The third morning of their journey began with a sky covered in pale grey clouds.
The road stretched endlessly before them, winding between fields that had long been harvested and villages that appeared only occasionally in the distance. A cold breeze swept across the open land, carrying dust from the road and rustling the leaves of the trees.
For most travelers, it was an ordinary morning.
For the Emperor's family, however, it was becoming a test of endurance.
They had been walking for three days.
Three entire days.
They rested briefly whenever they found a suitable place, ate simple meals, and slept at night wherever they could find shelter. Sometimes they stayed in inexpensive inns. On other occasions, they rented rooms in farmers' houses or rested beneath the roofs of abandoned roadside shelters.
Their situation was not truly desperate. They still had enough money for food and accommodation, and they were far from starving.
