An hour later, we finally rolled into the town of Solmire.

It was considerably smaller than Helianth, that much was immediately evident. The two towns were incomparable in terms of scale and historical influence, yet Solmire was clearly a well-tended, proudly maintained settlement. The townspeople had never let the symbolic weight of its past be forgotten. Even after a thousand years, even in the shadow of far larger and more prosperous towns scattered across Helios, Solmire’s name endured, etched permanently into the annals of history by the blood spilled upon its soil.

At the town’s main gate, only two guards stood watch. They were not conducting rigorous inspections, merely observing the flow of incoming carriages and waving most through after signaling them to slow their pace. They would occasionally halt a particularly suspicious vehicle, but nothing more stringent than that.

As for our two carriages, flanked on either side by the presences of Oliver and Mia, there was hardly any need for deliberation. The escort alone reeked of nobility. The guards exchanged a brief glance and waved us through without a second thought.

The passage was swift, which was fortunate, as it was already deep into the early morning hours.

In fact, in a matter of hours, the sun would crest the horizon, and it was precisely tonight, during the Silver Night, that I needed to retrieve the necklace.

In truth, there was perhaps somewhat less urgency surrounding this particular artifact compared to the Amber Heart. According to my knowledge, the necklace was not destined to be discovered until next year, by Selenia. Yet I wanted it secured in my possession now. I intended to use it as leverage, if one could call it that and besides, it was here, within reach. That alone was reason enough.

Having both legendary artifacts in my possession would grant me an enormous strategic advantage in the conflicts rapidly approaching on the horizon. Whether it was the looming threat of Radhamantia, the ambitions of rival Kingdoms, the Black Sun, or the Thirteen Moons, I needed every advantage I could acquire.

In the Game, Helios had not even managed to hold its ground for long. The Kingdom had already been crumbling before the player even began, collapsing entirely three months later when Duke Solaris and Duke Rothflame would be defeated.

I was not going to allow that to happen.

Gently drawing back the carriage curtain, I leaned slightly out to address Oliver riding alongside us.

"Find us a modest, humble inn," I instructed him quietly. "Nothing extravagant."

He looked a bit surprised but nodded without question and set off immediately.

’Let us see how things unfold in this town,’ I thought to myself, settling back against the seat. I had a faint, nagging ill feeling about Solmire that I could not entirely shake, but we would deal with whatever came.

Roughly thirty minutes later, after a series of starts and stops in front of various inns along the cobblestone streets, our carriage finally came to a halt once more. Oliver reappeared at the window.

"Your Majesty, we have inspected several establishments, but I fear this particular inn may not provide... adequate comfort for everyone in your party," he said carefully, clearly reluctant to disappoint me. "It appears every inn in town is rather full this evening. Perhaps we ought to seek out something more suitable?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Well, it wasn’t really shocking that most modest inns would be unavailable.

"What is the matter with this one?" I asked.

"There is a room available, but only the one," Mia added, stepping out of the inn’s entrance to join the conversation, her expression mirroring Oliver’s discomfort.

Both of them were already prepared to move on, but I stopped them with a raised hand.

"We will take it," I said simply.

"Your Majesty?" they both echoed in near unison, visibly taken aback.

"The sun rises within a couple of hours. We only need a brief rest," I explained calmly. "Alan and Elric will remain outside and keep watch over the carriages in the meantime."

"Of course, Your Majesty, please do not concern yourself with us," Alan said quickly, though his expression bewildered. It was still something he struggled to grow accustomed to, the fact that I had provided them a proper room back in Helianth at all. Under any other King or simply nobles, they would have been expected to stand vigil outside by the carriages without a second thought.

"One room will suffice perfectly for myself, Eleanor, and Leilah," I said.

"Understood, Your Majesty," Oliver replied with a respectful nod, turning immediately to head back inside and finalize arrangements with the innkeeper.

Once the arrangements were finalized, our carriages were allowed into the inn’s rear courtyard.

I stepped down first, followed closely by Eleanor and Leilah. Alan and Elric immediately took charge of securing the two carriages, while Oliver and Mia accompanied us inside.

It was the dead of night, and the inn was completely silent. Not a single patron stirred, save for the solitary innkeeper, who offered us a highly curious, if somewhat bleary-eyed gaze as we passed.

The only available room was located on the second floor. As we made our way up, the poor quality of the wooden stairs became glaringly apparent; every single step we took produced a loud, grating creak that echoed unpleasantly through the stillness.

"I do hope you are not too furious with my decision to select such a low-quality establishment, Eleanor, compared to the luxuries you are accustomed to," I said, offering her a slight, teasing smile as she walked beside me.

"Y—Your Majesty..." She pouted, her brow furrowing in protest.

I laughed softly. In truth, Eleanor had traveled extensively with her father in her youth, meaning there were undoubtedly times she had slept in far less accommodating inns than this one. If anyone should have been annoyed by the drop in living standards, it was me, with my lifelong royal upbringing. But I could easily bear it.

We had successfully evaded the Black Sun spies for the moment, but they would inevitably arrive in Solmire following our trail. When they did, they would obviously begin their search at the most expensive and secure lodgings in town. Granted, there were not many high-end inns in a humble place like Solmire to begin with, which was precisely why I had chosen the most mundane, run-down establishment I could find.

The longer it took them to locate us, the better. They couldn’t have deduced our final destination merely by tailing us, which meant they were definitely lagging behind. I fully intended to use that delay to disrupt whatever ambush they might be planning. The dead of night was the perfect time for an assassination attempt, and I had no intention of handing them that opportunity on a silver platter.

We finally reached the second-floor corridor. The hallway itself did not exactly inspire confidence; the walls were badly scuffed, and the paint was peeling in long, curling strips. It was in need of renovation, though at the very least, it was not outright filthy.

Mia stepped forward, holding the iron key to locate our room, and we trailed behind her.

"Ahhh!"

"Hm?"

I raised an eyebrow as a sudden sound drifted through the quiet hall. It was coming from directly behind one of the closed doors.

"Ahnn! Yes!"

"More!"

"Take this!!"

Well...

"It seems someone is thoroughly enjoying themselves, even this late at night. Wouldn’t you agree, Eleanor?" I chuckled, casting a sideways glance at her.

"Y—Yes..." She stuttered out, nearly biting her tongue as a deep, bright pink flush rapidly consumed her face.

It was a bit unlike her to show such reactions just from these sounds honestly. I was sure she had been met with similar situations but I could understand why her composure faltered right now.

I raised a brow amused, and leaned slightly closer to her ear.

"You have nothing to worry about. I would never take you in such a poor, drafty inn, Eleanor," I whispered softly.

She shuddered visibly as my breath brushed against her ear, the tips of which had already burned a vivid crimson.

I chuckled and continued walking, doing my best to ignore the rhythmic thumping echoing through the door as though the walls were constructed entirely of paper.

"They truly have no shame," Mia grumbled from the front of the group, shaking her head in annoyance.

"There is no need to be so concerned, Mia. One day, you might find yourself screaming even louder when you finally end up beneath a man, or perhaps above one, depending entirely upon your preferences," I said casually.

"Y—Your Majes—HMPFH!!?!" Mia whipped around, her face instantly turning as red as a tomato, flabbergasted by the remark.

Oliver quickly clamped his hand over her mouth to muffle her indignant shout, letting out a long, weary sigh.

"Your Majesty," Eleanor said, shooting me a stern look. She was clearly still terribly embarrassed herself, but as a proper wife and Queen, she felt it was her duty to scold me for my shameful remark.

My mistake. Still, it was hard to resist when Mia’s flustered reactions were honestly quite cute.