The order for a medic to accompany His Majesty on his excursions came straight from Lady Gisela herself. The young King always managed to find trouble and people ended up injured too often for her Lady's liking.
When one of the royal guards rushed in to inform them His Majesty was heading to Hilvera immediately, Lady Gisela had quickly appointed Vensa to accompany them. A nasty bug had been spreading through the barracks and Lady Gisela was drowning in too many miserable soldiers to go herself.
"They can be a handful," her Lady instructed and Vensa quickly packed a bag. "Lord Weller and Lord von Bielefeld are very protective of His Majesty, but don't let them push you around. When it comes to medical emergencies, you're in charge. If they have a problem with it then they can deal with me when you've returned."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Lady Gisela nodded in approval. "Good girl. Now get going, I wouldn't put it past His Majesty Yuuri to leave without you."
And so, in less than 20 minutes, she was riding away from Blood Pledge Castle with the Royal Couple, Lord Weller, and a small contingent of soldiers. She had never had reason to interact with such high ranking people before. The closest she'd come to was greeting Lord von Christ when he had visited Lady Gisela. But His Majesty gave her a warm welcome, chatting with her in such a personable manner that Vensa was caught off guard. Lord von Bielefeld countenance towards her was stoney, and seemed to get more cold the longer His Majesty chatted with her. But Vensa had heard rumors of the Lord's jealousy and did her best to remain polite and respectful towards the King to try to avoid angering him further.
She'd actually heard several rumors since she had become employed at the castle. Like how there was apparently a betting pool among staff and even some of the guards for who King Yuuri would end up with. This had always confused her. Afterall, Lord von Bielefeld was his betrothed, did that not mean he'd already been chosen? But, as she observed them bickering the whole way to Hilvera, and caught the smiles His Majesty shared with Lord Weller, she began to understand how the discourse could have begun.
Out of the common soldiers, the only one who technically outranked her was Yozak Gurrier. She had never had interactions with the man before, though she knew he worked under Lord von Voltaire. Still, he seemed personable enough. "Ser Gurrier?" she asked him on the second night out.
"Hm?" There was some sort of argument going on in His Majesty's tent that everyone at camp was trying very hard not to overhear.
"You've traveled with His Majesty before, haven't you?"
"Several times now." Gurrier nodded.
"Are… they always like this?"
Gurrier laughed, some of the nearby soldiers joining in with a chuckle. "Pretty much. His Majesty is a bit of a prude. And the only one that doesn't seem to realize it is the Spoiled Prince."
Vensa's jaw dropped at the... casual language being used for the royal couple.
"Yes, little bird." Gurrier grinned at her. "This is pretty normal as long as nothing is going on. It'll shift a bit when we get into town."
And it did, but not necessarily for the better. Lord von Bielefeld seemed to get angrier as Yuuri interacted with the Mayor's daughter, but was quieter about it than the squabbling they had done on the road.
It wasn't all bad. There were plenty of times the two were perfectly companionable. Lord von Bielefeld would sometimes do something Vensa thought was perfectly sweet and His Majesty would accept it without even seeming to notice.
Everything seemed to change after the attack on the Raiders. Lord von Bielefeld seemed to win a minor squabble with Lord Weller over who would look after His Majesty after she had finished patching him up and then the Royal Couple became inseparable. The devotion Lord von Bielefeld suddenly began displaying put any doubts about him being His Majesty's chosen out of her head. It was honestly adorable to watch, but she had to do her best not to stare because it was clear it made His Majesty uncomfortable.
The incident with the medicine the morning they left Hilvera didn't go unnoticed, and the two of them hiding under a blanket on the cart while His Majesty ate made her dreadfully curious about this side of their relationship. It really wasn't her place to pry and she did her best to remain professional. But, as she watched Lord von Bielfield's face light up when she told him His Majesty had requested she give the medicine to him, and His Majesty's adorable shyness when she had asked, she couldn't help but wonder. Would it be cheating if she put her money on the Royal Couple once they returned home?