a/n when text is underlined, they're speaking Korean
"Good morning, you three,"
Count Wheelsman greeted them warmly as the three Young Masters within the Wheelsman County entered the dining room. The three boys expressed bows, Cale and Roksu both muttering the customary greeting before sitting down.
Countess Whelssman smiled at them, "How was your work?"
Cale elbowed Roksu to answer. The black-haired male smiled politely, "It was completed without issue. On behalf of the Nyphan Artistry, I express our gratefulness to the Wheelsman and Henituse Countys for their support,"
"Oh there's no need for that," Eric shook it off, "The Nyphan Artistry is well known in the Northeast, especially the far eastern territories,"
Cale agreed with a small nod, "If the Artistry wasn't worth it, we'd never have gotten involved," he glanced at Roksu, "The Nyphan Artistry and Family is commendable,"
Roksu thinks that was a genuine praise.
Roksu bowed his head at the words. The soft sounds of utensils chimed around the dining hall. After a moment of polite silence, the Count inquired, "Eric. What time should I have the carriage prepared?"
"Just after breakfast, Father. We will head back to our chambers and dress appropriately," Eric informed.
The Countess gave a small frown, "You'll go so early?"
"It's better to avoid any potential snows later in the day," Eric chuckled, "Also, Cale and Young Master Roksu expressed their desire to take a slow day,"
Cale defended with a slight edge, "A peaceful day before the last leg of travel. Tsk, I really hope the weather doesn't get worse,"
Roksu smiled, but he agreed in the worry, "As long as no delays happen, we should be arriving early March. About a month of travel as we told our families,"
"March?" Cale repeated blankly, as if realizing something.
"Yes? We left in the first week of February," Roksu glanced in confusion.
A short pause emitted. Cale then shook his head, "Right,"
Roksu stared at Cale for a few seconds, before turning and ignoring it. He listened silently as the Wheelsman family kept the gentle conversation going, flowing from topic to topic. At first it was polite inquiries and the Count sharing a few things he'd heard from Deruth. However, after a certain point, noble gossip began to filter in.
"Apparently there's been a loud commotion in the Northwest," Count Wheelsman said, "Young Master Venion Stan seemed to have caused quite a stir,"
Cale and Roksu both looked up.
Oblivious, Eric sighed, "Oh dear. What could've happened now? The last time this happened Young Master Taylor was soon injured,"
"It's been a while since I've heard about Young Master Taylor," Cale seamlessly integrated himself into the discussion, "Last I heard, he was more-or-less kicked out of the March,"
"He's not shown up in public for a while," Countess Wheelsman frowned, "Poor child. He was the only decent spawn of the Marquis,"
"The Stan Family has always been unique,"Count Wheelsman mumbled.
"Insane is more like it," Cale mumbled.
Eric gently nudged Cale, the redhead quickly defending himself, "What? It's not like they're here!"
Eric sighed, while his Mother giggled. She then paused, "Ah! Actually, Cale, dear, I wanted to inquire about something,"
"Hm?" Cale looked confused, "What is it?"
Count Wheelsman and Eric, both having an allusion, began to speak:
"Ah- Mother, waitâ"
"Darlingâ"
"I heard you met with the Princess," the Countess ignored her husband and son.
Cale blinked once before understanding, "Ah. Yes, I met with her. And I sent her wine. And she sent me wine,"
He adds on quickly, "It was a casual exchange because of our conversation,"
"Ah, I see!" Countess Wheelsman looked mildly disappointed, "I thought our adorable Cale was falling in love!"
Cale flinched slightly in his seat and Roksu, who was resisting his usual teasing remarks, sobered up and narrowed his eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Cale react weirdly to a few sentences the Countess said. But he also knew from extensive observation that Cale harbored no ill or negative feelings to her. In fact, it was clear the Countess was very fond of Cale and thought of him as a young childâ
Ah.
Maybe that's it?
Cale has repeatedly expressed how he is "not a kid", so perhaps it's that?
That conclusion felt incorrect though.
After breakfast, the three returned to their rooms and servants to change into clothes. With the colder weather and light snow, they all would wear a similar array of fur cloaks, coats, shirts, pants, boots, and gloves. The style and cut would vary, and because both Cale and Eric were the heirs to respectable Countys they would have an array of designs and some jewel spattered about.
As such, Rosku wore a combination of a darker palette with blues, grays, and a dark blue cloak with black fur. Cale wore black and white, with silver patterns under a black cloak with a red inner and black fur. Eric's outfit consisted of dark gold, black, and dark teal, while his cloak being a black except for the light gray fur. All three of them had a set of gloves and their cloaks were latched securely.
As Roksu was pulling on his gloves, the black dragon that was hanging about Balint asked, "Can I come?"
"Sure," Roksu agreed, "But you'll have to stay with Balint and invisible since there will be a number of knights and Young Master Eric,"
The black dragon smiled, nodding in delight. He flew over, perching on Balint's shoulder, "Uncle Mage, I want more books!"
"We shall buy you some today then, Dragon-nim," Balint nodded, "You should go inform Young Master Cale so he doesn't wonder about it later,"
"Is Sunny Human done getting ready?"
Since they'd started giving the dragon books and Balint had more-or-less decided to teach the dragon lots of things, the dragon had sought to give them all some random nicknames.
'Sunny Human' was one of nicknames given to Cale. It came after Cale introduced the dragon to an array of pastries and gave him a bunch of gold coins as allowance to buy whatever he wanted. Roksu had covered his face at the sight of a baby dragon and the heir to the richest noble family in the kingdom surrounded by sweets and money.
The dragon called Roksu 'Weak human', 'Tired Human' or sometimes just 'Human'. Balint was 'Uncle Mage' while Ron earned the nickname of 'Lemon Gramps' after the dragon bore witness to the consistent display of lemon tea.
"I'm not sure. You can go and check, though. I'm sure he and Mr. Molan won't mind,"
Nodding his head, the black dragon turned invisible and used some mana to teleport out of the room and to Cale. Once he was gone, Roksu told Balint, "After we roam the streets, Eric was telling us about a small lake. You can meet us there after you entertain him,"
"Alright,"
Roksu left his room a few minutes later, strolling with Balint towards the stairs, where he planned to wait for the other two if they were not there. When reached the grand staircase, he saw Eric waiting and talking with a butler. Spotting Roksu, Eric gave a smile of greeting before dismissing the servant.
"Young Master Roksu, greetings,"
"Greetings, Young Lord," Roksu nodded.
A conversation did not occur between them as a voice carried down the hallway, "You're here,"
Cale was approaching from down the hallway, bundled and dressed. Ron was following behind him. Roksu heard a child's voice in his head, 'Human, I got gold!'
Roksu gave Cale a deadpan. The brat pretended to not see it.
"Shall we go?"
Eric agreed to Cale's words and the three descended. They left the manor and got into a carriage with the Wheelsman Crest on it, four Wheelsman knights accompanying them from the outside. Balint and Ron also rode in the carriage with them as there wasn't room upfront.
Eric explained the schedule again as they left the estate grounds, "We can roam and explore the city, before walking to the lake. There's a bridge that goes over it, so we can overlook the place. It's not frozen over which is nice, just the more shallow ends and little areas under the bridge,"
"What's so special about this bridge that you want to show us?" Cale questioned
"Well, you know how the Henituse County has the Man-Eating Tree, right?" A momentary silence passed and the oldest and youngest of the trio exchanged a look. Ron, smiled as if he had learned something, "Oh, ho~ so it was you two,"
"It was him, actually," Cale confessed.
Balint's frowned in disapproval, "Young Master-nim,"
Roksu looked at Cale in betrayal.
Eric blinked, "Pardon?"
Cale was sitting in between Roksu and Eric, so he turned his head and explained, "It used to be all gloomy and dead. But the tree turned silver with silver leaves last year,"
"Oh!" Eric was surprised, "I haven't heard of this,"
"Well, the tree isn't exactly rumor worthy,"
"Hm, that is true. Not many outside the city knew it existed," Eric agreed. He continued with his point, "Anyways. Spade Lake is more commonly referred to as Lake Tundra by the residents,"
"Tundra?" Roksu repeated the word.
"No matter how hot it is in summer, the lake is always icy cold. Furthermore, no trees can grow along the edges due to the winds. In summer, the winds aren't so bad and are more welcomed, due to the heat, but in winter it can be a bit annoying. The water, for as long as I've heard or seen, has never been calm either. There's always some sort of strong currents,"
"...this seems dangerous?"
"That's the interesting part," Eric chuckled, "The lake is a populated area and is a local spot. It's not very dangerous at all. Of course, we always have knights stationed by the lake in case of any accidents. But the area is not that dangerous. The road and the sides of the city that border the lake are all maintained and doing well,"
"Doesn't a lake that is not too far from the city cause worry for floods?" Cale brought up as they stepped into the streets that were already bustling.
Eric shook his head, "No matter how it rains, the lake has never flooded. The lake is also on a slight ditch, making it lower than the city grounds,"
"How interesting," Roksu mumbled.
Cale hummed in agreement. His eyes then lit up, "Oh? That man seems to be giving wine samplesâ"
Roksu and Eric both grabbed an arm and turned down the opposite street. The oldest hissed, "Not a chance,"
While Eric smiled, "Dongsaeng, there's much better drinks to try,"
Cale huffed in disbelief, before squirming until he was let go â far away from the wine seller, mind you. Cale mumbled complaints, "No fair,"
Eric and Roksu both shared a look of mutual agreement. They'd be avoiding any scent of alcohol. Luckily, it was pretty easy to get Cale's mind off it as they began visiting in and out of stores. Roksu was honestly proud of himself; he hadn't fainted by the amount of money Cale was spending. Eric also bought a number of expensive items, but almost anything that caught Cale's eyes was purchased.
Roksu shook his head in disbelief as Cale bought a high quality set of oil paints, "Don't tell me you're going to start art now?"
Cale gave him a bland look, handing the box to Ron to store in the spatial pouch the butler had brought, "It's not for me. It's for Violan,"
Roksu blinked, "Oh,"
Cale explained, "I didn't find anything satisfactory for a Count and Countess in Puzzle City. So I thought I'd just get them multiple things,"
Eric smiled, "I assume you have things for Young Master Basen and Lady Lily,"
"Yeah, but it's mostly the same story,"
The three of them continued walking, "I sent back some sweets that seemed their taste when we were in Puzzle City and picked up some books and a new set of wooden swords,"
He clicked his tongue, "Though, again. It's not satisfactory. I didn't get a list so I don't know what they want,"
"Is that why you've been buying random trinkets at each town?" Roksu understood.
"Mhm. They should like one thing at least,"
Eric smiled wryly, "I'm sure they'll like all of it,"
Cale looks bland, "Children are fickle things, hyung-nim,"
Roksu mumbled, "Says the youngest,"
"I will hurt you,"
Roksu turned his eyes away from the redhead, avoiding the vicious gaze. He spotted a bookstore and glanced back at Balint, "Balint. You needed some books, right? There's a store there,"
Eric looked back as well, "Ah! This is a good store. There is also another one a few blocks South. Those two are some of my favorite stores,"
Balint bowed and he clarified, "Shall I meet you at the lake, Young Master?"
"Yes," Roksu nodded, "We'll probably hit one more store and then walk over,"
Balint nodded and he broke from the group. Cale and Roksu heard a child-like voice speaking in their minds, 'Weak Humans, I will buy lots of books!'
Cale smiled at the happy voice, 'The little kid has gotten more comfortable. That's good,'
Eric led the group into a jewelry store, "I have to pick up something for my Mother, anyway,"
They walked inside and a dazzling display of gems and precious metals greeted them. Roksu silently stood beside the walking gold-mine that was Cale, as they followed Eric to the counter where a slightly chubby balding man with a mustache greeted them warmly. Eric and the balding-man began to talk about what Eric was picking up and Cale decided to look around the store. Roksu browsed the displays near the counter with little interest. He didn't really plan to buy anything since he'd already spent quite a bit of money. He'd gathered a bit more gifts for his siblings than he anticipated he would.
"Oh,"
A small gasp came from the side and Roksu looked to see Cale staring into a display. Roksu walked over just as another worker smiled and explained, "Young Master, you have a good eye!"
Cale was looking at a bracelet. It was a thin bracelet that would not attract too much attention, and was made dotted with small diamonds. The diamonds were set in shapes that looked like little leaves or arrows, creating thin spaces where gold would catch light. The diamonds were all white. Despite its thin size, it was elegant.
"This...is it for sale?"
Roksu blinked and he turned to Cale, bewildered. It was one thing for Cale to get a plethora of high quality goods. But a bracelet or any piece of jewelry from a high-end jewelry shop like this? Just how much money was Cale planning to spend? No- just how much money did Cale have to spend?!
"Yes, it is Young Master Cale!" The worker grinned, "Are you interested? This bracelet also matches well with the earrings beside it. The stone in the center is amethyst and the earrings are thin to decrease the weight, despite the size,"
Cale nodded, "Yes. Both of those. Please pack them for me. Extremely well. They'll have to be well maintained to survive the journey from here to the Henituse Territory near the northern border,"
The man seemed elated, "Of course Young Master! Is there anything else you'd want to buy?"
Cale looked about the nearby cases, before pointing to a small set of blue studs, "These," he then walked back towards the cases in the center, "And these two studded pocket watches,"
The worker grinned like the sun and Roksu was certain Cale had spent more than he had anywhere else. As the worker went to do as told, Roksu shook his head, "Being wealthy is really different,"
Cale stared down at the pocket watches, "...They're for my family,"
"I could guess that,"
"Mother prefers simple and elegant jewelry. She doesn't wear fancy or heavily jeweled things. Lily also prefers simpler tastes and she has more interest in swordarts, so a pair of studs won't come in the way. Basen and Father both work a lot. Father has a fancy pocket watch and I'm sure Basen has one too, but I think these two would suit them. A smaller pocket watch for Father so it's easier for him to manage, and Basen should have one with jewels embedded that can click to his coats. It would suit him,"
Roksu listened to the reason, taking in the distant gaze in Cale's eyes. He listened to the soft mutter, "I can be trash and love them. I...I don't want them to die thinking I hated them. I don't hate them,"
Now Roksu understood. Cale had most likely had another vision. He reached up, patting Cale's head. The younger glanced up and Roksu gave a soft ruffle, "No one's going to die, Cale,"
Hearing the quiet but firm Korean words, coupled with such a firm and reassuring gaze, Cale smiled, "Right,"
Roksu lowered his hand as the worker returned. Standing behind the counter, the two watched as he packed the watches and wrapped them. Placing them in secure boxes. Four boxes were stacked in front of them, "Here you are, sir!"
"Ron!" Cale called.
Ron quietly walked over. Gently, he put them into the spatial pouch. Eric had already finished his work and was waiting for them, "Young Master Roksu, you won't buy anything?"
"No thank you,"
"Then, let's head to the lake!"
The group exited the store and started heading towards the lake. As they were walking through the streets that had filled up more, multiple people bowed or expressed greetings. Many eyes followed them in curiosity and wonder. Roksu swore he heard a couple people mutter about their looks.
'Hm, well,'
He looked over at Eric and Cale.
'They are both good-looking. Eric is very warm and his smile is friendly. He is lean and tall, with a warm aura that brings comfort. Cale's looks are also no small thing. With his fiery red hair and cold gaze, he gives off a mature yet subdued vibe. His eyes are also sharper than Eric's rounder ones, adding to the appeal. When he smiles in his act its sharp and comes off arrogant, but when he laughs genuinely, it is very warm and a nice sound,'
Roksu nodded mentally, 'Even though he's still young, it was easy to imagine that an adult Cale would be extremely handsome. With the added muscle and his arrogant persona, Cale would probably resemble a heart-throb in society, or a potential male lead you'd find in novels. And that's excluding the benefits and position that would be granted to Cale's future spouse. They'd be ruling the Henituse Territory at Cale's side,'
Roksu was pulled from his thoughts at the light sound of wind whistling. Eric smiled, "Ah, we're here,"
The trio soon passed the last building and were greeted to the sight of a medium sized lake, a light gray stone bridge arching over it from one end to the other. The edges of the lake had nothing but a decent path of grass. A few residents were seen sitting down on some blankets and a few kids were playing around. The grass bed was slopped as Eric had mentioned with the lake water at the lower end and the stone path at the top. The lake was not frozen but the wind that was blowing through the area seemed to be stirring the water a bit, causing the occasional sounds of water crashing into the stone pillars of the bridge.
Their shoes made soft sounds against the stone. As they were on the bridge, Cale realized something, "The wind isn't as strong as I thought,"
"It's only near the water and under the bridge. That's why it's sort of odd,"
There were others on the bridge as well. A few adults were walking over and talking, while a pair of three siblings seemed to be playing around and running about. Cale gazed at them for a moment: an older brother maybe Cale's age(probably a few years younger), a younger sister who looked about nine, and a youngest brother who looked about 7. Each had brown hair and brown eyes. The eldest was standing back and watching the two, seemingly reading a book. The younger two were tossing what seemed to be a small ball to each other.
Cale turned his eyes away as he recalled his nightmare. Turning away, he shook his head and tried to focus on the present. Reaching near the center of the bridge, the group paused to look over it. Roksu smiled slightly at the wind, "It's quite nice,"
"Isn't it?"
The peaceful moment broke when a large boom and crack echoed above the bridge. The three snapped their heads over just to see the older brother of the siblings from earlier scream in horror as a young girl fell over from where the wall had given way, "LAYLA!!"
He ran forward, but was unable to grab her in time. The sound of a girl falling into the river was almost as loud as the wind below the bridge. Cries of panic became shrill and the desperate voice of a child echoed over the area.
Eric's face lost color, "GUARDS!!"
Roksu headed over and pulled the older brother back from the crumbling edge, "Breathe. You are not the only one here right now. You can be scared but you must not lose yourself."
The youngest brother had burst into tears and was trembling at the sight, looking horrified. The oldest brother was also shaking, eyes wide in fear, "She can't swim! She can't swim!!"
Eric joined him, "Calm down, the guards willâ"
"Young Master Cale!!!"
Eric and Roksu snapped their heads over to see Cale shove his unlatched cloak into Ron's face and run towards the edge of the bridge. Roksu and Eric both yelled in disbelief, but moved too late as Cale had already jumped off the bridge and into the water. Roksu and Eric grabbed the edge of the bridge, staring down to where the silent cries of the girl had become drowned by the water and Cale was clearly below the surface.
Roksu's entire face twisted and he cursed loudly into the shocked atmosphere.
"Fucking self-sacrificial brat!!!"