It has been two days since Alex Wagner had been missing from the duchy.

There were reports that he was last seen entering the tavern with a girl and that was it. No one ever saw him ever again.

Rumors were spreading around the castle that he has ran away with his lover.

Some speculated that he had met an unfortunate fate with the Tinkers. Some others believed that he escaped the city and fled southwards.

None of these speculations held water though.

For one, he didn't run away.

He was killed after being tortured for a day.

The last thing he heard before being killed was the wise words of his torturer "The young master sends his regards."

Though there was an active investigation to find him nothing conclusive turned out.

Like always it would be dropped out after some time.

His wife and parents were understandably worried about him but offering comfort was the only thing anyone can do in this situation.

So the day arrived, the day in which our young master leave for the Seven step mountains for his training.

Danielle had already returned to the academy as per her brother's wishes. She, as a loving and caring sister, obliged him but not before whispering the crude words to his ears. "Just take a sniff out of my panties when you miss me, brother." She had kissed him on the cheeks before saying goodbye.

Lily cried for his sudden leave, maybe she felt lonely now that both her husband and lover is gone, or maybe out of the pent-up sadness from the recent events.

He had held her in his loving embrace. "I'll come back before you know it and when I come back I'll protect you all with my own power." He held her for a long time before parting away, wiping her tears away.

He planted a kiss on her forehead. She would be taken care of, he had made sure of that.

With Alex gone, he had no need to worry about anything else hurting her as long as she was in the duchy.

Surprisingly Daenys was there to say her goodbye. She was not bitching or being a brat like she always does, she was cordial. She said her regards and best of luck, he even got a sloppy and awkward hug from her. It was only for a second before she basically shoved him away and ran away with an embarrassed face.

The duke seemed to recover steadily. Slowly but steadily.

His color had returned, his eye bags were diminishing and there was a certain glow on his eyes, indicating his return.

It was a good thing to see him smile genuinely though both of his parents expressed their concerns but overall it went pretty well.

"You'll take care of here while I'm away, right?" He asked the dutiful knight, Luther who was standing like he was about to go to war.

"Yes sir! I'll protect this duchy while you're away and I'll train diligently to get stronger so we could defeat anything that is thrown at us together!" Luther said enthusiastically. His voice echoed through the garden making many heads turn towards them. A few people actually cheered at the thought. The rest just looked confused.

Damien chuckled lightly, patting the man's shoulder.

"Very well."

It was cringy hearing these kinds of dialogues in real life.

Sir Duncan, surprisingly was also there. There was not a word exchanged between them but just a curt head nod. But that was enough to understand his approval.

Maybe his involvement in saving both the Queen and the new Duchess had made the old man see him in new lights.

Overall, the feeling of attention and approval made him giddy and happy all around.

He liked it. He wanted it more. He craved it.

Next was Daeron, waiting for him near the wagon.

They stood there watching each other. Then they broke a peal of laughter before hugging each other.

"You do your things and I'll do my things. Don't forget to come home if you can't adjust there."

"Of course, brother, I'll come back running if I don't like the way this hermit looks at me." He winked at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Daeron said. "I know you will."

"Please don't turn this duchy upside down while I'm away. And if you can, find a girl while you are at it."

"Hmmm...that's a good idea!" Daeron beamed. "How about the new Duchess?"historical

"Uh...no! Not her." But Damien refused instantly.

"But why? She's headstrong and--"

"I slept with her!"

And Daeron went silent.

"..."

A convenient lie. It was the best way to convince someone like Daeron. He's honest and upholds his vows, and Damien was sure Daeron wouldn't do anything to harm anyone intentionally.

"Oh? I see. Thank you for telling me that beforehand. And I'm glad this question came. Good luck with your journey, brother."

Damien thought he had seen a bit of envy on his brother's face but he disregarded it anyway.

well, who wants to see your lover to be married to your brother? That would be awkward and disgusting and he would never do to anyone like that. Well, except for maybe Daemon and Calen. And the Silverthorne kid.

Not a lot, right?

That was it, the goodbyes and hugs are over. There was nothing left for him to do here other than hop into the wagon and travel to the borders. A four or five days journey with much more to yield at the end of the road.

He touched the carefully and magically wrapped precious gift, which nicely and neatly placed on the seat, to his new master.

Danielle had helped him magically wrap the panties to preserve as to not lose their freshness and scent.

A small token of love between brother and sister.

She was appalled to see Lily's and Daenys' panties among them. She had demanded answers as to where he got them and he said the truth. "I stole them!"

Though Danielle was still salty about it, she pushed it aside and even joked about him getting excited smelling her sister's panties.

With those thoughts, he hopped into the wagon and closed the door behind himself.

And then it was time to ride off.