second day of the journey, it seemed that Delta's new subject was my carriage. The bride's carriage was, of course, larger and more comfortable, which did not please the pregnant Delta. She began to loudly voice her complaints from a distance, throwing out phrases every minute or so. "If it weren't for my concern for my dear husband's sister, I wouldn't have left my comfortable bed and my attending servants. Where would you find a sister-in-law like me, Yowana?" Then she suddenly directed her speech to the soldier in front of her: "Walk slower! Can't you see the size of my belly? It surpasses the size of your carriage!"

I raised my head and looked at Tait with a smile, who was sitting next to me knitting. We understood what she wanted. I didn't allow Delta to continue with her criticisms and opened the door of the small carriage in front of me, telling Delta to switch carriages with me. Delta pressed her lips in annoyance. It would have been nice to let her speak a little more before giving my quick consent.

The soldiers paused for a moment as we exchanged carriages. However, I continued forward toward the soldier next to the horse pulling my carriage. The soldier looked at me with surprise, while Delta, who was riding in my carriage, did not miss a chance to criticize. "Oh my God, Yawana comes up with one of her ideas! Protect us, Lord." I asked him to allow me to ride the horse. The soldier looked at me in surprise, but with some etiquette, which seemed a little odd considering their previous conversation. He explained to me that it was not possible, as he couldn't take responsibility for any harm that might befall the heir apparent.

I assured him that I was not a novice, and the horse had often been a friend and companion in our kingdom. The soldier hesitated about refusing again, but agreed to hold the horse. And so, the first three days of the journey passed. On the fourth day, the soldier stopped holding the reins, showing confidence that brought me comfort.

On our fifth night, Tait prepared tea from rare flowers, and we offered it to the soldiers late, after making sure that Delta had fallen into a deep sleep from exhaustion from the road. She had tried hard to resist sleep to stay awake with us, but her pregnancy proved stronger than her will. Tait wanted to serve the tea herself, but I insisted on going with her. She didn't like the fact that I sat among the soldiers, but the presence of a powerless servant from a fallen kingdom was more imposing than the reality of a princess sitting among them. No matter how much these five soldiers thought, they would never dare to do anything in front of a woman who would meet their future king.

I stepped forward, and Tait followed behind me. We greeted them and sat among the glow of the fire in the middle of the night. The soldiers were shy in the presence of a noblewoman among them, even if she was from a fallen kingdom. It was a failed night; we didn't get a single word from them. But the following nights proved fruitful. The soldiers spoke quickly about the ruling family, their character traits, and their positions. Who they loved and who they hated. Achil, the deposed prince, won their affection, while the heir apparent earned their respect. The deposed prince was wise and gentle, radiating a light like that of angels when you saw him. But he couldn't break a tree trunk, whereas there was the heir apparent, the awaited prince, the dream of the empire.