When Annan and Princess Sails returned to the Manor, a fifty-strong squad from the Knights' Order was waiting at the gate.
They were knights ordered by the King to guard Annan from now on.
"Your Highness."
The Knights dismounted from their Warhorses and pressed their right hands to their chests, but their expressions turned hostile when they looked at Annan.
Annan edged behind Princess Sails. "Where's all this hostility coming from?"
Princess Sails spoke up too. "Mel, the Eighth Holy Grail Knight, came to the Royal Capital with Annan. He's one of your own."
It turned out their hostility stemmed from the First Prince's second gift.
A young Girl who looked as though she had been crying stepped out of a carriage behind the Cavalry. Hatred burned in her eyes.
She was one of Galt's family.
"If I said this was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" Annan sighed. This was the confrontation he had been dreading.
"You killed my father..."
"Olmedo killed Augusta too."
The Kingdom had precious few Epics, and Augusta's death was bound up with his great love for his child. Realizing the truth was not so simple, Galt's daughter and the Knight Captain fell silent.
"Let's talk inside. Knight Captain, bring the Scribe as well." Annan needed to clear his name.
Princess Sails excused herself. The Royal Family had played a dishonorable part in this.
"...Your father realized I wasn't plotting a rebellion and that something was wrong with the warrant from the Royal Capital. But retreating then would have meant defying a royal order. As one of the three great knightly orders guarding the border, his order had never escaped suspicion. To spare it a bloody purge, your father sacrificed himself to carry out the king's command. He saved the Knights' Order. Their Chief Mage