Kael's hair swayed gently with the rhythm of the moving carriage as he gazed out through the open window.
The scenery outside rolled past in muted colors—fields, roads, distant hills—far removed from the splendor of the capital.
His attire had changed as well.
The ornate royal garments were gone, replaced by the simple uniform of a low-ranking official. Even the carriage itself no longer bore the insignia of royalty. From the outside, it looked no different from that of an ordinary merchant carriage.
The horses, once immaculate white war-bred steeds, had been exchanged for sturdy brown breeds better suited for long travel.
Everything about him now screamed ordinary.
Everything—except his presence.
There was still something unmistakably princely about him, something that could not be hidden by cloth or circumstance.
"Dear, you'll catch a cold."
A melodious woman's voice rang softly inside the carriage, pulling Kael out of his drifting thoughts. He turned toward the sound, and the moment his eyes met her, a single word surfaced in his mind.
'Beautiful.'
She sat there with calm elegance, her expression gentle yet dignified, silver-blue hair cascading over her shoulders. Time seemed reluctant to leave marks upon her.
Kael smiled faintly, though a flicker of nervousness stirred in his already unsettled heart.
"Don't worry, Mother," he said softly. "I'm too strong to catch a cold."
Mara shook her head, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
"No," she said firmly. "Close the window and come here."
Kael could only sigh in defeat.
He shut the window and moved inward.
Though the carriage appeared plain from the outside, its interior was anything but. Spatial enchantments expanded the space within, turning it into something closer to a royal bedchamber than a traveling vehicle. A wide bed, polished furniture, soft lighting, and even a faint fragrance of herbs filled the air.
It felt no different from his room in the capital.
Mara sat on the edge of the bed, calmly slicing apples with practiced ease, placing the pieces neatly onto a small plate.
Kael walked over and sat on the sofa across from her, letting out a quiet sigh.
"I still think you didn't need to come with me, Mother," he said. "What are you planning to do in a place like that?"
His voice carried concern more than complaint.
"Plus…it's dangerous," he muttered, the words tasting bitter on his tongue.
After poring over every scrap of information he could find about his destination, he finally understood the full scope of what the King had done.
The farthest town of the Westward Province—Rose Thorn Town—was no ordinary settlement. It had six small villages under its jurisdiction and even a high-level Tier-0 dungeon nearby, though that alone was not what made the place treacherous.
The real danger lay beyond its borders. The town clung to the edge of the Great Nightbloom Forest, a dark, ancient expanse where the Dark Elves dwelled.
The best assassins on the continent. Silent, deadly, and merciless.
Mara's eyes narrowed as she absorbed his words.
"What would I accomplish by being there?" she asked, her voice trembling with barely restrained anger. "First, your father threw you into harsh military discipline, turning you into a simple-minded soldier. And now…he sends you to a town that borders the Dark Elves, without any protection. Why would he do this? Does he hate you? Does he want you dead?"
Kael exhaled slowly, his jaw tight.
Mara's hands tightened around the apple she had been slicing. Her thoughts spiraled in frustration and fury.
She had already opposed Kael becoming a soldier, but the King had insisted. She had reluctantly agreed, on the condition that he would always remain under the guardianship of trained protectors. And now…that safeguard had been stripped away by the King himself.
Mara shook her head, unable to reconcile the man she knew as her husband—the King—with the one making decisions that risked his own son's life.
As a mother, she could not simply stand by and watch.
No matter how her position was reduced—no matter that she would no longer be addressed as a royal concubine, but merely as the mayor's advisor—Mara chose to go with Kael.
Status meant nothing compared to her son's safety.
Kael listened in silence, then let out a soft, rueful smile.
Even now, he couldn't understand what truly went on in the King's mind—why his father seemed so intent on pushing him from one dangerous place to another. Whether it was punishment, testing, or something far more calculated, Kael had no answer.
But one thing was certain.
He was no longer the Kael of the past.
He was a new Kael—one who would not break so easily.
As his gaze drifted toward his mother, a strange warmth settled in his chest.
He didn't know what to feel about this woman who treated him with such unquestioning care. To her, he was still the same son she had raised, the same Kael she worried over. The changes within him were invisible to her—for now.
And for that…
He felt a quiet sense of relief.
'At least,' Kael thought, 'I don't have to face this alone.'
The road ahead was uncertain, shadowed by danger and politics alike—but with his mother at his side, the weight on his shoulders felt just a little lighter.
Just then, a sharp knock echoed against the carriage door.
Before Kael could speak, a voice sounded from within the carriage itself—clear and steady, carried through a magical speaker array.
"Sir, we are surrounded by bandits. Approximately thirty or more. What course of action should I take?"
It was Jasper's voice.
The man currently seated at the coachman's position.
Despite being encircled, there wasn't the slightest hint of fear or tension in his tone. Only calm professionalism—bordering on confidence.
Kael paused, then smiled faintly.
"Oh? Bandits?" he said casually as he rose from his seat. "Let me take a look first. Who knows—they might just be desperate farmers pretending to be bandits."
"Yes, sir," Jasper replied without hesitation. "Understood."
Mara merely shook her head, unbothered by the sudden development, and continued slicing apples as if nothing unusual had happened.
While outside, weapons were being drawn.
But the bandits had no idea.
They had just stopped a carriage belonging to someone they never should have crossed.
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