Chapter 78: The Golden Curse
Two days pass in peaceful indulgence before the team sets off again, this time piled into a luxurious, silk-lined carriage bound for the noble estate on the hill. The carriage is so overstuffed with cushions, food baskets, and lounging limbs that it looks like it’s about to burst at the seams with good cheer and entitlement.
Inside, the air is warm with laughter, rustling silks, and the soft clinking of wine bottles.
Vuvi, sprawled across a cushioned bench with her boots kicked up, sips slowly from her travel flask. Her eyes are half-lidded, her mood half-dead. "I’m not doing a single thing," she warns, raising her flask higher. "Not a step. Not a spell. Not even a sarcastic comment. I’m on break."
Veena, sitting primly across from her, chuckles. "You’ve said that three times since we left town."
"And I’ll say it three more before we get there," Vuvi mutters.
Penelo presses her face against the window like a child at a candy store, wide-eyed and smiling as they pass into the noble estate’s grounds. "Oh wow... it’s like a living painting!"
The estate is stunning. Rolling meadows bordered by glimmering ponds, flowerbeds carved into spirals, vines creeping up marble pillars, and dozens of stone statues hidden beneath cascading willow trees. It’s like nature itself paused to admire the place.
Ka’Lula presses her face to the window beside Penelo. "It’s... beautiful," she whispers.
"I know, right?" Penelo sighs dreamily. "It’s like the Earth itself fell in love."
Sera stretches her legs lazily. "Bet the nobles are just as pretty."
Zora fans himself with exaggerated flourish. "If not, I shall personally file a complaint with the aesthetic council of the realm."