The relocation happened quietly.
No announcement were made.
Not escort of honour, no sudden change in tone that would draw attention.
They were...just simply, moved.
The same guard with they went, guide them to their place. But this time something was different.
Limbo noticed noticed it first in the way of the corridors widened, and how the light entered more freely through the open arches instead of narrowed cracks.
Swoooshhh—!
The flowing air smelled clener here-stone were warmed by the sunlight, faint traces of the flowers carried from the inner gardens.
This place wasn't meant for to impress.
It was meant to hold.
Their new residence stood within the inner grounds, not part of royal chambers , but it was close enough that footsteps echoed differently. The walls were pale stone, polished smoothly by time rather than care. Windows opened towards a courtyard where water flowed gently over carved channels.
It felt lived in.
It gives the vibe of being alive—old, ancient and majestic, mana flows naturally. The place was perfect balance between man-made and nature.
"It's definitely not like the old house," Gaja muttered, while still glancing around.
Rin said nothing, but her fingers brushed the fabric of the curtain thoughtfully. The tension she was carrying seems to fade away since the arrival from hall in the forest.
And it loosened her mind.
Limbo exhaled slowly.
This wasn't an apology.
But rather was like an recognition.
The guard left them.
Finally they were alone.
The door closed with a soft click, sealing them in.
Gaja leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "So," he said a moment of pause, "we're really doing this?"
"This goes smoother than expected, but with quite a surprise," he said while exchanging the glance.
Rin sat down on the edge of the bed, posture was straight despite the exhaustion that still lingered on her shoulders.
"...A prince," she said quietly.
Limbo didn't respond.
Gaja let out a short breath, half laugh, his disbelief. "Not just a prince. He's... Firstborn."
Rin nodded, "that explains the silence. The restraint. The way no one panicked out loud."
"That's why everyone was eager to die to take him back."
Gaja scratch his head. "Ah.... I told him not to wander off alone."
Rin looked up at him, "I scolded him for sneaking to grab food."
Neither of them smiled. Strange emotions, mixed together.
The weight of it settled not as fear, but realisation.
"All this time," Gaja said, more quietly now, "we treated him like... Just a ordinary kid."
Rin's voice softened. "Because he is."
"How?" Gaja asked.
It was all over his face— assembly hall also explained about the past he lived in copped in the rooms, no one allowed him to be a normal child.
Limbo finally spoke.
"And that's why none of this broke."
They both looked at him in sync.
"If we'd known," Limbo murmured, we have definitely acted differently as we did. Carefully.
Polite...
Gaja snorted, "And probably messed up."
Rin nodded. "We protected him because he needed it. Not because who he was."
Silence followed.
It wasn't ackward. It was ... grounding.
And suddenly everyone burst out laughing looking at eachother.
No offense but every was crazy, instead of ordering, demanding they simply asked and explained.
Thing have gone smoothly.
That's true.
A soft knock came at the door.
Rin rose and opened it.
Sambha's mother stood outside.
Without any attendants.
Without crown.
Without the distant of any authority.
She looked... relieved.
"May I come in?" She Asked.
Rin was puzzled by sudden appearance and froze.
"Sorry, my apologies!
...please...my queen."
They stepped aside immediately.
She entered slowly, her gaze passing all over three of them one by one rest on Limbo. Something unreadable tells in her flickering eyes—not a judgment, not suspicion.
Recognition.
"Thank you," she said.
It was from Sambha's mother—Not the queen.
Just that was enough to stunned them.
No ceremony.
No title.
Limbo inclined his head slightly. " We did what we could."
"I know," she replied. "That's why I wished to speak with you first."
Gaja straightened. Rin stayed quiet.
"This is not a formal meeting," she continues. "Nor an any kind of interrogation."
Her eyes softened.
"You were not told who my son was, and you were not meant to be suffer from —"
Limbo didn't deny it.
"There are paths sambha will be asked to walk," she said carefully. "Not yet. But soon enough that preparation matters."
Her fingers tightened briefly around the edge of her sleeve.
"He does not understand them," she continued. "And he should not—yet."
Limbo felt the faint stirred behind the thoughts hidden in words.
The system flickered,
[Quest updates]
Objective: protect sambha-progess Increased
Status: incomplete
It wasn't to deliver reward.
Nor for any fanfare.
Just for enough movement.
"You brought him back," she said. "Without knowing what were you carrying."
Gaja frowned. "Is he danger?"
Rin hit in stomach with elbow, "Idiot."
She paused.
"Not today," she answered.
That was all.
She turned towards the door, then stopped.
"He has been smiling again," she said softly. "That alone is worth more than gratitude."
If need anything don't hesitate to asked.
When she left, the room felt different.
Not lighter as before.
Clearer.
Rin exhaled. "So... we're still in this."
Limbo nodded. "Just not finished...yet"
"What mystery are you carrying Sambha?"
Everyone remained silent.
Later that day.
The palace opened itself to them.
Not formally like they were treated before.
Naturally.
Sambha burst into the courtyard running, jumping the moment he saw them, laughter ringing freely as he grabbed Limbo's hand and tried to pull him forward.
"Come on! There's water! And birds! And—Oh—Rin! Look!"
He ran in circles, tugging at Gaja's sleeve next then Rin's, energy spilling out unchecked.
For the first time since they entered from forest, he wasn't looking over his shoulder.
Rin watched him for moments before smiling. "He's really just a kid."
Gaja nodded. Yeah. Dangerous destiny or not."
Servants passed quietly, offering food and drinks without comment. No kneeling.
No politeness. Just ...care.
Sambha's mother watched from a shared archway, with faint smiled and satisfaction.
She didn't interrupt.
Didn't call him back, as always.
She let him run, dance and jump.
From the distance, the passing king observed. He didn't approach.
He didn't speak.
But when sambha laughed, something in his expression shifted —just briefly.
Not as a ruler.
As a father.
That evening they ate together.
Simple nutritious food, warm bread. Fruits fresh from gardens.
No discussion of duties.
Not mention of futures.
Just a moment allowed to exist.
As the sun dipped low and shadow stretches across the courtyard, Sambha leaned against Limbo's side, tired but content.
"You'll stayed," he murmured.
"For now," Limbo replied.
That seems enought.
Somewhere deeper in the palace, truth older than stone waited patiently.
But tonight —
Tonight belong to warmth.