Reborn Financier-Chapter 8: The Journey Begins

When the Valtorin clan left the Peace Mansion, Kaidën's mother, Princess Sofia, felt conflicting feelings. She grieved the loss of the only home she knew for all these years, yet she was highly committed towards leading another life.

The carriage that carried Kaidën, his mother, and his sick bedridden father, Duke Arin, drove by the empty town. Once bustling streets were now empty, dotted only by the occasional person and the once commercial city is now less busy than a small village. Kaidën's mother gazed out the window, her eyes welling up as if she were abandoning her folk.

Kaidën himself wasn't disturbed, unlike his mother. His expression was calm but his eyes held the faintest hint of sadness. He'd lost his emotions after what transpired and didn't know what to do with them, it was as if the Lee Jung-ho of South Korea was slowly fading, and all that left is just a young boy named kaidën, at least that nothing to think to much about Right!!! .

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When they were at the town limits, the carriage came to a halt. Steven, the loyal butler, alighted to find out what the holdup was. Kaidën's mother accompanied him, hearing the cries and weeping in the distance.

Kaidën trailed after him, staring at the crowds. What he saw reduced Kaidën's mother to her knees weeping. Corpses from the plague were being burned, none giving any respect to the dead. The crowds were crying and wailing for the loss of the ones they loved.

A child about Kaidën's age barged into the crowd and pushed her way towards Kaidën's mother. "You said you would find the cure!" she hurled her words between clenched teeth. "My mother died because of you and yours!"

The crowd murmured in agreement but no one had the courage to speak out against the noble family. Kaidën's mother still knelt, her eyes welling up as she stared at the child. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Her words stung badly and Kaidën's mother knew she had disappointed her people. At once she got up and went towards the carriage, followed by Kaidën and the others.

There was silence between the two in the carriage where all the passengers were in low spirits. Kaidën's mother didn't utter any word and stared out the window sobbing. Kaidën caught a glimpse and was helpless and sad.

As they journeyed along, the view outside changed from urbanized towns to hills and greenery and thick forests. They had to stop for the night and the howling sound of the wolf in the distance made Kaidën's mother nervous.

Two weeks went by very quickly and the family settled into routine. They would travel by day and sleep at night. Kaidën's mother would take her husband's needs into consideration and Kaidën would go exploring and learn about the surroundings with Steven.

But despite all the routine, Kaidën's mother could not shake the feeling of tension. They still had so very far to go before they arrived in the Land of Waste, and she knew that the journey would become more perilous.

Two weeks of travel later, they were in a small village. The village was governed by a wise, old village chief, who looked at the Valtorin family suspiciously and curiously.

"Welcome to Pahs village, guests," the village headman said in his evil oozing tone. "What brings you to our humble village?"

Kaidën's mother hesitated, not knowing how much to reveal. But she knew that they needed the help of the village chief if they were going to survive the trials ahead.

"We're going into the Land of Waste," she said finally. "We're looking for where we might lay up and for supplies to freshen up."

The eyes of the chief sparkled. "Oh, the Land of Waste," he said. "A risky journey. You'll need all the support you can find."

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Kaidën's mother nodded, feeling that the village chief was concealing something. But she also understood that they had no option but to trust him.

"What would you recommend?" she said trying her best to remain unbiased.

The village headman grinned, revealing uneven teeth. "Oh, I think we have enough there might strike some kind of bargain," he said. "First, you must prove yourself worthy, as we don't allow anybody to enter our village, even though they might be a noble."

Kaidën's mother arched her brow in confusion regarding what the leader of the village wanted. Nevertheless, she understood that they needed to defend themselves or they would steal what they wanted from them.

"What do you want us to do?" she forced out the words, having difficulty keeping her tone steady.

The leader of the village laughed, his eyes dancing with cold spark. "Oh, we'll certainly be friends," he said.

To be continued.....