Out of the magnificent lofty palace and now onto the long concrete bridge, the brown carriage bore an appearance that was quite simple compared to the other carriages traveling along the same route.
This was intentional, as King Elmas did not want others to know that he, of all people, was the passenger.
The brown carriage then traveled through the elegant tiled city of Biston.
Here, unlike the palace, which was engrossed within a circular high fence, one was provided a full view of the magnificent golden sun.
Its rays poured in through every opening of the brown carriage, enveloping the innards in gold.
'The works of God are beautiful.'
King Elmas, even now, was still astounded by the sight of the golden sun.
It defied all logic.
Normally, when traveling these paths, he would spend more time marveling at the incredible repairs Biston had undergone.
This time, however, the king had an important matter at hand.
One of his pregnant wives had just died.
Killed by the outside world.
This saddening incident, aside from him, was only known by his son, Prince Kal, and the Great Advisor, Hesmoth.
Not even the other four wives knew of it.
'The others shouldn't find out. How would they feel knowing that one of the queens was killed? That she, of all people, broke the rule I set?'
' If they learn of this, it might cause complications.
Possibly a coup.
Or perhaps some group of vigilantes launching an attack on the outside world, causing multiple deaths, which might force the top kingdoms to unite once more and search for the kingdom they thought they had erased.
This could then bring about even more deaths if Terath were somehow discovered.'
'Why, Nelly? Why did you have to go against your word?'
With each possibility, he questioned her bizarre actions.
Peace above all else was salient to the King.
And for a world of races filled with so much jealousy, ambition, and ego, one of them had to lower their head and play the role of the fool for it to be attained.
And King Elmas was willing to be the ruler of the fools.
'For peace's sake.'
That said, though he did not show it, King Elmas felt sorry for Nelly.
His wife had gone against his decree, yes, but she most likely suffered a great deal of pain before dying.
After all, despite her appearance, she was never the type to give up so easily.
'This could have been prevented.'
Breaking from his thoughts, he noticed that the carriage had come to a halt.
"Where is Fiodoh?"
He looked forward and did not see the man.
Judging by the noise, he knew the carriage was parked in the bustling city of Hans, the marketplace.
Here, traders of all types gathered to sell their wares, for it was the closest city to the kingdom's center.
Peeping through the window, he could not see Fiodoh, save for the countless customers and traders moving under the glow of the afternoon sun.
"Hmm, I would guess it's past twelve P.M. Where has this man gone off to? Sigh, at this pace, the temple might close by the time we reach there."
He waited and waited and waited until, due to boredom, he fell asleep.
...
"Ouch, the light."
King Elmas felt his eyes ache as a blinding golden light struck him.
He lifted a hand to cover his face before slowly raising his head.
He was drowsy, and his back hurt all over.
Ignoring the itching pain in his back, he squinted in an attempt to get a better view of his surroundings.
And after a while, he did.
Barely, though.
It seemed the light had hit his eyes for far too long.
However, that was not the issue.
For though his vision was a blurry Orange, he could still tell that he was no longer in the carriage.
"What?"
He looked around and saw that he was in a spacious room riddled with openings, allowing golden rays from the sun to stream in.
The recessed parts of the room, however, could not be made out.
His eyes lacked the strength to do so.
Or simply put, they were swollen.
A throbbing pain and severe cold overwhelmed him in an instant.
He hugged himself as he quivered.
He felt very weak.
Though his senses were not at their optimal point, his will was.
He got up before languidly walking toward the open entrance, trying to understand where he was.
"Emily, do you have any idea what Big Brother will do once he finds out?"
"I know, but don't panic. We can still—"
"What? In God's grace, Emily, you literally lost our carriage. Not an empty one, by the way. Our life savings were there too."
The sounds of a boy and a girl arguing could be heard just outside the door.
They, just like the place, were unfamiliar to King Elmas.
"And that's not it. There's the man. For all we know, he could be a bad guy. Brother has always warned us about strangers."
'Man?'
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"There was nothing I could have done. He was sick, so I had to bring him in. Please understand, brother."
"Sigh, Emily... I..."
Just then, King Elmas, holding onto the frame of the doorway, stepped out.
Though his body was still in pain, he heard the "voices" stop.
By the time his swollen eyes adjusted to the lighting, he vaguely saw his brown carriage.
And standing beside it was a boy looking at him with a wary expression.
He wore dirty patched-up shorts and a frayed shirt.
He held a girl's hand as though shielding her from King Elmas.