Chapter 264: Travel (2)

As far as he knew, there was no imminent emergency. The marquis’s illness was the reason for the journey, a situation that required a replacement, not combat. Even so, Clavor knew the world far too well to believe that a border was a place where someone could completely lower their guard.

Lukas noticed his father’s expression, the subtle tension in his shoulders. He did not ask anything, simply turning his eyes back toward the window, respecting his father’s silence.

The landscape slowly changed as the hours passed, the road unfolding before them like a thread of earth. At first, they passed through rather familiar regions, farmlands, small groves, crystal-clear streams, and pastures belonging to farmers who lived under the protection of the Dmonds. Lukas recognized some of those landscapes; he had seen them before on other journeys.

But then the first villages began to appear, small clusters of houses dotting the landscape like islands in a green sea. The carriage entered the first one, its wheels finding the firmer ground of the main road.

As soon as the villagers noticed the crest of the Dmond family painted on the side of the vehicle, the reaction was immediate. A man carrying a box stopped in the middle of the street, his face turning toward the carriage.

A woman who had been talking to a neighbor tilted her head, a smile of recognition appearing on her face. Some children simply stood there staring, their eyes wide with curiosity.

Then one of them pointed, his clear voice cutting through the air.

“The Dmonds!”

The news spread quickly, like fire through dry grass. Lukas saw people coming out of their homes, their faces turning toward the carriage. Some workers stopped what they were doing, tools forgotten in their hands. Others simply stood at the side of the road, their eyes following the vehicle.

Almost all of them displayed respect, a silent reverence for the family that protected them. Some slightly lowered their heads, while others bowed more deeply. The children, however, were different. They simply stared, some waving enthusiastically, others running a few meters alongside the carriage.

Judite immediately opened the window, her energy overflowing.

“Look!” She leaned half her body outside, her eyes shining.

“Don’t lean out so far.” Aurora warned, her voice filled with maternal concern.

“I’m just waving!” Judite began waving at the children, her hand moving in cheerful arcs.

“Bye!”

Some of the children responded, their voices rising in a chorus of greetings.

Lukas also opened his window slightly, the fresh air coming into contact with his face. A little girl was running along the road, holding the hand of a younger brother. When she noticed Lukas looking at her, she became shy, her eyes turning away.

Lukas smiled and waved, a simple but sincere gesture. The girl immediately broke into a huge smile, her face lighting up like the sun.

Something inside Lukas’s chest warmed at the sight. The Dmond family was truly loved. It was not merely political respect or fear of the authority of a noble family. There was genuine affection, a connection that transcended hierarchies. The Dmonds had protected those lands for generations, and to those people, the crest on the carriage meant safety, it meant hope.

Judite continued waving until the carriage left the village behind, her energy unwavering. The same thing happened in the second village, then the third, and the fourth. By the time they reached the fifth village, Judite was already tired of waving, but she was still smiling, a smile that did not fade.

“I’m going to miss this.” She murmured, her voice softer.

Lukas looked at her, an amused expression on his face.

“Soon you’ll be complaining about having to wave.”

“Never!” She replied immediately, with all the conviction of her age.

Lukas laughed, the sound echoing inside the carriage.

The fifth village fell behind, and the road once again became surrounded by trees, the forest closing around them like a green wall. The hours passed, the sun climbing higher and higher into the sky, its light growing more intense.

Until, after some time, Lukas noticed that something was different. The road ahead of them began to split, a large crossroads opening in multiple directions.

Lukas recognized the place. One of the roads led toward Great Rock City, the path that led to Hark Castle. How many times had they passed through there? It was practically a familiar road, as well known as the corridors of the mansion.

Lukas looked at Clavor, a silent question in his eyes. His father made no movement toward that road, giving no indication that they would turn. The carriage continued forward, turning in the opposite direction, toward a path Lukas had never traveled before.

He felt a small wave of excitement run through his body. For the first time since leaving the mansion, he truly realized that he was entering unknown territory, stepping onto soil he had never seen before.

The forest seemed different. The trees had slightly different shapes, their canopies extending in patterns he did not recognize. The terrain was more uneven, filled with small rises and depressions. Even the vegetation seemed to be gradually changing, new species replacing the familiar ones.

Lukas leaned his face closer to the window, observing everything with an attention that went beyond simple curiosity. Every detail was a discovery, every sound something new.

It was then that Judite finally lost patience, her curiosity overcoming her restraint.

“Father.”

Clavor kept looking forward, his voice calm.

“Hm?”

“What exactly is the border where Marquis Slyr lives like?”

Lukas also turned around, the question awakening his curiosity.

Clavor adjusted his posture, his eyes still fixed on the road.

“I’ve never been there.”

Judite’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Never?”

“Never.” Clavor’s answer was simple.

“So you don’t know what it’s like either?” Judite’s voice carried a mixture of disappointment and fascination.

Clavor let out a small laugh, the sound echoing through the carriage.

“I know a few things. I know Marquis Slyr personally. He’s a competent man, devoted to his duty. From the little I’ve spoken with him, he seems to be a reasonable and fair person.”

“But you’ve never been to his territory?” Lukas asked, his voice curious.

“No.” Clavor paused briefly.

“The territory is quite far from our lands, beyond the mountains that border our region.”