July is the shortest and gentlest season of the year in the Northern Territory.
The sunlight, though faint, lightly sprinkles over the wilderness, brushing past the treetops and wheat fields, as if the cold wind has taken a rest, leaving only a slight coolness gently twirling between the hair strands.
On such a quiet afternoon, a caravan slowly approaches on the main road outside Red Tide City.
Leading the way is an honor guard dispatched by Duke Edmund's Mansion, followed by more than a dozen carriages.
"Is this the Red Tide Territory?"
The Duchess Alina sits in the second carriage, lifting a corner of the curtain, gazing at the changing scenery outside the window.
Born from the old nobility of the Northern Territory, she has been well-traveled since childhood, following her husband on provincial tours for many years, having visited many famous places in both the north and south.
Yet the scene before her still causes her to pause slightly.
