The Eastlyn officials now had a countermeasure. Though still somewhat uneasy, at least their group could stride into the city openly. Led by Lord Chen, the civil officials all wore polite smiles and maintained their composure, as if the person in the carriage really was Prince Nolan himself.
The head bodyguard inside the carriage felt increasingly uncomfortable, growing more anxious as they neared the city gate. "Maybe... maybe we should just say Prince Nolan is feeling unwell and enter the city another day?"
"The arrow is nocked; it must be released. In a moment, all you need to do is say 'Mm,' nothing else. Leave everything else to me." Lord Chen warned the head bodyguard, his smile unwavering, earning deep admiration from the younger guards nearby.
Officials really are all foxes—so cunning.
"But..." The head bodyguard tugged at his clothes, feeling more awkward the longer he looked, wishing he could jump out of the carriage right now.
"No buts. I see Crown Prince Titus ahead. Sit up straight and don’t disgrace Prince Nolan." Lord Chen whispered, then strode forward quickly.
"Halt!" The master of ceremonies was already in position. As Prince Nolan’s ceremonial procession reached the city gate, the Lyndarian officials waiting outside, led by Crown Prince Titus, stepped forward to welcome the Eastlyn delegation.
If you looked closely, you’d notice an unfamiliar bodyguard always at Crown Prince Titus’s side, following him wherever he went.
Lord Chen, the old fox, approached calmly, skillfully exchanging pleasantries with the Lyndarian officials. But the moment he saw the bodyguard beside Crown Prince Titus, his smile froze. "Nin—"
"Shh!" Prince Nolan quickly gestured for silence. Lord Chen reacted instantly, turning away and not daring to look at Prince Nolan again. He stiffly addressed the Lyndarian officials: "Bring the wine... Today marks a great day for both nations. May peace and prosperity begin from this moment. On such a fine occasion, I propose a toast."
"Well said, Lord Chen. We must drink heartily today." The Lyndarian officials echoed his sentiment. No matter their private feelings, in front of the people, officials from both nations always appeared friendly and considerate towards each other's citizens.
"Your Eastlyn officials are so cunning. Do you think if I go up now, I’ll actually get to meet Prince Nolan?" Titus found a moment to tease the 'bodyguard' beside him.
"You will." Prince Nolan knew his own officials well. This Lord Chen might seem timid, but he was actually sharp and daring enough to steady the situation and take risks when others wouldn’t.
"Then I really want to see just how imposing Eastlyn’s Prince Nolan is." Titus smirked, but Prince Nolan ignored him, already looking for a chance to slip back into the Eastlyn procession and reclaim his true identity.
Titus understood exactly what Prince Nolan was planning, so he made sure to bring him forward, even winking at him when no one was looking.
Titus stepped up, declaring that he wanted to meet Prince Nolan face-to-face. If Prince Nolan’s whereabouts weren’t known, Lord Chen wouldn’t be worried. But now that the real Prince Nolan was standing right there, Lord Chen was too nervous to respond smoothly and tried to refuse.
"Ahem..." Prince Nolan kept his head down and coughed, signaling displeasure. Lord Chen was so startled he nearly knelt on the spot, but someone beside him quickly grabbed his arm. "Lord Chen, are you all right?"
"I—I’m fine. Quick, go notify Prince Nolan that the Lyndarian Crown Prince requests an audience." Lord Chen stammered, secretly regretting ever coming up with this terrible idea.
Prince Nolan kept his head down. No one paid attention to a mere bodyguard, so aside from Lord Chen, no one realized that the man at Titus’s side was actually Eastlyn’s Prince Nolan.
Soon, a bodyguard beside the 'Prince Nolan' came over to announce that Prince Nolan was feeling unwell. The Lyndarian Crown Prince was invited to come over instead.
This kind of arrogance made the Lyndarian officials quite displeased. Lord Chen quickly smoothed things over with a smile: "The Regent Prince heard that our people suffered an ambush in Lyndaria and has been deeply worried. He rushed here overnight and unfortunately caught a chill. I hope Your Highness the Crown Prince will forgive him."
Lord Chen deliberately emphasized the words "Regent Prince" to remind the Lyndarian officials that Eastlyn’s Prince Nolan was as good as the emperor himself. Having the Crown Prince come over to meet him was no slight to Lyndaria’s status.
Titus paused for a moment. Once the Lyndarian officials accepted, he stepped forward to greet them, earning a soft "Mm" from the bodyguard-turned-Prince Nolan.
After that, Titus said a few more things, but aside from various tones of "Mm," he didn’t get a single other word in reply.
"So that’s the only word you know?" Titus was holding back laughter until his face turned red.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to find a place to laugh it out—this was just too funny.
"Mm..." Prince Nolan suddenly spoke up, his voice low and hoarse with a dramatic twist that made Titus’s scalp tingle. Titus immediately sobered up, stopped teasing poor Lord Chen, and led the Eastlyn delegation into the city.
Whew... Lord Chen let out a long sigh of relief. No matter what, at least they’d made it through this hurdle.
Prince Nolan took the chance to quietly slip away from Titus’s side, found Lord Chen, and—under Lord Chen’s cover—changed into an Eastlyn guard’s uniform, blended into the Eastlyn group, and boarded Prince Nolan’s carriage.
"Lord Chen, did I do a good job? Did I embarrass His Highness?" The stand-in Prince Nolan was extremely nervous. When Lord Chen and a guard got into the carriage, he grabbed Lord Chen’s hand, seeking reassurance.
"Not at all," Prince Nolan said coldly. The head bodyguard frowned, about to scold him, but when he looked up, he found himself staring right at Prince Nolan’s striking face. "P-Prince... Prince Nolan!"
Tongue-tied, the head bodyguard instinctively tried to kneel, but Prince Nolan pressed him down. "Change your clothes and get out." Prince Nolan took off the guard uniform, tossed it to the bodyguard, and pulled out a spare outfit from the carriage to change into.
"Y-yes, sir..." The head bodyguard was so shocked he felt like his soul had left his body. Everything seemed blurry and unreal, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do—he didn’t even know where to put his hands and feet.
"Poor kid." Lord Chen patted the head bodyguard in silent comfort. Worried about attracting trouble, he quickly stepped up to help the bodyguard out of Prince Nolan’s court robes and back into his own clothes.
The head bodyguard felt lightheaded, as if he were walking on clouds—nothing felt real. He didn’t even know how he managed to get out of the carriage.
"Poor kid. I’ve heard Miss Feng’s medical skills are excellent. Once we reach the post station, have her prescribe you some medicine. If you stay this muddleheaded, I’ll feel guilty." Lord Chen shook his head with a sigh, looking genuinely sympathetic—though others saw right through his old fox act and quietly snickered.
And really, if Prince Nolan was unhappy about this whole affair, with the head bodyguard taking most of his wrath, how could he not be satisfied?
Prince Nolan and the head bodyguard had just finished swapping back their identities when the group arrived at the post station—only to find someone completely unexpected waiting for them inside...