We returned to the city by midnight, Gram and Brunhilde insisted that we immediately leave for the journey. Gram was with me in the coach man's seat, steering the horse while the two young women slept inside.
"Say, what's in the luggage you've brought" Gram asked
"A little surprise" I replied mysteriously
Gram only looked at me and had a wide grin
"Ah, I never expected a bride token to come this early, Zeno, you waste no time huh" Gram laughed heartily as he pat my back
"Pardon?" I had no idea what he was talking about
'Lilith, a little help here'
'Bride token - property or money brought by the groom as a gift for the parents of the bride that has recently married or is going to marry' Lilith explained monotonously
'What'
It took some time to process but I immediately corrected the misunderstanding
"Gram, it's a simple gift"
"A simple gift? come on you must be joking" Gram chuckled
"Nope, not joking"
"I see... I understand" Gram replied with a downcast face and teary eyes
Yup, I corrected the misunderstanding beautifully, at least no woman is crying
"Then Zeno, please be my little angel's husband!" Gram clung to me
"What the? shouldn't you be objecting instead?!"
"Indeed I should but you're worthy of her and as things stand, Brunhilde won't be finding herself a good man in the future!"
"What do you mean"
"She's too much of a tomboy, she seems feminine when she's with you!"
"What do you mean a tomboy?" I asked but then it struck me
A woman, in heavy armor, trains hard every day, usually stoic most of the time
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"I think you should've noticed by now that she only shows her feminine side to you"
Yes, she usually smiles when I talk to her, I also noticed that when I wasn't talking to her, any man that tried to approach got severely nagged at, including her father Gram
"I'm really sorry Gram but I already have someone I love" I replied
"Someone you love? meaning only one person?" Gram asked
"Yes"
He smiled and gave a strong pat on my back before giving me a thumbs up while showing his pearly whites, thank goodness he understands
"Polygamy is OK!" He declared
"...Even if you say that... the decision is up to her" I give up, and based on Brunhilde's personality, she would want to strive for number one so there's no way she would chase after a taken man like me
"She w-" Gram didn't finish his sentence because a rapier popped of the carriage and was only inches away from his ears
"Dad, please stop" It was monotonous but I felt the rage from
"N-Now now dear... daddy is trying to fish a man for you"
The rapier returned inside the carriage slowly, Gram heaved a sigh of relief but a hand soon broke through the hole the rapier created and grabbed a hold of Gram's neck
"You know dad, I can get a man on my own" Brunhilde's grip started to tighten as Gram's eyes started to roll up
"G-Got it, my dear strong and beautiful daughter"
She let go of her grip
"Zeno, please switch places with me, you're tired from traveling right?" Brunhilde's voice and tone is telling me that I can't reject
"Y-Yeah, sure" I can only awkwardly reply
It feels like visiting a friend in their house but you're friends suddenly get's nagged at by their parents, you can only sit there awkwardly but it's a different story if it's a close friend because you'd be laughing your ass off at their misery
The carriage stopped and I switched places with Brunhilde, when I entered the carriage, Cynthia was awkwardly sitting inside, seems like we both went through the same thing.
"Come on, let's sleep" I chuckled and picked up the blanket on the seat
The bed was a flat wooden board hanging on the wall with a chain, it was large enough for two people so Cynthia and I slept together. I took off the shoulder guard and armguard on my right arm so that Cynthia can use it as a pillow since the pillow is just a block of wood, my right arm will be numb tomorrow
We ignored the father-daughter quarrel outside and just enjoyed our rest
The next day, Cynthia and I woke up to some wild boar being roasted. We all happily ate roasted pork together as Gram started sharing Brunhilde's most embarrassing moments, Brunhilde couldn't take it and kept slapping Gram in the face.
Cynthia and I could only chuckle, half a week passed by so fast and without any hitch, we arrived at the city of our destination
King's city, the city's walls were 60 feet high, the city has four corners where there are 80 feet towers with multiple guards roaming it. The city is divided into three sectors, the low-class sector where you can find most of the slaves and poor people. The middle-class is where the market is located and also where people with stable jobs live. Lastly, the high-class, which is close to the King's castle in the center of the city, everyone there is rich, have high positions.
In the low-class, most of the houses are shabby and can fall apart at any moment. In the middle-class, the houses usually reach 2 stories and are made of bricks and wood. The high-class area is usually filled with mansions, with their own personal guards and whatnot
Gram and Brunhilde were on the coachman's spot so they easily went in the city without any baggage checks, Cynthia and I were hiding inside the carriage.
We headed for the castle and Cynthia wore the helmet along with a long robe that covered her body, she also wore the hood.