Irene stepped down from the carriage calmly, her eyes scanning the place around her
The area was completely empty… there was nothing except a distant house standing alone in the void.
The driver said hesitantly:
"My lady, are you sure this is the place?"
Irene looked at the map again, trying to make sure, before saying:
"I don't know… I don't have enough information."
The driver said:
"Are you looking for something specific?"
Irene hesitated a little before answering:
"Uh… yes… kind of."
Sally said while pointing:
"My lady, look… there's someone coming, should we ask him about the place?"
Irene turned toward the old man who was riding a modest carriage coming in their direction, but a quick thought crossed her mind and she said:
"After what happened before… I don't think it's a good idea to talk to just anyone from the common people."
She looked at her driver and said:
"Please, since you live here go and ask him about the area… and also if there is a village nearby."
"At your command, my lady."
The driver walked toward the man and stopped his carriage.
"Hello uncle, excuse us, but we came from the city and it seems we lost our way… do you know of a village where people live in this area?"
The man replied:
"Yes, there is a nearby place in the direction of three o'clock… but… are you nobles?"
He looked at them suspiciously, then glanced at Irene's carriage.
The driver said:
"Excuse me?"
But the man cut him off seriously:
"This area is dangerous… even for normal people. You better Leave quickly before someone sees you."
Irene approached the driver and whispered in his ear.
The driver whispered worriedly:
"But my lady… you heard what he said, it's a dangerous area."
She said calmly:
"Don't worry… do as I say."
Concern and doubt appeared on the driver's face, but he turned to the man and said:
"Can you guide us to that place? For fifteen gold coins."
The driver was surprised by the amount and lowered his head. Silence fell for a few seconds, but Irene whispered to the driver again.
So the driver said:
"What about twenty coins?"
The man widened his eyes in shock, unable to believe what he heard.
"Alright… I agree. But I am not responsible if anything happens to you."
Irene whispered once again in the driver's ear, and he said:
"Alright, let's go then."
The old man said:
"But before we go, you must not draw attention as much as possible."
Then he looked at Irene's clothes and said:
"Changing your clothes would be better… my house is nearby. If you want, I can give you ordinary clothes."
The driver looked at Irene, and she nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go."
In the man's house, Irene and Sally wore somewhat shabby clothes.
Sally said worriedly:
"My lady… are you sure about what you're doing? It's not that I don't trust you, but I'm worried about your safety… I mean, why do we trust a man we just met for the first time? And we don't have any guards except the driver what if the man does something to us?"
Irene said calmly:
"Sally, I have thought about all of this. You know that I usually don't trust anyone… but I feel like I'm just steps away from discovering the truth. And as you know… I cannot raise suspicion by bringing guards with me."
She paused for a moment, then continued:
"And I trust my instincts… this man, I didn't feel any danger from him when I saw him."
She stood in front of Sally and said seriously:
"So trust me this time… because you are the person I trust the most in this kingdom."
Sally held Irene's hands and said:
"Alright… I trust you, my lady. Fine, I won't ask any more questions this time… I'll just pray that we stay safe, and that you reach what you want."
Irene smiled lightly:
"Thank you, Sally."
The man's wife entered the room and said:
"Miss, do the clothes suit you?"
"Yes… thank you very much."
"No need to thank me."
The old man carried them in his carriage and headed toward the area.
The road was full of mountains and enchanting scenery, but it felt long and mysterious.
The old man said:
"That is the place, miss… it's the only area where there are people."
Irene's driver said:
"Despite working as a driver in the city, I've never heard of this place. Does it have a name?"
The old man replied:
"It has no name… it's just a semi-abandoned village. Its road is rough, so no one comes here. The people there are isolated and depend on farming as their source of living."
Irene thought to herself:
"This is it… exactly as it was described in the book."
She felt as if she was only a few steps away from discovering the secret she had been working on for a long time
The carriage entered the village.
It was exactly as the man described… almost abandoned.
The buildings were old and cracked, as if they were about to collapse.
And there was a strange… dark aura… that made the three of them feel uneasy.
Even the people… their features were completely different from the people of Valerian, and their clothes were also somewhat different.
They got down from the carriage.
The driver said in a low voice:
"My lady… where do you want to go in this place? It's filthy, and I don't think staying here isn't a good idea… everyone is looking at us."
Irene sighed, and despite her fear, she said calmly:
"We'll walk around a little… I'll try to talk to someone."
They start walking behind Irene
The driver thought to himself:
'What exactly is wrong with her ?! is she even listing to us ! She put herself in danger in the city… and now she brought us to a remote place she found in an old book… i don't think i can protect her this time ! No do I really have to die for weird princess like her? I'm still young, I haven't even reached a quarter of my goals! Even if I don't die here, Prince Lucas might kill me for agreeing to bring his wife here. It's not like I could refuse… oh shit, damn this bad luck i have.'
While Irene was walking, the people's eyes never left her.
Suddenly
A small child bumped into her and ran away quickly.
She looked at her hand, her eyes widening:
"My ring! He stole my wedding ring!"
The driver shouted:
"Damn it, not this too!"
He ran after the child, and the man followed him.
The driver shouted:
"My lady! Follow us! Don't stay alone, it's dangerous!"
Irene and Sally ran after them…
Until the child entered a house.
The driver started banging on the door violently:
"Hey, boy! Open the door!"
Everyone arrived, breathing heavily.
The man said:
"Didn't you catch him?"
"He went inside quickly."
The man stepped toward the door and began speaking in an unfamiliar language.
After a few moments, a woman opened the door slightly and started talking to him in the same language.
Shock suddenly appeared on her face… then she opened the door wider.
The man turned to them and said:
"She is asking us to come in."
To be continued…