As I was relaxing in the living room, Adel approached me with news.
"Sofia has arrived, My Lady."
I went to the front of the house to greet her.
Sofia stepped out of the carriage, looking exhausted from the journey. After we exchanged greetings, she leaned in closer, her voice lowered.
"There is someone in front of your house gate, My Lady… Acting suspiciously."
Could it be him? I wondered.
I asked her for a description. She answered with details that matched my hopes exactly.
Without wasting any time, I turned to Adel. "Bring this person to the front gate and invite him in."
Sofia looked confused. "Is this person your acquaintance?"
"Sort of…" I replied evasively. "You must be tired from the journey. You should take a rest, Sofia."
Sofia nodded, too weary to argue. She went into the house and headed to her room with the help of some servants.
As for me, I returned to the living room to wait.
While I waited, Lady Octavi entered. She didn't say a word, but her presence was heavy. I knew she wanted to know about the man mentioned in the Book.
We waited in silence.
Finally, the doors opened. Adel brought the person in.
It was the man from the tavern—Bo.
His eyes darted around the opulent room, taking in the tapestries and the weapons on the walls. His gaze was guarded, suspicious.
"You may take a seat with me," I offered, gesturing to the sofa opposite mine.
He sat down slowly, never taking his eyes off me.
"So," I began, "have you considered my offer?"
"Your offer is actually quite generous," he replied, his voice rough. "However, as before, I came here not for wealth nor fame."
He leaned forward, his dark eyes narrowing. "However, I found something odd about you, Young Lady. How did you know my name???"
I couldn't say that I knew his name from my dream or the Book. So I found another reason.
"We are Aurelius," I said simply. "Surely we can find any information we desire."
The man's face suddenly hardened. His gaze turned hostile.
"So," he growled, "your family is the one who took what belongs to mine."
I could feel the tension in the air spike. Adel shifted slightly, ready to intervene.
"My family didn't do anything to you," I said calmly. "However, another family is keeping secrets under our sleeves, operating in our territory."
Bo stared at me. "If you already know my name, I want to know... how much do you know about me?"
I took a breath and began to recite the story written in the stars.
"Your name is Bo, which means 'to live'. You are a former Retinue of the Royal Guard; however, the name isn't 'Royal Guard' in your kingdom."
I continued, watching his reaction. "As time passed, you found peace in your mind and left your position. You moved to a coastal area to become a fisherman. You created your crew and sailed toward the North Sea. The sail always took a year, so you left your family behind and met them only once or twice a year."
I paused, lowering my voice. "However, seven years ago, you returned home to find your village and your settlement had been raided. In your home, you found only your wife laying—"
"ENOUGH!!!"
Bo shouted, leaping to his feet. His face was twisted in pain and anger.
"I think I have found your information is actually correct," he panted. "Which must be right about what I am searching for…"
Lady Octavi, who had been listening quietly from the corner, stepped forward.
"So what is he searching for these seven years?" she asked softly.
"His precious daughter," I answered for him. "He believes she is still alive because she wasn't found among the dead."
"You mean she was kidnapped by the raiders?" Octavi asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Yes. And he has been tirelessly searching for her ever since that tragic day."
Lady Octavi nodded in understanding, realizing the depth of the man's grief.
Bo interjected, "I said enough about my past. Now, I want to know where she is now."
I kept my composure.
"I believe your daughter is in my family's territory. The city of Florence."
Bo's eyes widened.
"My father had a vision about kids on the street," I explained. "So he built an Orphanage that should be taking care of these street kids. However, seven years ago, I found some kids on the street, as I told you in the tavern. There is a high chance that the Orphanage is not doing what was planned by my father."
"My Lady!!!"
Lady Octavi immediately refuted my words. She stood up, her expression stern.
"Are you accusing the Orphanage of hiding this man's daughter?"
"I am not accusing the Orphanage of hiding only this man's daughter," I corrected. "But a lot of fathers' daughters too."
Octavi shook her head. "I refuse to believe it. The Orphanage has always been dedicated to the welfare of all the children under its care. It is a beacon of hope!"
"Then," I countered, "why were Alicia, Alecia, Aelia, and Felix on the street? Why were they starving while the Orphanage stood tall? The Orphanage has been involved with another family."
Suddenly, I saw Bo moving toward the door.
"Where are you going?" I called out.
"I want to see my daughter," he replied angrily, not stopping.
"You can't go right now."
"Why?" He spun around.
"Because you need my family's approval first to go there."
"I don't need any of that!" he shouted. "If I want to save my precious daughter, I could just break into the Orphanage!"
"I know you are a former Retinue of the Royal Guard," I said calmly. "However..."
I pointed at Adel.
"If you can beat her, then you can see your daughter in the Orphanage."
Immediately, Bo looked at Adel.
Adel stood still, her hands relaxed at her sides. But her aura was unmistakable to a warrior.
Suddenly, Bo's desire to leave dropped. His shoulders slumped. As a former elite guard, his gut told him that Adel wasn't just an ordinary servant. She was a wall he couldn't climb.
"The thing is," I reasoned, softening my tone, "I want to help you as soon as my parents arrive. I want to tell them about this situation. So can you wait for them until they arrive? I promise I will send someone as soon as possible after I resolve this situation with them."
"What are you thinking?" Bo pleaded, desperation in his voice. "How do I possibly wait any longer after learning that my daughter is in a ring of traffickers?"
"I know that. However, I can't just let you go there alone, or send someone there blindly."
I turned to Octavi. "When will my parents arrive?"
"Around two to three days," she answered.
I looked back at Bo. "In just two or three days. Can you just wait for them to arrive before taking any drastic action? I understand your urgency, but it is important to consider all possible outcomes before making a decision that could potentially put your daughter and all the people in this ring at risk."
Bo hesitated. His heart warred with his head.
"What will happen if we are too late?" he whispered. "Because we are waiting two or three days?"
I couldn't tell him that his daughter would be safe if the story from the Book was correct. In the original story, the daughter would be rescued in a few months, not now.
But just like with the four children—Alicia, Alecia, Aelia, and Felix—I had altered their fate.
However, Nona and her Paragons must play by the rules. They couldn't alter fate directly. That meant Bo's daughter would likely be fine this week until we could rescue her properly.
"I assure you," I said firmly, "your daughter will be fine."
"Why? Why? How can you say that?" Bo looked at me, a mix of desperation and anger in his eyes.
"I couldn't say it right now," I replied calmly.
I stood up, meeting his gaze with absolute determination.
"However, this matter will be resolved, and your daughter will be safe. I promise you that."
Bo stared at me. Slowly, his expression softened.
"Your eyes show me that you truly believe what you're saying," he murmured. "You are truly different, Young Lady. I could see it from your eyes…"
A glimmer of hope appeared in his weary face. He sat back down and nodded.
"For now, I will hold your words close to my heart and trust that you will do everything in your power to help my daughter."
I nodded in return.
"As of now, you will live under this roof, and under me. You should take a rest."
I signaled Adel. "Guide Bo to his new room."
Before they left, I added, "There are two people from outside my household that I hired. You may have seen them at the tavern. You should get close to them. I think their rooms are beside yours. That will be convenient for all of you. This way, you can have some company and support during your stay here."
Bo nodded in understanding and followed Adel out of the room.
As the door closed, Lady Octavi walked up to me. Her face was grave.
"To confront your parents will be hard, My Lady," she warned. "Saying the Orphanage is a ring of traffickers will be hard to believe for His Grace and Madam. How do you plan to approach them about this?"
She continued, counting off my problems. "And with your situation—the problem between you and the Third Prince, the confession of the Crown Prince, and now you hiring three people from outside—you are in a bad position to confront them, My Lady."
I took a deep breath. I knew Lady Octavi was right.
Time passed slowly as we waited for my parents.
I kept practicing swordplay with Cassius after breakfast, focusing on basic footwork.
Bo waited in his room, only coming out for meals. Cassius and Valerie tried to make him relax, but it didn't work. For him, two days felt like two years.
Surprisingly, the thing Gena planted in me felt… dormant. I had no hallucinations anymore. Since the meeting with Nona and the demise of Delia, my mind was clear, though the memory of that horror haunted me every day.
On the day my parents were due, I was practicing in the courtyard with Cassius.
Adel approached swiftly. "My Lady, His Grace and Madam have arrived at the entrance gate of the Capital."
I stopped immediately.
"Cassius," I ordered, "bring Valerie and Bo to stay in the courtyard until I order you to come in. I don't want my parents to see them immediately."
Though I knew my parents likely already knew about them through their spies, I wanted to control the introduction.
"Adel, guide me to my room. I need to change."
I started toward the stairs to change out of my training gear.
However, Lady Octavi was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She looked anxious.
"My Lady," she whispered urgently. "Your parents have already arrived. They are waiting for you in the living room immediately."
"What? Already?"
Octavi ushered me toward the living room, not giving me time to change. "Compose yourself, My Lady."
I took a deep breath. I looked down at my simple tunic and trousers. This will have to do.
I walked to the living room doors.
As soon as I stepped inside, the tension hit me like a physical wall.
My parents were sitting on the couch, dressed in their finest travel clothes. Their expressions were unreadable. The twins were nowhere to be seen.
However, standing around the room like sentinels were Alicia, Alecia, Aelia, and Felix. They stood with flat, emotionless expressions, dressed in Aurelius livery.
My mother looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my training clothes.
"Stop standing there," she said sharply. "You may take a seat, Aurelia."
I quickly obeyed, sitting opposite them. It felt incredibly strange to be in training attire while they looked so regal.
The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.
Finally, my mother broke it.
"We need to talk."
Her voice was stern. I sensed that this conversation was going to be about everything I had done. And everything I had hidden.