The carriage rumbled steadily along the forest path, Olivia could not help but stare out of the window with a surreal look on her face. She sat beside Damon, her fingers loosely curled in her lap, while Abi dozed lightly against Leo's shoulder across from them.
Behind them rode another carriage with three elders of their vassal families. Stern knights followed them on their horses.
Olivia finally turned to Damon, her voice breaking the stillness.
"Shouldn't we have asked for permission before leaving like this? You are duke now and you will be absent from your duties for a week or more. Even the vassal families are following you. What if rumors spread of rebellion. Who did not know that northern land has been against the crown for generations."
Damon glanced sideways at her, unbothered. "I sent word."
She frowned. "That's not the same as approval."
