2. Will the Real Prince/Princess stand up?

Getting out of bed was a near nightmare.

Arganan grimaced as he cautiously sat up in bed, pain too evident in his limbs. He felt it the worst in his back. Maybe it was because he laid down for too long, or maybe it was because the Outsider still took its toll on him. He hadn't been in the best physical condition after said meteorite almost killed him, after all. With all the on-and-off pain, there was no way he could focus on running Lazulis by himself.

Perhaps, he thought, it was a good thing Calista was ruling instead at this point.

Nancy was the first to notice his condition as he went to join them for breakfast, asking about how bad the pain was. He ended up taking one or two painkillers, and he hoped they kicked in fast enough. Once again, the doctor and nurse duo advised him to take it easy as he went outside, and he thanked them for their help before heading outside.

It was a clear day in Selphia. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and it wasn't as loud as Lazulis could be at times. There was a sense of calm. Serenity, even. And then—

"HYAAA!"

A loud, feminine yell could be heard from the castle, just as he stepped into Town Square. Arganan stared in the direction of the building, unsure of how to react to this. What was going on in there? A sparring match?

Two minutes later, a young lady, with green hair tied into long ponytails and matching green eyes, stepped out. Her dress and boots were covered in a little dirt, but she didn't seem to notice as she looked around, before letting out a sigh.

"Phew…at least I planted all those Turnips today…"

Planting turnips? What kind of Princess planted turnips? Or did farming, period?

Selphia felt even weirder to him as he approached the Princess in question. He had to figure out more about this town, and its ruler, especially if he was going to be here for a while, but this was a lot to get used to. "Excuse me, are you Princess Frey?"

"Yes, I am." The young lady smiled at him. "Do you need any help, sir?"

"I just thought I'd introduce myself, as I'll be staying here for the time being. Dr. Jones and Nancy informed me about your arrival." Arganan managed, examining her carefully. She definitely held the aura of a princess, or at least the type one would read in those children's books. Her bright demeanor was a stark contrast to how his niece Calista once was, when she was much younger. "I'm Arganan. I arrived yesterday."

"Arganan?" Frey blinked, before smiling. "I'm Frey. It's nice to meet you!"

"Just Frey?" He questioned. Did she not know much about being a Princess in general, to the point that she didn't know that people were usually supposed to address her by title?

"Well, I guess the proper term is Princess, isn't it?" A soft chuckle escaped her. "Sorry, I don't really remember a lot right now. It's a bit complicated."

An opening to ask about her condition? He'd take it. "Jones did mention to me that you literally fell from your airship. I imagine that even if Lady Ventuswill broke your fall, there must've been some sort of impact…" He quickly put the pieces together. "Did it affect your…?"

"My memory? Yeah." A soft sigh escaped her, confirming his guess. "I tried asking the townspeople around about me and what they knew of me during all of yesterday, because I figured since I'm Princess, they should've heard of me and my reputation and such. But they didn't know a thing. They didn't even know I was the new Princess!"

Well. This was awkward. "You don't even know why you're here, and you're the Princess?"

"It's not like I straight-up claimed to be the Princess in the first place." She clarified. "Ventuswill thinks I am, though. But it's weird…They initially called me Arthur." Frey frowned, shrugged. "But after I corrected them, they seemed fine."

That…seemed very odd, if it wasn't already. Yup, definitely odd. The former Count wondered how the hell they would get the name of their own ruler wrong. Either they had bad communication between the capital and Selphia, or there was something else afoot. "Let me rephrase my question from earlier: Do you remember if you're actually the Princess?"

"I don't know. I'm sure Ventuswill would say otherwise if I wasn't but…" Frey shook her head, bit her lower lip. "I don't know. I don't really know. She said she's never seen my face until yesterday, so…"

Her dejected expression reminded him, just a little bit, of his niece Calista. He'd seen her unhappy like this before, when things were hopeless (because he deprived her of much freedom, back then). Taking a deep breath, he sighed, before looking Frey in the eye.

"Perhaps you could further ask Ventuswill about this." He managed. "Or you could send a letter to the royal capital to explain the situation and confirm your identity, if all else fails."

"And what if I'm not?" Frey seemed to shrink even more at that suggestion, head bowed. "What about that, then?"

What if she wasn't? Where could she go? That was a good question. But…

He looked in the direction of the Tiny Bandage Clinic, and then towards her. "The people at the castle have been friendly to you, I reckon?"

She nodded. "Yes. Them and everyone in this town was pretty kind when I introduced myself."

"If you get kicked out of the castle because it turns out you're not the Princess, worst case scenario, I'm sure Nancy and Jones wouldn't mind you staying at the Clinic for a while. That's where I'm residing for now." He wasn't actually sure if Nancy and Jones could afford to house more people that weren't patients or in-residence like he was, but it was worth asking at least. Besides, if he was a newcomer, and Frey was a newcomer, perhaps newcomers should stick together. (It helped that the other newcomer in question was the Princess ruling this town.)

"Really?" Her green eyes widened at that. "You really think so?"

"They're good folk." At least, they seemed so. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you out."

Frey's eyes sparkled happily at that, and for a moment Arganan thought he saw joy that mirrored his niece's own. "Thank you very much. I really appreciate that, Arganan."

Arganan offered her his own smile. "You're welcome."

"Excuse me?" A new voice spoke up, male but younger sounding than Arganan. "Do either of you know where Lady Ventuswill is?" The two turned to see a young man approaching them. He wore spectacles, perfectly framing his eyes, and the looks of his robes made him recognizable as someone of noble status, given how fine they were.

Arganan blinked, staring at him for a moment. "She's at the castle. We can lead you to there, if you'd like." He finally managed. How many people were newcomers here? And now that he thought of it, he hadn't met Ventuswill himself yet. This would give him an opportunity to tag along. "It's not far from here."

"Thank you." The man smiled, then looked between Arganan and Frey. "My apologies for not introducing myself; I'm Prince Arthur D. Lawrence, the thirteenth prince of Norad Kingdom. I'll be starting my duties here in Selphia as ruler, starting today."

Frey's jaw dropped. Arganan swallowed.

Well…shit.