A horse-drawn wagon driven by a young man was coming up. Sol asked to give him a ride in exchange for money. He got inside the empty wagon and set off to another village nearby. He took a last look at the Capital.
It took 3 days to get to the capital from Widefield that is, by magic-engined carriage, driving day and night. This carriage was half mechanical and magic and was fairly fast. But the wagon he was now on was animal-driven, and it took 10 or more to get to Sol's village.
That later night Sol stayed at an inn of a village. He would have to take another carriage the next day and continue. However, he learned that in the village called Graha, there were merchants who had magic-engined wagons who would also give rides but were expensive. Plus that village also had a Public guild that Sol wanted to visit to exchange mana stones for money and learn something about it.
It took a day to reach the village he was in. Plus, he was on a different route, not the route the Flaming carriage took to go to the capital.
Sol's room was on the top floor. The room didn't have anything that much, a bed, a lightbulb, and a widow but was clean and looked good.
"10 copper!" said chubby Sol. He looked at the room," it looks clean though - not bad." He locked the door and took off the brown satchel bag and laid it down on the bed. He then went to the window and opened it to looked around.
The village he was staying in was small, surrounded by stone walls. Well built one or two-floor houses made up of both wood and stone.
"I guess no one is following," Sol looked around, "I ordered White and Silver sentinel to pay attention to surrounding and sense if anyone is following but looks like no one is following." He laughed, "I guess I'm not a threat even but still I am the Emperor's illegitimate child - I thought they might want to get rid of me, or am I am overthinking."
Sol lied down on the bed. His fat body covered most of the bed. He was a 5.5ft tall chubby boy with a backcombed blond hair, red eyes, fat cheek, big round stomach; wearing somewhat decent clothes: a low-quality half blue shirt, black pants, and shoes.
Sol thought, "still, I need to be careful." He called, "White Sentinel."
A big white snake, over 10 meters, with red eyes appeared out of his big stomach. It coiled down on the floor and rose its head up to Sol.
Sol ordered, "Guard me and tell me if someone is around."
White Sentinel could sense presence up to 13 to 15 meters.
"Thanks," Sol said. He thought, "I should go home as soon as I can. Mom and Dad must be worried." He said Goodnight and closed his eyes. The White Sentinel also coiled around and closed its eyes, keeping guard.
Meanwhile at the Widefield, back in Sol's home, his parents were dining. There was one empty chair beside a small dining table.
They were Sol's parents who had adopted when he had escaped the assassination. They found him in the middle of the road.
They were already at forty when they found Sol. And now they were over 50 while Sol was 13.
The father was Aston Fojer; brown hair. tall and thin. The mother was Elena Fojer; long brown hair, tall and thin. They were farmers.
The atmosphere was sad and lonely. It had been already been 6 days since Marcus took their son to the capital on the order of Duke Aron.
They ate their dinner slowly in silence. They looked okay but inside they were worried.
The mother spoke, "I wonder if my child had eaten." Whenever they had dinner she would always say that she was worried.
The father replied, "He might already have and asleep by now." He smiled. There were wrinkles on his face. He said, "He is a smart kid - brave and strong. He will manage it somehow."
"You may be right!" the mother smiled, " It's just like you said worrying will bring nothing. It will just make him worry."
The father replied," That's right. He had complained many times to us regarding us being thin and if we worry too much we will only get thinner than we are. - He will become worried and complain again. So let's not worry and become fat like him and surprise him when he comes back."
The mother laughed, "Okay! let's do that." She started to eat more.
The father smiled watching her eat enthusiastically and he also did the same.
Meanwhile, in the Castle of Emperor, in Capital of Ducas, Prince Denis and Princess Sharon were waiting for someone in the Royal living room.
Right at the moment, two people came; a middle-aged bearded man with a blue and golden long cloak and robe, and a young handsome purple hair man with a black shirt and pants.
"Brother Luca," the Prince and Princess got up from the chair. They were overjoyed.
The tall, handsome, and gentle-looking was the first Prince, Luca Ducas. He was a 30-year-old Prince and resembled his father, the emperor.
Luca asked," Were you waiting for me?"
Denis replied, "Yes! Once we heard you were back." The quiet and serious-looking Prince was smiling,
"Welcome back Big Brother," Princess Sharon said softly with a smile, " Welcome back, Sir Velius."
Denis also welcomed the old man in a blue robe and cloak.
The old bearded man replied, "It's good to be back, your Highnesses." He was Velius Storm, a 51-year-old mage with, black beard with few white hairs. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go and take a rest."
"Thank you! Teacher," Luca said.
"Then! I shall take my leave." Velius bowed the Princes and Princess and went.
The Prices and Princess sat down on a chair.
Sharon asked, "How is Uncle doing?"
Denis added, "Yes, King Sakar, King of Cario."
Luca answered," As always, he is fine and busy as a King. Growing old and looking old, being jealous of father for looking young."
Sharon and Denis laughed at Luca's answer.
Sakar was a younger brother of Emperor Ducas IX. He was three years younger than Ducas, 45 years old. He was the King of Cario, a country handed by Emperor Ducas.
Denis asked," What about the Queen and the Princesses?"
"They are well. The Princesses have grown to become more beautiful," Luca said, "They are really talented too, especially in sword magic. You can say that they are Magic Swords Woman."
"Magic Swords Woman? Really?" Sharon was surprised, "I should learn that too."
They conversed, then Sharon talked about what happened in the day, regarding Sol that made Luca surprised.
"An illegitimate child, Sol. - Hmm," Luca said while thinking seriously.
Denis and Sharon told Luca everything, how Aron claimed Sol was their father's son, proving he was a real son, how Ducas did not care who was he.
Luca listened carefully to all of it.
Luca said," It seems something interesting happens while I was gone."
Sharon disagreed," No, it wasn't. Not one bit. Thank god, father didn't accept him."
Denis asked Sharon," You thought father would take him in."
"Yeah!," Sharon hesitated, "You know how kind father is and if it's a problem he caused then how would he solve it in a better way."
The serious Prince shouted, " No! he wouldn't have. He doesn't have to."
Luca said, "It's doesn't matter now. It's already over. Father did take him in. Let's not discuss it. Especially about the cursed boy."
Denis and Sharon got quiet, agreeing with Luca.
Luca said, "Father may be kind but he also knows when to be strict and ... cruel. You know that too, don't you."
Sharon and Denis nodded.
Luca continued, "That child is a cursed child. I'm sure father wouldn't consider that boy as his son, prince of this Empire. How would people react when they know that such cursed child is a Prince of such great Empire."
Sharon and Denis listened to Luca.
Luca, with a serious look, said," if it were me I would have imprisoned him forever far away from here, that cursed child and bringing shame to our family by being born. I would make sure that such shame didn't exist." Luca calmed down and smiled, " What father did was right too? Even people knew who that child was they wouldn't believe it."
Sharon agreed, "You are right brother, people wouldn't believe it either."
Denis softly said, "they would call him crazy."
"That's right," Luca said," The Emperor is loved by people, they would never think that the emperor could have such trash as his son. The people will think of it as a conspiracy of nobles. After all, he is loved by people and hated by nobles."
"Brother is right," Denis and Sharon agreed.
Ducas was a crown prince who was exceptionally talented in magic, along with his younger brother, Sakar. Before Ducas was crowned his name was Joshua. At the age of 17, he got married to a 16-year-old noble daughter, Risa. After their marriage, he accompanied his father, Miraj, the late emperor, on his conquest to expand the empire. Ducas was a powerful mage. When he was 18, his wife at 17 gave birth to their first child, the first prince, Luca Ducas. At 19 his father died in battle and he has crowned the emperor. Then he changed his name to Ducas IX, a naming tradition which the Ducas Family has given up for a long time.
At 20 he continued to expand the empire with the help of Dukes and nobles. The Ducas Empire was a small empire at the beginning but by the time when he was 23, Ducas had made it a big and powerful empire. He had fulfilled the wish of the late emperor, his father. After that, the only thing he wanted was to rule in peace.
However, after the expansion, internal problems arose. The problems were nobles and dukes who had become greedy, selfish, drunk on wealth and power. They hadn't managed their territory well compared to the capital the emperor was.
Ducas felt weak and disgusted when he himself despised weak. He was the emperor, yet, he couldn't properly control Dukes and the nobles. Whenever there was a problem he took care of it immediately. But this problem went on for more than years. He felt weak. He then decided to solve this problem by himself. He kept those who were loyal and ruled wisely, those who fulfilled their role, and ripped other nobles and dukes who were drunk on titles, power, and wealth. If words weren't enough, he would kill them branding them as traitors to the empire. He disposed of those who tried to go against him. He showed no mercy, he displayed power and supremacy.
Ducas was fearless and merciless. He did not care who was his enemy, how others viewed him. He was satisfied as long as there were some capable people beside him, capable of fulfilling their given role. He was doing his best to be a true and wise emperor, for himself and his people. He appointed new dukes and nobles, it didn't matter who they were, their background if they were capable he gave them a chance. Old nobles complied due to fear as he was strict and ruthless. The people were happy while many nobles hated him secretly. People called this period "Cleaning the Empire."
Emperor Ducas IX was loved by people and hated by nobles.
During this period, when he was 34, they had Princess Sharon and at age 36, Prince Denis. Emperor Ducas had already stopped growing for many years. He looked young as he looked in his twenties. This surprised many. Some wondered how he did that, while some believed and considered him as a true emperor that would rule truly for many generations.
Luca smiled, "Our father doesn't care about it and we should do the same."
Then they started talking about other things. But inside Lucas was thinking seriously," If it's wasn't Duke Aron who had brought that child then, there would have been a high possibility father would have taken in that child. Duke Aron ... How did he find that child?"