Queen Eris was a cold woman, and especially towards Addam. Not that he could blame her. He was the walking reminder of her husband's disloyalty and her own failure to carry children to term. As such, Addam had avoided talking to her for most of his time in Auresco. Even more he did his uncle and cousins.

Her Majesty was not thought well upon by the public, but she was everything that was expected of a queen. She was dignified and proud. She walked and spoke in a way that demanded respect and had sharp, blue eyes as all Tornans had. Addam could count the number of times he'd had a conversation with Her Majesty on a single hand, but could remember each one with clarity.

She hated Addam, and he knew why. And so did His Majesty. He felt sorry for her that his punishment was affecting the queen as well.

"Prince Addam," Her Majesty greeted with a polite bow of her head as they passed each other in the hall. She stopped to speak further; it was the first time she had ever volunteered to speak to him in his life. "My husband His Majesty tells me that you will be my escort in the place of High Prince Zettar to Fonsa Myma."

Addam smiled woodenly. "He did. I'm honored to have been trusted with this."

She did not return his smile. "I must apologize for Zettar's foolishness. He should not have attempted to awaken the Aegis when he could not even awaken the Paragon of Torna. If not for him, you would not have to be bothered and would have been able to return home to Aletta to your wife on schedule and neither of us would be in this uncomfortable situation."

His smile faltered. "That…is true, but I can't blame him for trying. His desperation, all things considered, is understandable. It has been a long time since someone in our family has had the aptitude to bond with a Core Crystal."

Her Majesty shook her head. "Desperation or not, he is a fool. But all the same," she continued through her teeth as if it physically pained her to continue, "it is only polite for me to thank you for agreeing to accompany me. Even if His Majesty may have forced you into it."

Addam decided to not respond to that.

"It likely has something to do with the Aegis Core Crystal," she said, looking at him hard in the eye. "Do keep it on your person, Prince Addam."

Puzzled, he replied, "Of course." He didn't the slightest clue what she was talking about but he didn't particularly feel like talking to her any longer by asking.

She looked away from him once again. "Good day." With another nod of her head, Queen Eris continued down the hall and disappeared into her room. He skirt went past her ankles so it almost looked like she was floating away like the ghost that people liked to refer to her as.

Her Majesty was not so immature that she would act like a petulant teenager so the trip could not be too horrible. It would simply be an awkward situation for the both of them but would be over soon enough.

Her Majesty did not plan for setting out in Fonsa Myma immediately, just in the next two days. It left Addam with enough time to prepare, but not enough for him to return to Aletta and come back. He'd already been summoned to Auresco on short notice, so he would be left with the traveling supplies that His Majesty provided. More importantly, he would need to write to his wife and Milton to inform them that he would not be coming back in a day's time as he'd planned. It wouldn't be much of a surprise to them. They were used to and capable of running things in his absence. He wished that he'd brought Milton, though. The sight of the Urayan titan's stomach was beautiful, and he was of the opinion that everyone deserved to appreciate it in its full glory at least once. Considering how much that boy loved to travel, Addam knew that he would love it. He would have to make an event out of it, next chance he got.

The more he thought about it, the more Addam began to think that perhaps going to Uraya would not be so bad. The circumstances weren't exactly ideal, but the opportunity to see Uraya and Fonsa Myma again wasn't something he should be negative about. Besides, it was a simple escort job. He would be there for only a week, and come back with many things to tell friends about.