Chapter109

"It is a complete miracle you have enough energy to walk, let alone survive a close encounter with a monster like that," she said, her voice carrying a heavy tone of suspicion. 
"Like I told you back at the cave, I didn't actually fight it," he said plainly, tilting his head back against the seat again. "I just grabbed you and ran as fast as I could while it was completely distracted with your knight. If I tried fighting something like that, I would be dead in exactly two seconds."
She didn't look completely convinced, her eyes narrowing while her fingers tapped lightly against her arm, but she gave a single nod anyway. 
They rode in silence for another few minutes while the road beneath them began to incline slightly, leading them away from the crowded market districts and up toward the palace. 
'She still suspects me,' he thought, sensing a faint, uncomfortable pressure in the air between them. 'She knows a supposedly talentless person shouldn't have been fast enough to pull that off. But as long as she remembers her promise and keeps my real identity a secret, she can suspect whatever she wants.'
The carriage suddenly slowed down, the sound of the wheels screeching before it came to a complete stop. 
"We have arrived at the palace gates, Your Highness," the captain's voice called out from outside the window, his volume lowered and completely stripped of his earlier arrogance. 
Didi didn't even look toward the window. 
"We are going straight to the throne room," she replied, her voice dropping the casual tone she used with Hajin and turning ice-cold again. "Do not stop this carriage until we reach the main courtyard."
"Understood," he said quickly, the faint sound of his armor clanking carrying through the glass as he bowed his head. 
Hajin watched the walls pass by the window, starting to feel surprisingly nervous about going inside. 
'Right, I just need to get in, get the reward, and get out,' he thought, dropping his hand from the window ledge. 'The sooner I leave this place, the better.'
The carriage came to a stop in the courtyard a few minutes later, the door swinging open as a guard pulled it from the outside.