"Oh... So, I was right after all. You discovered the mystical side of this world... huh?"
Hearing this, Arthur froze in place before slowly turning his gaze toward the source of the voice, which came from the study door, where someone stood, their features obscured by shadows. He sighed deeply, as if exhaling a weight he had been carrying for a long time.
The person revealed himself as he entered the study, and it was none other than William Ashford himself, walking with slow, steady steps, his deep voice accompanying him as if he were carrying a heavier burden than he should. "I hoped... by God, I hoped it would never come to this, Arthur. I wanted to protect you from this path... from this heavy burden. But, it seems, fate had other ideas in the end."
A look of sadness and sternness crossed his face, and his gray eyes stared at Arthur as if they wanted to pull him away from everything he had seen, away from the truth he should never have discovered. This was not born of anger or suspicion, but of sincere paternal feeling and bitter disappointment at how the world had robbed his beloved child of his innocence faster than he could have imagined.
Unaware of the fact that the innocence within the boy before him had already died long ago, especially after everything he had witnessed in his life following the tragic events of the destruction of the Leonharth palace and the death of all its inhabitants except Arthur himself, an incident which, in itself, had killed a huge part of the boy's innocence at the time, in addition to everything he had witnessed later of darkness, evil, and corruption in the heart of humanity during his five years as a consulting detective from the time of the palace incident until his death and return to the present.
"So, William, were you actually aware of the mystical side of this world from the very beginning? If so, then can you explain to me what exactly the connection is between my family and this mysterious, hidden aspect of the world? Why was nothing about the supernatural side of the world ever revealed to me until I had discovered it by pure chance?"
Of course, Arthur, seeing how his loyal personal servant had known about the existence of the mysterious world but had told him absolutely nothing about it, felt a little displeased. Still, he quickly let that annoyance go in favor of his overwhelming curiosity to learn more about this unknown and mysterious world.
William sighed quietly as he looked at the curious boy in front of him, fully aware that he would not give up until he got answers to his questions. Arthur had always been very stubborn, to the point that once he got into this state, not even William could force him to change his mind.
"Haah... Yes, I have always been aware of the mystical side of this world. As for the connection between the Leonharth family and the mystical side... It is, in fact, a very long story. One that would be best for us to sit down before we start talking about it!"
As such, Arthur and William sat together on the chairs near the wooden desk in the middle of the room, one of the few pieces of furniture in the room besides the bookshelves and the luxurious ebony desk, facing each other. Before William began to speak seriously, they sat in silence.
"Well... for starters, let's start with why we were hiding this from you..." William said, hesitating a little as he chose his words carefully, as if each sentence carried more weight than the one before. As he was thinking to himself: How can I explain all this to him without hurting or upsetting him? Before continuing, he said, "Aside from the lame excuse that you are too young, and that it was not appropriate for you to discover and know about such things in the first place..." Of course, William knew that hiding such a thing was not easy at all, and that it might even affect Arthur in some way, but in the end, he was still obliged to fulfill the contract between him and the master of the house, Alistair Leonharth. Besides, he was well aware that hiding the truth was the safest and best option for Arthur's growth, away from the horrific conflicts of the mystical world.
William added, trying to keep his voice steady despite his inner turmoil, "The main reason behind this, in short, was your parents' desire to keep you away from the horrific conflicts of the mystical world, so that they can allow you to live a normal and happy life, far away from the mystery and darkness that surrounds that hidden world..." In saying this, William hoped that Arthur would understand and not feel that these things had been deliberately hidden from him for selfish reasons or anything of the sort.
After a short silence, he rearranged his thoughts before continuing, "So that you can grow up safely, without being burdened by all of the dangers of the mystical world..." As he said this, he began to see the Traces of surprise gradually appearing on Arthur's features, which made him wonder to himself: Isn't this too early? It's not fair to Arthur; he's still too young, but then again, because of that damn contract... Damn it, Alistair, what in the hell were you thinking when you designed that damn contract? Regardless of anything else, even if Arthur was an unparalleled prodigy, he was still a child, and it wasn't fair to let him bear the burden of the truth like this!
William quickly corrected himself, saying in a calmer voice, "And even if I personally wanted to tell you about this world, which I did not in any way, I would have still preferred to prevent you from knowing anything about the mystical side of the world..." He added, feeling the weight of his words, but I am forced to say this now, because due to the damn contract, I have no other choice...
William concluded by saying, "However, I no longer have the freedom to choose in this matter, as the contract between your father and me has prevented that..."
Now, as for Arthur, he hadn't uttered a word since William began talking about the reasons for hiding the mystical side of the world from him, as it was impossible to read any emotions on his face at all. He maintained his outward calm, but now and then his eyes would flash briefly as he listened to William's explanation, as if revealing a spark of deep thought. He was carefully connecting the dots and details, based on everything he had heard so far.
"So... My parents were involved in the mystical world. And based on the way William phrased it, their involvement was not superficial at all, but deep... perhaps far deeper than I could ever imagine. Perhaps even the entire Leonharth family, except for myself, had been deeply involved in this mystical world full of secrets, at least until recently."
These were the thoughts that were currently occupying his mind, weighing heavily on his chest like a rock. However, part of him felt that this truth, no matter how bitter it was, was only the beginning of the thread he had been searching for.
"Besides, there was the matter of the contract William mentioned between him and my father, which I could infer from his words was probably a contract that completely prevented him from telling me anything about the mystical world, unless I discovered it myself. Hmm... interesting. From the tone of his voice and the bitterness of his words at the end, it was clear that the 'contract' was not just ink on paper, but something that truly bound him. This did not surprise me at all, especially given the fact that supernatural powers, such as magic, entities, and mystical arts, have a real and tangible presence in this world. Perhaps it is even connected to the 'aether', or even the six paths of destiny, or whatever it was I heard from that mysterious voice in the 'world of eternal dreams'.
Arthur's mind then raced to weave more and more conclusions and theories, gathering the scattered threads of evidence and hints from what he had obtained so far. Although everything William had told him so far was not much, it was still incomparably better than what he had been able to gather over the past few days since his return to the present, when he had no idea how or where to begin his search.
"William, now, besides you, who else among the current residents of the palace knows about the supernatural and mystical aspects of this world?"
Of course, Arthur knew that William couldn't be the only person in the mansion who knew about the mystical world, so naturally, he was curious about who else might be aware of the hidden side of this world.
After all, it was vital for him to find out which of the palace's residents, servants, caretakers, and others were aware of the mystical side of this world, and to what extent they were informed and involved in it.
Upon hearing Arthur's question, William was actually surprised to see how calm the boy remained and did not explode in anger as he had initially expected. Instead, he calmly asked him who else, besides him, knew about the mystical side of the world. Considering the cat had already gotten out of the bag, there was no real harm in telling him at least that much.
"Hmm... As far as I'm concerned, Most of the palace residents, especially the older ones who have served here since the days of your grandfather, the previous master of the palace, were aware of the existence of the mystical world. Only a few, such as the new servants, like Lilia and some of the others, were unaware of its existence. As for the extent of their involvement in the supernatural, that is something I cannot really answer, as each of them has their own secrets, which I am not at liberty to disclose. Therefore, if you want to know the truth about their role and the extent of their involvement in the mystical world, you will have to talk to them about it yourself. As for me... my story with the mystical side is very long and completely different, and the time is not yet right to talk about it, as I am still not ready to talk about it now."
"I see... Then I won't ask any more about this, but now I want some answers about a few other things. For example, what is the 'world of eternal dreams'? What is the aether, and what are the six paths of destiny?"
Arthur was not a heartless or insensitive person, nor was he a fool without a shred of emotional intelligence; therefore, he easily understood how William was unwilling to continue answering questions or reveal his past, nor the extent of his involvement in the mystical world. This was something Arthur could completely respect. However, a series of unanswered questions remained in his mind, and this moment presented a golden opportunity to gain insight into this hidden aspect of the world, such as what the aether was and what the six paths of destiny meant, among other things.
"The world of eternal dreams, the aether, and the six paths of destiny... Haah. While I do know a thing or two about what you mentioned, I'm sorry, young master, but I will not answer that. The time is still not right for you. You are still far too young to be involved in the conflicts of the mystical world, so I will not tell you at this time."
Hearing Arthur's question, William was not really surprised; in fact, one could say that he had expected him to ask about it. Even so, William still decided that it was better for Arthur not to be involved with the mystical world, at least for now, as Arthur was still too young to be entangled in the conflicts and affairs of this hidden world.
After saying all that, William stood up from his chair, dusted off his pants, and headed for the study door, ready to leave. But before he left, he left Arthur with a few words, "What you have witnessed so far is only the beginning... This world is more complex than you think, and what you discovered tonight is only a shadow of a greater truth. As I told you, I will not reveal any details about this mystical world, and neither will any of the other servants. But if you still refuse to give up, you will have to investigate it yourself. Your father... he knew, and perhaps more than you can imagine. If you want the truth... search through what he left you. That is all I can say."
Then, he closed the door behind him and left the study to begin preparing for his various other tasks and duties throughout the palace.