At the pace of a tortoise, Apolo was driving the carriage with Mateo's help, while Orrin had strategically positioned his carriage at the front, thus avoiding the unexpected braking caused by Apolo's lack of experience. Meanwhile, Mateo's carriage horses had been following Orrin's carriage for a long time, so the animals would start noticing senseless commands and would simply choose to ignore Apolo, instead following what the black carriage ahead was doing.

The curious thing about this effect caused by the intelligence of the horses was that Apolo began to gain confidence in his driving abilities as he noticed the horses doing "what he asked": following the black carriage towards the Ministry of Magic.

—Indeed, I was born with the gift of knowledge!— exclaimed Apolo proudly as he watched the horses turn a corner without colliding with the tree ahead.

—There's no doubt about that: You're handling the carriage like a pro, sir!— Mateo praised promptly, noticing that Apolo had indicated the signal to increase speed with a tree in front of the horses.

—I don't understand why nobles see this as unworthy; I'm actually starting to like it— Apolo commented with a smile, feeling the fresh breeze of air hitting his face.

—We all obey someone, and many nobles who think they're free actually confine themselves in their own prejudices to avoid other people's opinions— Mateo commented, enjoying having someone to talk to during the journey.

—Only a fool would live thinking about others' opinions— Apolo responded, enjoying the scent of exotic trees planted around the blue streets.

—Unfortunately, fools abound. Just think about the many foolish things some merchants do every day just to make a good impression on someone they might only see once in their lives. If they put all that energy into finding better goods, they would surely make more money.

—Yeah, you can't imagine how much I hated my farewell party. I should've left without telling anyone; everyone seemed to ignore me, and supposedly, I was the star of that party. While I hate being in the spotlight, the truth is, for my farewell party, I was expecting to be "the important person of the house." However, no one in the family cared, except my siblings. I should've invited them to my room for a drink. What a waste to have spent all my energy on that party...— Apolo said with anger while driving, although seeing the horses' tails moving happily prevented him from staying angry for long.

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—Your grandfather appreciates you too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have organized such a reception and kept it a secret. Not even my father knew they would welcome us by playing his family's march— Mateo replied with a bitter smile, remembering how nervous he had been yesterday. But now that he was relaxed, he could understand that it had also been a great honor for him.

—Doubt that my grandfather cares for me. He's only pampering me because I remind him of my father. That reception, just like my farewell party, was a huge waste of...— Apolo replied without hesitation. However, he couldn't finish the sentence as he lowered his gaze and looked at the bronze ring in his hand, muttering reflectively —... A huge waste of time.

—Is something wrong, sir?— Mateo asked, noticing the abrupt change in Apolo's voice, but the young lord was just staring at the bronze ring in his hand, more absorbed in his thoughts than in the journey.

—"My mistakes were time"… Wasted time... Time I won't be able to get back and, even more importantly: Time that was stolen from me! — Apolo commented angrily as he took the bronze ring off his finger and held it in his hand.

—But you learn from mistakes...— Mateo commented, not giving much importance to Apolo's rambling tantrum.

—Huh? What did you say?— Apolo asked, taking his gaze off the ring to look at Mateo with doubts.

—Haven't you ever heard the phrase, "Today's errors, roads of tomorrow?"— Mateo responded with a smile, watching the carriage ahead.

—No, what does it mean? Where did you hear it?

—It means your today's mistakes can become your path to the future or they'll end up being a big failure in your life. I heard it from a bartender, can't remember his name.

—Did the bartender also tell you how to prevent your mistakes from becoming a waste of time?— Apolo asked, showing quite an interest in hearing the answer.

—That's a good question. Unfortunately, I didn't ask him that, but I suppose it's about learning from mistakes to avoid making them again, as the famous saying goes, "Don't let the wheel get stuck twice in the same rut" — Mateo responded thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin with his hand.

—A path where you already know the mistakes wouldn't have time wasted...— Apolo mused, looking back at the ring in his hand with disgust.

—Not just that, but it would be faster too, because if you know where there are no ruts, you can speed up in that area— Mateo said, following his logic as a carriage driver.

—"Stealing from time"...— Apolo murmured, shivering down his spine, as if the first piece of advice his ancestor had given him was crawling up his spine like a cold ice, finally reaching his head, making him understand his ancestor's last words.