Not even a moment later, a peculiar looking person with a single gloved hand burst through the station doors, panting heavily as he searched the room.
The man who nearly broke open those large doors was covered in abundant perspiration, and his legs were quivering as though they would give out at any moment.
He had a small face and prominent bones that protruded from his flushed cheeks. His short, gray hair had been dampened by his sweat, which left his white shirt completely soaked under his black suit.
His body seemed frail and slender, like it was a body that didn't seem to comprehend the pleasures of any physical activity whatsoever.
"Princess!?" he cried. "Has anybody here seen Princess Meleragine!?"
No response.
Most people seemed to ignore him, probably assuming that he was just a crazy old man, while others seemed to be laughing at his wild entrance.
I, on the other hand, was quite concerned by his behavior.
Has something happened to Mel? I wondered, as I watched the panic rising within the man's eyes.
"Please, has anyone here seen the Princess at all?!"
While everyone in the room observed him in silence, Amber's eyes gradually began to widen as though she had just figured out who this person was.
"Barshall?!" she cried after recognizing him.
However, the man didn't seem to reciprocate this sense of familiarity as he raised an eyebrow while facing her direction.
Barshall… That was a name that I already heard quite a few times from Mel herself.
"Who… Who are you? How do you know my name?" he asked her, trying hard to catch his breath.
"Vultignia Ardorin."
Upon hearing the name of Amber's mother, the man known as Barshall was stunned momentarily, his face somehow paling much further than before as if an unpleasant memory had managed to rear its head.
"Goodness… h-have you perhaps been informed–"
Amber quickly nodded in response.
Barshall took a few steps closer to our table, and at a near enough proximity to Amber he bowed very deeply.
"My condolences to you, Miss Amber… I-I am terribly sorry for your loss."
"There's no need to apologize, Barshall. Please raise your head."
"M-miss Amber?" He raised his head at her, while maintaining his bent posture.
"I should be the one apologizing to you... please take a seat. You look... tired." Hesitating for a few seconds, the old man rested himself against the chair that we had left for Larg.
He then pulled out a napkin from his pocket, and as he dabbed it against his face, I noticed that it bore the same 'Scale Wing' insignia as Mel's.
"How the hell do you two know each other?" Snapper was the first to ask.
"Remember when I said I burnt the hand of the Melanargia family's servant?" Amber referred back to the story about her past.
"Yeah, it was when you awakened your birth card ability, right? Wait, is he…"
"Yeah, he's the one I burned." Her tone became soft and apologetic. "Sorry about that..."
"The apology is unnecessary, Miss Amber," he replied. "You were only a child at the time, and your abilities had only begun to manifest… You are certainly not at fault."
He covered his gloved hand with his bare one, shielding it away from Amber's remorseful gaze.
"Anyhow, there are currently more pressing matters at hand." His tone grew out of sorrow and became more imperative. "Miss Amber, you still remember the Princess, don't you? By any chance, were the two of you recently reacquainted?"
Amber nervously looked around our table, searching for answers within each of us present.
"That's—"
"The Princess was here this morning," Snapper intervened.
"Really!?" The servant replied, searching our table for additional assurance while the rest of us nodded in response.
"She made quite the entrance so it's not that easy to forget." Snapper then looked at me before smirking deviously. "Oh, and her exit was just as memorable too."
I gave him a blank stare after that comment.
"D-do you have any idea as to where she might have gone!?" Barshall asked, impetuously jumping out of his seat before leaning towards Snapper.
"No clue. Aren't you supposed to know, since you're her servant and all?"
Barshall shrunk back into his seat, seemingly distraught.
"I-I am not sure of her whereabouts either," he painfully admitted. "After obtaining her license, she was supposed to meet with me beside the Northern gate, however, I had been waiting for several hours and there was still no sign of her."
Barshall had wanted to escort Mel to the station himself, but she persisted against it several times, saying that she wanted the freedom to do some things on her own.
"I should have stayed with her regardless. I have failed as the princess's servant." Overcome with regret and self-hatred, he sunk his face into his hands in defeat.
"Umm, Mister Barshall?" I spoke up.
"Hmm?" He moved his head out of his hands to face me.
"When Mel arrived at the station, I was able to become closely acquainted with her. At some point she even referred to me as a friend."
"A friend? R-Really?" I nodded, but for some reason, Barshall's eyes weren't the only ones that were gazing at me in shock.
"When talking to me about her past, she mentioned you quite a lot, saying that you meant a great deal to her and that she's always been grateful for your unwavering loyalty."
"Th-the Princess really said that? Princess Meleragine?"
I nodded once again.
"It's hard to imagine that she would keep you waiting for so long after praising you like that," I assessed. "I think something might've happened to her."
I watched Barshall's face drop after hearing my statement.
It still could be a little too early to assume the worst, but if it's really the case…
"I would like to help you search for her if you don't mind."
"You would really do that?!"
Snapper leaned closer to me and whispered, "Hey, are you sure about this, Wolf? I still don't fully trust this guy…"
I could understand why he said that, considering none of us really knew him that well apart from Amber.
But I couldn't just ignore a friend who might be in trouble. I at least owed her that much.
"Couldn't you just send the royal guards to look for her?" Amber turned to Barshall and asked.
"Y-yes, but you see… Princess Mel, she… she ran away from home."
"WHAT!?" Amber and Snapper yelled in unison.
May also seemed surprised by this, making me the only other person who already knew about this information.
"Believe it or not, her decision wasn't at all spontaneous. When she was just a child, she had already decided that she would one day leave her home and never return, and she trusted me to help her see it through… That's why we came here."
"Why would you let her talk you into something like that?" Snapper questioned. "Isn't that kinda reckless?"
"You do not understand… The Princess was never happy at home."
Mel had told me herself that she suffered from extreme loneliness and depression to the point where she would rarely ever smile.
Barshall turned to Amber.
"In fact, the only time I've ever seen the Princess laugh was when she met you."
"Huh, seriously?" Amber questioned in shock, causing Barshall to reply with a single nod.
"The only thing she ever wanted was a friend: someone around her age that she could talk to and share her thoughts with... someone that was like her."
"I-I don't understand. Doesn't she have siblings?"
Mel's siblings were much older, and she always felt distant toward them since she was the only card holder in her family. They treated her like an outcast, causing her to feel neglected and isolated.
Barshall tried his best to comfort her during those times, since he was the only one she felt like she could talk to.
"But now, she's missing, and I can't help but fear the worst."
Just after Barshall said this, I heard the sound of sniffling beside me, and when I turned to face May, she appeared to be wiping away her tears.
"Oh dear, are you alright, Miss?" Barshall asked her.
"I-I'm sorry... it's just… I think I understand what she's going through. I know exactly how it feels to be an outcast, so I... I want to help too... to find the Princess."
"Thank you so much... Please, take this," Barshall handed May a spare handkerchief.
She thanked him before using it to wipe away her tears.
It was at that moment that he took notice of May's mechanical hand, but said nothing in response.
Amber ran her hands through her hair, shaking it around as though she were conflicted.
"Ugh, now I'm actually starting to feel sorry for her." She sighed as if she was already tired of thinking so hard. "Fine, I give up. I'll also help you guys find her, alright?"
I couldn't help but smile at how adorable Amber seemed just then.
Her hatred toward Mel had significantly lessened, or perhaps it was never even there to begin with.
"That's great!" Barshall yelled as he hit his palms against the table excitedly.
"Well, I guess we have no choice then," Snapper said. "This'll be the Snapper party's first mission."
Amber gave him a confused side glance like she was perturbed by our new group name.
"Once the Princess is found, I will see to it that you are all handsomely rewar—"
Snapper interrupted Barshall, signaling him to be quiet.
"Hey, keep your voice down, wouldya, old man?"
"Sorry?"
"If anyone else hears about a reward for finding the Princess, the whole city's gonna go crazy looking for her," he explained. "And besides, if word about this reaches the Melanargia kingdom, who knows what they'll do to you after finding out their Princess went missing under your watch."
"Ah, well… I suppose you have a good point there. I'll keep quiet about it for now—"
"Hey, did I hear something about a reward?"