The walk continued through polished stone roads and quiet, pristine courtyards. Jiyul's black robe flowed with each step, the deep blue of his warrior garments beneath shimmering under the sunlight. Daren moved beside him, ever smiling, trying his best to keep the silence from taking over.
Ahead of them, two figures approached. One was a tall young nobleman with swept-back silver hair, the other a girl wearing red earrings and a velvet blue dress. They smiled the moment they saw Daren.
"Daren!" the boy called out. "You still walk the streets without a blade? Is the capital softening you?"
"Riven," Daren chuckled. "And yes, I still walk without one. This here is Jiyul. Don't bother trying to talk much."
Riven raised an eyebrow, looking Jiyul up and down. "The one with the eyes of a dead wolf. I have heard about you."
Jiyul didn't reply.
The girl stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back. "I am Alira. Daren's friend. Don't worry, we aren't here to poke."
Jiyul gave her a glance. "Then don't speak."
The atmosphere chilled instantly. Alira blinked in surprise but didn't argue.
The four began walking again. The noble district was wide and silent. Fountains trickled in the courtyards, and gardens floated along the roadsides. Jiyul smelled incense drifting through the air fragrances of spice, oil, and rose.
"I told you," Daren whispered. "It is not like the dirty markets near the gate."
Jiyul nodded once. "It is cleaner. Still smells like control."
"Come on, don't be so grim," Daren said. "So, who raised you? I mean, before the swordsman."
"I don't know," Jiyul said.
Alira and Riven fell silent, listening.
"My earliest memory was dirt, fists, and a steel bowl in an orphanage buried in the forest. Then I was sold to a swordsman."
"You mean... adopted, right?" Daren asked hopeful.
"No. Bought."
Daren looked down, silent.
"He taught me to kill. Then used me for errands a child should never do."
"How did he die?" Alira asked softly.
"I cut his throat," Jiyul replied.
Riven coughed awkwardly, and no one said anything for a while.
The silence was broken by the heavy clatter of hooves. The people around them began stepping aside, pressing themselves against the walls. A royal procession moved slowly down the marble road.
Golden banners flapped in the wind. A massive carriage, carved from polished gold and set atop iron wheels, rolled forward. A figure sat inside, draped in velvet robes. The King.
The people bowed instantly. Riven bowed. Alira bowed. Daren dropped to one knee.
Only Jiyul remained standing.
Daren turned, panic in his eyes. "Jiyul, bow! It is the King!"
Jiyul's voice was low. "I would rather let my head be cut off."
"Why?" Daren hissed. "He is the king of this land!"
Jiyul's eyes narrowed as he looked past the golden carriage. "It is not him I am looking at."
Daren followed his gaze. "What do you mean?"
Jiyul's tone deepened. "That man beside the carriage. The one riding the white horse."
Daren's face paled. "Oh no... that is... that is Commander Rayel. The Grand Commander of the Royal Army."
Jiyul's jaw tightened. "It is not the first time I have seen him."
Daren's voice dropped to a terrified whisper. "He is the strongest swordsman alive. If he sees you standing like this... you are dead."
"I don't bow."
"You are insane!" Daren's heart thundered in his chest. "Jiyul, please. Just this once!"
Jiyul didn't blink. "If death comes from standing tall, then so be it."
Gasps spread through the silent crowd. Eyes locked on Jiyul, the only figure still standing upright in a sea of bowed heads.
Hooves clacked closer. Then a voice came from the side.
"Well, well... you again."
It was the cold voice of a woman. A tall, armored figure approached on horseback. Her ponytail waved behind her helmet, and a black-laced bow rested across her back.
Jiyul turned his head slightly. "Oh. You."
It was the royal guard captain the same one who had once pinned his leg with an arrow. Captain Selena. She dismounted with precision and walked toward him.
"Still got the same attitude," she said. "I remember your glare."
Jiyul's expression didn't change. "I remember your aim."
Daren stepped forward, desperate. "Miss Selena, please. Can you... talk to him? Make him kneel before Rayel notices?"
Selena exhaled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Make him kneel? You think I didn't try that when I captured him? It was a waste of time."
"But"
"I will cover him," she interrupted. "I will ride beside him, block the line of sight. Maybe it will keep this mess from turning into a bloodbath."
Daren looked relieved. "Thank you, Selena..."
"I am not doing it for you," she said. "I just don't want to see blood on these pretty streets."
Selena turned to Jiyul, her voice lowering. "You have a death wish. One day it will catch up."
"I don't fear it," Jiyul said coldly.
She mounted her horse again. "I know."
The procession rolled past. Selena maneuvered her horse skillfully, keeping her body between Rayel and Jiyul. Rayel's eyes briefly swept the street, pausing for a second where they stood.
But then the carriage turned, and the moment passed.
The tension released. The people began to move again.
Daren exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "You are insane."
Jiyul cracked his neck. "Maybe."
Alira whispered, "He really didn't bow..."
Riven stared at Jiyul. "You have got more steel in you than most walls I have seen."
Selena pulled her horse alongside Jiyul again, smirking faintly. "You are not bad looking when you aren't covered in blood."
"I don't care," Jiyul replied.
"I know," she said. "That is the problem."