Freya Bleaufort was standing a few paces away, holding a silver tray with two glasses of fresh fruit juice.

Amelia turned around in surprise "A-Aunty! It’s not, He was just- I slipped and-"

Freya raised her hand to her mouth, trying to hide her smile "I see. Another ’accident,’ was it."

She walked closer and set the tray down on a nearby stone bench.

"Young man, I must say... you have very interesting methods of assisting a lady. First on the balcony, now in the garden. Should I start keeping count?"

Brandon let out a soft sigh "It really was an accident. She slipped. I was just trying to catch her."

Amelia crossed her arms tightly over her chest, still glaring at him, "You keep saying that, but your hands seem to have a mind of their own!"

"How the hell is it happening again and again!"

Freya laughed softly "Come now, Amelia. Give the poor man a break. He did catch you before you fell. Even if his method was... creative."

She picked up one of the glasses of juice and offered it to Brandon "Here. Consider it a peace offering. And perhaps an apology for my niece’s dagger at your throat last night."

Brandon accepted the juice with a wry smile "Thank you."

Freya took a sip from her own glass "Since you are traveling with Goddess Rheanne, I assume you will be staying in the castle for some time. If you ever need anything, or if my niece gives you too much trouble... feel free to find me."

Amelia shot her aunt a betrayed look.

"Aunty!"

Freya only laughed again.

Looking at them, Brandon asked "Anyway... why were both of you sneaking around the castle at night like that?"

Amelia glanced away "That’s..."

She hesitated, clearly reluctant to explain.

With a soft exhale, Freya spoke "My brother just dotes on Amelia so much that he never allowed her to step much outside of the castle."

"So she sneaks out at nights to enjoy her time in the capital."

"Well... she drags me along with her sometimes."

Glancing at Amelia, she muttered "Your father would have a heart attack if he knew how many times you’ve slipped past the guards to wander the streets at night."

Amelia sat on the stone bench beside Freya "I just... I want to see the world as it really is."

"I hate always being stuck within these castle walls..."

Brandon looked at her for a moment ’Reminds me of Valiene...’

"Then how about this? Tonight... I can take you around the city, no need to sneak around."

Huh? Amelia looked up at him in surprise "Are you sure?"

Taking another sip of his fruit juice, Brandon nodded "Yeah. I can talk to your father. Since I’m with Rheanne, he might actually listen."

Freya tilted her head slightly "Hmm... are you planning to grope her in private?"

Amelia grabbed Freya’s arm and shook her "What the hell are you saying, you stupid Aunty!"

Brandon coughed once and gave Freya a dry, long-suffering look "I’m starting to think you enjoy embarrassing your niece more than anything else in life."

Freya laughed softly, "It’s one of my few pleasures in this stuffy castle. Besides, you do have a habit of ending up with your hands in interesting places, young man."

Brandon couldn’t help but chuckle.

---

The morning sun bathed the castle grounds as Brandon and Freya walked side by side along one of the quieter stone pathways.

Servants and guards bowed respectfully as they passed, giving the pair a wide berth once they recognized Freya’s presence.

Freya kept her hands lightly clasped in front of her, "Amelia might be rude sometimes," she said softly, "but she is a good girl... so don’t hate her for that."

Brandon shook his head gently "No, it’s alright. I don’t hate her at all."

Freya let out a soft giggle, "She always trains so hard so she can prove to her father that she can protect herself. That he can finally let her out to see the outside world without constant fear."

A soft sigh escaped her lips, "Well, I can’t blame him either. After his wife’s death... he became very cautious. He lost the love of his life, and now Amelia is all he has left."

"And with unexpected monsters pilling out in the world, he sees danger everywhere. He keeps her locked away like a precious jewel, afraid that if she steps outside these walls, the world will take her from him too."

Brandon listened quietly "It must be difficult for both of them. For her to feel trapped... and for him to live with that fear every day."

Freya nodded, a small, sad smile touching her lips "It is. I try to mediate when I can. I sneak her out sometimes, or at least accompany her on her little night adventures. It’s the only way she gets to breathe."

"But even then, I worry. The world outside these walls is not kind to young noblewomen, especially one as beautiful and headstrong as Amelia."

She turned her head to look at Brandon "You know, if you do manage to convince my brother to let her go out with you tonight, you’ll have your hands full. She has a habit of wandering off the moment she sees something interesting."

"Last time she dragged me to a street performer who was juggling knives. Nearly gave me a heart attack."

Brandon chuckled "I’ll keep that in mind."

Freya laughed softly "Good. And try not to grope her again. Once was quite enough for one visit."

Brandon groaned lightly, "That really was an accident."

She giggled and looked athim up and down "Also... uhm, you need to protect Amelia. Are you strong? You are Lady Rhaenne companion... but still..."

With a shrug, he replied "I am quite strong. Heck, I can even fight hundred of your men."

Freya raised an eyebrow in surprise "Oh..."

---

Brandon: -_- I was just joking...

In front of him now stood exactly one hundred men, fully armored with training weapons, and looking thoroughly confused.

The bulky captain at the front stepped forward, scratching his head under his helmet.

"Uhm, Your Highness... why did you ask for 100 men urgently?"

Freya pointed straight at Brandon and spoke in a perfectly innocent tone.

"He said that he can easily beat 100 of our guards, so I wanted to check that."

The bulky captain glanced at Brandon, then frowned deeply "Your Highness... this guy? He has a pretty face and a good body, but I don’t think..."

The rest of the guards murmured among themselves, some snickering, others sizing Brandon up with skeptical looks.

Freya covered her mouth with her hand, barely hiding her laughter "Well? You made the claim, didn’t you? Surely a companion of the Goddess can back up his words."

Amelia, who had been watching from the side of the garden, walked over with wide eyes.

"Aunty! You can’t just-" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Freya waved her off with a flick of her wrist "Hush, dear. This will be educational for everyone."

The captain crossed his arms, clearly not convinced "Look, lad. No offense, but we’re the elite guard of the Emperor. We train every day. You look like you’ve never held a real sword in your life. This isn’t some street brawl."

Brandon sighed deeply and rolled his shoulders.

He really didn’t want to do this.

But he also knew that if he backed down now, it would only make things more complicated later... especially since he was supposed to be Rheanne’s "right hand."

"Fine," he said, stepping forward into the open training yard. "Let’s make it quick. I don’t want to break too many of your men."

The guards burst into laughter.

The captain shook his head, clearly amused by the arrogance.

"Alright, pretty boy. Let’s see what you’ve got."