The Holy Roman Empire
The Princess and Killian were still unsure of what to feel about Heinrich. Seemingly, he was a great man. There was nothing wrong with him. Everything about him spoke of his steadfast principles. Most of all, his servants had the utmost loyalty and love for him.
Such loyalty and love could only be gained by being bestowed with the characteristics of a saint. And the Great Father was, with no doubt, no less than a saint.
Heinrich's direct servant Aldrich was given the responsibility of the Princess and Killian's safe journey.
"What is a safe journey without some precautionary packing?" Aldrich smiled while walking the two out of Heinrich's room.
The Princess and Killian shared glances, then guided Aldrich to their room. Upon entering their room, he raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you two have the same room?" He asked in an indirectly playful manner.
"He is my betrothed." The Princess was the first one to admit it this time.
Aldrich looked at her with unconvinced eyes, "Yes, sure. Everybody believes that." He chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Killian asked.
"I mean that I know you are her bodyguard." Aldrich shrugged. "I know everything that the Master knows. We do not keep secrets, you see."
"How did you end up here?" The Princess asked him out of curiosity.
Aldrich raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Bold of you to assume I was sold here. I am of the Hoover family. My ancestors pledged loyalty to our Master. I am merely walking in their footsteps." He explained.
"Do you not wish to be free?" The Princess asked solemnly.
Aldrich looked at Killian, "Do you not wish to be free?"
It was contradictory. The Princess hadn't considered that Killian was just her servant as well. Just because she was experiencing slavery now, in the best forms, she thought that she knew everything servants could feel. Except, she was lost in contradictions.
"I do not wish to be free for the very reason you do not wish to be free." Aldrich told Killian bluntly, "You would not understand it, Princess." He chuckled, forming a secret between him and Killian.
"I want to understand it." The Princess couldn't accept the fact that she was being left out.
"My lady," Killian shook his head.
Aldrich shrugged, "The only way to understand such deep loyalty is to-"
"Do not." Killian interrupted him. "It is better this way. She is a Princess. She needs not to understand feelings as lowly as us."
The Princess frowned as she couldn't understand Killian's behavior.
"Anyways," Aldrich shook his head, "We should not waste any time. You two must leave the Capital by 4 pm. Let us start packing with haste."
They brought two suitcases and filled them with everything that Aldrich deemed necessary. He made them pack extra clothes just in case as well. He reminded the Princess of the Queen of Miraculum. She was strict but sweet towards her daughter.
"Alright," Aldrich took a good look at the two of them, "Now that everything is in the bags, let me explain exactly where you are going. You will leave for the Schönbrunn Palace. It lies in Vienna, the Archduchy of Austria." He explained. "You will present the gift to the Holy Roman Emperor and Empress. Their frontman will receive you first to whom you will explain the following: We are sent from the Great Father, Heinrich, to bless the Holy Roman Emperor and Empress to secure a future together through a jade ornament. Allow us to present the ornament directly to the Holy Roman Emperor and Empress." He added, "Repeat what I just said."
Killian swiftly and fluidly repeated the given words.
"Great," Aldrich nodded. "To the Holy Roman Emperor and Empress, just explain how the jade ornament works. It was carefully crafted into a clover for good luck. Make sure to bless their future offspring. The Empress is expecting. Bless them with a son."
The two nodded. Aldrich then escorted them outside the mansion. They were leaving the mansion for the first time. The mansion was just as big and pretty from the outside. After leaving through the front door, they entered the mansion's big garden. A lot of gardeners were tending to the shrubs, flowering plants, and grass.
The Princess was reminded of the barren garden back at the Royal Palace of Miraculum. There was no flower variety at all, unlike the garden they were standing in, which was filled with the prettiest and most unique flowers.
Aldrich escorted them to the main gate. It was huge and painted black. The Princess looked back at the mansion once more. To think a commoner of her timeline resided in a palace-like house, everything about Heinrich was peculiar.
Gesturing towards the carriage, Aldrich looked at the Princess and Killian to get inside it. The Princess glared at the carriage from head to toe. It was attached to two horses.
"Such a strange ride." The Princess murmured.
"In Miraculum, we had palanquins." Killian explained. "These animals were extinct. We discovered their skeletons."
Aldrich looked at the two with utmost surprise. "Are you saying you did not have horses?!"
"Horses?" The Princess asked, "So, this is what they are called? They are very adorable." She smiled.
Aldrich was surprised. He hadn't expected horses to go extinct when humans had survived the apocalypse. He saw the Princess and Killian get inside the carriage with skepticism, being an entirely new ride for them.
"It is going to take 4 days." Aldrich said, "Make it 5 because you are going to rest a lot on the way." He added. "Enough food has been packed along with money to purchase more so fret not and travel with ease. The Great Father has blessed you with a safe journey." Then they started their journey toward the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire; a timeline that would continue for as long as they were here. They had brought enough books with them to read about the Holy Roman Empire. Most of what was Miraculum in the future also seemed to be a part of this empire. It was interesting.