The three of them waited in the hall. Ti stretched longer than expected, silence only broken by the distant clink of porcelain from the maids serving breakfast elsewhere. An hour later, the sound of footsteps finally echoed on the polished stairs. Aurelia, Selena, Lilliane, and Lisa descended together as if on cue, their chatter and laughter carrying ahead of them.
Kyle imdiately let out an exaggerated groan.
"Took you long enough! I thought we were planning a trip, not a—"
A sharp smack landed on the back of his head before he could finish. Aurelia’s glare was enough to silence him, and for once Kyle thought it wise not to retort. Luca, watching, wisely decided to keep his own mouth shut as well.
Vincent set down his teacup and rose without a word.
"Let’s go to the stables. We’ll pick our horses there and leave."
Everyone followed him out, the morning air crisp with the scent of dew and fresh earth.
The Valentine stables were vast, their polished wooden beams gleaming in the sunlight. Rows of stalls housed horses of every shade and temperant—sleek brown stallions pawing impatiently at the ground, pale mares with gentle eyes, and a few fiery ones snorting as the grooms struggled to hold their reins.
The group scattered as each began to select a mount. Aurelia ran her hand over the mane of a silver-gray horse, its calm eyes mirroring her composed nature. Kyle, naturally, picked the most spirited stallion he could find, smirking at the challenge. Selena chose with her usual cool detachnt, selecting a white mare that mirrored her icy elegance, while Lilliane hesitated before being gently nudged by Lisa toward a smaller, chestnut-colored horse.
Luca wandered among the rows until sothing drew him deeper inside. His steps slowed, and then stopped before a stall at the far end.
A pitch-black horse stood there, its coat gleaming like midnight silk. The animal’s eyes locked onto his, and for a mont Luca felt as though ti itself had thinned around them. The horse moved forward, powerful and graceful, until it pressed its head against him.
The sudden warmth of its tongue brushed his cheek.
"Ah!" Lisa’s delighted voice rang out as she rushed over. "Umbra missed you so much, brother!"
"Umbra...?" Luca repeated softly, his hand brushing over the horse’s mane. The na fit—it was like a shadow bound with strength. The horse nickered happily under his touch, as if it had been waiting only for him.
Luca cald the beast with a gentle stroke, feeling a strange familiarity as though he’d done this countless tis before. So... this was ’Luca’s’ horse all along, huh?
Once the saddles were ready, the group guided their mounts outside. Lisa wasted no ti climbing onto Umbra’s back, grinning from ear to ear while Luca held the reins.
"Now then," Kyle called, resting his arm lazily on his horse, "where should we go first?" His expectant gaze turned directly to Luca.
Luca froze for a beat. How should I know...? His silence stretched, until Lisa piped up brightly:
"Hehe, let’s just go anywhere! Our whole territory’s worth seeing!"
Her enthusiasm was contagious. Even Luca felt his earlier apprehension ease. He adjusted the reins in his hand, glancing out at the rolling roads stretching into the Valentine lands. Yeah... I guess I’m curious to explore it too. My territory.
With that thought, the group spurred their horses forward, the sound of hooves echoing against the morning air as their journey began.
The group set off from the mansion, hooves striking rhythmically against the cobbled path that wound down from the Valentine estate. The morning sun spilled golden light over the landscape, painting the rolling fields in soft hues. Dew still clung to the grass, sparkling like scattered gems.
For Luca, every turn of the road felt like stepping into a picture. He had never truly paid attention to what this land—his land—looked like. Wide stretches of farmland quilted the hillsides, where peasants waved cheerfully as they noticed riders approaching. Children playing at the edges of the fields pointed excitedly, shouting his na, "Young Master Valentine!" before running to tug at their mothers’ skirts.
Beside him, Vincent rode with the sa calm, unreadable expression, yet Luca noticed the way the farrs’ faces brightened at his brother’s presence too. To them, the sight of both Valentine sons riding together must have been like a promise—that their lords were watching over them.
Luca’s chest tightened unexpectedly. So this is what it ans to be part of this house... They all look at us like we matter so much more than just students of Arcadia.
"Look at that." Elowen’s cheerful voice broke the silence as she leaned from her saddle, crimson eyes glinting. "Your fields are thriving this season. Makes jealous—our forest has nothing like these golden plains."
"Do you even know anything about farming, Senior?" Kyle teased, smirking as usual.
Elowen shot him a glare. "I know enough not to run my horse through soone’s crop. Unlike a certain idiot who—"
Kyle only grinned wider. Selena sighed audibly, her cold voice slicing through. "Could you two argue less loudly? So of us are trying to enjoy the scenery."
Lilliane giggled softly, surprising even herself, as she tugged at her reins to keep pace.
Luca smiled at the playful bickering, but his gaze shifted when he felt Aurelia draw her horse subtly closer. Their knees brushed for just a mont, a fleeting touch that would seem accidental to anyone else—but her calm, faint smile told him otherwise. She kept her eyes ahead, hair catching sunlight like strands of gold, and Luca felt his heartbeat quicken. He forced himself to look away, though the warmth lingered.
Lisa, anwhile, sat proudly atop Umbra, beaming as though she owned the road itself. "Look! Look! The whole town’s waving at us!"
She wasn’t wrong. As they passed into the first village, bells chid and windows opened. Vendors paused mid-sale, bowing respectfully, and children dashed alongside their horses, laughing breathlessly until their mothers pulled them back.
Elowen, grinning, waved like a visiting princess. "Your people are so lively, Luca. Do you realize how rare that is? So lords inspire fear. And it seems lord Darian inspire affection. Look at how they are waving at you!"
Luca swallowed, unsure what to say. It’s not ... it’s the real Luca they’re seeing. Still... if I’m living his life, then maybe it’s up to to be worthy of their smiles.
At his side, Vincent finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "They trust us. Don’t ever forget that."
Luca turned to glance at him. There was no reproach in Vincent’s eyes—only a quiet reminder.
Elowen looked at Vincent then, her own smile softening. She didn’t say anything, but the way her gaze lingered—warm, almost teasing—spoke volus. Luca caught it, and his brows lifted slightly. Wait... are they...? Before he could dwell, Kyle galloped ahead, kicking up dust.
"Co on! If this is all, I’m disappointed. Show us sothing worth rembering, Luca!"
"Show-off," Aurelia muttered under her breath, but Luca heard it. The small curl of her lips afterward made him chuckle.
They rode on, passing orchards heavy with fruit, sparkling streams where won washed clothes and raised their hands in greeting, and winding paths shaded by towering oaks. Each new sight painted a fuller picture of the Valentine lands—prosperous, cared for, and alive.
By the ti they reached the next ridge, the whole group had fallen into easy chatter. Elowen told stories of her academy duels, Kyle boasted about beating three second-years at once to which Selena raised a doubtful eyebrow, and Lisa squealed every ti Umbra picked up speed. Through it all, Aurelia’s quiet presence beside him was steady, grounding him more than he realized.
The road eventually wound into a quieter path, shaded on both sides by tall willows that swayed gently in the breeze. Their silver-green leaves whispered overhead, and shafts of sunlight dappled the ground like scattered gold. The chatter of the group softened as the horses slowed, hooves muffled by the earth beneath them.
As they passed beneath the canopy, a small clearing opened ahead. A crystal-blue pond stretched at its center, its surface smooth as glass save for the ripples of koi darting just beneath. The air slled faintly of lilies, carried by the water’s edge.
Luca’s reins loosened in his hands. His chest gave a strange, unexpected squeeze.
"This place..." he whispered under his breath, barely realizing he had spoken aloud.
Sothing about the pond, the curve of the trees, the way the breeze carried a faint lody of leaves—it all struck him with a rush of warmth, like a mory too distant to na yet too close to ignore. His heart beat oddly fast, a current spreading through him that was neither foreign nor familiar.
He stared at the water, his lips parting slightly. What am I feeling...?
Vincent’s steady voice cut through the hush.
"What? Don’t you rember this place now?"
The others turned to look at him curiously, but Luca could only blink at his brother, caught between confusion and sothing deeper he couldn’t yet explain.
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