The question caught him off guard.
Normally, conversations with Seren felt strangely awkward to him, not because she had done anything wrong, but because he genuinely didn’t know how to handle conversations like this properly. So most of the ti, he avoided them unless they were about work or sothing important.
But now she was asking why he hadn’t told her personally about the journey?
"Oh... huh..." Darion started awkwardly while trying to think of a proper response.
His mind scrambled around for sothing that sounded reasonable.
Then he got one.
"I was just occupied with things that evening. That’s why I sent Garren," he told her.
Seren looked directly into his eyes for a mont.
Darion honestly expected another question after that. Or maybe sothing like:
’Wish I could co.’
Or: ’You should’ve told anyway.’
Sothing along those lines.
But she didn’t. She simply nodded once.
"Okay."
That was all.
Strangely, that sohow made him even more aware of the conversation than if she had kept talking.
Was this a sign he should actually try talking to her more?
He really didn’t know.
The awkwardness wasn’t even specifically because it was Seren either. He was just bad at this sort of thing.
Back at the Emperor’s castle, he could barely rember having a proper conversation with any girl around his age.
Mostly because of the circumstances surrounding his life there.
People knew he was a bastard. That alone was enough.
The noble girls at the Emperor’s castle never really treated him normally. So ignored him entirely. Others laughed behind his back while pretending they weren’t. A few openly mocked him when they thought nobody important was listening.
’Oh look, it’s the bastard son.’
’The unwanted one.’
’The mistake.’
Sotis they whispered. Sotis they didn’t even bother whispering.
He still rembered overhearing laughter during one gathering years ago after he accidentally walked into a conversation he clearly wasn’t supposed to hear.
’Imagine actually speaking to him willingly.’
’The bastard?’
’Hahahahahaha—’
Even now, the mory still felt irritating.
His life as Julian hadn’t exactly helped either.
Back on Earth, while his friends sohow talked to girls easily, dated freely and entered relationships like it was the most natural thing in the world, he had mostly just stayed quiet and focused on school.
Not because he hated girls or anything dramatic like that.
He was just... shy. Painfully shy sotis.
His ntality had basically been:
’Let just focus on my studies.’
Simple and safe. No embarrassnt and no awkwardness.
That behavior apparently carried over into this life too because even now, talking casually with Seren sohow made him overly conscious of everything he said.
anwhile she seed completely normal.
Unfair honestly.
Seren leaned back slightly in her chair for a mont before eventually standing up. She had leaned before and now she was leaning again.
"Well," she said quietly, "Best of luck on your journey."
Darion smiled slightly at that.
"Thank you."
She gave a small nod before turning away.
Then she simply walked off toward the stairs again.
Darion watched her leave for a second before looking away again.
That had actually been... nice?
A normal conversation. Mostly normal anyway.
No awkward silence that stretched into eternity.
Progress! Real progress.
A few weeks ago Seren barely trusted him. Now she was casually wishing him luck before a journey like soone who actually lived here.
Which she technically did now.
That thought still felt strange to him.
Soon afterward, footsteps echoed from the corridor again.
This ti Garren returned fully prepared for travel. Fresh clothes, sword at his waist, cloak adjusted properly.
"Lem go call the knight escorts," Garren said as he passed him.
Darion nodded.
"Alright."
The older knight headed outside imdiately.
Darion followed more slowly.
The morning air outside felt cold against his skin. It was not freezing, but cold enough to wake him fully.
The courtyard was quieter than it would be later in the day. Most workers hadn’t arrived yet. Only a few knights moved around the grounds while handling early morning duties.
Darion walked forward slowly while looking upward at the sky.
There was no moon visible tonight.
Or... this morning technically.
Maybe it was one of those moonless periods this world occasionally had. He honestly still didn’t fully understand how the moon cycles worked here yet.
The sky itself looked beautiful though.
Dark blue fading gradually toward lighter shades near the horizon where the sun was preparing to rise.
Everything felt calm.
For a mont, standing there like this, it almost beca hard to believe Percvale had nearly been destroyed recently.
Footsteps approached again behind him.
Garren returned with the three selected knights walking beside him.
All ard and all mounted already.
Good knights too. Darion recognized all of them from the battle against Valdenmoor.
One of them looked slightly nervous though.
Probably because this was technically a diplomatic trip involving a Baron.
Wulfric appeared shortly afterward from the stable area.
"Morning m’lord," he greeted respectfully.
"Morning Wulfric," Darion replied.
Then he added:
"Select the best and fastest horses for us."
Wulfric nodded imdiately.
"Yes m’lord."
The stablemaster disappeared quickly into the stable buildings.
A few minutes later he returned, leading several horses personally.
Darion noticed imdiately that Wulfric had really taken the instruction seriously.
These weren’t random horses.
They had visibly strong bodies, healthy legs and alert eyes.
Good choices.
The knights mounted first.
Garren followed soon after while adjusting the straps near his saddle.
Darion grabbed the saddle of his own horse before pulling himself upward smoothly.
Horseback riding still felt strange to him sotis. Back on his Earth, he had been riding bicycles and entering cars. He had never ridden a car before though. The closest thing he had ridden regularly was public transport.
At this rate, he never would.
Now he was literally a Baron riding toward another territory with ard knights following behind him.
One of the undead wolves moved silently nearby at the edge of the courtyard.
The thing almost blended into the morning shadows.
They were following a shortcut that was not normally safe. With the wolf it would be.
The escort knights visibly relaxed seeing it there.
With that creature accompanying them, the journey beca significantly safer.
Garren looked toward him.
"Ready, m’lord?"
Darion looked once toward the castle behind them.
The old damaged structure still looked worn down and half-haunted.
"Let’s go."
Then the horses began moving.
Out through the castle gates.
Past the waking streets of Percvale.
And toward Thandor.
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