Lisa sat down before Jennie.
Finally free from the tension, her wound up body relaxed all at once.
"Hmm..." Lisa sighed a breath of relief as she leaned heavily on the side of the compartment.
Seeing Lisa like this, Jennie flashed a slight smile.
"You must be so tired from this journey." Jennie said softly.
Hearing Jennie say that, Lisa straightened up at once as she answered: "Not at all, Jen... Your highness."
Jennie's smile faded slowly. She sighed quietly as she looked at Lisa: "Liam."
"Yes, Your highness."
"We are back in the palaces, hence our manners must return to what is customary, but I truly wish that you wouldn't distance from me because of our difference in position. Is that alright?"
Lisa looked attentively at Jennie for a good while, then she nodded heavily as she said: "Alright."
Getting the answer that she wanted, Jennie revealed a faint smile.
Seeing this, Lisa smiled too.
***
Buckingham Palace, Imperial Study
Outside the imperial study, a guard knelt on the white marble floor.
"Informing your Majesty, this humble servant has a matter to report!"
Charles was currently sitting in imperial study with a jade brush in his hand as he read over reports.
He raised his eyes once he heard the shout.
The steward eunuch answered to it at once. He bowed towards Charles, then he backed out from the library while swinging his horsetail whisk.
"What is it, making such a ruckus. His Majesty is reading reports!"
"Answering the eunuch, her Highness, the Eldest Princess has returned!"
"What did you say?"
The white-haired and wrinkly steward eunuch's squinted eyes turned into wide circles when he heard the guards report.
"When did this happen, how did she return!?"
"Just now, her Highness... rode a donkey carriage back. A tanned and skinny young man escorted her back. They should already be in Windsor castle by now!"
Receiving the news, the steward eunuch shook the horsetail whisk in his hand at once. He returned to the imperial study to report to Charles without any delay.
A moment later, the steward eunuch ran out in a hurry.
He announced with a loud voice: "His Majesty has decreed, prepare a litter to Windsor castle at once!"
On the royal dragon litter carried by thirty-six people, Charles sat above it with both of his hands pressed on his knees. His torso was leaning forwards.
The stewarding eunuch was following along the dragon litter in a near run. He was already exerting great effort, but when he saw Charles's expression, he groaned in his heart.
He gritted his teeth, then he swung the horsetail whisk as he cried: "Go faster!"
"Understood!" Thirty-six people barked uniformly.
The dragon litter increased its speed once again.
The strings of beads that hung from Charles crown swayed along with the momentum of the dragon litter. They knocked together with crisp and clear sounds.
The royal dragon litter that carried Charles ran as if it was flying towards the Windsor castle. The steward eunuch followed by its side as he panted in coarse breaths.
Two rows of guards ran on both sides of the dragon litter, protecting it in the middle.
Following behind the dragon litter were two rows of palace maids, who could not keep up with the litter's speed.
Some of them were prepared with peacock feather fans, while some of them carried incense burners.
The others carried the King's essential items. These palace maids have been left behind with quite a distance.
Each of them was running with a face of suffering...
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the Windsor castle."
Hearing this, Lisa opened the donkey carriage's drapes to jump down from the carriage.
Once she had landed steadily, she turned back to help Jennie down.
"Her Highness has returned!"
"Her Highness has returned!"
Hearing voices behind her, Lisa vigilantly shielded before Jennie out of habit.
However, she heard Jennie's gentle and pleasant voice from behind: "Liam, it's alright. This is Windsor castle, my castle."
Lisa was a little startled, but she still answered to her by backing away to the side.
The guard led the donkey carriage to the side, waiting for Jennie's orders.
Many palace servants, guards and eunuchs rushed out from castle. They ran towards Jennie in the blink of an eye, then all of them kneeled down together in a fluttering wave.
Lisa subconsciously flinched at the sight of the sea of kneeling people. She could not get used to such a scene. Although she knew that these people weren't kneeling at her, she still had to adjust her mentality quietly.
She forced herself to stand orderly by Jennie's side.
"We greet her Highness, the Eldest Princess!"
Lisa's head felt somewhat bloated by the booming cheers. She finally understood completely in this very moment: Her Highness' position was of that level of reverence and nobility.
"You may all rise!"
Just as Jennie said this, a palace maid crawled up from the ground while weeping. She rushed to Jennie's side in dainty and unsteady steps, then she cried: "Why did your Highness come back so late, us servants are all worried to death! We lit incense and prayed at the Buddhist halls every day and every night. What fortune that your Highness has returned safely. Otherwise, how could this maid continue living... sob sob sob..."
"Alright, Nayeon. Haven't I returned safely?"
"Sob sob sob... How could your Highness neglect yourself like this, you've gotten all thin. And, what are you wearing, sob sob sob... How could your Highness undergo such mistreatment!"
Lisa looked at Nayeon who was weeping painfully. She stood there where she was, blank and confused.
Lisa could not understand it: Didn't her Highness return just fine? Why would it make her cry...
For someone like Lisa who had gotten used to crudeness, of course she could not understand why Nayeon would cry.
As the Eldest Princess born of the main palace, Jennie had been spoiled endlessly ever since she was little.
Charles had even changed the kingdom's regulations for Jennie, so that she could receive the same level of treatment as the Dukes.
Jennie rode in a four-horse carriage for outings. Her fiefs were also given in the same manner for the Dukes, of eight thousand land rights.
At Jennie's fifteenth years' coming-of-age, Charles bestowed another thousand land rights.
Nine thousand land rights in fiefs was of the same level as the Crown Prince. It was a good thing that Jennie is a Princess, for if she was a prince, this action of Charles' would have brought forth much chaos.
Charles reconsidered it afterwards. He found that this was indeed somewhat inappropriate.
And so, he raised Jonathan's land rights to twelve thousand, and Jacob's to ten thousand.
Victor had nine thousand, so he was awarded with military power.
Joshua remained at eight thousand.
And for the remaining two underage Princes, Bobby and Jin, they just had less than three thousand each...
The height of Jennie's status could be inferred from this.
Hence, anything that Jennie wore, ate or used would always be of the highest quality.
All gifts of tribute to the palace would go under Charles' eye first. He would pick out the most suitable ones, then they were sent to Jennie.
Nayeon was Jennie's personal maid. She had grown up together with Jennie and Jonathan, and she was then fully stationed in Jennie's palace.
What life Jennie led, what habits she had; Nayeon understood it the most.
Nayeon had originally wanted to go with Jennie before, but she had been left in the palace to 'watch over the Crown Prince'.
Nayeon felt as if the world had collapsed when she heard that Jennie had gone missing after an encounter with assassins.
Tears washed her face every day. She prayed and burned incense every day.
When she heard that Jennie had returned, Nayeon was the first to rush out.
And in the end, when she saw that Jennie was dressed so 'broke', it made her whole being deteriorate...
Jennie looked at Nayeon as she wept before her, then she looked at Lisa who was wearing the same peasant clothes as her.
The expression on Lisa's face was somewhat stiff.
So Jennie patted Nayeon's hand lightly, then she said softly: "Alright, that's enough. Am I not standing before you just fine? Much is owed to the Battalion Commander. Pass this order down, take the Battalion Commander to the baths and find a set of clothes for him to change into."
Only then did Nayeon notice that another person was standing next to Jennie. She raised her eyes for a look.
This person was tall and skinny, and his skin was tanned. Although he was dressed in peasant clothes, his back was straight. His stark black eyes were bright and piercing, which was different from any of the guards that I had seen in the palace.
He also carried a resolute air. Although his looks were quite different from the young masters I had seen before, it had a uniqueness to it, one that made him hard to forget with just one look.
Jennie was Nayeon's world.
Seeing that this tanned and skinny young man was her Princess' 'savior', she could not help but have a good impression and acceptance towards Lisa.
She wiped away her tears, then she said softly to Lisa: "Battalion Commander, please follow this maid."
Lisa looked at Jennie.
When she saw the latter slightly nod her head, Lisa said to Nayeon: "Then I'll trouble the Miss."
Once that was said, Lisa followed Nayeon openly into the castle.
The crowd of palace maids, servants and guards separated into two.
Jennie walked in the middle, making her way towards castle.
Jennie was not in a hurry to wash and change clothes, for such a state still has its uses.
As expected, just as Jennie settled down in the main hall, a servant ran in to report frantically: "His Majesty has arrived!"
Jennie put down the tea cup in her hand, then she rose from the chair.
Surrounded by palace maids, she walked leisurely out of the hall to welcome the royal litter.
The royal dragon litter carried by thirty-six people entered castle.
A sea of palace maids kneeled in the courtyard.
"These servants greets your Majesty."
"You may all rise!"
Charles waved his wide sleeve.
He hurried down the dragon litter that had just settled down, then he called: "Jennie!"
Jennie had just walked out at this moment. She was still dressed in the same old peasant clothes.
Flanked by palace maids, she came before Charles. She said as she bowed: "This daughter greets father..."
Charles strode over at once.
He held Jennie's arms, pausing her movement: "You have gone through so much. There's no need for more courtesy. Let me have a look at you."
Jennie raised her head to show her reddened eyes. Before she could speak, two drops of tears slid down her cheeks.
The face that had gotten thinner after her departure was added with misery. Wearing old and ragged clothes, with tears trickling down her face; Charles' eyes reddened to see Jennie in such a state.
"Father!"
Charles lifted a large hand to wipe Jennie's tears away.
He spoke with a pained heart: "My Princess has undergone suffering. Cry no more, father will get you justice!"
=========================