The royal carriage continued eastward.
The roads became wider and busier the closer they came to Britannia.
Inside the carriage, John quietly looked out the window while Sir Carol sat across from him.
For most of the journey, neither spoke.
Then suddenly, Sir Carol broke the silence.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
John looked toward him.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Sir Carol crossed his arms.
“You’ve never gone anywhere without Nick.”
John remained silent.
Sir Carol continued.
“You two are practically one person.”
A faint smile appeared on John’s face.
In a way, Sir Carol was right.
In both lives, Nick had always been by his side.
His most loyal friend.
His strongest shield.
And right now—
Nick was lying in a bed hundreds of miles away.
John looked back out the window.
“I’ll be fine.”
Sir Carol nodded slowly.
But John knew the truth.
Nick wasn’t happy about being left behind.
And he was probably worried.
Very worried.
But this was something Nick couldn’t help him with.
Not this time.
As the scenery passed by outside, John thought quietly.
If you really want to protect me, my friend…
Train harder.
Become stronger.
Become a Dark Knight.
The title had once belonged to some of the strongest warriors on the continent.
In his previous life, Nick had come close.
But not close enough.
This time—
John intended to change that as well.
Five days later.
The towers of Britannia finally appeared on the horizon.
John slowly opened his eyes.
They had arrived.
The capital city of Britannia.
The KnightCoat.
Massive white walls surrounded the city.
Countless banners fluttered from the towers.
Rows of armored knights guarded every entrance.
Even from a distance, the kingdom’s military strength was obvious.
As the royal carriage entered the city, people immediately noticed the Aerith banner.
Whispers spread through the streets.
Then cheers followed.
Many citizens waved toward the carriage.
Some children even ran alongside it.
“The Prince of Aerith!”
“They’ve arrived!”
John watched silently through the window.
Nothing had changed.
Even after all these years, Britannia remained exactly as he remembered.
The beautiful city.
The proud people.
And the tragedy hidden beneath it all.
Eventually, the carriage reached the royal palace.
The security was overwhelming.
Hundreds of royal guards stood around the palace grounds.
Patrols moved constantly.
Archers occupied every tower.
Nobody would have imagined that a disaster could happen here.
Yet John knew otherwise.
As the carriage stopped, the door opened.
John stepped outside.
And immediately saw her.
Princess Elena.
Standing at the palace entrance.
For a brief moment, John froze.
Memories flashed through his mind.
His previous life.
The woman he had once loved.
The woman who had betrayed him.
The woman who had helped lead him toward his execution.
But none of those emotions appeared on his face.
Instead—
He smiled.
A perfect smile.
The same smile he would have shown in his previous life.
Her golden hair moved gently in the wind while several royal guards followed behind her.
“Prince John.”
She bowed politely.
“Welcome to Britannia.”
John returned the gesture.
“Princess Elena.”
“It is an honor to be here.”
Neither showed any sign of the history that only one of them remembered.
Beside him, Sir Carol remained completely unaware.
Princess Elena smiled warmly.
“I hope your journey was comfortable.”
“It was.”
“Good.”
Then she turned toward the palace.
“Please, follow me.”
John and Sir Carol followed behind her.
As they entered the palace, magnificent halls stretched before them.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the corridors.
Servants moved everywhere.
Nobles from all kingdoms filled the palace.
And the moment John entered the main hall—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Important people.
Everywhere.
Kings.
Princes.
Generals.
Nobles.
Merchants.
Many of them would play major roles in the future.
Some would become allies.
Others would become enemies.
And a few—
Would not survive what was coming.
John slowly looked around the hall.
Unlike everyone else present—
He already knew what would happen during this birthday celebration.
He knew where the disaster would begin.
He knew how many people would die.
And most importantly—
He knew that this time he had to stop it.
As the voices of nobles echoed throughout the palace, John quietly clenched his fist.
Now…
Let’s see if I can change fate once again.
To be continued…