Amira turned her head gently to look at her grandma who looked back at her.
"Were you waiting for a carriage to take you home?"Mr. Ignotius brushed off the topic when he realised that Lady Serena was not comfortable with the conversation.
"Yes."Both Amira and her grandma nodded their heads simultaneously. A sigh of relief escaped Lady Serena's lips, she was thankful that Mr Ignotius had dropped the topic.
"I think it will take a while before we find one."The old lady said with a small smile on her lips and Amira nodded her head as she agreed to her grandma's words.
"I can drop you at your village on my way to my kingdom if you don't mind."Mr. Ignotius nodded towards the old carriage.
"Thank you, that's kind of you."Lady Serena said and they walked towards the carriage.
"Don't mention it.''A polite smile flashed on Mr. Ignotius's lips.
"I just can't leave the two of you here."He said with a serious face."I'm not that heartless, you know."He joked and both Amira and her grandma laughed in unison, feeling somewhat comfortable as they sat on the chair inside the carriage.
"We're ready Delrico."Mr Ignotius informed the coachman and the carriage pulled off instantly.
There was a haunting silence inside the carriage. Amira looked outside the window as she watched trees pass by blankly. Her mind was miles away from her body as she reflected on the day's activities, and how she almost missed being among the qualified contestants.
Lady Serena and Mr. Ignotius on the other side didn't know how to start a conversation since they hadn't seen each other for decades and many things had happened in each other's absence.
"How have you been?"Mr. Ignotius decided to break the awkward silence.
"I have been fine."Lady Serena said with a smile on her features, pressing her lips into a thin line.
"What about Tiago?"Mr. Ignotius asked with a raised eyebrow and turned his head towards Lady Serena.
The old Lady swallowed hard when she heard his questions. She felt like someone was squeezing her fragile heart into a small ball and it was becoming hard for her to breathe.
"He died thirty years ago."She said with an emotional voice which cracked at the end,she blinked countless times to hold back tears.
"Sorry for asking."Mr Ignotius regretted asking such sensitive questions when he saw the sadness that settled on Lady Serena's features.
Lady Serena, Mr . Ignatius and Amira's grandfather Tiago were childhood best friends who grew up together.
However, a tragedy happened and Lady Serena lost all members of her family. Since she had nothing which could hold her back, she decided to follow the love of her life, who was Tiago.
Lady Serena wanted to forget everything about her past because she was traumatised by the tragedy and the loss of all members of her family was such painful.
Lady Serena belonged to Heaven's kingdom while Tiago belonged to Wylan's kingdom. Tiago used to stay with his uncle from the age of two years in Heaven's kingdom.
When Tiago reached the age of twenty, he decided to go back to his homeland which was Wylan kingdom and become a warrior.
Tiago and Serena decided to go together so that they could begin a new life since they loved each other dearly.
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"It's okay."Lady Serena nodded her head in understanding and an assurance smile crept on her lips.
She didn't want Mr. Ignotius to feel bad for asking, he was just asking out of innocence and Lady Serena understood that he was curious too.
"You don't need to feel bad about it. How would you know that Tiago died thirty years ago if you wouldn't asked?"
Lady Serena asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on her lips. Mr. Ignatius nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm glad that you understood. Please accept my condolences even though it has been long since he died."Mr Ignotius scratched his head awkwardly.
"What about you? Do you have a wife? Some children maybe?"Lady Serena asked, anxiously waiting for his response.
Lady Serena didn't want to talk about her late husband anymore because she missed him terribly. She always gets emotional whenever she thinks about him.
Amira listened to the conversation silently because she didn't have anything to say. All she could do was listen.
"I got married and I have a wife."Mr. Ignotius paused and it was silent in the carriage for a split second.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any children because my wife is unable to give birth."The corner of his lips curved into a small smile and a sigh escaped his lips.
Even though the old man smiled, Lady Serena detected trace of sadness in his voice which was masked by the smile that settled on his face.
Lady Serena could tell that it must be hard for Mr. Ignotius to accept the fact that his wife is unable to give birth because it's every parent's dream to hold a small version of himself/herself in his/her arms.
"Hmmm..."Lady Serena was about to say something but was cut short by Amira.
"We're alighting on the next stage Mr. Ignotius."She informed him.Mr. Ignotius turned his head at lady Serena who nodded her head in confirmation.
"Stop on the next stage Delrico."He informed the coachman who nodded his head in return.
Silence reigned inside the carriage once again. Lady Serena dug his hand inside the black-knitted bag when the carriage stopped, indicating that they had arrived at their destination.
She held two silver coins in her hand as she stretched it towards Mr. Ignotius who shook his head in denial.
"You don't need to pay me."He said with a smile.
"Thank you for your kindness."Lady Serena smiled back at him. Amira watched the two old friends awkwardly.
"We need to get going Serena."He paused and heaved a long sigh."It's better if we arrive in Heaven's kingdom before Twilight."He said as he climbed back in the carriage.
"Have a safe journey."Lady Serena waved at the old man.
"I'll visit you someday when I get a chance, we have a lot to talk about."Mr. Ignotius looked at the surroundings, imprinting the landmarks in his head.
The carriage pulled off after a few minutes. Lady Serena and Amira watched the carriage until it disappeared from their eyesight.
Amira turned her head gently to look at her grandma who seemed to be lost in her world.
"Did he have a crush on you when you were still children?"Lady Serena's mind jolted back to the present when she heard her granddaughter's question.