Chapter 164: Our Future

Weak edits for my few functioning brain cells

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Chapter 164:

Our Future

The days following the incident in the Yursinean capital were less than quiet, filled with the conversations of the Yursinean people and the nobles still present in the kingdom. The large loss of the loyalist was a large step forward in solidifying Clarence's return to his position as King, but public opinion was still varied on the future.

'The palace's destruction and rebirth… What King Godfreed's new position means for the Yursinean people…'

'King Godfreed's new plan to save the Yursear Kingdom-'

Wearing long, draping hoods, using the power of the mana stones to shift their appearances, the beloved pair stood to the side of the busy street, speaking in low whispers as their voices were drowned out by the sounds of the bustling capital. Not far from them stood a newspaper stand, where a young man was accepting coins and passing out papers as quickly as he could move them, a flurry of flesh and paper mixing. Their expressions were full of curiosity and laughter as they occasionally looked up to the crowd, watching a majority of citizens displaying positive reactions to the news. 

"Well, it seems the local papers have been back in full force." Clarence said with a trace of sarcasm, holding a stack of local papers in his hand as he stood beside Silas, who analyzed the papers with a laugh. "Look at this one." He passed over a paper with the obnoxious title to Silas, 'What does the reemergence of King Clarence Godfreed tell us about his love life? Where is Queen Charlotte Dupont?' 

"Wow," Staring at the title, laughing lightly, Silas held the paper up and asked, thinking to himself as he spoke quietly, "What about Charlotte? You and her are still considered married, even though you were separated right after the wedding."

Hearing Charlotte's name associated with him, Clarence frowned. "It was all just an act, anyway. We'll dissolve it soon enough and cleanly cut ties. I'm sure it's what Charlotte would want."

Silas stared forward, thinking of his own past marriage with a trace of reminiscence before he said, "If anything, I hope you two can meet one more time and dissolve the marriage on amicable terms. Charlotte's reputation is just as important as yours."

"That's true." Clarence responded mindlessly, the bustle of the space around him swallowing his attention. "I would prefer to end this charade fairly."

So that Silas and I can get married too. Clarence thought with a smile, his gaze falling on Silas with a trace of unhidden love.

The bustling liveliness of the town, the fresh fragrance of baked goods lingering in the air, made Clarence desire such a simple life. When he was still training to be the next king of the kingdom, he could not imagine such a simple life, living like a poor peasant, working for your next meal. But, the more he lingered, surrounded by the voices of strangers living their simple lives, the more he craved it, wishing to take Silas and hide him away with him, foregoing all the duties he had set for him by Eva and her group. Though, the weight of the safety of their families and their current duties was enough to make such a thought a passing dream, a regrettable wish in Clarence's eyes. 

"That's enough information. Come on, it's almost time for our meeting." Silas said, grabbing Clarence's hand in his own as he pulled the royal forward towards the main road.

Passing through the streets deftly, the pair finally laid eyes on their next destination, the local inn, shrouded by a decorative wooden entrance and the scent of food, emanating from the restaurant within. "We're here." Clarence lamented as they entered the inn, lowering their hoods, exposing their faux human appearances as he whispered into Silas's ear, "It would be nice to spend a night or two here, just the two of us-"

"We're on a mission. Use the right head." Hearing such flagrant flirting, Silas could not help but lift his arm to elbow Clarence in the side, the sides of his cheeks tinted red as he walked forward to the innkeeper, his stride confident, but his embarrassment was still obvious to Clarence, who quickly followed behind his darling after nursing the blow for a moment. 

After speaking to the innkeeper, the two received a set of room keys to a room with a large veranda, a space that looked out into the back of the inn, allowing some privacy for any expected guests. In preparation of meeting their informant while on patrol, they had already selected the room well in advance. Now, all that was left was to wait for their guest to arrive to trade information. 

Sitting on the bed with his sword in its sheath, Silas rested his feet, the worn boots on his feet sprinkled with traces of dirt and mud from their trek. The pair had been traveling all day and had a long journey ahead of them to return to the palace. Resting for a moment like this was a luxury they could not afford much in recent times. 

"Once we return to the palace, let's take care of the last of the politics, and then we can take a nice vacation." Silas said absently, staring towards Clarence, who stood to the side with his arms crossed, equally alert and tired from their long travels of the day. "I think we're both tired of all of this anyway."

Hearing Silas's initiative to travel with him made Clarence's heart skip a beat. "Wherever you want to go, we can go." He smiled, "I think… it would be nice to visit your family with you."

"The twins would be excited to see us." Silas laughed, "Having spent so much time with my mom, I'm sure they're anxious to see us all safe. After all this, maybe it's time to see them again…" He trailed off, looking out the window with a trace of somberness. 

Maybe then, I could visit my siblings again too. They would like to meet the twins, I think. Clarence thought, thinking of how their families would react, meeting together like one big reunion. "I think so too."

The sound of the veranda door's glass being repeatedly tapped in rhythm was enough to drag Silas's attention away from Clarence, who had long since sat down next to him. Moving towards the door, Silas stood up only to be greeted by a familiar hooded figure, a purple gem burning around their neck as they pushed open the veranda door to quickly close it behind them. Their eyes, bright and warm, displayed unhidden joy at the sight of Silas safe and sound. 

They were quick to make their appearance known, lowering their hood as they withdrew their mana from the gem, exposing their true appearance. Their long, silver blue hair was enough to confirm Silas's suspicions. 

"By the Gods… is that you, Uncle Mary?" Silas stood up, smiling brightly as he strode over, taking his uncle into a light hug, worried of aggravating his injuries. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Again with that nickname…" Meredith smiled gently, patting Silas's shoulder as he said, "I could say the same for you. I heard what happened." His eyes glanced over to Clarence, who stared at him with a raised brow, the man in front of them. It had been some time since they last met, so much so that Clarence had most likely forgotten who he was. "The loyalists have been making rounds around the area. I had a group follow me this morning on the way to meet our informant. I lost them, but it would be best to make this meeting brief, in case they find us."

Silas nodded his head. "Of course. "

"The roads surrounding the capital are busier than I've seen before. There has been a lot of positive information regarding Clarence." Meredith mentioned, directing his gaze to Clarence. "Fortunately, what damage Malcolm did has not caused any lasting damage-" 

"Have you heard anything about Malcolm?" Clarence spoke, directing his gaze towards Meredith. 

Knowing the conversation would take a moment, Meredith lowered himself onto the wooden stool, letting out a small sigh as he sat down, "From what our informants have said, there is a high chance he was behind the attack the day of your announcement, Clarence."

"I thought he might've been behind it. Those imperialist morons won't let go that easily." Clarence shook his head, his words carrying his irritation with it. "Do you have any idea where he might be hiding?"

"There's a high likelihood that he is hiding near the capital, in one of his supporters' villas. All noble properties were searched after the palace takeover, but there is a chance he's come out of hiding to try to destroy Clarence's foothold in the kingdom one more time. If he fails again, he'll most likely lose the support of those following him." Clarence and Silas exchanged glances, a trace of hope lingering as Meredith continued, "His takeover was largely unfavorable as it was."

Clarence sighed, "At least I've been able to win back the favor of the public."

"Most of the public." Silas added cheekily. 

"On that note," Meredith's hands rested on the table, holding down a small piece of parchment in his hand. "I received a letter from Countess Zavior. Princess Charlotte and her entourage will be making a detour to the palace to meet with Eva and to discuss your current marriage. They should be arriving in a week's time if they leave." 

Silas's eyes widened, speaking up as he interrupted Meredith, looking over the parchment in his hands. "Is it safe enough to bring them here? What if something happens to them on their journey?" 

"It's alright. The rest of Jasmine's group will be meeting them halfway to ensure their safety." Meredith responded confidently, "I have no doubt they will be safe. Bandits will be the least of their worries."

The conversation fell quiet for only a moment before a sound outside alerted the group. "Wait, I think I heard something." Silas abruptly stood, lifting his hand to stop Clarence as he listened closer, pulling his mana to his ears as he stepped towards the window. The sounds of hurried footsteps downstairs in the lobby caught the trio's attention, pulling them out of the conversation at hand. "Intruders… they look like mercenaries."

"Damn, they're persistent… I lost their trail the last few miles, but it looks like they found me again…" Meredith muttered a curse, quickly lifting himself from the stool. "You two will need to distract them for a moment-" Meredith said, adjusting the hood of his cloak as he used the power of the gem to transform his appearance back to that of a human. "I can use the window here." His words were cut short as he quickly moved to the side of the window towards the veranda. 

"They're entering the lobby!" Down in the front of the inn, a group of mercenaries stood grouped together, their weapons drawn as they stormed the front of the inn, startling guests as screams rang out from the floor below. Throwing open the window, Meredith looked past the veranda, shaking his head with a bitter frown. "Dammit!"

The three had no time to freeze. Instead, Clarence fell into action, directing the group with ease. "Meredith, you escape through the veranda. I have an idea!" Clarence responded, grabbing Silas's hand, "There's something we can do to distract them long enough for you to escape. Go!"

Knowing he could only trust the young royal, Meredith glanced towards Silas one more time and said quickly, "You two, be careful. I'll meet you at the palace later today." As swiftly as he entered, he left, his figure disappearing on the veranda like a puff of smoke, closing the door quietly behind him as his disguised figure disappeared into the shadows. The mercenaries below did not notice his escape, and continued their assault towards the inn.

Hearing the noise below, Clarence was quick to move, grabbing Silas's wrists to pull him towards the bed as he said, "Listen, this might be a little uncomfortable-"

"What are you doing?!" Silas said in a harsh whisper, his face burning as Clarence pushed him down on the bed, throwing the large blanket over them, covering the pair up to their necks as Clarence straddled Silas's hips, standing over him on his knees as he opened his own shirt, exposing his toned chest and shoulders. 

"They'll leave as soon as they see us like this." Quickly maneuvering his fingers, he untied the lacing on Silas's tunic, exposing his chest and collarbone as he slid the fabric aside, exposing Silas's shoulders in a similar style to his own. "Bear with me for a moment." The prince's face held a sneaky smile, enjoying tormenting Silas, even if it were to throw off the surprise intruders. "No one will try to stick around for a couple's intimate moment. It's too awkward. Besides, they won't be able to see our faces this way."

"I really-" Silas paused, letting out a sigh as he added, "By the Gods, I hope this works…" Feeling Clarence's warm breath falling over the side of his face, Silas's cheeks burned red, the soft touch of Clarence's hands resting in his loose hair made him dizzy, wishing to feel it more. Lifting his hand, Clarence helped Silas to fan out his long hair on the pillow, making him appear more feminine from a distance. Though the transformation gem made his appearance more ordinary and human, it was difficult for Silas to completely conceal his natural appearance, which worked strongly in their favor. 

"Wrap your arms around my neck… just like that." Clarence whispered in Silas's ear, coaxing him as Silas lifted his arms, wrapping them around Clarence's neck loosely, bringing them closer together, their chests touching.

Silas, swallowing his embarrassment, responded in a low tone, "After this is over, I'll kill you." The only response he received was a laugh from the prince, who smiled brightly at what sounded to him to be such a sweet, coquettish tone.

As the pair was hugging intimately under the covers, their clothes lowered around their shoulders, the sound of heavy footsteps filled the hall, tearing down the wooden floors as the mercenaries began to kick open the nearby rooms' doors. Hugging Clarence closer, Silas felt his heartbeat speed up as the stomping sounds came to a stop in front of their door.

"Get ready." Clarence whispered with a teasing smile, holding Silas's back with one of his hands, hiding Silas's face in the crook of his neck as the door was swiftly kicked open, exposing the pair as the broken door flew into the room, stomped on by a large mercenary as he entered the room in a flurry, stomping their feet on the wooden floors as they yelled.

Outside, nearly two rooftops away from the inn, Meredith found a place to hide out of view, hidden in the shadow of a nearby chimney. His eyes fell over the window, unable to see anything but the entrance to the room and the mercenary standing in the door. Mana swirled around him as he carefully monitored the mercenary men, prepared to act if needed.

…

Only some distance away from the capital, the rest of Eva's group found themselves in a similar situation, their patience running thin after such a long journey to the Yursear palace. 

"Fuck!" Jasmine shouted, stomping her foot in irritation. "Why do these guys keep cropping up?" Lowering her bow, she stood in front of the carriage on the steering seat, having fired off one last arrow towards a tree on the trail to the capital, taking out a man that had been attempting to ambush their carriage. "Besides that, the group is late. Are they even on the right trail?"

"It's because we're getting closer to the main trade route. There are more thieves than we expected." Vaan, walking to the side of their caravan carriage, said dryly, "They might have run into bandits on the way. It could have slowed them down." With an angry huff, Jasmine sat back down, nodding her head in agreement to Vaan, who had already put his sword away after dealing with two men on his own. "They should be here any moment."

With the thieves taken care of, Neema and Saoirse, sharing a horse, rode next to the carriage, keeping an eye on Yulia from the side. "How are you doing, Yulia?" 

Over the fabric cover of the wooden wagon, they heard a soft, "I'm okay, thank you." Yulia, quietly sitting inside, remained as calm as before the attack.

It was already mid-day, the sun was high in the sky, and the first group had already exited halfway off the trail to their rendezvous point to collect the two groups together. Their mission was to safely escort the group of nobles, particularly the two princesses and Duke Cyneric's son. After waiting for nearly an hour, however, there was still no sight of them.

Instead, they played the waiting game, having been ambushed nearly three times by small groups of bandits who thought they were the perfect caravan to target, deep within the trails. Fortunately for Jasmine, it was a perfect way to blow off steam, and she quickly burned through the bandits, killing whichever ones were not fast enough to run away. 

Neema and Saoirse could only watch their two companions take down the attackers before they could even react, situated next to the carriage. "At least Jasmine's busy…" Neema muttered quietly as Saoirse nodded in agreement. 

As Jasmine sat in front of the carriage, sipping water from her canteen with her bow strapped to her back, she heard the familiar sound of horse hooves clopping against the dirt not far down the trail. Carefully, she lowered her canteen and raised her bow, motioning for Vaan to move to the side, followed by Neema and Saoirse on the other side, assisting in protecting the carriage with their own weapons ready.

Holding up her bow, Jasmine nearly nocked an arrow, but before she could raise the arrow and line up her sight, she noticed a familiar figure waving his arms, noticing her at a far distance. There was only one crazy man that would wave so happily while being trailed by an arrow. 

"There's that fucker!" Jasmine shot out, her expression full of unhidden anger. "What took you all so long? Huh?" She yelled, attempting to watch the volume of her voice to no avail. "Hurry up and get over here!"

"Ah, she finally saw us." Having been approached by the angered Jasmine, Holland smiled, feeling the trouble that they had managed to avoid on the road swiftly found them after all. "Is she talking about me or you?" Holland joked, staring at Jasmine's reddened cheeks with a laugh, knowing something amusing would be happening soon. 

"I can only hope she's willing to cooperate due to Eva." Beau mentioned Eva's name with some distaste, but at this moment, he could only hope their loyalty towards Eva was enough to allow him to retain his life even a moment longer. He still had yet to redeem himself as he promised.

With the carriage growing closer, the group waiting finally came into view. Staring out the window as the commotion grew in the forest, Charlotte held the curtain back as the four people in the carriage stared out curiously. "Is that our group of escorts?" She raised a brow, unconvinced the trip would be worthwhile due to Jasmine's poor attitude towards Beau and Holland. 

Theo sighed, rubbing the space between his brows as Philomena continued to stare out anxiously, "Maybe they just don't get along?"

Alywin, sitting next to Theo, was unfamiliar with the group. He turned his gaze towards his companion and asked directly, "Do you know what's happening, Theo?"

Staring out of the window on his own, having been sitting closest to the door, Theo stood up, stretching his legs as he said, "These are our escorts, alright." He paused, thinking carefully before he added, "Holland, Beau, and Jasmine, that woman over there, have a bit of history… you'll see."

…

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Hello~ I am back from vacation :) I spent most of my vacation sick (motion sick, flu upon getting home), but I got to travel with family and take a work break. It was nice :D Though, while on vacation, I ran into many Spanish speakers. I didn't have the brain power to converse in Spanish, but I did unintentionally eavesdrop between that and a few rare Japanese conversations.... >u<

Again, any spelling or grammar errors is due to my recent language mixing. I've been speaking more Japanese/ Spanish than I have in a long time (catching up with old friends), so my brain has been spinning between those and English like a pinwheel. I opted more for humor than plot to make up for that this week aha... Clare is still being his spicy self. I see Silas following along, but reluctantly most of the time

Trying to follow my gut more to get the end in motion. Hoping my schedule will stay kind to my mental health for this last bit of the novel... ;n; I'll keep trying my best! See you all soon~