The princess, who had just suffered a fright, approached. Her face was still a little pale, but she had regained the poise of the Royal Family.
She inclined her head slightly.
"Good day, everyone from the Family."
Scarlet had already straightened her back.
Lifting her skirts, she smoothly performed a formal curtsy, her voice betraying none of her earlier sobs.
"I am Riku Scarlet. Thank you all for your help."
Her gaze swept over the unfamiliar faces before her. "Please accompany me to the palace. My father has been hoping to thank you in person."
Her answer was a string of low chuckles, cold as shards of ice.
"Young princess,"
Sanji, wearing sunglasses, curled his lips into a smile. "You had better ask your father whether he can still sleep soundly after hearing the name 'Donquixote.'"
He turned, the hem of his coat tracing a decisive arc.
The others followed in silence, as though they had received an unspoken command.
Only the princess and her guard remained in the courtyard.
Confusion filled her face. The tall man beside her also stood frozen, unsure how to comfort her.
Her utter unfamiliarity with the surname had clearly stung the leader of the visitors.
It was not pleasant to be a former ruler utterly forgotten by later generations.
"There's nothing strange about that."
The companion walking beside Sanji spoke, his voice even. "Never mind eight centuries. Sometimes even eight years is enough to change ** beyond recognition."
If some things could not be completely erased, the supposedly orthodox account could probably have traced its way back to the birth of the world.
"I understand that."
Sanji snorted. "But here we are, and they don't know a thing..."
It felt like punching empty air, inexplicably irritating.
"You look like a sulking child right now."