When she alighted the carriage, she saw a field of flowers and a few cows grazing. The trees were thick with foliage, and beyond them were brick buildings and churches. Nature and man-made objects seemed to be in perfect harmony. Further ahead, a lemon-coloured castle poked its head out. She guessed that was the royal castle of Serrat. The delicate spires that shone clearly against the blue sky seemed beautiful even to the unimpressed Alana. That was why the darkness that stood in the way looked so thick and horrifying.

For this country, Armenia was a pest that undermined the peace of everyday life. And Alana was a grim reaper.

”Hey, I’m telling you to answer the question!”

Suddenly she heard a man’s voice. Someone in the starting line-up was disciplining the people of Serrat. He was probably acting stubbornly because he was the one who was going to destroy them. As Alana walked in that direction, Callisto and Gustavo followed her. The dull-eyed ponies they saw along the way had well-tailored harnesses. The two ashen-haired horses connected to it were not badly harnessed either. She could only assume that the people involved were from good families.

Callisto blocked Alana’s path as if he had something on his mind and jutted his chin toward the nearby Baron Guzman. The Baron responded by walking away, his sturdy body shaking. “You fools. We are here on behalf of Armenia. Don’t you dare disgrace your country!” The Baron said intimidatingly, then changed his tone and said, “I beg your pardon. Now, this way,” he said, leading the people of Serrat away from the advance party. He led them in the direction of Alana and the others.

The people of Serrat consisted of two adults and a child. All of them were women. The adults seemed to be protecting the girl in the riding clothes. The golden-haired girl shrank back completely. “I’ll be very strict with them. They will not be rude to you again,” the Baron said, but he must not have understood the foreign language. They all cocked their heads. Alana, who could not bear to see him, even though Callisto stopped her, approached him regardless.

“He is Baron Guzman, General of Armenia. He apologises for the disrespect.”

The language of Serrat brought some relief to their stiffened faces.

“I apologise to you as well. Please forgive our rudeness.”

Alana stepped in front of the girl and folded one knee. It was the first time that she, the princess of Armenia, had ever knelt down, which was probably why Callisto, who was standing nearby, gasped. With her small, weak hand, she took her opponent’s small hand. She was trying not to make it apparent. But from the awkward movement of her hand, the girl seemed to notice Alana’s hand and moved her hand so that Alana could easily place her forehead on the back of it. The girl appeared to be a person of high rank who was used to being served. She turned her head, rested her forehead on her foot and begged for forgiveness.

“You’re handicapped, aren’t you?”

When she raised her face, the girl’s eyes burned into her eyes. They were a rare, bright violet colour. But the girl must have seen Alana’s eyes too.

“They’re beautiful. You have green eyes,” she said. “I’m not very good at Armenian.” The girl paused. “They speak so fast and with so much force that I couldn’t understand a word they said. It was like they were angry; it was scary. But I’m glad you speak Serratian. Are you from Serrat? Or are you from Armenia?”

“I’m an Armenian, and I’m here in Nava Serrat as a messenger.”

“I see. Don’t kneel down again. You don’t have to kneel anymore; I’ve already forgiven you.”

As soon as the girl pulled her hand and stood up, her eyes narrowed. From the height of her eyes, she could tell that they were about the same height. Perhaps that was why the distance between them seemed so close. ’Strange, I don’t feel like I’m meeting him for the first time. What was this throbbing feeling?’

The girl put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. “I can’t cause a problem because I just left the castle without telling anyone. What should I do if my brother gets angry? By the way, what did they say when they were in a bad mood?”

The girl’s expression changed frequently. She must be very friendly. It was the first time that Alana had come in contact with such an emotional person, but she was not embarrassed. In fact, she felt somewhat comfortable.

“They were trying to ask you for a detour because the bridge ahead was broken. However, they made a blunder in their approach. I’m sure Baron Guzman will scold them later.”

“I see. But I’m sorry, I can’t defend them because they were insulting. I’ve never been yelled at like that before in my life,” she added with a shrug. “The Bridge of Pinal is not broken. It was torn down the day before yesterday to be rebuilt. If you go straight to the right, you’ll find the Bridge of Santh, which will take you to the castle.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Alana put her hand in her pocket. It was filled with the candy that Callisto had given her. She took out one of them and put it on the girl’s hand.

//A destined meeting.