The Duke's Passion

The journey back to Grimsbanne was silent. Traveling during winter surely added this nostalgic feeling to my nonexistent heart. Not only it was unbearably cold being out, but it was also undoubtedly a hassle. 

However…

For the people who were numb to the pain of defeat, for our loss, for the deaths of something within while we're alive, this cold weather and silence felt nothing. Like defeated soldiers returning from a lost war, we were… pathetic. 

"Should we make a stop in the Crawford's estate?" Yul inquired, snapping me out of my trance. 

I snapped my eyes, staring at the window while we passed by the empty street of Knotley, Cunningham. 

"No," I muttered. "Let's continue."

"But Marquess Cameron sent a word and prepared your room…" Yul trailed off and just went silent while gazing at me. "Alright. Let's just continue. The faster we arrive in Grimsbanne, the better, right?"

"Mhm." 

Just as I said, we didn't make a stop in Cunningham. The place where Sam and I spent a long time before the Capital. I had grown fond of this place, but I didn't have the energy to make stops. We had been traveling continuously, setting up tents to rest for a few hours and then continue. 

Despite the frigid weather, it didn't matter to us. It didn't even faze us, as if we've all grown numb from it.

My eyes softened as my eyes landed on the area where I met Claude. The day I met Claude was the same day I was abducted to the Capital. However, more than the terrible memories of that day, Sam and I had a good time. 

"He was so dashing that day." I smiled bitterly, and I felt Yul, who was from across me, gaze at me. "His hair was brushed neatly to his back, and unlike his usual unbuttoned shirt, he looked good in that cravat on him. His hands that day didn't have a speck of stain, although they felt rough to the touch, they're the warmest thing I had held."

"Sis…" 

I kept my smile as I could envision those times upon seeing that spot. That day, Sam held my hand as we walked in this very street. His lips would shift from smirk to smile, and how he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful lady in this world.

But unlike that day, the snow had blanketed over the suburban.

It made me want to cry, but I couldn't because… until now, Sam was alive. That was what I wanted to believe. In my head, he just went somewhere far, and he would return to me one day. 

"We will surely do that once he returns, Yul." I peeled my eyes away from the window and set them on Yul. "We will walk freely without a care in the world again… someday."

"Lilou." Yul's eyes flickered with pain. I wanted to tell him to stop looking at me like that, but I ignored it. "Yes, someday… that's right."

He sounded sad and unconvinced, but I still smiled. "Someday… for sure."

******

  Our journey continued, and we exited Cunningham without a problem. Because of the weather, we had to spend more time on the road before we reached Whistlebird. I didn't have many fond memories of this place.

Aside from having my first argument with Sam. He also massacred those corrupted members of the Remington Clan and sat Noah as the new Duke. Compare to Cunningham, there weren't many memories I shared with Sam in this place. However, I had a ton of memories with Stefan in here — that was why I dislike this place. 

"Lord Noah is still on the run, so his brother took charge of Whistlebird," Yul informed me of what I had missed. "Although the entire House Remington wasn't stripped off of their titles, Stefan had them on close watch. Lord Noah probably knew that the second he step foot in this land, those who were lurking around Whistlebird will seize him…"

Yul's voice faded in the background as I looked outside the window. He had been trying to cheer me up every once in a while… or rather, he had been trying to keep me distracted whenever he has an opportunity. I let him, though; it was useful information.

My brows creased a little as I tilted my head to see far ahead. There were people lining up in this cold winter. It made me wonder what was going on. When our carriage got closer, I froze momentarily as I recognized this establishment.

"Yul, let's make a stop here," I requested without looking away from where I was looking at. "Tell everyone… we will dine in."

"What… alright?" There was a slight hesitation in Yul's voice, but he still agreed. Yul told the coachman to make a stop and the knight under Rufus, who managed to stay alive throughout that ordeal in the Capital to inform everyone.

As ordered, we did a stop like normal travelers. Yul stood outside, offering his hand to me. I gave him a smile, accepting his hand, and he assisted me outside the carriage. My eyes instantly veered at the people flocking the establishment. 

"Is the food here so great? The place seems pack from the in and out." Yul muttered as others had a bowl of soup while eating outside the establishment.

"It's not that," I said, and someone familiar who was serving the people outside turned his head in my direction. His eyes dilated as soon as he recognized me and rushed towards me.

"Your —" Mister Teddy Brown, the owner of the restaurant where Sam and I ate, stopped when Yul raised his arm to his chest. 

"Do you have an idea who is the person you are trying to approach thoughtlessly?" Yul's tone was cold, gazing down at Teddy Brown. The latter awkwardly stepped back, holding the tray in his hand while the other scratched the back of his head.

"My apologies, Your Grace." Teddy Brown apologized with a bow. "I was suddenly caught in the moment that I forgot my place."

"Yul, it's fine." I glanced at Yul and let out a chuckle. He reluctantly lowered his arm and stepped aside.

"Mister Brown, it seems your business is flourishing that people still come even during winter." I glanced at the establishment behind him.

"Ahh, haha! No, it's not like that, Your Grace." Teddy Brown chortled bashfully as he turned his head back. "It's free food. We feed everyone who comes in here hungry."

"A charity…?" Yul sounded appalled, staring at Teddy Brown with doubt in his eyes. "This only supports everyone to be lazy. You must be wealthy to do this kind of thing."

"Haha! I do not have wealth to leave to my offsprings, but our clan made a promise to a remarkable man and we're simply upholding that man's legacy." Teddy's eyes landed on me and he smiled gently. "Your Grace, it is presumptuous of me to invite you to our humble abode. Our food isn't as lavish as what Your Grace deserves, but I hope it can give you even the slightest warmth in this cold weather."

By the looks of it, Teddy Brown already heard the news about Sam. However, he said nothing and just offered me food.

Food made of goodwill, food that was not made to make a profit, food created by a promise. How dare I refuse?

"Thank you, Mister Brown." I bowed my head lightly, moved by this change Sam did in a place where money moved.

The corner of his lips stretched into a wide grin as he beckoned us to enter the establishment. I glanced at Yul, and he smiled in relief upon locking gaze with me.

"He is really amazing, isn't he?" he whispered to my side as we followed Teddy. 

My eyes softened as I gazed down, chuckling in a low tone. "Don't think highly of Sam. All the good things he had done were… unintentional."

"And that's what's makes him more amazing." Yul humored, making me chuckle as he had a point. "I heard a lot about Whistlebird... but it seems it is not as bad as what I had heard."

Whistlebird, a place where money was more important than race.. Sam made this change in this tiny area of Whistlebird, but it slowly changed everything; from this land where everything was all about money to a land where everyone unite through thick and thin.