The sound of carriage wheels rolling against the stone road filled the quiet air as we left the palace behind.
For a carriage, it was surprisingly comfortable to travel in.
Maya sat across from me, making herself as small as possible, probably too nervous to start a conversation.
So instead, I simply stared out the window and watched the scenery pass by.
It was not my first time leaving the palace, but normally I traveled alongside Father for princely duties, and journeys this long were rare.
We usually only traveled to the magic towers when something important required our presence.
As for myself, I had only visited the towers four times in my life.
Soon, nearly three hours had passed, and it was just after noon.
Across from me, Maya began shifting nervously in her seat.
“Um… sir?”
I looked up at her uneasy expression with confusion.
What could she want?
She doesn’t have to pee, right?
…No, what am I even thinking?
This journey must be messing with my brain.
“Yes, Maya?”
“Um… I have some small treats. I-I was wondering if maybe you would like some?”
I stared at her for a moment with slight surprise.
That was not what I expected her to ask.
Because of my silence, Maya immediately started panicking.
“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to! Well—you’re the prince, so you can do whatever you want—ah, what am I even saying…”
She continued babbling nervously before I could answer.
Honestly, I could not blame her.
Sitting alone in a carriage with a prince for hours had to be awkward.
A small laugh escaped me, startling her enough to pause.
“Sure,” I replied.
“I’d love to have some. What are they?”
“L-Lily berry cookies, sir. Made by the head chef.”
Maya quickly pulled a small tin from her bag before carefully handing me four cookies wrapped in a napkin.
“Thank you.”
“No problem, sir. I just wanted to give you something to eat during the journey.”
Soon, a soft silence filled the carriage as we quietly ate together.
As the hours passed, we eventually approached a small town named Boran, where we planned to stay the night.
Boran was a quiet town located just outside the capital of Shenguang, commonly used by travelers passing between cities and towers.
Because of that, the town was filled with inns and resting houses.
As the wind blew outside, the sky gradually darkened into evening.
“Your Highness,” one of the guards riding beside the carriage called from outside the window.
“We’ve arrived at the entrance of Boran.”
“Understood.”
Entering the town was surprisingly simple.
Then again, I was the prince of Shenguang.
All the guards needed to do was present the royal seal before the gates opened without issue.
Boran itself felt peaceful.
Vendors were packing away their stalls for the night while travelers wandered the streets returning to inns or homes.
Lanterns slowly flickered to life across the town as evening settled in.
Soon, our carriage stopped in front of a large inn.
It looked… interesting.
Different from what I was used to, but not unpleasant.
One of the guards entered first before returning several minutes later.
“Your Highness, everything has been prepared.”
I nodded before stepping out of the carriage with Maya following behind carrying our bags.
Together, we entered the inn.
The inside felt completely different from the palace.
People sat around tables eating, drinking, laughing, and talking loudly with one another.
The smell of cooked meat and warm bread filled the air while lanterns cast a soft golden glow across the wooden room.
It felt warm.
Comfortable.
“Follow me. I’ll show you to your room,” one of the inn workers said politely.
The six of us headed upstairs where the rooms were located.
“Your room is here, Your Highness. Food has already been paid for. If you need anything, the rest of us will be staying nearby.”
“Understood. You may go. I’ll call if needed.”
After entering the room, I placed my bag down with a soft thump before stretching my back.
Riding inside a carriage for hours truly exhausted the body.
With a sigh, I laid down on the bed and allowed exhaustion to pull me into sleep.
Soon, I was awakened by the grumble of my stomach.
Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced toward the clock resting beside the bed.
Nearly an hour and a half had passed.
Outside the window, darkness had fully settled over Boran.
My stomach growled again.
“…Right.”
With a tired sigh, I pushed myself out of bed and fixed my clothes before heading downstairs to find something to eat.
As I descended the stairs, the warm atmosphere from earlier remained unchanged.
Lanterns illuminated the inn with a golden glow while the smell of spices and cooked food drifted through the air.
Travelers laughed loudly around tables while mugs clinked together between conversations.
It felt… lively.
Different from the palace.
The moment I stepped off the final stair, several people immediately noticed me.
Some straightened nervously while others lowered their voices.
Right.
I’m still a prince.
One of the nearby guards approached me immediately.
“Your Highness, would you prefer your meal brought upstairs?”
“No,” I answered calmly.
“I’ll eat here.”
The guard looked slightly surprised before nodding.
“As you wish.”
I quietly sat near the corner of the inn while someone hurried away to prepare food.
As I waited, my gaze wandered around the room curiously.
Children ran between tables while merchants discussed trade routes and travelers exchanged stories from different parts of Shenguang.
It was noisy.
But strangely… not unpleasant.
Then suddenly—
“Your eyes are really pretty.”
I blinked and looked downward.
Standing beside my table was a small child no older than six or seven holding a stick of roasted fruit.
The child stared at me openly without fear.
“They look like shiny gems,” the child continued seriously.
“Are you a mage?”
For a moment, I simply stared back in surprise.
No hesitation.
No nervous bowing.
No careful speech.
Just simple curiosity.
“…Something like that,” I replied.
The child’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“Woah! I knew it!”
Before the child could continue, hurried footsteps rushed toward us.
“Ah! I-I’m so sorry, Your Highness!”
A woman quickly grabbed the child’s shoulders and bowed repeatedly while a man behind her looked equally horrified.
“We deeply apologize if our child disturbed you!”
The woman looked moments away from fainting from embarrassment.
I glanced between the nervous parents and the confused child before quietly speaking.
“It’s alright.”
The couple froze.
“He wasn’t bothering me.”
The child brightened before suddenly holding out the roasted fruit stick toward me.
“You can have one if you want.”
The parents nearly looked ready to collapse.
A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
“…Thank you.”
Carefully, I accepted the fruit while the child smiled proudly as though accomplishing something important.
Soon, my own meal arrived, and somehow the child remained nearby talking while I ate.
Apparently, his name was Niko.
Most of the conversation consisted of random questions.
“Can all mages fly?”
“No.”
“Can you blow up mountains?”
“…Probably not.”
“Do princes fight dragons?”
“I’ve never fought one before.”
Niko gasped dramatically at every answer while his parents looked like they wanted the floor to swallow them whole.
Yet somehow…
I found myself relaxing.
By the time I finished eating, Niko was already half asleep against his mother’s shoulder.
“Goodnight, mage prince,” he mumbled sleepily.
A strange warmth settled inside my chest.
“…Goodnight.”
After leaving the dining area, I returned upstairs and prepared for bed.
The hot water from the bath eased the soreness from the long carriage ride, and exhaustion quickly settled over me once again afterward.
As I laid beneath the blankets, the sounds of the lively inn downstairs faintly echoed through the floorboards.
For some reason… I did not dislike the noise.
Slowly, my eyes closed.
And for the first time in a long while…
sleep came easily.
we all love niko