Chapter 50: The Road to the Capital

A few days later, the household gathered near the front steps as the carriage was prepared for departure. Servants moved briskly back and forth, loading trunks and travel supplies while the horses stood patiently in the morning air.

Neo stepped outside first, adjusting the collar of his formal traveling coat, followed closely by Nora, who wore a deep violet cloak trimmed with silver, her hair neatly braided over one shoulder. Cassian and Sylvia followed behind them, along with Evelyn, who trailed slightly behind, clutching Yuki tightly against her chest.

"Do you have everything?" Sylvia asked, fussing briefly with Neo’s collar despite his obvious annoyance at being fussed over in front of the servants.

"Mother, I’m fifteen, not five," Neo muttered, though he made no real effort to pull away.

"You’ll always be five to me," Sylvia replied simply, patting his cheek fondly before turning to Nora, gently smoothing down the edge of her cloak with the same careful affection she’d shown Neo. "Take care of each other out there. The capital isn’t as friendly as it looks."

Nora nodded once in understanding.

Cassian clapped a firm hand on Neo’s shoulder.

"Remember what we talked about. Keep your guard up, stay polite, and don’t let anyone corner you into anything you don’t want."

"I know, I know," Neo said, though the reminder was appreciated all the same.

Evelyn, who had been unusually quiet throughout the morning, suddenly stepped forward, her small face scrunched up as she fought back the tears threatening to spill over.

"You’re going to be gone for so many days... Who’s going to help me feed Yuki properly? He always spits out his food if I don’t do it right."

Neo crouched down to her level, ruffling her hair gently. "You’ll be fine, Eve. Yuki likes you plenty. Besides, it’s only a couple of weeks. I’ll be back before you know it."

Evelyn sniffled, hugging Yuki even tighter against her chest, the little dragon letting out a small, sympathetic chirp as it nuzzled against her cheek.

"Promise you’ll come back safe?"

"Promise," Neo said, offering her a reassuring smile before standing back up.

With the final goodbyes exchanged, Neo and Nora finally climbed into the waiting carriage. The door shut behind them, and a moment later, the wheels began rolling forward, carrying them steadily away from the estate.

Neo glanced out the window, watching his family’s figures slowly shrink into the distance, Evelyn still waving frantically with one hand while holding Yuki with the other, until the estate disappeared entirely behind the winding road leading out of Valoria.

He let out a long breath, settling back into his seat.

"Well, looks like it’s just us for the next few days." he glanced across at Nora, who had already pulled out a book from her travel bag,

Nora simply nodded, flipping open to her bookmarked page without further comment.

With little else to occupy his time, and the road ahead promising a long, uneventful journey, Neo decided to indulge his curiosity, something he hadn’t done in quite a while.

’Let’s see how much you’ve actually grown these past few years.’

[Ding!]

[Do you want to Appraise Nora Valentina?]

[Y/N]

He clicked yes, watching as the familiar interface unfolded silently in front of him.

[Appraising begins...]

[Ding!]

-----

[STATUS WINDOW]

>Name: Nora Valentina

>Titles: Path of the Villainess, ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

>Talent: Immeasurable

>Race: Human

>Core: 5th Circle (The Curse of Inverted Fate)

>Rank: Master (IV)

>Bloodline: Unawakened

>Affinity: All

[ATTRIBUTES]

[STR: 420/1000] [AGI: 460/1000]

[DEF: 410/1000] [STA: 430/1000]

[INT: 950/1000]

[HP: 1200/1200] [MP: 6900/6900]

[SUPERNATURAL ABILITY]

>Crimson Petal

-----

Neo’s brows lifted slightly, scanning through the numbers carefully.

’Peak of Master rank already. One step away from Grandmaster. At fifteen.’

He compared it briefly against his own status, still several ranks behind despite everything he’d accomplished over the years. The gap between them, though narrower than it had once been, remained undeniably wide.

His gaze drifted back toward the Core section, lingering on the words that still hadn’t changed since the very first time he’d checked her status all those years ago.

The Curse of Inverted Fate.

He’d tried, more than once over the years, to pry further into the mystery surrounding it, hoping his own growing strength might eventually unlock more of the hidden information. But every attempt ended the same way, the words scrambling apart the moment he focused too closely, the system stubbornly refusing to reveal anything beyond the same vague fragments he’d uncovered years ago.

Suffering bound to the soul, not the body.

Every circle formed doubles the...

He frowned slightly, glancing up from the invisible screen toward Nora herself, who remained peacefully absorbed in her book, completely unaware of the quiet appraisal happening right across from her.

’Fifth circles now. If the curse really does double the pain with every circle formed...’

The thought settled uncomfortably in his chest. If the pain had started at a sustained level of seventy-eight out of a hundred years ago, and it truly compounded with every new circle she formed, then whatever she was carrying now had to be almost unbearable.

And yet, here she sat, calmly reading a book during a quiet carriage ride, showing absolutely no outward sign of any discomfort at all.

’She’s gotten even better at hiding it.’

Neo’s jaw tightened slightly at the thought, an old, familiar resolve rekindling quietly in his chest, the same promise he’d made years ago beside the pond outside the Valentina estate.

I’ll find a way to break it. No matter what it takes.

He hadn’t made much progress on that front over the years, buried under his own training and the general demands of growing up. But watching her now, calm and composed despite whatever silent burden she carried beneath the surface, the old determination flared back to life, stronger than before.

He dismissed the status window quietly, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

"What are you staring at?" Nora asked suddenly, glancing up from her book, having apparently noticed his lingering gaze despite his best efforts to remain subtle.

Neo blinked, quickly schooling his expression back into something more neutral. "Nothing. Just thinking about something."

Nora studied him for a moment longer, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly with quiet suspicion, before finally returning her attention back to her book, though the faint furrow in her brow suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced.

Outside the carriage window, the countryside rolled steadily past, the capital city still several days away, while inside, Neo settled quietly into his seat, his mind already turning over exactly how he might begin unraveling the mystery that had followed Nora for as long as he’d known her.