He wasn’t walking, nor was he moving.
Just the motion of his hands, rubbing gently against the necks of the Pegasus, who didn’t seem to want to part from him.
On his lips was a smile—so genuine, so pure—that Eiffel felt the irritation across her own lips burn away, parting slightly in surprise.
Her world was a place of courteous bows and polite smiles.
As the only princess and heir to the throne of the Eiffel Royal Family, she had seen no one ever face her with displeasure. But that also meant... most of those smiles were fake—borne out of formality, not happiness.
But his... she could tell his was different.
And it wasn’t only the smile that captivated her.
His attire was incredibly striking.
A color she adored—white—that shimmered like snow beneath starlight.His figure was cut sharp, every line of the coat shaped to perfection, including the embedded silver chains.
A vivid sapphire sash was lashed across his chest—a color of blue that clashed sharply with the white, yet somehow only added to the graceful aura of the clothing.
He wore gloves, pristine as snow—the same color as his waistcoat—along with tapered trousers tucked into black boots.
And on his head was an equally pristine white hat, tilted back slightly, seemingly pushed that way by the overly fond Pegasus.
This was the attire Ryuk had to change into to accompany the princess—as he had been told by Officer Rhys—and had been properly dressed by Sir Leopold himself.
He had eventually come to know the man as a skeptical individual, but that hadn’t stopped him from dressing Ryuk as if he, too, were an affiliate of the Royal House.
His presence stood out the most among the three men around the carriage. And the second, they all turned to face her, his calm shimmering purple eyes locked with her striking golden ones, making her heart thump faster and faster.
"Princess Eiffel Eiffel."
The one to snap her out of it was none other than the family coachman, Percival, who took off his hat in a bow, followed by the butler.
Their presence alone was enough to bring her out of her daze, but resuming her usual irritated expression was impossible in that moment.
To their greetings, she elegantly raised her hand.
The motion caught both men by surprise.
Princess Eiffel was known as the spoiled royal child, and everyone knew how much she tried to avoid tradition.
To raise a hand back like true royalty took them more than a little by surprise, especially since her usual reply was scoffing in annoyance.
Sir Leopold didn’t think too much of it, instead turning to Ryuk and ushering him forward.
"Princess Eiffel, meet Mr. Ryuk, an Ammamoran Arch Guard who will be accompanying you on the journey to the Royal Meeting," he introduced.
Ryuk stepped forward until he was a meter away from the princess.
He lifted his cap to his chest and gave a bow, just as Sir Leopald had taught him on their way here.
But his bow was neither too deep nor too shallow.
"It is my honor to accompany you to and from the event, Princess Eiffel."
His voice—so crisp and clear—rang out in an unending echo to Princess Eiffel, who found herself pausing in surprise at the sight of his elegance.
"The... the honor is mine," she said.
Coachman Percival quickly stepped forward, appearing beside the golden carriage as he pulled open the door with a bow.
Eiffel, finally finding her reason to turn away, disappeared into the carriage.
"I leave her in your care, Mr. Ryuk," Sir Leopold said, his voice low and serious. "I trust you’ll help uphold the Eiffel Royal Family’s dignity and safety."
"If I fail this mission, I risk losing my title as Arch Guard. This is my first assignment. You can rest assured, I won’t allow it to end without a fight."
Then, leaning closer, he added in a whisper only Sir Leopold could hear:
"Besides, there’s an invisible carriage just 200 meters from here—ready to act as a secret escort for the princess, isn’t there?"
"That should reassure you, if the name of the Ammamoran Service Center doesn’t."
Then, he strengthened and turned to Coachman Percival, who held the carriage open for him, and gave a nod of appreciation as he stepped into it.
Coachman Percival gently shut the door before resuming his walk to his seat at the front—but paused when he noticed Sir Leopold still standing there.
Like a man who had just seen a ghost.
’He... he saw the secret escort?’
The thought echoed in Sir Leopold’s mind.
Of course, they wouldn’t leave the life and death of their one and only heir in the hands of a boy who barely looked a day over twenty.
The family had already prepared its secret guards to follow the princess’s carriage once it departed, carefully hidden in a separate carriage cloaked with invisibility and drawn by specially bred Pegasi with concealment abilities.
But who would have guessed the unassuming boy—who seemed to have no idea of the large background behind this task—already knew everything.
’Just how had he done that? Genius sensory ability perhaps?’
’’But the security concealment is at the elite level!’
"Sir Leopold?" Coachman Percival called, managing to shake him from his thoughts.
"Drive the carriage, Coach Percival, not like your wife is on her labour—but like you’re driving the Queen herself," Sir Leopold said, naturally slipping back into his butler mode.
Coachman Percival smiled.
"Rest assured, Sir Leopold."
He walked past and hopped onto the coach.
A signaling nod from Sir Leopold, and then—
WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
The reins cracked in the air, and following that, the Pegasi moved—neighing as they lifted into the air.
Their pace quickened—faster, and faster—until they became a beam of light that tore through the clouds, disappearing from the territory in a blink.
Thirty seconds after the carriage disappeared from view, Miss Ariande, the maid, was dismissed from the courtyard, and 30 seconds after:
The space behind Sir Leopold rippled, and a man cloaked in black appeared beside him.
"We’re ready to leave now," the man said.
Sir Leopold nodded slowly.
"Very well," he said. "Also... make sure to keep an eye on that Arch Guard."
He narrowed his golden eyes.
"I have a feeling he’s far more dangerous than he appears to be."