Chapter 17: Meeting the Princess

"Well... this is awkward."

I'm currently sitting with the head knight and sipping some tea with him. Apparently, he is Amalia and Miguel's son, that's why he said he lives here. He visits once in a while to talk to his parents.

"Funny living in the house of the guy you fought and fought with, what a small world it is. Well anyway, I don't really care if he's here, this is his house after all. I just wanna go to the girls already but he said has some business with me that's why I can't leave yet."

Amalia came into the kitchen to serve us some food and chat with her son.

"Thank you for the food Mom," the head knight said. He's surprisingly polite.

"What brought you here this early in the morning Keith? Don't you have duties in the palace?" Amalia asked.

"Oh... so the head knight's name was Keith."

"I just wanted to stop for a while and afterward, I was gonna go look for the talking cat I encountered two days ago but unexpectedly, that cat is currently living in my own house without my knowledge," he answered.

"Uhmm, can I ask why you're looking for me? Is it about the last time? I thought you'd already let it go," I said in the middle of their conversation.

*Sigh*

"It's not about that, to be honest, I don't even wanna see any of you anymore but I have no other choice," he replied.

"Eh? Then what is it?"

"I'll be direct to the point, the princess wants to meet you."

"Wait, what? You're kidding, right? Why would a princess want to meet me? Oh... how did she even know who I am?"

"This is so sudden. This is the first time I'm hearing that a princess even exists in this kingdom and the fact that she knows about me is suspicious."

"I don't know either, but she told me to tell you this if you can't seem to trust me."

"What is it?"

"'I'm a clairvoyant', that's what she told me to relay to you."

*Sigh*

"Honestly, I don't know why she wants to tell you this. I just don't see the point, but I don't question her decisions. That's why I'm here right now trying to persuade you to meet with her," he added.

"C-clairvoyant?!?!" I jump in excitement hearing that word. It means I don't have to look for one anymore. Hearing that word also answered all of my questions. If she knows about me then that means she's been watching me from the very start.

"W-when can I meet her?" I asked him while trying to suppress my excitement.

"Tomorrow night. A banquet will be held in the palace for nobles with high authority. Meet her at the back of the palace at exactly noon. Someone I know will guide you and show you the way. I won't be there to help, I'll be busy guarding the palace. If something bad happens I wouldn't be there to help you so be careful," he answered in full detail.

"Eh? I'm just meeting the princess, why do you make it sound so complicated?" I added out of curiosity.

"Trust me, it won't be that easy to meet her," he answered with full confidence and with a hint of secrecy.

"F-fine," I replied. I stopped for a moment to think and an idea popped out of my head.

"Oh… can I bring Komraad and the girls with me? Please?" I begged him. Those three have probably never been to a banquet before, I wanna bring them with me to enjoy.

"Your companions? Fine, but they have to act elegant if they don't want to be bad-mouthed by the nobles present at the banquet. I'll prepare them a suit and dress for tomorrow night. For now, practice proper etiquette, Mom will teach you how." He answered in full agreement with my suggestion.

Amalia agreed to teach us how to act like a noble. It seems like she's not a normal housewife who runs an orphanage after all.

After Keith explained everything and I agreed, he immediately left. He seems to be in a rush. I told everyone the good news afterward and they agreed to accompany me to the upcoming banquet tomorrow night. Amalia also started teaching us proper manners and etiquette.

While they were in the middle of strict training with Amalia, I excused myself for a while to do something different. I want to meet the princess properly. To do that, I need to be in my human form. While the others are practicing how to act like a noble, I was busy practicing how to transform into my human form on command without having to rely on heavy emotions such as protecting the girls. I also wanted to try wearing a dress for a change, that's why I'm a bit motivated to try harder.

"So how do I do it? For me to access my human form, I need to be in a position where I have to protect those who are dear to me. Does that mean the girls have to be in danger for me to turn into a human? What if before I even transform, it's already too late? I don't want that to happen, that's why I want to be able to revert back to my original form anytime and anywhere," I thought to myself while trying to force my body to transform.

I was imagining a scenario where it requires me to save the kids but I can't come up with any.

"Think Ina... think." I was really trying hard until it finally hit me. What if the girls were attacked by a demon that is far stronger than the one that attacked Fae's village? I imagined something so horrid, like seeing the dead bodies of those important to me lying on the ground.

It was so realistic that it triggered me so much, causing me to transform into my human form.

"I... I finally did it!" I shouted while jumping.

I was so happy but at the same time, scared at the capabilities of my imagination. I promise to never imagine something so horrible ever again. Now that that's out of the way, all I have to do is stay like this until the banquet.

I went inside the house to tell everyone the good news. The first ones to see me are the orphan kids. They were so amazed to see a new face around, little do they know that they'd already known me from the very start. I also wanted to show Miguel my true form but apparently, he wasn't around the house. He was probably gathering some firewood in the forest so instead, I went inside the room where the others are training.

I opened the door and saw everyone was on a break. They all looked so drained from Amalia's lessons. Despite her appearance, Amalia is strict and harsh when it comes to teaching.

"Y-yo, everyone. How were the lessons?" I asked while entering the room.

The three stared at me for a minute and just realized I'm in my human form.

"M-Ms. Ina?!?" Fae and Rein shouted in shock. They stood up and rushed in to hug me. Komraad on the other hand does not care at all, typical of him.

"Ms. Ina! Why didn't you tell us you're gonna turn back to human?" Fae asked. Rein had the same question on her mind.

"Oh... I wanted to surprise you all. I didn't even think I'd be able to pull it off but here I am now," I answered.

While talking with the kids, Amalia entered the room with a surprise of her own. She's with Astrid.

"Oh... why is everyone still on their break?" Amalia asked with a poker face.

Everyone's faces turned purple and went to their seats immediately.

"J-Jesus, what the hell is Amalia doing with these three for them to look this scared?"

"I didn't know you guys have a guest of your own," Amalia noticed. She was referring to me.

"R-right, she only saw me in my cat form."

"Anyway, someone was knocking on the door claiming to be affiliated with you guys so I let her in to meet with you all," she added.

"Hi guys," Astrid waved her hand at us.

Everyone was shocked to see her again after the incident and not to mention, the deal we made with her.

"I thought you didn't want to see us anymore?" Rein asked Astrid directly.

"About that... I heard you guys were going to the palace tomorrow. I know the in and out there so I thought you guys might need my help, I'm still indebted to Ms. Ina after all," she answered.

"How'd you know that? Are you spying on us!?!" Komraad asked.

"N-no," Astrid answered while looking away to dodge eye contact.

"Aah… she's like a mini version of Komraad, how delightful and stressful at the same time."

"I've also never been to a banquet before, I heard there's a lot of delicious food there so I thought you guys wouldn't mind me tagging along."

"Oh, that. You could've just told us you wanna hang out with us, jeez Astrid," I said while smiling at her.

"Who are you?"

"Oh... right, I forgot. She also hasn't seen me in my human form yet."

"Oh, you guys didn't know. That's Ms. Ina in her human form," Fae and Rein explained.

"Huh?!?" Astrid shouted.

"Ara, Ara?" Amalia reacted.

Astrid and Amalia were speechless. It was awkward how long it took them to process everything.

After we explained everything to them, we resumed our training with Amalia. This time, Astrid and I are included. After witnessing Amalia's teaching style, I now know why those three were so scared of her. Thankfully, we managed to overcome everything and now were prepared to attend the banquet to be held in the palace tomorrow.

Amalia sent a letter to Keith telling him to prepare an extra dress for me and Astrid.

Morning came. Someone delivered the suit and dresses that we'd be wearing tonight. It perfectly measures our bodies and the clothes looked pretty good on us.

We prepared ourselves till afternoon and left the orphanage in our formal wear while riding our carriage. Amalia, Miguel, and the orphaned kids wished us luck on our way out.

"Good luck everyone. Please be careful and come back safely," Amalia said to us worriedly.

I don't know if she's scared that we'll mess up the banquet but she's definitely hiding something from us with the tone of her voice. It's like she's scared about something in the palace. I hope it's just me overthinking things.

We arrived at the gate of the palace. A lot of knights are on standby and a lot of nobles in their fancy carriages and suits are entering the palace one by one. We were the last one to enter and head knight Keith was waiting for us in front of the gate to wish us luck. Also to remind us not to mess up inside.

"Mom really was telling the truth. I still can't believe you can turn into a human Ms. Ina. Ugh... I can't get distracted now. Everyone, please be careful inside. Especially you Ms. Ina," he told us before he resumed his duties.

"Even Keith sounded like there's something that we should be wary of. They aren't telling us what it is but I hope it won't interfere with us. We'll just enjoy this banquet and meet the princess. After that then we're out of there," I told myself while we were entering the palace.

As soon as we entered, we were mesmerized by how big and spacious the palace is, not to mention how elegant and magnificent the interior is. The diamond chandeliers were shining bright and the music that is being performed by the orchestra is literal heaven. Of course, we can't ignore all the fancy and delicious food that is being served in front of us.

As soon as they finished serving the food, we all immediately dug in. We were eating a lot and the nobles noticed that we were acting indecent. We were almost about to be the center of attention but thankfully, Amor and his daughter approached us and claimed to everyone that we were his friends. With his high authority, no one dared to interfere with us.

"How is the food, everyone?" Amor asked us.

"The food here is so delicious," I answered.

"It's the first time I tasted something this fancy," Rein added.

"I'm glad to hear that." Amor smiled.

While we were talking with him, Aria, his daughter, started playing with Fae. Komraad and Astrid on the other hand were having an eating contest.

"I see that you're in your human form Ina, Fae told me everything that happened in the Witch's Isle after she treated Aria, that's why I know how you and the head witch's daughter were able to save the isle and everyone in it," Amor mentioned.

"I see. It was nothing, really. We're just happy we helped," I answered. Rein agreed.

"You're as humble as always, I see now why a lot of people are drawn to you. By the way, can I know why your group is attending the banquet?" Amor asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, the head knight invited us because the princess wants to meet with me," I answered directly.

"Wow, how lucky. No one has ever seen the princess, Not even me."

"R-really?"

"Yes, I hope it goes well."

We talked and laughed for hours before Amor became busy again. After he and his daughter left, the five of us enjoyed the banquet together until midnight.

As soon as midnight arrived, someone in a maid outfit approached me and started talking to me politely.

"Greetings lady Ina, my name is May. With the head knight's order, I am here to accompany you to the princess. She's waiting at the back of the palace, please follow me."

"Oh, it's finally happening," I thought to myself. My heart was beating so fast. I was super excited to finally meet someone I'd been looking for this whole time.

Before I followed May, I approached the girls and told them something.

"Girls, can you wait for me here? It won't take long, I promise. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"Sure Ms. Ina, good luck with the princess. I hope you find the answers you've been looking for," Fae and Rein said.

"I hope so."

"Hey, Komraad. Make sure the girls are safe while I'm not around okay?"

"You can count on me," He mumbled. His mouth was stuffed with a lot of food. Now I'm worried they'll mess up while I'm gone.

May and I left. I followed her all the way to the back of the palace and there I saw a beautiful garden field with a variety of flowers and butterflies. I can also see the princess sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden.

"I hope your conversation goes well with the princess," May said before leaving.

"I walked forward and slowly approached the princess. Before I could even get close, the princess already stood up.

"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Ms. Ina," the princess bowed her head.

"P-princess, please lift your head," I said while feeling embarrassed.

The princess paused for a while but she was overcome with so many emotions afterward.

"Oh my gosh! I'm finally meeting you in person! I can't believe it! I've been watching your every adventure inside the kingdom when you were just a cat and it was so much fun! Now you're here in your human form, can't this night get any better?" she said with so much excitement.

"W-whoa, that was unexpected. Her personality suddenly changed. She was so polite at first but now she's acting like a long-time fan of a drama series."

"Oh wow, I don't know what to say. This is happening so fast and I'm still trying to process everything," I said to the princess.

"Oh, I'm sorry, please forgive my indecency. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Raya, princess of the Vermine kingdom and I'm a clairvoyant."

I knew from the start that she's a clairvoyant but hearing it in person just makes me more excited.

"I have a question, you say you're a clairvoyant, does that mean you've already seen everything I did? Were you watching even before I arrived here?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I can see everything but only the places I've seen before. Due to the tall walls surrounding the kingdom, my power only works inside here. To answer your other question, I've only discovered you recently when you sneaked into the palace with the witch girl. It was so much fun watching you escape big bro Keith, tee-hee," she answered.

"After that, I kept following you and your companions around. I even saw how you were able to save the kids from the cursed weapons. I was mesmerized by you, and the moment I learned that you were looking for a clairvoyant, I Immediately asked Big Bro Keith to find you and ask you to meet me," she added.

"I see. That's a very useful power to have, but also scary at the same time," I said to her.

"I know, and I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

"No, it's okay. I'm just glad I finally got to meet you."

"Me too Ms. Ina," she said while smiling.

"So, now that I'm here, can I know why you called me? If you already know why I'm looking for you, does that mean you're gonna help me remember my past?" I asked directly.

After asking that question, the mood suddenly changed.

"Ms. Ina, the thing is, I called you here to tell you that I cannot help you with your problem. My powers can only see anywhere in the present, I cannot see through the past or the future."

I was shocked with the explanation she gave me. I was disappointed. I thought I'd finally find answers about my past but I was just getting my hopes up. I hid my frustrations from her because she was still a kid.

"I see now, but I'm still confused. If you can't help me then why look for me in the first place?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to meet my hero. Watching you made me happy and wished my life was as exciting as yours and your companions," she answered with honesty.

"I wish I could help, I really do, but my power is still new to me. I was never able to discover my limits because I was never allowed to do so. In fact, I've never even seen what the outside world looks like. I was never allowed outside the palace. I've never seen a real mountain or a real ocean. I have never met other races and other creatures. I guess I was just lonely being isolated and alone. I thought maybe If I associated myself with you then my life would change but I guess it's just wishful thinking," she added.

I was speechless by what I heard. I thought her life was the greatest because she's a princess but I guess I was just assuming things. Hearing her side made me realize how selfish I was. I was only willing to meet her because of her powers but she wanted to meet me because she looks up to me.

"I'm sorry to hear that... you know what, forget about helping me. Remembering my past is not my priority for now. What's important to me is the present, and by present I meant right now. Seeing someone who's lonely and alone just doesn't sit right with me. Rather than just watching, why don't you come with us and have lots of adventures? That way you'll learn more about your power and be happy with us at the same time. It's a win-win, right?" I suggested while lending her my hand.

She's so happy she's about to cry. She was about to accept my offer when she had a sudden change of heart.

"I'm sorry Ms. Ina, but I can't," she said with a lonely look in her eyes.

"Why? If it's about not being allowed to leave the palace then I can just ask Keith directly and if he also doesn't allow it then I'll still take you with me even if I have to fight them for it," I told her to let her know that I'm serious about it.

"I appreciate the thought Ms. Ina, but there's more to why I can't leave the palace."

"Then tell me what it is so that I can understand."

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid that if you know too much then you'll get caught in it and I don't want that to happen."

Hearing those words from her made me snap.

"I don't understand. Why is it that everyone seems to be afraid of something and no one is telling me what it is? How am I supposed to help when nobody is explaining anything?"

"She was about to tell me the truth when her face suddenly changed, it's like she saw a ghost or something."

"T-times up," she mumbled to herself.

"I'm sorry but I have to go back to my room now. Please leave immediately too," she said while walking away from me.

"W-wait, before you leave, I wanna tell you that I'm not giving up on you until you tell me the truth," I said as I made up my mind to help her no matter what.

"You're really stubborn, but that's what I like about you," she said while smiling at me.

After saying those words, she fixed her posture like a proper princess to indicate that she was serious. The tone of her voice also changed.

"Ms. Ina, thank you for letting me meet you but this is goodbye. For the sake of your happiness, leave this place and never come back. Go on a lot of adventures with your companions before it's too late," she said while wearing a fake smile on her face. No matter how hard she hides it, she can never hide her real feelings from me. Her sadness is resonating within my body. Her mind is screaming for help. I know that she's hiding her real intentions but she's too scared to tell me why.

I felt powerless after she said those words to me. I was just standing there as I watched her leave. I couldn't do a single thing even if I wanted to. If she doesn't want it then why do I have to force myself on her? Once she was gone, I also left the garden to meet the others back in the palace.