Paulina, Serel, Kieth, and Raphenia sat in the carriage, the tension palpable. Kieth sat in silence, glancing occasionally at Paulina, who was glaring daggers at him.
"Yeah... sorry," Kieth muttered under his breath, barely audible.
"You better be," Paulina snapped, her glare intensifying as if it could pierce his soul.
Serel and Raphenia exchanged nervous glances, watching the exchange. Finally, Kieth cleared his throat and tried to explain. "Well, I mean, she did want to see the ki—"
Paulina cut him off, jabbing her finger at his forehead repeatedly. "You obviously convinced her using her only weakness! How low can you go? And don't think I've forgotten—" she pointed accusingly, "—you still didn't take the treatment for your wounds! They were healing just fine!"
"Yeah... sorry," Kieth repeated meekly, shrinking under her wrath.
Serel raised her hands and said softly, "Don't shout..."
Paulina turned sharply to her, her tone sharp but calm. "Serel, don't speak right now."
Serel froze and sat quietly, folding her hands in her lap.
How...? Kieth thought, baffled. She even shut Serel up? Desperate, he turned to Raphenia for help, silently pleading. But the queen avoided his gaze, pretending to look out the window as though entirely unaware of the situation.
"Well," Paulina huffed, pulling out a small jar, "I did bring the boilspheres. Consider yourself lucky I care." She held it up with a pointed glare.
Kieth paled slightly. "That stuff burns!"
"It's supposed to," she shot back without missing a beat.
Outside, the driver and the soldiers could hear the commotion clearly. Mart, one of the guards, chuckled and leaned toward his companion. "She sounds like a mother," he said, grinning.
"No," the captain said grimly, shaking his head. "No, she doesn't."
"What?" Mart turned to him, confused. "Then what does she sound like to you?"
The captain looked up thoughtfully, a pained expression crossing his face. "She sounds like a wife... my wife. She yells at me like that all the time."
Mart snickered while Julius, another guard, chimed in, "Oh yeah, I remember when your wife came to scold you about your mother-in-law. That was priceless."
"Yep," another guard added with a laugh, "and she didn't even let him get a word in!"
The captain flushed slightly and barked, "Silence!"
The group fell quiet, though their suppressed laughter lingered in the air. The captain glared at them. "You fools will understand once you're married. Not even the king argues against the queen's decision, and do you know why?"
"Because the queen doesn't nag him?" Julius quipped.
"Oh, you bet she does," the captain retorted. "It's in their nature."
Mart laughed awkwardly and glanced at the carriage, imagining Kieth's predicament. "Poor kid," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head with a grin.
---
Night had fallen, but the journey pressed on. Inside the carriage, Serel had been forced to sleep, her protests ignored. Raphenia stayed awake, staring out the window. Paulina was still scolding Kieth, her words sharp and relentless, while Kieth looked utterly drained.
Finally, Kieth rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a page and pencil he had taken from Zuniver's place. He turned to Raphenia. "Hey, Raphenia."
She looked over curiously. "Yes?"
"C'mon, let's practice," he said, holding up the paper.
Raphenia smiled warmly, her earlier nerves dissipating. "Alright."
Kieth sighed in relief as she agreed, stealing a quick glance at Paulina. She still seemed irritated but didn't object, much to his relief. Alright, let's stretch this out as long as possible, he thought.
As the carriage swayed gently, Kieth leaned closer to Raphenia, guiding her. "Alright, to start, we use simple shapes. See? A circle works for joints like elbows and knees. Then you connect them with lines for the arms and legs. Try it."
Raphenia nodded, her brow furrowing in concentration as she sketched. "Like this?" she asked, holding up her work.
"Almost," Kieth said patiently. "Just adjust the angle here." He added a quick correction.
Raphenia tried again, her strokes more confident this time. Meanwhile, Paulina sat quietly, watching them with a softened expression, though she wouldn't admit it.
Kieth's explanations filled the carriage, his tone calm and steady as he continued to guide Raphenia. For the first time all day, the tension eased, and the carriage settled into a peaceful rhythm as they journeyed through the night.
Serel stirred slightly, opening her eyes just a crack. "What are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily.
Paulina noticed her waking and immediately moved closer. Gently placing Serel's head in her lap, she stroked her hair soothingly. "You just focus on your sleep, Serel," she said softly.
Kieth glanced at them, a small smile tugging at his lips. The tender moment warmed him as he turned to Raphenia. "Why don't you try drawing me?" he suggested. "I mean, just give it a shot."
Raphenia hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Alright."
She began sketching, her gaze shifting back and forth between Kieth and the page. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she carefully worked, taking what felt like an eternity. Finally, she looked up, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Here," she said, holding out the drawing.
Kieth leaned over to look, and Paulina couldn't resist peeking as well.
Paulina smirked, her tone teasing. "Looks just like you."
"Oh, please," Kieth retorted with a playful roll of his eyes. But as he studied the sketch, his expression softened. "Actually... thinking about it, Veliern might really like it if you gave it to him. Either way, you've improved a lot."
Raphenia smiled shyly at the praise, her confidence growing just a little.
Kieth gazed at the moonlight streaming into the carriage. "Hey, how long does it take to reach Thelaria anyway?" he asked.
Paulina replied without missing a beat, "Two days. But don't worry, we'll be reaching Brynn's Locomotive soon."
"Brynn's Locomotives? What's that?" Kieth tilted his head.
Paulina looked at him, surprised. "You don't know? It's famous among both nobles and commoners! It's incredibly affordable, and his mechanical horses, fueled by magic, make travel so much faster. Though those horses are a bit outdated now. Recently, Brynn introduced the Continent Serpent, which can carry hundreds of thousands of people daily. His inventions are advancing the world bit by bit."
Kieth raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. "You sure sound excited about it."
"Of course I am!" Paulina exclaimed. "It's revolutionary. No one could have imagined something like it. The serpent can travel across kingdoms using tracks!"
"Tracks?" Kieth echoed, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes! A journey that used to take days now only takes hours."
"That's... cool," Kieth murmured. Internally, he thought, This sounds suspiciously like a train. Tracks, faster travel, and even a serpent theme... I need to see this.
---
A few hours later, Kieth stood in front of Brynn's Locomotives with the group. His eyes widened in shock.
"It's a train station... IT'S A GODDAMN TRAIN STATION!" His voice echoed as he stared at the sign: Brynn's Locomotives.
"Totally unoriginal! The design is the same. Everything is literally the same," Kieth muttered, trying not to let his nerves fray.
Two men in uniforms approached them, bowing deeply. "Please follow us, Your Majesty. We will escort you to your personalized Continent Serpent."
Raphenia's demeanor shifted, her voice suddenly formal and commanding. "Lead the way," she said, exuding the authority of a noble queen.
As they walked in, Mart sidled up next to Kieth, whispering, "Hey, this is really cool, isn't it?"
"No. No, it's not," Kieth replied flatly. "It's something I used to see every day."
Mart gestured to a poster on the wall—a man with a wide grin, a sleek suit, and a black mustache flashed a peace sign. "Look at that suit! Apparently, Brynn started the trend, and now it's all the rage."
Kieth felt a vein pop. "That's just an average salaryman's suit!" he thought, glaring at Brynn's smug face on the poster. "This guy really plagiarized an entire industry and slapped his name on it!"
---
Once inside the train, the group split. Raphenia and Paulina entered the royal carriage, while Kieth stayed with the guards and Serel. The interior of the train felt painfully ordinary to Kieth, with cushioned seats and a layout eerily reminiscent of trains from Earth.
Serel, however, seemed fascinated. She tugged at a guard's beard with all her might, her small hands relentless. The man laughed, not bothered in the least.
"Hey, Serel, stop that!" Kieth said, concerned. "You'll rip his beard out!"
The guard chuckled. "Oh, it's fine. I don't mind."
Kieth smirked mischievously. "Then let me try it too." He reached for the guard's beard, making the group burst into laughter.
"Yeah... no need for that!" the guard said, pulling back quickly.
"Why not?" Kieth teased, leaning closer.
"Well, she can't do much damage, but you'll rip my jaw clean off!"
Mart, laughing, lifted Serel into his arms to distract her. She looked up at him innocently and asked, "Why don't Mart and Papa have hairy bushes?"
Kieth choked on his spit, his face turning red. "Serel! That's called a beard!" he corrected, he realized no one else seemed fazed.
As he leaned back, Kieth sighed. This is a literal train. Brynn is definitely from Earth. He just copy-pasted everything and slapped his logo on it. It's driving me insane.
The journey went on for a long time, with the rhythmic sounds of the train filling the air. After about an hour and a half, a conductor arrived, announcing, "We will reach Thelaria in 30 minutes."
Kieth leaned back, his mind swirling with thoughts about Thelaria. Aldric had originally planned a revolution there... What about the village? What could have changed since then? He sighed, staring out the window at the passing landscapes.
"Raphenia's home... and there's a festival, huh?" Kieth muttered to himself. He wasn't sure how he felt about it all. His thoughts shifted to the way the Thelarians were said to speak. Would it be Old English or something similar? The idea made him smirk faintly. I don't really think I'll like Thelaria...
As the train neared its destination, the cityscape of Thelaria came into view, with Thornan, the capital, shining like a beacon. Its towering spires and intricate bridges glimmered under the sunlight, a marvel of artistry and architecture. The sight was undeniably breathtaking, even to Kieth, who had seen his fair share of wonders on earth.
The train slowed as it approached the grand station marked "Thornan." While Kieth admired the view, his thoughts were interrupted by the conductor's voice, "Reaching the capital in five minutes." He exhaled deeply, his mind still preoccupied with everything that awaited him in Thelaria.
As Kieth stepped off the train, the atmosphere hit him like a wave. The bustling energy of the capital was palpable, the station alive with movement and chatter. People in finely tailored suits hurried past, their polished shoes clacking against the marble floors. Vendors lined the edges of the platform, selling everything from newspapers to fragrant snacks.
Kieth's gaze swept across the scene as he took a deep breath, the air carrying a mix of perfume, coal, and the distant scent of fresh flowers. He stepped forward, his boots clicking on the polished tiles as he looked beyond the station to the city outside.
The view was spectacular. Cobblestone streets spread out in all directions, lined with elegant lamp posts and trees pruned to perfection. Grand carriages, both traditional and magically powered, weaved through the crowded streets alongside pedestrians and mechanical automata carrying parcels. Buildings soared high, their architecture a blend of intricate old-world stonework and sleek, innovative designs powered by glowing conduits.
Well... let's see how this goes, Kieth thought to himself. His thoughts, however, remained cautious. This wasn't just any city—it was Thornan, the heart of Thelaria. He couldn't afford to be careless here, especially knowing here could be his ticket home.
Behind him, the queen's personal carriage was being prepared for their departure into the heart of the city. Paulina stepped beside him, holding Serel's hand as the child's wide eyes took in the sights. "Quite the place, isn't it?" she said, glancing at Kieth.
"Yeah," he replied, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed a group of guards patrolling the area. "It's... something."
Raphenia exited moments later, her demeanor shifting into one of royal poise. The crowd seemed to notice her immediately, whispers and bows rippling through those who recognized the queen.
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