Shane's eyes hardened, his jaw clenched. Anger flashed across his face, and his voice, low, trembling with tightly-controlled fury, filled the area. "I am very displeased by your act, daughter. And you, Alex, you should have controlled it. Had it not been you, Ariana would have controlled herself." The air pressed down on everyone's shoulders.
They had never seen their father this angry before. His rage seemed to intensify as time passed. The silence after Shane had reprimanded them stretched on forever. Thick and suffocating. Occasionally, someone broke it with a nervous, shallow breath. He had not forgiven them. This stung deeply. The children's fists clenched so tight their knuckles whitened. Their eyes screwed shut. They trembled with guilt, fear, and shame at their actions.
Sera released her tense posture, stepping forward with a sudden, loud laugh. She turned to address the children directly, her grin lightening the mood. "Children, lift your heads. Your father is only teasing," she announced, keeping her tone playful.
She glanced sideways at Shane and continued in the same playful tone, "To be honest, when I first met him, he used to feel sick after teleporting too, but he learned to control it in time. Don't worry—soon you'll get used to it."
Shane's face flushed with embarrassment as Sera revealed his secret to the children. He glanced quickly at Sera with a look that asked, 'Why did you reveal that to them?' After a moment, Shane sighed, deciding it was better for the children to know that even adults struggled with such problems.
They all lifted their heads at the same time and looked at Shane, their eyes bright and expectant, like children who had found a new toy.
Shane quickly stepped back from his children, distancing himself from them; he recognised those looks that only meant more questions, which, in turn, would reveal his old secrets and further increase his embarrassment.
He approached Lucy and asked,"Did you find a good inn to change our clothes?"
The guard captain of the teleportation guard approached him and bowed to him before lifting his head.
Before Lucy could answer, the guard captain, having overheard their conversation, stepped forward. "Lord, the city's best inn is in the centre, beside the clocktower. You can find it there," he said smoothly, pointing his hand towards a big clock tower that was visible from there and stepped back.
Shane nodded and looked at Lucy to confirm
Lucy confirmed, "Yes, your grace, we have confirmed it, and it's just a 5-minute distance away from here."
- - -
They travelled on foot, leaving the carriage behind to be cleaned up by the knights.
As they walked the uneven streets of Sheron city, Alex noticed peeling paint on the doors and windows, and buildings were filled with cracks.
Shopkeepers brimmed with smiles, hawking goods to passersby with forced cheer. Still, most shops remained empty. Their windows were clouded with dust.
Houses were old, sagging under the weight of time. The path was rough. Uneven cobblestones, weeds sprouting from the gaps.
The people of Sheron moved aside as they passed by. Most avoided eye contact entirely, keeping their gaze fixed on the ground or elsewhere. No one bowed, but there was a silent unease in them as they would instinctively take a different path, as if afraid to bump into them or disturb them.
Alex looked to the side. His sister had clutched his arm, not letting go at all. He sighed, seeing his fierce sister being wary of the environment.
He was not cautious; rather, his eyes gleamed with curiosity as he looked at things he had only seen in pictures or read about in books.
He saw one group of people, different from the rest, stepping aside for them. One held a shield, another gripped a wand, and the last levelled a long spear. They wore metal armour that gleamed in the sunlight. Their eyes showed fear and a hint of hate as they averted their gaze. Their looks were not special; their features were average.
As they passed, Alex saw no one who stood out from the ordinary. All wore simple clothes. Occasionally, he would glimpse at someone who was so slim that he felt they had not eaten in a week or perhaps a month. No nobles appeared in sight. Nobles were easy to identify; their clothes set them apart. Though he had heard from Ariana that some nobles chose a simple life, wore ordinary clothes and helped others with their saved wealth. That idea inspired him. He wished to help others, too.
They finally arrived at the inn, a three-storey building of weathered stone. A huge board hovered above the entrance, reading 'Sheron Inn'. At the entrance, people bustled, coming and going. Some faces were flushed from drinking alcohol, others pale with exhaustion. Some wore armoured and strode purposefully past. Most nearby stores were closed and shut, their windows covered with dirt, suggesting they had been closed for a long time. On one building, a scratched-up board hung crookedly; Alex could only make out the last word 'inn', the rest was damaged.
Sera glanced towards her children. Her eyes softened as she saw Ariana let go of Alex's hand. Ariana, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, darted her gaze away, trying to hide her embarrassment. It was her brother who was coming outside for the first time, and she was acting like she had entered the outside world for the first time.
With a light, warm laugh, Sera cut through the tension and gently reached out to reassure her daughter. "We have arrived here. We will only stay here for a few minutes. Be quick, alright?" She could feel there was tension and fear in her daughter, likely from seeing a city and people who avoided them with hatred and wariness.
Both the children nodded, and Sera smiled brightly.
Knight Commander Lucy had accompanied them. Her armour was gleaming in the bright daylight. She entered the inn first, confirmed that everything was in order, and booked the rooms, then exited. Keys in hand, she reached outside and handed out the keys to her lord, Shane. She stayed back to be stationed for any emergency.
One by one, they entered. Shane moved first, and others followed suit. When Alex stepped in, he squinted his eyes trying to adjust to the dim light. "I can't see anything," he muttered, his voice edged with frustration and unease. The inside of the inn hall was so dark that the small mana lamp barely gave way to any light as it flickered weakly, offering little to no light.
Suddenly, Ariana screamed and, with force, clutched onto Alex's hand so tightly her nails left marks. She cried out, "It's too dark!" Her voice cracked with fear.
The atmosphere inside the inn shifted instantly. The air grew thick with resentment as the newcomers entered. People bent over battered tables, their mouths filled with food. They looked at them with wary eyes. Beer mugs were gripped in tense hands. Instantly, murmurs rose.
Alex's eyes adjusted, and he finally saw that their eyes were filled with open distrust and irritation at them. Most people gave them a disapproving look, except for the few who wore somewhat lavish clothes.
One bulky man, his face ruddy and scarred, chugged his beer and slammed the mug down with a heavy thud. He scowled at the newcomers. His eyes narrowed in thinly veiled contempt. "Tsk, nobles," he muttered. The word was thick with venom.
Beside him, a lean man with sharp features, who wore a pair of glasses, adjusted his glasses and, with an air of annoyance, complained, "Can't they teach her not to scream?" his voice dripped with sarcasm and hate. He added, "Looks like nobles are no different from commoners these days."
The bulky man nodded. His lips curled in bitterness. "They don't do much. They just enjoy the wealth and loot their citizens," he grumbled. He stared down into his mug and chugged furiously, letting some drop over his face and body. He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head with resignation. "Tsk. How could they be so fortunate? We are barely scraping by," he finished. His voice was thick with envy and a trace of anger.
- - -
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