Lucian shrugged off the voice's words, not giving them much thought. The voice was a good companion, but it didn't understand him.
"We are here," Fishbone moved his palm above his eyebrows to shield his eyes from the sun.
Not far off, a wide river separated the land between the two territories. It was called the "River of Tears", for it had been the witness of many battles.
The stone bridge that crossed it was one of the wonders of the world, wide enough to fit ten wagons side by side.
Garrisons were built on both sides of the river, heavily fortified with watchtowers.
Lucian rubbed his eyes and looked at one of the watchtowers. A cloaked person was standing on top of it, holding binoculars to their eyes. Their gaze was directed at Lucian.
Lucian waved his hand at the person, smiling. He couldn't recognize the person, but they seed to recognize him because their reaction was imdiate.
The figure raised their hand as if to wave back before quickly lowering it and disappearing from view.
Why did their reaction felt so familiar? Lucian's heart fluttered in his chest, and he almost fell from the wagon. 'There's no way she would be here.'
He stabilized himself and pumped his chest to calm down his nerves. There was only one person who could make him react this strongly. 'I didn't even see their face, and I already got worked up.'
'Voice, what should I do?' Lucian asked, panicking, 'What if she's here?'
'It might really be her,' the voice said.
"WHAT?!" Lucian yelled, startling the rest of the wagon. 'You...you can't just joke about sothing like that, Voice!'
───────────────────────────
Lucian's hands were shaking, and his throat felt tight as they neared the Southern Alliance's border garrison. There were at least eight of them in front of the bridge, while around a hundred of them paced around the periter.
His reaction affected the rest of the boys, who were now sweating buckets as they pushed the wagon.
"R-relax," Lucian stuttered, trying to calm everyone down, including himself, "Just a-act natural."
"Y-you are t-the one who is not relaxed," Jax comnted, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
"I am," Lucian scoffed weakly, "I'm p-perfectly fine."
Tears began to accumulate in Goblin's eyes as he saw the big and scary soldiers, "Are we gonna die?"
"Of course not," Lucian said, taking the slave contract out of his bag and walking up ahead to et the soldiers 'Help , Voice. I think my heart wants to jump out of my chest and commit suicide.'
'Idiot. Who was the one who wanted to see her so badly he probably manifested her?' The Voice was unrciful in its facts.
'THIS IS NOT THE TI TO PLAY WITH , VOICE! I AM GOING TO DIE IF SHE IS HERE!'
Lucian gave the guards a crooked smile.
"Greetings, honorable gentlen. I would like to pass through," he said, handing the guard the docunts, "Commandant Grim from the slave camp approved my request for the purchase of these slaves, and told to send his regards to you."
Without a noble house to tie Lucian down and free of expectations (his weak constitution), Lucian exploited his position to the maximum by becoming a neutral party that could trade in both countries.
The guard took the papers and looked over them carefully. They couldn't ignore the seal of their superior. Knowing that Commander Grim might have sothing to do with Lucian's trade made them hesitate to postpone it like before.
The change in attitude in the soldiers was obvious as they checked the identity of the four boys and Lucian's wagon.
"Everything seems to be in order. Five hundred silver for the toll," one of the southerners said.
"Thank you for your service," Lucian said, bowing slightly before handing over the coins.
───────────────────────────
As Lucian's group passed through the bridge, the soldiers guarding the borders to the Diamante kingdom didn't hide their surprise.
"Hey there. How are you doing?" one of them asked, greeting Lucian, "You managed to pass faster than usual."
"Good, good," Lucian replied. The guards here knew him well, "No trouble, I hope."
"No, not at all," the guard assured him, "Just doing our job, checking the papers and such. You know how it is."
"Of course," Lucian nodded, paying the toll and a bit extra, "Here. Take this as a token of my appreciation for your service."
The soldier grinned, pocketing the coin, "Thank you kindly, young man."
"There are more soldiers than usual," Lucian comnted as they checked his wagon. "Is sothing wrong?"
"Young master Edmund has joined the supply division of the Rochefort military," the soldier said, "He is going to do an inspection on our post and then continue to the army camp."
"..." Lucian froze upon hearing the na. He knew the person, albeit having never t him before.
Edmund Rochefort was the eldest son of the duke and the heir to the dukedom. He was also Celine's twin brother, from what he knew.
Unlike his sister, Edmund was considered a genius. He was blessed with high intelligence, and even the gods seed to favor him.
"Um, is her ladyship Celine with him?" Lucian asked, his heart pounding in his chest.
The guards laughed, "What would a Lady be doing in a military camp? She is probably enjoying tea and pastries in the castle with other ladies."
Lucian laughed nervously, "Yes, of course. What else could she be doing? Haha."
After checking his wagons, they let him through.
'Curiosity killed the cat,' the voice said.
'...' Lucian tried to shake away his ideas.
'Don't do it.'
'I won't,' Lucian quickly denied the temptation.
He quickly ordered his team to get the horse ready and leave the place. The faster they left, the better.
But it was too late. The cloaked person from the watchtower appeared on their horse.
"Young Master Edmund!" The captain said, saluting with a fist over his heart as the young master rode past.
The young man in question didn't dismount his horse, only raising a hand in acknowledgnt, "At ease, Captain. I'm just here to inspect the border before moving to the camp."
He turned to Lucian's wagons parked by the side of the road. The cloak covering the head slipped a bit, revealing a familiar face.
User Comments
0 comments from readers