New World with Four Husbands

"Do we have to get off the carriage once we get there?" Coco asked, peaking her head through the carriage door.

After asking Coco if she would be alright, he went on ahead and left her— though, the question popped on her mind at the last minute and Sinclair being already a meter ahead of the carriage, he still pulled the reins of his horse and made the white majestic stallion come to a stop when he heard Coco's question,

"No, you don't have to." Sinclair answered, turning his head to look at his master, he stared at her for a moment, then he turned away and kicked the stirrup to make his horse move again, "Just make sure to notify the guard outside the carriage if you don't feel well after!"

Coco blinked owlishly and watched as Sinclair led his horse beside Alithe's horse, the two of them engaging in a conversation as soon as Alithe faced him.

Coco closed the door and sat back down, her body rigid with tension.

Zaque's grip on her was still firm, his arm remaining wrapped around her waist, the hold on her tight, but comfortable, and even if Coco's body was pressed against his, the proximity more intimate than she would have preferred, her focus was entirely on the feeling of anticipation of using a new teleporting device.

Coco looked outside the window, her eyes catching the sight of other guards perched comfortably behind their horses.

Then, her gaze landed on stone pillars.

Okay, no— scratch that, she feels anxious, and Coco only felt her nervousness grow as she realized they were about to enter a transportation port, a place of magic where carriages and horses could travel great distances through teleportation circles.

The air around was quick to be filled with tension, the knowledge of the impending journey adding to her unease.

The thought of traveling through magic was both exciting and unsettling, the fear of the unknown adding to her already frayed nerves, but was that not the goal of her journey to the main city? To experience new things and get more knowledge about this world?

Coco swallowed thickly, the only thing that brought her some comfort was the warmth of Zaque's body against hers, his presence a reminder that she is not alone in this ordeal amidst the unknown and unsettling situation— and oddly enough, she found herself leaning closer to Zaque.

"Everything will be okay." Zaque reassured his wife, her nervousness obvious by the deep crease of her eyebrows, and to assure her more, he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Hopefully—" Coco replied, but was caught off guard as Konoha abruptly leaped into her lap, her heart leaping in her chest at the sudden movement and cutting her words off, her breath caught in her throat.

Why am I so nervous? Coco thought, grumbling as she looked down, her gaze met by the soft, fuzzy form of the white creature, her expression quickly softening at the familiar sight.

The tension in her body melted away as she reached out and wrapped her arms around Konoha, her grip slightly loose as she held the feline close, a small smile played on her lips before she buried her face in Konoha's soft fur, her body relaxing into the comfortable embrace of her fluffy companion.

"I feel fine now—" Coco said, but once again, her words got stuck on her throat.

The carriage suddenly went dark as it passed through the tall stone pillars she saw earlier, the sudden change in lighting disorienting.

For a moment, time and space seemed to shift and warp, the laws of physics bending and twisting around them.

Everything disappeared in a rush of motion and Coco felt like she was being torn apart, her very being stretched and contorted by an unexplainable force, the sensation was so intense and unbearable to the point that she failed to see the worried glances of the mediators around her.

The interior of the carriage was still dark, the only light coming from the occasional glow of a magic stone visible outside of the carriage window.

Coco's mind raced, her thoughts becoming incoherent as she felt the world around her shift, the darkness overpowering her ability to see clearly and to think straight.

Sure, she could hear the faint whinnying of the horses outside, the sound of wind rushing past the carriage and the low murmur of the men inside the carriage, but that's all, every word is incoherent.

Coco was disoriented by the excruciating pain that coursed through her entire being, the sensation like nothing she had ever experienced before.

She was entirely consumed by the pain that she failed to notice the worried voices of the mediators around her calling out to her, the sounds of their concern registered distantly in her consciousness, it was as if their voices were coming from a great distance away, barely reaching her ears.

Amidst of the discombobulating pain, she felt something warm on her face.

Coco's eyes slowly began to open, her vision still blurry from the pain, and realizing for the first time that she had closed them.

As her vision focused, she became aware of a pair of hands on her cheeks, the rough touch of skin on skin grounding her, then, she found herself staring into a pair of brown eyes, the second husband's gaze fixed on her with panicked intensity.

Heiren's hands were on her cheeks, the touch firm and steady despite the obvious worry in his eyes.

As she stared back at his panic stricken eyes, she realized that the pain was subsiding somewhat, the intensity of the sensation replaced by a dull ache that lingered in her bones.

Coco saw that Heiren opened his mouth and said something, but his words were incoherent for her ears.

His eyebrows furrowed, his mouth closing, and then he turned to the right, his eyes darting away from Coco's face to look at Zaque.

Again, he said something, but Coco still couldn't hear anything.