"Mm," he nodded to her thanks.

It wasn't long until he took his place in the car as well. After he buckled himself back in, Cedric sat with his hands in his lap. He seemed stiff yet silent, almost as though he had something to say but didn't wish to encroach on the topic too soon. With a breath in, he let silence take over as he turned his attention forward. How long had he been from home as of now? A month? It felt like longer. And even then, he had yet to find any trace of his target. It was embarrassing that a bodyguard couldn't even fulfill a simple job as this. He'd made contact with two of the other Calcifets but here he couldn't even find a trace of Remiel. It was best to assume the worst and hope for the best, he supposed.

But he couldn't keep quiet for too long. Perhaps it was Estelle's presence that made him feel obligated, or perhaps in a strange way, he felt at ease to remain candid with her. He didn't dwell on the idea for long, instead approached the question that had plagued him from the moment he saw her.

"How is Galar, by the way?" he questioned. "Given the number of refugees that have flooded in, I assume not well. Princess Elise has been up to her neck in foreign affairs, and Guinevere seems... Happier here."

It was easy to note his lack of mention towards Prince Remiel. He had yet to stumble across the prince in his search. Perhaps Remiel already knew. While it felt as though Gwyn had no interest to reconnect with the crown prince other than bare minimum formalities, he felt that Elise remained in contact. Did she willingly hide his location? No, it wasn't right for him to jump in and assume.

"More importantly, how are you?"

'Do you feel at ease to be away from Galar?' he wanted to tack on. While the way he spoke felt like strict formalities with a fellow noble, his hand lingered on the space between the two of them as he finally dared to look her way. He knew that Galar didn't make her happy, he knew it wasn't truly home for her, but he wanted to show interest. He wanted to care. The softer way he spoke didn't reflect a need to care given the arranged engagement, but a need to understand simply given that deep down, he knew they were two souls that met at the wrong time -- the fear to even make physical contact with her evident as his hand slowly retreated back to his lap.

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Estelle Valentine

Though to hear the reassurance that Galar would stand true did offer him some comfort, it still made him hold his breath. Only time would tell, and he wasn't one to necessarily count on blind optimism. (It made him wonder if the queen sent both him and Estelle off knowing that Galar was in ruins, or did she do it to make herself a martyr -- the one who raised Galar up from the ashes on her own?) Brows knit together as he pondered on this thought. But once Estelle seemed to sputter for words, he felt himself grow a little frantic. Had he said something wrong? Done something worse? Instinctively a hand found itself upon her shoulder in a form of comfort as he turned to look at her, or at least as much as the seatbelt would allow.

Then he saw how flustered she looked and soon settled down. Maybe it wasn't a question she found people asked of her that often. The Duke settled back into his seat and looked away with a similar tint to his own cheeks. He felt embarrassed over how quickly he reacted and jumped to conclusions. After he cleared his throat, the guard finally dared to speak. The silence had grown awkward, and perhaps a genuine heart-to-heart was well overdue.

"I'm fine, thank you. Though forgive me for sounding so cavalier, but your presence does offer some comfort. It's a relief to see a familiar face. I've..."

'Missed you'? No that wasn't quite right. With his initial embarrassment subsided, Cedric finally turned back and lowered his hand off of her shoulder.

"I suppose it's true when they say that absence does make the heart grow fonder. I'm pleased to have another likeminded person on my side. It's been frustrating trying to keep track of just how many of us have found our way to Hoenn -- it's too much to keep track of for one person."

Was that his way of saying that the work expected of him was too much? That it was unfair to shove responsibility solely onto one person? No, that didn't seem right. He was grateful that the Queen thought so highly of him. That she expected him to succeed, but the fact she had to chase Estelle here of all people felt... Well, quite frankly, it felt humiliating. He surmised it as a ploy to attempt to have the two grow closer with their arranged engagement. His thumb ghosted the silver band under his glove as an attempt to make sense of it all. Finally the car came to a halt and Cedric fumbled for a moment before he unbuckled himself and opened the door. First came the retrieval of Estelle's belongings, then a polite thanks to the driver.

Everything was placed on the porch to the smaller apartment he'd acquired for himself before he dug out his set of keys. A push of the door revealed a simplistic apartment -- bare necessities with a variety of foliage from hanging plants and potted varieties that Cedric had bought to attempt to liven up the sickeningly white walled apartment. As he wheeled her luggage in, he managed to keep the door held open with his foot. Perhaps it was chivalry gone too far, but he insisted to get everything himself.

"Make yourself at home."

As if she really had much say in the matter.

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Estelle Valentine

"Thank you."

He'd done plenty of work to truly make the smaller space hospitable at the very least. Plants had become a hobby of his long before now, but it wasn't something he often talked about -- not many people really cared to know the proper temperatures for hyacinths to grow in. Then again, a lot of things Cedric had to say weren't necessarily an exciting thing for most people who didn't know him past a surface level. He was a complicated man, to say the least. As he placed the bags down carefully on the nearby countertop, his eyes trailed to Estelle as she carefully began to touch the leaves of one of his plants.

"While it would be easier for me to ask for your help, I'd rather take the more chivalrous route and take care of things for you," he insisted. "You've had a long travel, it's the bare minimum I can do. Would you care for food or did you want me to draw you a bath?"

More attempts to get her to unwind and relax out from under the Queen's thumb. She looked exhausted, so a momentary sense of relaxation would help energize her for the work they had ahead. But before any of that could be done, he knew it best to firmly state what he figured their best course of action would be living together. And it came as no surprise that Cedric put her comfort above his own. While he'd lived there first, it was officially their home upon her arrival.

"You may take the bed, I have no qualms of taking the couch. I want you to make yourself comfortable; I don't know how long we'll be here, but it wouldn't hurt to make the most of it."

His tone felt insistent, as though he knew they wouldn't be granted this freedom for long. It felt bittersweet, but so cruel that Cedric didn't even know how to act with outsiders. While he'd managed to reconnect with some other cousins, Remiel continued to evade him. Not that he minded, as he knew well the man had already set roots down in Hoenn and wouldn't leave without practically being forced to. (But who was Cedric to force him to do anything? He'd established himself within the region, and unlike uprooted plants, it would be far more difficult to save the crown prince.)

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Estelle Valentine

How insistent.

Cedric felt his lips curl a bit as though he was ready to make some sort of rebuttal. Though when he parted his lips to speak, the only thing that could come out was his half of their verbal agreement. He couldn't dishonor a knight that had served his family so faithfully, and furthermore, couldn't dishonor the same person he was expected to marry.

"Very well, follow me."

At the very least, he took some of her belongings and took the lead towards their soon to be shared bedroom. With the door propped open, Cedric offered her the opportunity to take the lead. After which, he followed her in and quickly made his way to the closet. There he opened the door and carefully began to rearrange his own clothes so that there was more space available for Estelle when she had the opportunity to hang her belongings.

Each move he made was careful, almost as though it had been thought out prior. The room seemed much more humble than their quarters in Galar: a single window of average side draped with blackout curtains, a queen sized bed with silk sheets, accompanied by minimal decor. (In all fairness, Cedric wasn't exactly gifted in the art of feng-shui. His room reflected his personality: simple yet with a touch of flare.) While he offered Estelle the opportunity to make herself comfortable, Cedric slipped into the bathroom attached to his bedroom.

Sleeves rolled up as he tested the temperature of the water as it ran straight into the drain. Once he deemed it sufficient, the drain was plugged and a splash of lavender oil was added into the water. It took a moment, but once the bath was ready, Cedric stood to full height once more and carefully approached Estelle. While his hands immediately went to the bow around her neck, his eyes shot her a cautious glance as though waiting for the approval to help her undress. Even though it seemed simple enough, his hands still fell stiff; a gesture he'd have to get himself accustomed to given the Queen demanded the pair play nice.

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Estelle Valentine