Chapter Eighteen
_ Two Steps Forward
* * *
Victor was carrying a new stack of documents when he caught sight of his young master carrying a small basket. It was obvious that he had refused the maid's help in carrying it. Despite the mound of documents in his hands, his curiosity prompted him to step closer and ask...
" Young Master..."
" Mr. Hans, it is you..."
"What is this basket?"
" I wanted to share lunch with His Majesty. Is he available?"
" Even if he is not, my Young Master must go."
" I was going anyway..."
The young boy's eyes held a stubborn light. Victor smiled with a composure that belied his inner spark of excitement and said,
" I am also heading to His Majesty's office. Let us walk together..."
"Alright..."
Victor looked at his young master, who was walking ahead of him with excitement. When they reached the office, Celine knocked on the door until a voice was heard giving permission to enter. She opened the door and stepped aside...
" Is Your Majesty free?"
Damian spoke before even looking inside, then heard a soft laugh. He opened his eyes with joy.
" Mother..."
" Have you finished your training?"
" Of course, and Riley is pleased with my performance..."
" Wonderful..."
Nyla did not need to ask Damian; she had already seen the basket and Victor's excited eyes. She glanced at Elion with a smile, then feigned curiosity.
" What is this basket?.."
" Ah... I just remembered."
Damian looked at Nyla, then at Elion, and said with a bright face,
" Your Majesty, will you have lunch with me?"
Elion's hand trembled for a moment, then he looked at Nyla, who was smiling encouragingly. He looked at Victor, whose eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets from sheer excitement. He was silent for a few moments, then said,
" Alright..."
Damian's whole body lit up with a smile as he placed the basket on the desk. Victor looked at Nyla in confusion, so she thought for a moment and said,
" Ah.. I must go.."
" Mother, won't you eat with us?"
The confusion was obvious on Victor's face, so he said as he placed the stack of papers on the side table...
" Grant me permission to leave."
He bowed and left, while Elion looked at Nyla and Damian with embarrassment. Nyla hesitated slightly, then spoke with a warm smile,
" Please go ahead, Your Majesty. My cooking is modest..."
Elion grabbed one of the sandwiches and looked at Damian, who took a bite feeling happy...
After hesitating, he took a bite of it. When he looked up, he found Damian and even Nyla staring at him with expectant eyes. It was a rare sight in his life, but what was even more puzzling was that he could taste the food—perhaps because the salt was slightly more than usual...
" A bit salty..."
He saw Nyla's frowning expression, while he saw disappointment on Damian's face. He hesitated further, but he took another bite and said, averting his gaze,
" It is good anyway..."
The change in expressions on the two people in front of him was something worth watching. His heart felt a pleasant flutter, making him truly want to eat...
' Will I see these things if I stay longer?... No, no, I must focus on what I want to do...'
Nyla noticed the change in his mood and handed him another piece, saying with a warm smile,
" Damian would love for you to share meals with him more often..."
Elion took the piece and looked at the child, who smiled with red ears. He hesitated slightly, then thought that perhaps this would give the child something he himself had never received...
' Shouldn't he live better than I did?..'
He nodded in agreement, looking at Damian, whose smile widened and blushes deepened, making Elion certain that he had made the right choice...
* * *
" Is His Majesty really having dinner with Nyla Harvey and the Young Master?"
" The chef told me to set the table for three people.."
" I haven't seen His Majesty enter the dining room during my entire long time working here.."
" It seems that the presence of the Young Master has made things move in a good direction.."
" His Majesty didn't share food with the late Archduchess during the entire two years they were married.."
" What? What?"
The maid looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping and said to her two friends...
" Myrna, the maid who works in the kitchen, told me that. She has worked here for over nine years.."
"Then why is the situation different now?"
" Some say it's because of the Young Master's presence.. and others say because His Majesty is in love with Miss Harvey."
" His Majesty is in love with her? I can't believe it.. His Majesty is a rigid person.."
" I saw Miss Harvey enter His Majesty's office at three in the morning... Everyone knows His Majesty hates late-night visitors.."
" Didn't Lina say that Nyla Harvey is aiming for the position of Archduchess.."
" But that's impossible; she is no longer a noble lady."
The maid sensed a sound nearby, nudged her two colleagues, and said,
" No one should hear us talking."
The two young women moved in different directions before the young woman reached their spot. She looked around, then at the boy who was quietly staring at her...
" Young Master, the servants love to gossip.."
" I am not upset... Celine."
Damian moved straight toward the garden. Celine frowned and thought,
' It seems the Young Master is upset. I will ask the mistress...'
She followed the boy quickly, determined to try and comfort him...
* * *
He had just finished his dinner with Damian, and Elion, who ate more than usual, felt full. He wanted to return to work so it wouldn't pile up, but his eyelids were unusually heavy. He heard a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock!!!
" Come in.."
Victor entered with a sullen face and said, attempting to be composed...
" Your Majesty, my un— excuse me, Lady Amanda and Rowen have arrived..."
Elion understood the reason for Victor's anger and told him to let them in. Victor sighed and went out for a moment, then returned with Amanda, her face warm and her purple eyes overflowing with affection, and Rowen, with his light purplish-white hair and light purple eyes. He had a build slightly smaller than Victor's; for a moment you would think he was still eighteen, but he was twenty-two with a sly look and a playful smile...
" We greet His Grace.."
They bowed to Elion as they offered their greetings, so Elion gave them permission to rest and asked calmly,
" How is your daughter, Lady Amanda?.."
" She is doing well thanks to His Grace, and she told me to convey her respects to Your Majesty..."
He nodded in affirmation and said as he looked at Rowen, who seemed less respectful than his aunt,
" Lady Amanda, you may rest... I have a talk with this boy.."
Amanda looked at Rowen, who was smiling nonchalantly, then sighed and bowed as she left. As soon as Amanda went out, Victor entered, glaring sullenly, while Elion looked at him calmly. Rowen looked at his brother, then at the Archduke, and said innocently,
" Why do I feel like I've committed a crime right now?"
Elion leaned his back against the chair and said,
" That is none of my concern. Ask Victor..."
Rowen looked at Victor, who was clearly angry. Rowen frowned, which prompted Victor to hit him painfully on the head. Rowen held his head and, with puppy eyes...
" Brother.."
" First you disappear, then you hide from me that you knew the Young Master's location, then.."
" Heh, His Majesty knows about the Young Master's location..."
Victor paused in confusion, then looked at Elion, who clearly seemed on the verge of falling asleep. Elion felt Victor's gaze, so Rowen said,
" Four years ago, I went with His Majesty to the village, and he asked me to stay around the child.."
" Four years?"
Here, Victor felt betrayed and feigned crying. He looked at Elion and said,
" My Lord, why am I the last to know.."
" Because you are a fool and terrible at lying.."
It was his brother's voice that answered. He growled in his brother's face and turned his gaze back to Elion, who truly wanted to sleep, so he said,
" Rowen is right. You are not good at hiding these things..."
Elion looked at Victor and thought: he had always hidden a lot from Victor, not due to a lack of trust, but because this man before him was foolishly kind. He might act composed and shrewd, but he was emotional and could not hide his feelings...
Victor sighed and lowered his head. When he felt a light tap on his shoulder, he looked up to find his master. Before he could say anything, Elion said,
" I will go rest for a bit. Rowen, tell Victor what he needs.."
Rowen smiled slyly and nodded yes. Elion left them, feeling puzzled with himself, as he had not felt such an overwhelming urge to sleep since he was a child, even when taking medication. He decided to embrace sleep before it departed. As soon as he reached the room he usually used, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep unconsciously...
* * *
" Haven't you noticed His Majesty's magic?"
" It has stabilized significantly, I know."
The older brother looked at his younger sibling as they walked quietly toward the private annex. The younger one sighed and said,
" I think the presence of the little one has a positive impact; the Young Master's magic is stable and strong."
" That is what I believe.."
When they arrived at the private annex, Victor sat down while Rowen chuckled, saying through his laughter...
" Is that why you are trying to bring the little one closer to his father.."
" It is not just for that.."
Victor smiled warmly and said gently, while his brother looked at him quietly,
" You, more than anyone, know that magic is a mirror of emotions.. I feel that my master is starting to become more human.."
" To me, the De Walter bloodline has always been a lineage of monsters. Perhaps only the Young Master and His Majesty are the sole anomalies.."
" You sound like someone who has lived a long time, Rowen. We always hear about what happened, but perhaps one of them was different..."
" Perhaps, I don't know.. I heard that His Majesty's elder brother was a good person.."
" I didn't meet him personally. We came to the palace two years after his death, but my aunt also told me that the Young Master was a normal child in front of his brother.."
" When I try to imagine His Majesty, the image of the little one overlaps in my mind.."
" They are similar anyway... Tell me what happened.."
" You are stubborn; there is no escaping telling you..."
" Speak.."
Rowen sighed and leaned his back against the sofa.
" That was seven years ago. Miss Nyla came to the guild I work for.."
" Correction, to the one you founded.."
Rowen frowned and looked at his brother with annoyance.
" Brother.. Yes, yes, it was a new guild that hadn't been established for more than a year. When I received her request, I didn't hesitate, as I wanted to test the magical tools I had crafted..."
" Were you risking the Young Master's life?"
" It wasn't like that. I was testing them on myself, but I wanted to test them on people other than myself and my companions.."
" Alright, and how did you know her connection to the Young Master?"
" At first, I didn't recognize her. As you know, I don't know every resident of the palace, and my information was scarce compared to the large guilds, so I decided to start my major mission.. Her request was a bit large: an eyeless child's corpse and magical tools for protection and transportation.. I contacted the Darkin Guild despite my reluctance and delivered what she wanted. She later sent a message saying she regretted asking for the corpse.. What happened was that I learned her identity after it was announced that the child was found dead. All clues pointed to her, especially when His Majesty approached the Darkin Guild. I decided to track the identity I gave her, but tracking took me a long time—about three years. I learned she reached Toirs Village, and before I could even go there, His Majesty caught me and told me he knew I was the one who helped her. My guild had gained some fame and power, so if I refused to take him, he would have destroyed the entire work I did with my companions. So I agreed. I feared betraying a client's trust, but I was also curious to know what happened to the Young Master and why she sought to hide that he was still alive...
When we arrived at the village, Miss Nyla was living there as a single mother. Everyone treated her with respect; she held the child with affection and protection. When I saw her, I was truly astonished; even if she were his birth mother, she wouldn't treat him with that much love. I expected His Majesty to ask me to go to them, but His Majesty held a strange look in his eyes. He said a sentence that puzzled me at the time..
«Perhaps it is better for the child to live like this for a little longer»
But I somewhat understood the meaning: His Majesty wishes for the child to grow up with a full heart..."
" His Majesty is truly a kind-hearted person.."
" Brother, is there something I don't know about?.. "
" Huh..."
" He seemed rushed for my return..."
" I really don't know what you are implying.."
Rowen narrowed his eyes as he looked at his brother, while Victor turned away with obvious confusion...
" Are you really not going to tell me?"
... To be continued ...