Chapter 43: Chapter-43

The fox knight spoke up from his spot by the door. “Your Highness, about getting to Port Crestfall. It’s four days by carriage, longer if we’re moving a whole household. And the roads go through territories controlled by noble families who might be friendly with your sisters.”

“I know. That’s why we’re taking the river instead.”

Everyone stared at her.

“The river?” Dimitri said.

“Merchant barges go from here to Port Crestfall all the time. Takes six days instead of four, but rivers are way harder to ambush than roads, easier to defend, and if we travel with a merchant convoy we get built-in security and witnesses.” Elara pulled over a map. “Plus it shows the merchants I’m serious about working with them—traveling their way instead of demanding royal treatment.”

“That’s actually smart,” Mira said slowly. “The merchants will like that you’re trusting them. And attacking a merchant convoy has way worse consequences than attacking a royal carriage.”

“Exactly. Dimitri, ask Verin if he’s got a barge heading to Port Crestfall soon. If we’re signing contracts tomorrow, maybe they’ve got space for us. We’ll pay regular rates—business deal, not royal favor.”

“Got it.” Dimitri was scribbling notes fast. “This is a lot to organize quickly.”

“We move fast, accept that things won’t be perfect, and deal with problems as they come up.”

They worked for three more hours. Writing messages to merchants, making lists of what they needed, figuring out which staff were essential, planning the river route and calculating costs. By the time Dimitri and Mira left, Elara had a clearer picture of what needed to happen.

It was going to be crazy. But it was possible.

After they left, Elara sat alone staring at all the papers covering her desk. Contract drafts. Travel plans. Names of people coming with her. Supply lists. Everything that added up to escape disguised as a business trip.

Her arm hurt where the blade had cut her. The bandage probably needed changing, but she was too tired to care.

She pulled out one more sheet of paper and started writing—a letter to the imperial research archive, asking them to officially register her mother’s preservation magic under her name with full legal protections. Just in case something happened to her. If she died, at least the research wouldn’t die too.

Her hand was steadier now than it had been right after the attack. Small victories.

Outside, the palace kept doing its evening thing. Somewhere her sisters were plotting. Somewhere assassins were getting paid for their next attempt. Somewhere the Emperor was calculating political angles.

.

.

.

The merchant delegation arrived exactly on time. Guild Master Verin led the group—a silver-haired man in his sixties with shrewd eyes and expensive clothes that managed to look practical rather than showy. His son Kael walked beside him, younger and eager, while three lawyers trailed behind carrying leather document cases.

Elara received them in one of the smaller formal chambers. She’d chosen it deliberately—large enough to be impressive, small enough to feel like a business meeting rather than a royal audience. The fox knight stood behind her chair. Two more guards flanked the door.

“Your Highness.” Verin bowed, not too deep, not too shallow. The perfect merchant bow that acknowledged rank without groveling. “Thank you for receiving us on such short notice.”

“Guild Master Verin. Please, sit.” Elara gestured to the chairs arranged around the table. “I appreciate you moving quickly on this. Recent events have made me… eager to finalize our arrangements.”

“Of course.” Verin’s expression was carefully neutral, but his eyes flicked briefly to the bandage on her arm. “We were distressed to hear about the incident. Palace security can be so… unreliable.”

Translation: ’We know someone high up tried to kill you, and we’re not getting involved in that mess, but we’d like our contracts signed before you die.’

“Indeed,” Elara said dryly. “Shall we review the terms?”

They spent the next hour going through every clause. Verin’s lawyers were thorough—checking language, clarifying rights, ensuring protections on both sides. Elara had Dimitri there taking notes, and surprisingly, the process went smoothly. No one tried to change major terms or pull last-minute tricks.

The preservation magic worked exactly as advertised. The merchants wanted it. Elara wanted their money and connections. Simple transaction.

When they finally signed, Verin actually smiled. A real one, not the professional merchant smile. “Your Highness, I believe this will be profitable for everyone involved. My family looks forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”

“As do I.” Elara signed the final copy. “Which brings me to my next request. I understand you have merchant barges that travel to Port Crestfall regularly?”

“Several. We run cargo shipments twice a month.” Verin’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Are you interested in shipping something?”

“Myself. And my household. I’m relocating to Port Crestfall to oversee the preservation magic implementation personally. I’d prefer to travel by river rather than road—safer, more practical, and it sends the right message about working closely with merchant operations.”

Verin and Kael exchanged glances.

“You want to travel on a cargo barge?” Kael said, sounding surprised. “Your Highness, we could arrange a private vessel, something more suitable for—”

“A cargo barge is fine. I’ll pay standard rates for passenger accommodations. This is a business trip, not a royal progress.” Elara kept her tone matter-of-fact. “When is your next departure?”

“Five days from now,” Verin said slowly. “But Your Highness, a cargo barge isn’t… it’s not comfortable. Basic cabins, merchant food, no luxury—”

“I’ll survive. Do you have space for my household? Approximately thirty-two people total, plus luggage and supplies.”

“Thirty-two?” Verin calculated quickly. “That’s… substantial. Yes, we can accommodate that, but we’ll need to use the larger barge. The journey takes six days.”

“Perfect. Send the travel details to my administrator Dimitri. We’ll be ready.”

After the merchants left, Elara gathered her household in the larger meeting room. Not the palace servants assigned by the Emperor—those would stay. Only the people she’d personally chosen and hired over the past two weeks.

Six staff members sat in the front rows—her personal servants, kitchen workers, and cleaners that she’d handpicked. The three administrators she’d selected—Dimitri, Mira, and records keeper Soren—stood to the side.

And lined along the back wall in perfect formation stood all twenty-five beast knights assigned to her household.

Twenty-five. Her entire protection detail.

“Thank you all for coming,” Elara started. “I have news. I’m leaving for Port Crestfall in five days to oversee the merchant operations personally. The preservation magic implementation needs on-site supervision. I’ll be there for at least three months, possibly six months to a year depending on progress.”

The room stirred. A year was a long time.

“You’re all coming with me.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened. Mira’s mouth opened slightly. The six staff members looked at each other in shock.

Because “all” meant everyone. Including all twenty-five beast knights.

“The palace servants will stay and maintain appearances here. But everyone I personally hired—the six staff, three administrators, and all twenty-five beast knights—you’re relocating to Port Crestfall with me.”

Dead silence. You could hear people breathing.

Taking an entire household of beast knights out of the palace? For a year? That was insane. Unprecedented. Possibly illegal.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep