Onwards to Hwei

If silence was a deadly weapon it would have erased the whole area where the five kingdoms sat. Guanheng has been looking out the window for the past hour as if the numerous grass, trees and blue sky was anything that was interesting. On the other hand the princess has been pulling out loose thread from her dresses for the past hour, so that probably when their two day trip has finished her dress might be down to only its basics.

"How long does it take to Hwei?" Taeha asked, unable to keep up with the silence they shared in the same carriage. Though she's been to Hwei countless times, she knew exactly how long it took between her kingdom and his.

"If you're talking of the border," his head finally looks at her, "in a few hours."

She already knew that.

"If we're talking about the capital," Guanheng sighs, "nearly two days."

The carriage once again goes quiet, as if it was by their nature to turn their heads away from each other, they both did. His eyes were back on the scenery outside and hers on the dress she was wearing. In their silence, the sun was now at its hottest, the shadows that were casted were directly beneath the carriage, there were now barely any trees above their heads as they entered the plantation of Sui.

With the lack of trees around them, Taeha immediately took notice of the place where they were. She scoots towards the other side of the carriage to watch her favorite part of Sui pass by.

"You seem to have interest in this place." It was nearly impossible for the prince not to notice her movements as she scoots to the side making the whole carriage move along with her.

"Ah," she simply nodded her head, "my grandmother, after the death of the former king, moved here."

"Here?" The prince looks out the window in disbelief, as how could a former queen live in such a rural area, one where a town was nowhere in sight. "Where did she live here?"

The prince turned to only show his confused expression, but instead he was greeted with wide eyes and excitement. "As soon as the carriage goes past that post, we'll see it." It didn't take long for the carriage to arrive by the post that she was talking about, it was nothing more than a thick piece of wood that was stuck on the ground, but right beside it was a thin paved pathway. Then there was a small quaint house, one that didn't belong to a noble lady at all.

"Why did someone from a noble background live there?" The prince's mind could not wrap around the idea of a noblewoman living out of the capital and in such a quaint household.

"My grandmother was born into a noble family on the edge of bankruptcy. If it weren't for my grandfather she would have never been able to know about the luxuries that she was missing." Her head turns and remains on the now empty house that was slowly being eaten by its surrounding nature. "Some would say the former queen is my greatest model, one that I aspire."

Guanheng simply watched her.

In the past there have been no encounters with this princess, or encounters that he would deem as relevant enough to remember. He knew of her, of course he knew of her, there were only five royal families who interacted as often as yearly. Even the numerous children of Feliz, he knew them, but just as he only knew by name, he also only knew her by name. Though, he's heard stories about her, that she was a feisty betrothed, one who could kick out her fiance in mere days. Some say she simply isn't interested in men, while others speak of her like she's a plague, one of beauty on the outside but hellish on the inside.

He was yet to truly see her wrath.

"Then do you want to live in a field when I retire as king?" He speaks as if he has plans to ever stay with her long enough.

"Even if you are king," Taeha turns her head and gives him a mischievous smile, "I would choose to live in a tiny cottage that looks over a pasteur and grow my plants and make my own butter."

"You talk as if you can make your butter." The prince comments. It was no secret that royalties like they were, were never taught the basics of homecare and housework. Even if she lived in such a small house, she would still need workers to serve her.

"You have so little faith in learning," Taeha turns her head towards the prince, "I can learn to make butter with my hands and raise cows and harvest some eggs."

The prince was taken aback by her enthusiasm, thus all he could do was bring a smile to his face. "It is great to know that you have plans outside of being a queen."

Taeha watched as his expression eases into that where he looked relieved to hear of plans. He truly was an odd royal, maybe the rumors about him were true. "Do you not think of me as weird?"

The prince chuckles at her once again. "Why would I?"

"They all do."

"For having a goal that went further from being a queen?" The prince's face was one that reflected disbelief.

The princess simply looks away, not wanting to look at his face for the response she thought of. "For princesses like us, one that does not have the right to the throne, we expect a regression in title. Much rarer are princesses who become leaders or remain as a royal. We get stripped from our title and use that of whom we marry, but because there is only one royal family in the land, we get titles much lower than a princess." Her hands moved towards the glass on the carriage and she began drawing circles. "Thus, it will always be a dream for a princess to turn into a queen, yet you cannot blame them for their wonder with my decision. I am a princess, who at the least would've been a countess, yet I aspire to be a commoner." She laughs just as others would laugh at her.

"Do women in Sui go through that?" Again, there was disbelief in his voice.

"It is like that for most nations, in Feliz, Sui, Hwei, and most prominently in Farox." She gulps down the weird thing stuck in her throat. "It is only in Maha'ali where women are allowed to lead."

"Truly no other nation is greater than that wise nation." The prince mumbles to himself.

Maha'ali was known for many things, their gold, their expertise on pasture, but they were most known for their extensive knowledge and academics. They were a kingdom built on innovation and forward thinking, they were a threat to those who wanted to remain traditional, but their forces continue to be strong because of their extensive knowledge. If nobles wanted to engage in their academics they were welcomed to apply to their academy. It is open to all nobles and the few commoners who can afford its hefty sum, but somehow, only men from the other nations were the applicants and students.

"Did you attend the academy in Maha'ali?" There was nothing better than to hear of the tales of the academy she once dreamed of entering. She tried to ask her brother multiple times what he did in the academy when he went, yet he has never given her an answer.

"I did." That was his simple response to the princess, who has yet to turn her head towards him. "Do you want to hear about it?" That was all it took for the princess to turn her head towards him.

"Will you tell me?"

"Not in detail, but hopefully enough to fill your curiosity." The prince offers a smile.

"I have several questions," her smile seems to reach from ear to ear. There truly was no other woman in the five kingdoms who was like her, a bit of an oddball, but he can sympathize with her frustrations.

Conversing with her all he could think about was how truly different they were from circus animals put on display. Allowing the people to wonder in amazement at them in the morning yet be caged when the evening comes. They had dreams and aspirations, one that they cannot achieve while being affiliated with families of royalty.

"I cannot imagine a room of people who are like minded in understanding a subject." It was as if she was in the sky as he told her of the tales in the academy. "You must've conversed with a number of nobles when you went." It wasn't a question, but it was a great prompt to begin a new tale as he finished telling her of how classes were set up.

Through their conversation the two who were sitting in the carriage seem to have lost track of time, they were acting as if the silence they shared earlier was nothing they encountered. They only took notice of the lost time once the carriage stops in front of a small inn, where it appears as if they'll be staying the night.

"Your highness," a knock rattles the carriage a bit, "we have arrived." It was custom in Hwei to not open the doors of the royalty, as it alluded to breaking their privacy and entering without their consent, so it was a wonder to watch for the princess.

"It appears we'll be staying the night," he gives her a smile, one small enough only for the two of them to notice. As Taeha takes a step down with the prince's help, he immediately goes towards one of his men and begins whispering among themselves.

The way he walked back, it was obvious how he was bothered by what was told to him, the change in his expression was near chilling for the princess.

The prince didn't even try to force a smile, instead, as if their warm conversation was nothing more than a fiction of her imagination, he tells her, "I shall take you up to your room for you to rest for the night, a lady that serves my family will come to your aid." Without offering a hand nor leading the way, he walks ahead.

Taeha wanted to express her gratitude with the conversation they shared earlier, but his sudden change in expression and temperament made it impossible for her to insert her thoughts. It was as if they were all back to the awkwardness shared earlier in the carriage.

But did she truly expect anything more? They've only conversed recently, there was no need to feel frustrated with the sudden change in his attitude.