Hours later we arrived at the rest house. The area was very secluded, hidden at the center of a forest. Meters behind the rest house, the spring can be located.
When we arrived, the servants were already lined up, welcoming us. They took care of our luggage and led us to the dining area since we arrived in time for lunch.
Finnian assisted me as I walked on my own, he never left my side ever since he let me sit on his lap during the carriage ride.
Lucil and Ashen are talking to the head butler assigned in this rest house. Ashnor is still sleeping so Blue carried him, while Ashwin talked excitedly with Nix.
Nix really changed as the days went on. From someone who always insults me, and even makes disgusted faces at me, to someone who is actually a soft child and a child that is only in dire need of guidance.
Emilia also changed her way of looking at me, though she still has those snide remarks about me every now and then.
Overall, this family of mine is becoming wholesome to me. I never felt this relaxed in my past life and I am not sure if it is a good thing that I wholeheartedly trust these people around me.
I sigh, I miss Ser Wayne and Cecil. I have not seen them for a while now, I thought they were coming with me since they are my personal knight and maid.
“Are you okay, Flizeria?” Finnian stopped as he faced me, him on his knee.
I nodded at him with a smile, but he still looked worried about me.
“You really think a lot. I sometimes wonder what you are thinking.”
With that, he stood up and continued walking while holding my hand.
How can this child be so observant? I looked up at him, his red hair all shiny and soft to look at. I suddenly had the urge to ruffle it.
*****
As noon came, the cave was filled with screams of terror and pain.
Luke sat inside his own room, not minding the screams. As if he is already used to hearing such gruesome noises.
With the candy in his hand, he kept on sighing as he sat on his bed.
“I’m hungry.” He stared at the candy then stood up, got his cloak, covered his head, and walked to the kitchen.
When he got there, a man was sitting at the dining table.
“What’s for lunch?” He asked the man.
“Well, aren’t you a rude child?” The man raised his eyebrow with a look of annoyance.
“Who are you?”
“Isn’t it basic etiquette to introduce yourself first before asking someone their name?”
“I don’t care about etiquette.”
Luke walked past him and got food for himself and sat down in front of the man to eat.
“You are staring rudely at me,” Luke commented as he noticed how the man looked at him.
“Who are you?” The man asked.
Luke only shrugged and continued eating.
“You did not even greet me.”
“I don’t know who you are.”
“How can you not know me?”
“All I know is that most people here are from fallen noble houses.” Luke looked at him and smirked, “Are you one of those men?”
The man fell silent as he clenched his fist.
“My house has not fallen.”
“Yet.”
“What did you say?” The man started to raise his voice.
“Your house has not fallen… yet.” Luke smiled mockingly at him, “Because why else would be in this kind of place if you don’t want anything from that guy.”
“That… guy?”
“Yeah, the guy you called boss. The one sponsoring your family in exchange for his dirty works in this empire.”
Luke started laughing insanely at him, “You men are so proud, you can’t bear to labor manually.”
Luke continued laughing as he took a bite of the food. The man on the other hand looked darkly at him with his fist clenched.
“What do you know? You are just a kid.”
“Oh, I know. I know a lot. Men like you are trash. You spent all your wealth on gambling, on women, and look at you now, you can’t even provide a dress for your own daughter! How pitiful.”
At that moment, the man lunged at him as he tried to strangle Luke’s neck but Luke was quicker. At that specific moment, Luke took his fork and stabbed it into the man’s hand on the table.
“AAAAAARG!!!!” The man screamed in pain as he looked at the fork sticking out of his hand.
“Ops! My fork fell, my apologies,” Luke continued smiling at him with that crazy look on his face.
Blood gushed out of the man’s hand as he tried to pull the fork.
“You can’t pull that, I made sure to stab your hand with all my might.”
The man kept screaming as sweat trickled down his face. Luke, on the other hand, continued eating, being unbothered by the blood.
“What is going on here?!” A man entered the kitchen with a loud voice, demanding what happened.
“Boss! This child! This kid! Aaargh! It hurts!”
The man walked closer and looked at Luke, “Why did you stab him with a fork?”
“He’s annoying me,” Luke answered calmly.
“You can’t just stab someone just because they annoy you.”
Luke looked up at him with a bright smile as if he did nothing wrong, “Of course, I can, Father.”
Luke put an emphasis on the word Father.
“F-father?”
“Ah yes, Bruce, meet my son, Luke.” The man introduced them as if there was no need for urgency.
Bruce looked at Luke’s face under the hood more clearly and then went pale.
“O-oh! I’m sorry, I did not know!”
Bruce suddenly remembered the incident where the family of one of their mates was massacred because he failed to carry out the boss’ instructions and was caught by the imperial knights.
Is it possible that a boy was the one responsible for that massacre? He shook his head and looked at his hand once more.
That’s too impossible, a boy could never… but still deep down he felt that this boy was somehow responsible for the incident.
“Father,” again, Luke put emphasis on the word, “I am going out for a bit. You have no use for me before the banquet, right?”
“Hmm, where are you going?” The man raised his eyebrow.
“I am going home for a bit,” Luke stood up and bowed down mockingly as he laughed.
Luke walked out and paused, “Oh, and I will be taking a horse, or was it still a pony?” Luke laughed again.
“Well, it does not matter, so bye.”
With that, Luke raised his hand as if waving goodbye, without facing them.
*****
Ah, yes this is more like it. We are now bathing in the spring, the Meridiem house modified the springs so there is a place suitable for children.
And yes, since we are bathing, all of us are naked, though men and women are separated by a wall in the middle.
So it is just me, Blue, and Lucil, while the twins, Finnian, Nix, and Ashen on the other side.
“Are you having fun, Flizeria?” Lucil is letting me sit on her lap, facing her, as we soak ourselves in the water.
I nodded and smiled at her.
“Aaawe, you are so cute Flizeria. I can’t wait for you to grow up and become even more beautiful than me.”
Blue is in her dragon form and is swimming and having fun by herself, not minding us.
Blue suddenly dived, splashing us with water.
“Blue!” Lucil shouted as she laughed.
“Oh, I am so sorry, your grace.” Blue bowed her head but she was smiling widely showing her fangs.
“Oh, please. Drop the formalities, it's just us.” Lucil laughed and stretched out her arm towards Blue.
“Blue, can you change into your child form and let me hug you.”
Blue turned her back at us, “No.”
“What? But why??” Lucil looked like she is going to pout any minute now.
“You said so yourself, Lucil. I don’t need to be formal, so I don’t need to follow your orders. Bye!”
With that, Blue dove again and can no longer be seen from where we are sitting.
“That’s not fair! Blue!!”
Lucil almost stood up but stopped when she remembered that I am sitting on her lap. So she sighed and calm herself down.
“Well, it’s just you and me now, Flizeria.”
She smiled at me as she wrapped me inside her arms so I laid my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes.