“Are you sure we are going the right way?" Sofia asked as Felix was leading the way.

“Trust me. I know what I'm doing. I've been here before," Felix replied with a wry smile. Despite his confident tone, even he began to feel that the backgrounds seemed to blend into each other.

“It's not that I don't want to," Sofia said, doubting his baseless confidence," but I swear I saw a tree just like this one an hour ago. We're not lost, are we?"

Felix only shrugged. It wasn’t the first time she had doubted him since they left the Hidden Fox Village the last morning. With all their business done, Felix saw no reason to linger any longer and chose to leave.

Sofia had been conflicted for a while; the village was much too cozy for her. She practically didn't want to leave. Unlike all her previous experiences, she felt she could belong there, yet she still chose to go with Felix in the end. Although she probably could have been happy if she had stayed, she would have lost a sense of purpose.

The village's inhabitants were warm and welcoming, unlike the residents of human settlements, who only cared about their own lives. Sofia knew that their attitudes were due to Xue's stance on the matter. After learning they shared the same blood, Sofia felt strangely attached to that expressionless woman. She even felt a sense of gentleness coming from the depths of her eyes. It was so subtle that she often believed she was mistaken.

Still, Sofia had her own goals to fulfill, such as finding her brother and uncovering the mysteries of what Felix desperately tried to hide. She wouldn't rest until she got to the bottom of it.

Although Felix most likely knew what was plaguing Sofia’s mind, he paid no heed to it. It was her life; she could do with it what she pleased. Whether or not she chose to follow him was all up to her own decision.

“Still, was it really alright to leave so abruptly? You didn’t even give Mina a chance to come with us,” Sofia said.

Felix couldn’t wait to get away from that place. Despite its warm, cozy atmosphere and inviting populace, Felix only felt revolt from it. That place only seemed like a prison designed to sap his will where he could only live in perpetual mediocrity. Despite her beautiful exterior, that Xue woman was only a walking corpse, devoid of any ambition, living the long remainder of her life in eternal stagnation.

Still, Felix didn’t voice his thoughts out loud. He knew his mindset was highly coloured by his own perspective as one of the short-lived races. With death so far from them, these foxes had no incentive to rush. Even if they spent centuries wasting away in that place, they still had centuries more ahead of them.

As for Mina... well, that couldn't be helped. She was only a child and not even human. Even if she felt some sort of attachment to him for what he did, it was only her own misunderstanding. Felix never had any intentions of helping her get revenge. Everything he did was always for his own sake, and that would never change.

“She will have a better life back there. In time, she will forget us and live her own life,” he said after a moment of silence.

The difference in lifespan wasn’t something that could be bridged so easily. It was even the cause of great wars in the past, where species battled for what they believed to be the recipe for immortality.

A bunch of fools, Felix thought. What’s the point of living for an eternity if you don’t achieve anything worth remembering.

Indeed, everything will die in the end, even the world. To seek immortality is a fool's errand, yet it wouldn't stop people from trying. Felix had no interest in it. He had long come to terms with his own mortality; that was the reason he felt no fear at waging his life in battle. At least when there was sufficient reason for it. He wouldn't throw his life away just for some cheap coins. His goal wouldn’t let him be so callous with it.

“You could have given her the choice, at least," Sofia said, returning him to the present.

Felix sighed. He always had to explain everything, yet he still couldn’t dislike that woman who gave voice to her questions. The heart truly is a wild and strange thing.

“You don’t know much about the blood tribe, do you? How old do you think she is?” he asked patiently.

"Hmm... I know demons are older than they look, so... fifteen?" She answered sheepishly, totally unconvinced that her answer was the right one.

“Try triple that, at least.”

Sofia was so stunned that no words came to her. She did imagine the little girl was older than she looked, but... over fifty... with those looks? She really couldn't bring her mind to conceive of that notion.

“Blood Demons are special, even among demons," Felix explained. "Their exterior appearances only reflect their state of mind, not their age. It's only a facade, after all. Their true bodies are the blood flowing in them."

“You mean...” Sofia replied, mouth slightly agape.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“As her mind matures, so will her body. Her current state is only a reflection of her psyche. She is truly a child in every sense of the word. Would you let a child make such a life-defining decision on her own when they still have so much time ahead of them to mature? It would only be irresponsible. Xue agreed with me. That's why she didn't inform her of our departure."

A heavy silence hung in the air between the two. Although Sofia agreed that Felix's decision was for the best, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was a jerk. He entered Mina's life like a battering ram, turning it all upside down, then left just as abruptly. Sofia couldn't help but see a mirror of herself in Mina. She was also much too entangled with him to let it go at this point.

Sofia sighed loudly. Felix seemed to have that effect on everyone he met. No one could stay the same after he crashed into their lives.

“Still, if she wishes to come find me one day after becoming an adult, that would truly be her own decision. I would have nothing to say. After all, I allowed you to follow me," he said, smiling slightly.

While Felix wasn't a good person and couldn't be bothered to look after people. Nevertheless, he wouldn't reject their right to their own free will. Their lives were their own, after all.

“So, where are we going now?” Sofia asked. “Are you going to see Emil?”

“You mean his whole allusion to Crimson? Ha! I call bullshit,” Felix sneered.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Trust me. I know that woman. She would never be so direct in her provocation.”

Sofia rolled her eyes. To say there was dirty laundry between Felix and Crimson would be the understatement of the century. Still, Sofia couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of that woman. How could she so effortlessly occupy Felix's heart when all her efforts amounted to naught. Sofia shook her head, feeling a hint of anger.

Why must I even win his heart in the first place? If anything, he should be the one trying to court me! Still... again, with that out-of-place feeling... Am I going even more insane? I hope not... I already have enough problems on my plate as it is.

“So... where to?” Sofia finally asked.

“Redwaters,” he replied curtly.

Sofia scoffed and rolled her eyes even more.

“You claim to have no interest, yet you are still going there... talk about being consistent in your reasoning.”

Felix turned around and gave a derisive smile.

“I always had the intention of going there, remember? His little provocation changes nothing. I’ve no intentions of going to see him.”

“So you say,” she said mockingly. “Let’s go. I’m tired of all this forest as far as the eyes can see. Can’t wait to go back to civilization.”

Although Felix knew she wasn't entirely honest, he wouldn't point it out. He, too, longed for paved roads again. The Kingdom was still home, after all. Even though he didn't like it that much, it was still better than anywhere else. And so, the duo plunged back into the wildlands, heading south-west.

******

“Princess, are you sure about this,” Claire said with obvious worry in her eyes.

A luxurious carriage pulled by two massive reptilian beasts moved briskly upon a paved road, heading south. The beasts sported sturdy muscles that shone under their thick hide while the ground trembled under their heavy steps. They were Earth Dragons: land creatures more akin to monsters than animals.

While most monsters were subject to extermination, as they couldn't be controlled, dragon sub-species differed. The Kingdom had long devised techniques to subdue these creatures. The process itself was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Royal Family, but most suspected it had something to do with the Royal Blood itself. Their blood was descended from True Dragons, after all. What were some distant, mutant sub-species in contrast? Just mutts, no better than vermin.

Still, they made for good labour, such as pulling carriages. It was still rare to see some so far away from the Capital. After all, the Royal Family held a tight leash on who was allowed to own one of these beasts. It wouldn't do to spread them around; they would only lose their value.

As such, whenever Christina’s carriage encountered anyone on these roads, those people wouldn't lose any time to give way and prostrate themselves, as doing anything else would only lead to a fast track in losing their heads.

Still, Christina abhorred doing so as it would only lead to her abusing her power in the future. It is hard to go back once you realize you hold sway over so many people's lives and deaths. It was always better to never start; it would only snowball from there. And yet, there were still unavoidable instances like this one.

They were headed toward the heart of the Western Region, the White Tiger Clan Headquarters. More precisely, they were going to see the Western Duke following the incident up north. Christina had many questions to ask the Duke, and she would get answers.

Still, she knew her attendant's worry well. Despite being the Princess, she couldn't barge into the Duke's home unannounced just to question him. Noble still had their rights, even if she preferred they didn't. It was only through the Four Dukes’ consent that her family was allowed to rule, after all. She swore to herself she would change that, just not right now.

It would be a monumental victory were she to achieve it, as all the previous Monarchs failed in doing so. Even her mother, one of the best queens the country has ever had, never even considered achieving such a thing. Such was the prestige those four clans held within the Kingdom. Supplanting them would be like uprooting the Kingdom's very foundation. Still, she would try. Otherwise, she didn't see any future for the country she held dear.

“If the Duke is complicit in this, then he must be held accountable,” Christina said firmly.

Although she knew her actions were foolhardy, she had no choice but to go forth with them. It would only bolster their defiance of the Crown if nothing was to be done. Such was unforgivable. Even if she were to suffer as a result, she would see it through to the end.

Seeing her resolve, Claire hardened her own. She knew her liege’s stance on the matter well as they had discussed it at length in the years she had served as Christina’s bodyguard. Even as the daughter of the Southern Duke and the heir to his Dukedom, Claire saw the need for reform.

Although she felt conflicted about the matter, if it could strengthen the country as a whole, she would relinquish her power in a heartbeat. That would only hold true if Christina were to inherit the throne. She would not trust another monarch this implicitly.

“Your Highness," a voice rose over the cacophony of trampling dragon feet from the front of the carriage. "The White City is in sight; we should arrive promptly."

The White City, Christina thought. What an obnoxious name. Who in their right mind names a city after their own colour...

The White City was the Capital of the Western Region. Although it once had another name, it was lost to the sands of time ever since one Duke of ages past deemed fit to change it. He even went as far as to pass an edict that prohibited any building from being any colour other than white. Truly a waste of time and money. Still, because of it, tourism boomed. Who wouldn't want to see such a caricature of excess?

Christina would spit on that man's corpse if she had the chance. There were limits to wastefulness. Seeing the buildings in the distance only affirmed her desire to see changes happen. With narrowed eyes, Christina clenched her fist and steeled her mind as she entered the tiger's den.