The Wandering Witch VOL. 2 - The Witchfolk Genocide Arc

14.2| Royal Hospitality

    Once inside, Jul nodded at Yoko and closed the door. From the window, Noct saw her move up to the seat in front and settle in beside the coachman, Dante. The thief heard her say a , "Let's go!" through the glass. No less than a second later, the carriage lurched forward as the horses started to move, neighing aloud. Outside, the people gave way as the coachman shouted for their passage. The rhythmic sound of clopping hooves and the steady chatter of the people were stifled from within, bringing about a low, steady hum.

     Now that a sudden peace had arrived, Noct realized how uncomfortable it was for him to be alone with the princess, who only a few minutes ago was a complete stranger. He had never been so close in the presence of royalty before. The best that he had was when he once glanced at the royal family of Uldard as they held a procession around the kingdom a few months ago. He remembered seeing the looks on their well-groomed faces, the way they all seemed to carry themselves with an air of superiority. Clearly, they seemed to have been born in a different world. Even the young prince, who was aged no more than ten, intimidated the people with a look of steel on his small face. The thief knew at once that his expression was inevitable the mark of a future king.

     At the moment, Noct glanced quietly at Yoko who was seated in front of him. Now that he was close enough to observe her properly, he realized how pretty she really was. Her red hair delicately draped over one side of her small shoulders. Her blue eyes glinted in a soft glow, the color akin to the hue of the sky. There was a strange air around her, an aura that made her seem somehow... ethereal. In the pale-white clothes she was wearing, she almost looked like a priestess of the gods depicted in children's books. Her beauty was simply entrancing.

   When the thief realized that Yoko had caught him looking at her, he quickly glanced away. He tried distracting himself and pretended not to notice this by looking at the view outside. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her smile a little.

    "You must be worried," she said to him. "Unfortunately, we can't go any faster in this congestion. However, we will make sure to take her to the palace as quickly as possible. Our healer will take care of her. I assure you that."

    Noct could do no other thing but nod. "This is already too much... I appreciate the aid you've given to us," he said, thinking that those were the words he needed to say.

    "It's the least that I could do after causing you both trouble." She shook her head and turned to the Snow Witch. "But I am worried though. Do you know what might have caused this?"

    "I don't," Noct confessed, shaking his head. He glanced at Chell's fragile condition, the way her face slightly contorted as though in some kind of pain. "She was fine before..."

    Yoko narrowed her eyes and then looked outside. Lightly, she rested her hand under her chin. "Well, we'll know the problem soon enough."

    He nodded quietly.

    A few heavy seconds of silence passed. In that moment, Noct suddenly remembered the scene that he had witnessed back at the square. He recalled the looks on the people's faces when they had seen the princess. The thief contemplated whether or not to voice his thoughts out loud to her, thinking that it might be too impertinent of him if he did. However, his curiosity seemed too get the best of him, because he could not stop himself from parting his mouth and saying his next words in a sheepish tone.

    "Um... er.... your highness..."

    Yoko stirred at the mention of her title. She frowned slightly. "There's no need to act formal with me, Noct. Please stop with the honorifics. You can call me Yoko instead."

   Noct nodded in understanding. Then, when he thought it was safe enough, he continued on. "Well then... ah, is it alright if I ask you something?"