"U-um... could you maybe... release me first?" Diana spoke, blushing in embarrassment from head to toe.

At the last second just before teleporting, Reinhardt hurriedly grabbed onto them, pulling them closer to his embrace. And perhaps a little too tightly.

Even worse, his hand was... let's just say, positioned dangerously close to a royal chest.

Anymore up, and his hands might just be rubbing against them.

"Ah, please excuse me." Hurriedly realizing his mistake, Reinhardt released the two ladies.

Diana's face was as red as a ripe apple.

Seeing this, the Queen tried to maintain her royal composure but failed spectacularly. A soft giggle escaped before she could stop it.

After releasing the two ladies, he showed them to the couch, where they continued on with their previous talks. Meanwhile, he summoned his maids to bring some food for the guests.

The servants who did not expect their master, who had left on an expedition, to suddenly come out of his office, were greatly surprised. Nevertheless, they were professional maids of a duke's household. After a while, they came back to their senses and left to carry out his orders.

Knock… Knock…

Anastasia came in bringing the food for the guests. As she was one of the few people who could be trusted, there was no need to worry about any information leaking out.

The headmaid was called the headmaid for a reason. After she saw the condition Princess Diana was in, she quickly excused herself and brought over a pair of dress for the former.

The discussion continued, the Queen asked the princess many questions. Sometimes she sighed, other times she consoled the other party. From an onlooker's perspective, they looked just like sisters, rather than royals of two nations. It took some time, but they finally came to a conclusion.

"Reinhardt, I have decided to keep her by my side for the time being. Help me keep this a secret".

Hiding the princess of a foreign nation was a serious matter and could turn into an international issue and possibly worsen the relationship between the two kingdoms if word about it got out.

That said, since it was the Queen's command, Reinhardt had nothing to say in this matter. It was decided that Diana would stay here for the time being under a new disguise and identity, until she was ready to go back.

After settling the princess of Aetherion and instructing Ana to look after her, the two of them returned to the royal palace of Aetherion.

With all the chaos that was going on, no one noticed their absence. And even if they did, nobody would think that they had gone off to meet Princess Diana and take her back to the kingdom of Solaris.

With the bride missing, the wedding was called off, and the atmosphere in the kingdom of Aetherion turned somber once again. The search for the princess went on for months, with Vaerion personally leading the knights to look for her everywhere.

Solaris and the other foreign dignitaries did not stay long to witness this. Since the wedding wasn't going to happen, there was no point in staying there.

And so, on the second day after the princess went missing, the convoy of Solaris prepared for its return.

As the foreign knights contributed greatly in solving the crisis within Aetherion, especially the knights of Solaris, who played the biggest role, the kingdom was tactful enough to drop them back to their borders through the Air Engine.

Once they were safely back in their borders, it was just five days travel from there.

.

.

Royal Palace, the Queen's chamber. At this moment, Reinhardt teleported with Diana in tow.

"From today on, you will live as my new hand maiden. Are you okay with that?"

At those words, the latter nodded her head. The Queen already took great risks by sheltering her. It would be too shameless of her to ask anything more. After leaving Princess Diana in the Queen's care, Reinhardt left the royal palace.

Three days later, the order of the Temple of Light returned to the Snowpoint City. Unlike the last time when they were treated to an anti climactic return, this time they received an enthusiastic and great welcome from the citizens.

Well, given how much the city changed thanks to them, it was only natural for the people to show their appreciation for the knights. If not for them, the atmosphere of the city would still be as suffocating as ever, and the people unaware of their own tragic lives.

Of course, much of this fanfare was targeted towards the Governor of the city, who returned triumphantly after completing an expedition.

"This sight!!" Seeing people line up beside the road, cheerfully crying out their name and welcoming them like heroes, the scene reminded Reinahrdt and the older knights of the Lumiose city.

The warm welcome they used to receive from the people of that city.

From the initial hostility and distance, Snowpoint had transformed into a city bustling with life, an atmosphere that, while not quite as grand as the Arcknight city, was now unmistakably on its way there.

While this kind of welcome was not new to the Knights, it was still relatively surprising for the new squires. The experience was a first for them, being welcomed by such a grand reception. This naturally made them strut forward with their chest held high.

"Welcome back, Commander, everyone." Waiting in front of the knight's headquarter was Bob and the other knights who had been maintaining law and keeping the city safe in their absence.

"Yeah, we're back," Reinhardt nodded before turning to ask about the current state of things.

"Did anything occur while we were out?".

The Holy Knight shook his head. "Nothing significant. With the influx of more immigrants, there have been occasional street-level disturbances, but thanks to the strength of the knights protecting the city, those were swiftly contained. Nothing a Governor would need to personally involve himself in."

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