As if on cue, his men began to nod in earnest.

"Yes, yes. They were only sparring!"

"Why would Young Master want to attack a royal guard?"

"This is all a misunderstanding, Princess Angeline," one of the men said; they believed in whatever they said.

Darryl scoffed. 'Dennis is such a hypocrite! I pity the garrison commander-in-chief for a son like him,' he thought.

Angeline chose to let it go and said, "You should not spar when it's already so late." Then she turned to Darryl and said, "It's getting dark. Let's go back to the palace."

Darryl nodded and breathed out a sigh of relief. He had wasted so much time with Princess Angeline and was happy at the thought of going back to his search.

"Princess Angeline, allow me to escort you home. I can protect you if you run into any trouble on your way back," Dennis said.

"There's no need!" Darryl said calmly. "I can escort her back." He was sure Dennis was still trying to get something out of Angeline, so it would be better if they