Chapter 33- Reunion
"Rob will give you the rest of the details." The king said with a calm tone. "I will watch your progress with great interest."
Rize went on his knees and bowed respectfully before he excused himself in a bit of a hurry. Closing the door behind him, Rize found Rob waiting for him outside.
"So, how did that go?"
"... I got the job, safe to say."
"Congratulations! That is great, Sir Rize!" Rob said. "I am truly happy for you."
"Thank you, haha," Rize replied with a wry smile. 'Well, not like I'm in a bit of trouble now but… I might as well celebrate that the first step is done. Whatever happens later is something future Rize has to worry about. In any case, I still have some time before the academy entrance test. It always starts on the 31st of December. That is two months away from now.'
Rize knew that worrying about the test when it hadn't happened yet was in and of itself a problem. He had an advantage no other person had; he knew what the test was going to be, so he could get ready for it.
He had a very good chance to pull it off and join the SP class.
"Good thing. Now, please follow me. I will give you the details." Rob said. "We have a lot to do."
"... Uh huh…"
Rize suddenly felt like forgetting about the problem he had was somewhat a wise choice. The day was only about to get busier.
***
After that, for the next few hours, Rize roamed the entire palace with Rob. He showed him all the places he needed to know. Being the princess' bodyguard, he had to know the interior of every place the princess would be in.
Turns out, the palace was even bigger than Rize could've ever imagined. It was safe to say that each floor was a miniature city in and of itself. Every floor had its own ecosystem, people who worked and lived in it, and simply countless rooms.
Rize, however, was able to somehow understand the layout and memorize all the paths and corridors he needed to take. Then, Rob led him to his office, where he gave him a brief about his role as a bodyguard, what he needed to stay aware of, and what he was supposed to do when going to particular locations.
These things were mostly something Rize knew beforehand since Geralt had taught him everything he needed to know. However, there were particular details that Rob added which turned out to be very useful for Rize, and he was able to take notes of them.
By the time Rize was done with everything he needed to do, the sun had already set, and the world was dark. He was able to finally retire to his room to rest.
The moment he stepped through the door, he threw himself on the bed as he buried his face in the pillow.
'Holy shit… This was somehow even more exhausting than Geralt's training. I'm completely spent.' Rize thought to himself as he exhaled a long breath. "Notes, and more notes, and then more learning and studying. I just need to keep her safe, right?! Just let me do my damn job then!" He grumbled under his breath before he rose from the bed.
"Speaking of her, it seems Venera isn't home today. Even Rob doesn't know where she is. Oh well, knowing her, she is probably training or somewhere doing something important. That girl never rests." Rize muttered as he walked to the bathroom to take a shower.
After a long and nice warm shower, Rize finally left the bathroom with a towel around his neck. As he was walking through his bedroom, his eyes fell on the window which overlooked the massive garden of the palace. It was beautifully illuminated with warm lights, giving it an ethereal feeling.
As his eyes fell outside, he saw a silhouette in the distance, sitting on one of the many benches in the garden. Even though there were other workers going about their job there, his eyes fell on that particular person as they felt quite familiar.
"Is that…?" Rize frowned as he walked to the window and stared outside. His curiosity piqued very quickly, and before he knew it, he found himself leaving his room as he headed out of the palace.
Even at night, the movement doesn't stop in that place. Maintaining such a magnificent place was a 24/7 job that could never stop for even a minute.
Walking through the palace, Rize stepped out into the garden and looked left and right. There was no trace of the person he saw in the garden. So, he walked through the garden, searching everywhere without any results.
"..."
'Where did they…' Rize rubbed his head in confusion as he sat down on the bench. 'Maybe a different person and I'm tripping. Could be a worker who got tired and wanted to rest for a moment.'
"So odd…" He muttered.
"What is odd?"
"...!!"
Suddenly, Rize jumped out of his place as he heard a soft, feminine voice speak near his ear. He took a fighting stance as he aimed his fist at the person behind him. This was a reaction he learned from constantly being in the forest and facing the abominations that lurk in it. Even if he was asleep, a small noise would snap him awake instantly.
However, when he saw the face standing behind him, he froze in place. He instantly recognized it, and how could he not? It was perhaps the most recognizable and memorable face in the world.
The beautiful, luscious white hair that faintly reflected the light, a face so beautiful that it takes the breath away of those who look at it. It was Venera… An older Venera. In the years they didn't see each other, she had become even prettier than before, which was something Rize didn't even know was possible.
But it wasn't merely her face; the air around her was different. She was far more mature, calmer, with a way stronger presence. It was like staring at the same person, albeit feeling they were very different.
Rize forgot what he was going to even say for a second, until Venera finally broke the silence.
"You were about to attack your employer, Rize?" She asked with a soft, mischievous tone.
"..." He blinked a few times before he exhaled. "I wouldn't dare. My first day at the job hasn't even started yet. It would be a shame to lose my job and my head before I even start."
"Hahaha." Venera laughed as she stepped out of the garden. "I'm sorry, I wanted to scare you. I saw you coming down here and thought… Why not make our little reunion a bit interesting?"
"That's your definition of interesting?" Rize asked.
"It was a decent attempt."
"..." Rize exhaled as he smiled at Venera. "It has been a while, Your Highness."
"Venera."
"... Venera. It has been a long while, Venera."
"Good." She nodded her head. "It has been a while indeed, Rize. I see that you changed quite a lot and… Grew quite tall."
Before, the two of them were the same height, but now, Venera has to tilt her head to look at his face. At the same time, she was shocked at how good-looking he had become. It was already one of the things she had noticed before, but now… It was on a whole new level.