That morning, she was already dressed in her usual attire, ready to take a walk around the capital of Elysia under the pretense of going shopping.
However, she refused when Sina offered to accompany her.
"Your Highness, let me go with you. Who will carry all your shopping bags?"
In Sina's mind, she imagined the Princess would buy an excessive amount of items, as usual.
"No need, Sina. Reyes will be coming with me," Viana firmly yet gently declined.
"But, Your Highness... Reyes is still new as a Royal Guard. What if something happens?" Sina kept insisting on coming along.
She had been Viana's personal maid since the Princess was just ten years old. Because of that, she always worried—even over the smallest things concerning her.
Viana smiled, placing one hand on Sina's arm while gently patting the top of her hand with the other.
"Relax, Sina. I trust that Reyes is a smart knight, and I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself."
"...."
After a few minutes of persuasion, Viana finally convinced Sina, who sighed and nodded.
"Be careful, Your Highness," she called out as she watched the Princess ride off on the same horse as Reyes, heading out through the side gate of the palace.
Without responding to Sina's warning, Viana pulled up the hood of her cloak and said to Reyes, "Please watch over me during this outing, okay?"
Wearing commoner's clothes himself, Reyes replied respectfully, "Of course, Your Highness. Don't worry."
Smiling in satisfaction, she looked ahead, with Reyes' hands on either side of her as he guided the horse.
'I hope my plan to get closer to him works today...'
Hearing her own thoughts made Viana feel incredibly cringe, but what else could she do to raise their Love Percentage?
She also had her doubts—would they really love her once their Love Percentage neared 100%?
'What happens if they all end up loving me?'
Closing her eyes, she felt the gentle spring morning breeze brush against her face.
'I'll think about that later. For now, just focus on surviving.'
***
"Reyes?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Tell me about your past."
"..."
Viana tried to hold back her smile when Reyes didn't answer her question right away.
She knew from experience that he wasn't much of a talker.
But perhaps that was exactly what made married and unmarried noblewomen alike compete for his attention.
Yet, until the very end of Viana's life, Reyes had never been known to be close to a woman, or to have married at all.
But to her surprise, instead of avoiding the question, Reyes answered in a calm voice.
"I don't know who my parents are, Your Highness. Since I was a child, I lived on the streets, but then a humble family took me in and raised me as their own."
Viana swallowed hard, unsure of how to react after hearing his explanation.
"They were already quite old when they adopted me, so I worked hard to join the army to support them, because now, they've grown even older."
Finally, she found a chance to respond to his explanation. "But now, you're the personal Royal Guard of a crown princess. Your adoptive parents must be living comfortably now."
Unnoticed by her, since she had her back to him, Reyes smiled.
And the Love Percentage above his head was blinking and changed to 11%.
He then replied, "Yes, Your Highness. I'm very thankful to you for that."
Hearing his gratitude, her face suddenly felt warm.
'Why am I the one feeling embarrassed by this?'
***
Upon reaching the capital, Viana looked around at everything in the city with a longing smile.
How could she not? After she turned twenty and the financial turmoil struck Elysia, this capital began to grow bleak.
There were more slums and neglected areas due to a lack of resources.
More sick people were abandoned, with many even dying on the streets.
And when she got married, she was never allowed to leave the house.
And now, the capital of the Kingdom of Elysia looks truly splendid.
The streets are neatly arranged, bustling with people passing by, and lined with shops on both sides of the road.
They disembarked near the horse stables after Reyes secured the horse and paid the keeper, then walked through the busy streets of the capital filled with people.
This time, she didn't step into the luxurious shops lining the streets, like she used to in her past.
Instead, she wandered around the city square, stopping at small vendors. She bought a few trinkets and slipped them into her bag with a content look on her face.
Reyes silently followed her, curious why she only chose to buy from street vendors rather than from the high-end jewelry stores.
What amused him even more was how much she paid the vendors, and she gave them twice the asking price.
He was aware that many street vendors might be selling fake goods or inflating their prices significantly.
Still, seeing the princess's happy expression, he decided not to say anything about it.
Later, they arrived at a small local restaurant. Reyes couldn't help but wonder why someone as graceful and elegant as her was willing to dine in such a run-down place.
To his surprise, she thoroughly enjoyed the simple food and even seemed genuinely interested in the lively conversations happening among the restaurant's patrons.
"Yesterday, another woman was kidnapped," a man at the table behind them said to his friend.
Viana's ears perked up. She froze mid-sip, her glass hovering in the air.
"Really? Again? Who was it this time?" the friend asked, concerned.
"I heard it was Selena's daughter, you know, Selena, the fruit seller just around the corner," the man replied while chewing as he spoke.
"Oh no. Why are so many women getting kidnapped these days?" the other man responded and shaking his head.
"I think they were kidnapped to be sold to a neighboring country as slaves," said the first man.
"I think so too," his friend replied.
Viana's eyes widened slightly as she listened to their conversation.
'This was one of the problems that also happened in my past life, but it was never resolved.'