A crow cawed sharply as the carriage rolled through the forest path. Its cry echoed against the thick trees, their branches heavy with fog and shadow. The carriage's white and gold paint gleamed like misplaced sunlight amid the gloom, each wheel crack crunching against the gravel path as if to challenge the forest's silence.
Inside, the mood wasn't much brighter.
"I should reintroduce myself," Eldric said with a grin that looked too forced to be genuine. "Eldric von Blain. A scholar, traveler, and humble seeker of knowledge. I've ventured far and wide for the sake of discovery."
"Blain?" Aithur's brow lifted. His tone carried mild suspicion, like someone casually interrogating a thief who'd just introduced himself as a merchant. "Never heard of such a noble house."
Eldric chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, that would be because I hail from another empire. My family name wouldn't be known here."
