Chapter 7: Cute pets must meet their parents eventually
Aaron and Abey emerged from the fireplace, their clothes cleaned by Yobby's magic.
But this time, Gines wasn't behind them, which puzzled them both.
"Yobby, is something happening at home today? Why isn't the butler here?" Aaron asked. In his impression, Gines was always like a persistent rash, impossible to shake off.
But this time, he was uncharacteristically absent. Was there anything more important than protecting him, the young master?
"Yobby doesn't know, but Mr. Gines seemed very happy.
Oh, Mr. Gines also said he was going to the airport."
"The airport?" Aaron murmured, then his face lit up with understanding. He excitedly picked up Abey, "Mr. and Mrs. Gaius are coming back! Soon we can go out and play openly.
But your identity still needs to be kept as secret as possible. After all, we're both too weak right now, and you're so rare. If some desperate Dark Wizard tries to capture you, we won't even be able to protect ourselves."
After hearing the first part, Abey jumped up happily, its wings almost tearing its clothes.
But after hearing the next part, it reluctantly retracted its wings. Although a smile still hung on its small face, it wasn't as overjoyed as it had been initially.
Tonight's dinner was exceptionally lavish, making Abeydrool.
There were chicken legs, which it loved, and a fruit platter.
Since its birth, it had eaten with Aaron, and while the food wasn't bad, it didn't always satisfy it.
Gines had specifically arranged a special diet for it with a dedicated person, and it was strictly enforced. It wasn't allowed to eat anything it craved, even if it was just a snack, under the guise of: 'It's for the dragon's good.'
This was simply bullying the dragon! After experiencing a 'Manchu Han Imperial Feast' for its first meal in its dragon life, who would still care about a few paltry dishes?
After watching for a while, Abey became restless, and cautiously extended a small paw.
But halfway through, Aaron unceremoniously pulled it back, "Everyone isn't here yet! You behave yourself first."
"Woof!" Abey immediately looked aggrieved.
But this tried-and-true skill of acting cute unexpectedly didn't work today. Aaron looked at it and said earnestly, "This is for your own good. My parents are very particular about rules.
Normally, if you're a bit casual, it's fine, but today is about welcoming them home. Necessary manners are still required.
You wouldn't want their first impression of you to be mischievous, would you?"
Abey was clearly stunned for a moment, then silently sat on the pet seat next to Aaron, returning to its original state, staring at the delicious food and drooling.
Aaron watched this scene and quietly placed a small cup under its chin.
The saliva of a Holy Dragon! Who knows, it might be some rare material!
After all, this is a magic world, and magical creatures are practically treasures from head to toe. Their blood, scales, bones, venom, and even fur are widely used and highly valuable.
A few minutes later, three figures suddenly appeared in front of the dining table.
This was Apparition, a magic that allows instantaneous travel, but he couldn't do it yet.
One of them was naturally Gines, who now stood respectfully behind the other two, without the slightest transgression.
The other two were Aaron's parents, Vico Gaius and LisannaGaius.
"I knew our precious son would be waiting here," Lisannasaid joyfully, quickly walking up to Aaron and giving him a loving hug.
Vico did the same, but his expression wasn't as exaggerated as Lisanna's.
"Are you saying that if I don't skip school, you won't come back?" Aaron asked with a hint of complaint. "Sometimes I really wonder if I was adopted."
"How can you say that? We always put you in the most important position.
No matter how busy we are, our love for you has never diminished," Vico said righteously. He knew his son had some grievances towards them, but he wasn't worried, because this was just playful banter between family members.
Aaron had shown maturity beyond his age since he was young, and with Gines looking after him, the two of them felt comfortable pursuing the plan they had made in their youth: a world tour.
Of course, this wasn't just a simple vacation. They occasionally handled matters related to the magic world during their travels, but Aaron didn't know this.
"Really?"
"Of course it's real," Lisanna immediately said. "We even brought you some gifts on this trip back."
Then, in front of Aaron, she took out an hourglass. The hourglass was made of two white bases and three white pillars, with a 'gourd' in the middle formed by two teardrop-shaped transparent glass covers, containing yellow sand. It looked particularly... ordinary.
Aaron took it, examined it carefully for a few seconds, but found nothing unusual about it. He then turned his gaze to Vico, hoping he could provide an explanation.
"Uh... can I not say?" Vico hesitated.
Aaron smiled, "Dad, I really like this gift, after all, I don't have one of these in my room.
But since it's a gift from you, containing deep family affection, I at least need to know which roadside stall you bought it from!"
"You figured it out?" Vico said awkwardly.
"Isn't that obvious? I'm not blind." Aaron rolled his eyes. This kind of thing was sold in any market, and the price definitely wouldn't exceed one Galleon.
"Although it's an ordinary hourglass, the sand is not the same.
This is a souvenir that your mother and I specifically prepared when we traveled to Egypt – no, when we were doing business there. It's sand from under the Pyramid."
Aaron:...Suddenly hearing it said so solemnly made it a bit hard to accept, but no matter what, its essence was no different from the wholesale goods outside.
"Never mind, let's eat! The little one is getting hungry too."
"The little one?"
Mr. and Mrs. Gaius paused, then began to look around, but didn't see their son's pet.
"Where is it?
Gines' previous letters spoke highly of Abey. Where did you hide it?" Lisanna asked, somewhat eager to see her son's pet dragon.
"Madam, it's over there," Gines said, pointing to a white pet next to Aaron, a little embarrassed.
Lisanna followed his finger and, while amazed, also felt a bit awkward.
It wasn't that she hadn't seen it, but this overly cute pet seemed to be asleep, completely still.
Crystal clear drool hung from its mouth, dripping one after another, making her mistakenly think it was a new timer her son had made.
"Can we wake it up?" Vico said softly. He was still very interested in this new species of dragon.
"Of course, no problem." Aaron gently flicked Abey's head, and it groggily opened its eyes.
Its large black eyes looked at the two strangers who had suddenly appeared at the dining table, and it couldn't help but feel a little confused. These must be its master's parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Gaius looked at the adorable young dragon, and their hearts melted.
This was absolutely the cutest creature they had ever seen, without a doubt. Even Unicorn foals paled in comparison.
"Son, can I pet it?" Lisanna asked.
"You can, but Abey likes to eat chicken legs," Aaron said meaningfully, glancing slightly at the dining table.
Lisanna instantly understood, giving Aaron a satisfied look.
This was an invitation for her to feed it! She absolutely loved feeding cute pets.
Without hesitation, she pushed an entire plate of chicken legs in front of Abey, "Eat! They're all for you."
"And fruit."
"Take it."
Another plate was pushed in front of Abey.
Abey's face was filled with joy, but it still turned to look at Aaron, as if seeking his approval, though the drool at the corners of its mouth already proved it couldn't wait any longer.
"Alright! Go! But you don't need me to teach you what you should do before that, do you?"
Abey nodded, spread its wings, and flew up, landing in Lisanna's arms a few seconds later, allowing her to fully experience the feeling of petting a dragon.