Stella kept trying to talk to him, but Charlotte stayed quiet and focused on training. She gave up after trying as they quietly rode to the capital. Slowly, the castle walls came into view; they were bigger than any house in his town. They were stopped by the guards at the entrance, and one of them checked the carriage; the other looked at Charlotte and made them a bit worried he was going to try and fight him.
"Who's blood is that on your chest?"
The guard moved his hand and rested his palm against the hilt of his sword. He could hear the guard behind the carriage get closer and move to his right side.
"We got attacked by bandits; they died further up the road. We don't have the space to bring them with us. Do you want us to wait while you check?"
The guard looked at Stella and shook his head; he grabbed the waterskin hanging from his side and handed it over to Charlotte.
"I trust you, but you should have washed the blood; scaring the people isn't a good choice."
Charlotte looked at his chest plate and used some of the water to wash the blood off; when he went to return it, the guard gestured to his cheek.
Stella poured some waterskin on his cheek and cleaned it for him before handing it back; Charlotte just nodded and looked back down onto the ground.
"What's wrong with him?"
The guard took the waterskin and looked at Stella with concern.
"He...it's his first time killing someone."
Charlotte flinched and nervously tapped his foot. The guard looked at him with pity and shook his head.
"It will pass, kid; you did what you had to."
"I'm not a kid."
Charlotte glared at the guard; before the guard could respond, the other guard returned to the front and spoke up.
"Everything looks good; go ahead and go in."
Stella nodded and moved the carriage inside. He felt terrible for being so rude, but he didn't have the patience to play nice right now.
The homes in the castle were different from those in his town; they were made out of stone. The road underneath them was also made of stone, making the drive much nicer. The people were also wearing a lot nicer clothes than he had seen. Most of the clothes they had were a lot neater than his. He looked like he was wearing rags, which made him and Stella stand out, especially with the armor.
They occasionally got stares from the people around them; he had to admit he was staring at them, too. The clothes they wore looked comfortable and nicer. He was envious momentarily before turning away as the two went deeper into the capital. The further they went, the more extravagant and bigger the houses became, and the further away they got from each other. Unlike the other houses, these had gardens, and people worked outside to keep them tidy.
The roads all seemed to lead to what looked like a stronghold at the center; it had walls built on the outside. The roads circled it, and only one led deeper into it. He was worried they would go inside, but eventually, they turned a corner and stopped in front of a gate. A man in the suit looked at Stella and gave a simple nod as he turned to Charlotte and looked him up and down.
"Who is this gentleman you bring into the estate, Ms. Stella?"
The man looked quite old; he had pure white hair and a beard. Yet something didn't feel right about him; his gaze didn't give the impression of a brittle older man. His gaze made chills course through his body, and Charlotte fought the urge to ready himself for battle.
"This is Charlotte; he was some help I hired, and his payment was a simple ride to the capital. Bandits attacked us just outside the capital, so I made the right choice."
"Oh, that is quite unfortunate. It happened to you, Stella. Please come in; I'll prepare some drinks and snacks while you set stuff down."
He opened the gate to let them in, walking off into the house while Stella took the carriage inside and went around to the back mansion.
"You don't gotta help me. I can unload all this alone; you have to wait a few days before that school starts, though."
Stella got off and went to work on unloading. Charlotte picked up the bloody gauntlet on the floor of the carriage and tied it onto his belt with the other as he jumped off the carriage to help. He didn't need to, but it felt rude to leave her to do it alone, especially after everything.
He spread his Chi through his body and got to work on unloading the wood from the back, placing it in a neat pile.
"Thank you. You should stay and try some snacks and drinks Zac prepares; he never fails to impress."
He smiled and nodded; by the time Zac returned, Charlotte was finishing unloading the last few pieces of wood in the carriage. Zac placed the drinks and snacks onto a table nearby as he sat; his gaze seemed locked onto Charlotte.
"Something wrong?"
Stella asked as she walked over to sit down across from him. He shook his head while Charlotte sat next to Stella.
"I'm just surprised to see a...I say this with utmost respect, a commoner from so far with such strength."
How he said strength made it evident that he meant something else; it wasn't difficult for Charlotte to understand he was talking about Chi. However, Stella took it at face value and laughed a bit. He did notice she flinched slightly at hearing the word "commoner," which was insulting, not that he cared.
"I was surprised, too; he is quite powerful and fast. He impressed me, so I let him join me for the trip. You should have seen him at night when he trained; it was like watching a wild dance."
Zac would nod as he poured some tea for the three of them; he had a small and friendly smile. His gaze still focused on Charlotte, which made him worried.
"What I find more surprising is seeing those gauntlets and chest plate. If I'm not mistaken, that symbol belongs to the blacksmith known as Solace."
Charlotte flinched and looked at Zac with surprise, then wariness.
"Who's that?"
The smile on Zac's face never wavered, but he did seem more on guard.
"He was a famous blacksmith decades ago; he was someone of status and power, often crafting weapons for some...powerful people. I'm surprised to see his work here, though."
The insinuating was obvious: he was calling Charlotte a thief. While that was a scathing remark, Charlotte hid his anger behind a calm demeanor.
"Really? But that doesn't make sense... Solace sounds like a last name."
"It is a last name; my father was a very formal man. He didn't like having people call him his first name. This isn't his work either; I made this...Since he was my dad, I decided to use his insignia for my work. As is my right."
Zac's demeanor wavered slightly, but he quickly recovered and bowed.
"I see. I apologize for my previous statement. It makes perfect sense why someone like you is walking this path."
Stella looked at the two and coughed as she tried to ease the tension. Zac turned to her while Charlotte drank some tea and stayed quiet as he looked at the garden.
"Is the master of the house not around? I hoped to say "hi" before I left."
"Of course, I'll go get him. He would be very pleased to meet you and the last kin of the Solace family."
He got up and walked away, as the two were left alone. Stella was anxious to ask questions, but she stayed quiet as she ate some of the cookies left on a plate for them and drank tea.
He couldn't catch a break; his head felt like it would explode.