Deruth looks at the butler in front of him with a serious gaze.
"Cale met with someone at that silver tree and stayed there until he returned to the carriage?"
"Yes, Count," The butler, Hans, nodded, "However, due to the open area, the knight was unable to get close without being seen immediately, thus there is no exact report of who it is or what happened,"
"Except that they mostly read books and ate, and a conversation," Deruth recalls, "Furthermore, the other man was wearing an outfit of fine quality signifying it's someone of high society,"
"Yes, Count,"
"Hm..." Deruth ponders, "And...Cale has never seen this person before?"
"According to consensus, Young Master Cale has never been seen in another's company when outside,"
"...what about last night? Cale returned early,"
Hans thought for a moment, "From what I gathered today, Young Master Cale went drinking and caused a few disturbances due to becoming drunk. He then stumbled back to the carriage. No one noticed any difference in his behavior,"
"Except those who came in direct contact with him here," Deruth frowned, recalling how Ron had looked at him at dinner last night. It was for more than the usual dismissal. Deruth knew something was odd from the moment he received the joyous news of his eldest joining the family for dinner.
"Something has been odd the last two days...search the City again, something happened to my son yesterday and I must find out what," Deruth ordered and then dismissed Hans.
He looked at a small portrait on the corner of his desks. It was Cale when he was younger. The light and smile in that photo was one Deruth hadn't seen since Jour's death.
Until last night where Cale seemed slightly more...approachable.
Deruth thought, 'Cale has changed'
~~~
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, Rok Soo,"
"But Hyung, I don't even do art,"
"You're still a Nyphan," Elis looked at his brother who preferred doing nothing over...well...anything.
Rok Soo sighed, his face twitching as Siwan gave him a pity pat on the head. The three siblings were currently in a carriage on their way to the gallery. The event was to start in some time, but they had to arrive early.
Rok Soo thought about the other family that would be there as well.
'And that annoying punk,'
Cale and Rok Soo, since that day at the tree, had been meeting every day. Cale was still a bit of brat around the territory when he had free time, but he hadn't really been drinking as much. Rok Soo didn't really let him either, having made it a personal goal to try and curb the influence of the drink. He was trying to teach Cale Korean and was making the kid read books, distracting him from whatever unhealthy addiction Cale had hooked his liver to.
Thankfully, it seemed to work well. Cale was, to his surprise, smarter than Rok Soo had initially thought.
His memory was also quite decent as he got the hang of reading and writing Korean rather easily. Of course, speaking a language is always harder, but it wasn't too bad. They were practicing daily for hours. Rok Soo had also, to his amusement, learned that the trash young master had a hidden fondness towards books. Cale had actually told him a few days ago he was "inspired" by one of the books and was trying something on his own and that if it worked, he'd tell Rok Soo the details.
Rok Soo would be a liar if he hadn't felt a chill go up his spine at the innocent smile.
But Rok Soo was curious, so he nodded, and told Cale he looked forward to it.
"Rok Soo, you haven't met the Henituse family. Well, they're quite nice so there's no warnings or anything," Elis began to speak as the carriage pulled up to the gallery, which already had quite a crowd in front of it.
"I understand,"
'Not met a Henituse my ass!'
The carriage came to a stop and a knight with the Hentiuse Crest on his chest plate stepped forward, opening the door. Elis stepped out first, followed by Siwan, and then Rok Soo. It was a way to show the order of the heirs.
A knight approached Elis as they walked, bowing, "Count Henituse and his family are inside,"
"Thank you," Elis nodded, leading his siblings into the gallery.
Rok Soo glanced around the marble floors, taking short notice of the large paintings hung about and the multitude of sculptures standing at equidistant. In the center of the room, in front of the largest statue, was five people. Four with brown hair and one with red.
The Nyphans' footsteps echoed in the room, thus alerting the Henituse Family of their presence. Turning around, Rok Soo was finally greeted with the sights of the remaining Henituse family. The first time since his reincarnation.
The three Nyphan siblings bowed, "Count, Countess,"
"Lord Elis," Deruth smiled. He was as Rok Soo thought he would be. Despite his advanced age, Deruth is healthy and strong: the novel claims that he still trains with his blade each morning. He had brown eyes, wavy brown hair that brushed just past his ears, a light goatee on his jawline, and fair skin that was just a touch sun-tanned. Rok Soo is a little entertained to see the Count donning a fur cloak over his fancy attire that was appropriate for his position. The smile on the Lord's face is friendly as he praises, "This gallery is quite unique. The pieces are well made,"
"I'm honored you like it, Count,"
Violan stepped forward, smiling at Siwan, "Lady Siwan, your dress looks lovely,"
"Thank you Countess, however, it's of no comparison to your own,"
Rok Soo observes the Countess Violan this time. Violan is flawlessly coiffed, with not a single strand of hair out of position in her ponytail. Rok Soo can tell from the woman's stiff stance that she is really focused on business. She is described in the story as being very serious and rarely smiling. Due to her upbringing, she is also quite sensitive to appearances. Rok Soo is certain that the displeasure of the Henituse vassals contributed to the growth of this sensitivity.
Violan then turns to him, "Young Master Rok Soo, I believe it's our first time meeting,"
"Indeed, Countess," Rok Soo bowed, "It's a pleasure,"
Violan smiled at him, a very small thing done purely out of politeness. It was a short interaction and Rok Soo was more than pleased as Siwan spoke up about something to her. Elis was speaking to the Count, so Rok Soo silently snuck back. He was stopped by a familiar voice, "Hello, young master,"
Rok Soo got shivers and looked back to see a smirking Cale Henituse. Basen Henituse stood beside him, while the small Lily was being held by her oldest brother.
Cale was as impeccable as always, dressed in high quality clothes and his red hair brushed to perfection. In between his siblings, he truly stood out, but that was also probably because of how the other two were presented.
Naturally, Lily and Basen were in equally fancy clothing as per their stature, but the young Lily was a mere child and was simply staring at Rok Soo with unhidden curiosity. Basen, on the other hand, was a true carbon-copy of the Countess, the same serious expression on his young face, just with a touch of shyness.
Basen looked at his hyung, who seemed quite odd at the moment, before greeting Rok Soo properly. Rok Soo returns the bow politely, "Greetings, Young Master Cale, Basen," he looks at Lily, "Young Lady Lily,"
Cale lets out a small huff of air and Rok Soo stares blankly at him, "What?"
"Nothing, your face really looked like an old man just now,"
Rok Soo was honestly a little surprised. He thought Cale would want to keep their previous interactions a secret. He didn't question it and simply fell into the usual banter.
"You little punkâ"
"Huh?" Basen looks between the two older boys. He settles to look at the red-head, "H-hyungnim, do you know Young Master Rok Soo?"
"Mhm," Cale admits simply, but then looks at Lily and Basen, lowering his voice. He tells them firmly, an earlier smile vanished, "It's a secret. No one should know,"
Basen blinks and nods, while Lily, happy to have a secret with her brothers, places a finger to her lips and giggles, "Shhh."
Rok soo watches as Cale softens slightly, amusing his sister by repeating the gesture for a few seconds. He then returned to the usual blank expression, returning his hand to where it was before.
Rok Soo smiles at the sight.
'He seems more like a kid should'
"Y-young Master Rok Soo, the gallery is very nice," Basen compliments after watching his siblings interact with warmth.
"Oh, thank you, Young Master Basen," Rok Soo looks at the serious looking kid, "But, unlike hyung and noona, I don't do art, so I'm not very involved with this stuff,"
"Basen, this old man, wants to be a slacker,"
"Slacker?"
"Yes," Rok Soo nodded seriously
"Oh, I-I'm sure you can do it,"
Cale snorted softly at Basen's bewilderment and polite response.
If Rok Soo noticed it he didn't say anything.
The three boys chatted with themselves, Lily content with being in her Orabeoni's arms and making a few comments here and there. Rok Soo must've been making his amusement obvious, because Cale felt the need to explain, "Lily twisted her ankle this morning,"
"What a cute big brother you are,"
"Shut up,"
Basen smiled, glancing behind them towards the adults. He informed with a small tug on Cale's coat, "Hyung-nim, I think it's time,"
They moved back towards the others, Deruth and Violan glancing at the children. Violan walked over, asking Cale politely, "Is it alright?"
"I've already said I don't mind," Cale's response is dry as dust.
'Hm,'
Rok Soo watched the cold and curt exchange between child and mother with a casual expression. It was not his problem to interfere between familial affairs, but he could not deceive himself to not be curious. He knew that Cale saw Violan as a Mother, but that he dared not call her that in private or public(he only began to throw the word around after Rok Soo had told him plainly "Stop correcting yourself. It's annoying. Just call her what you want"). He was not sure how Violan saw her step-son. The novel described their relationship as strangers who ignored one another, but from being around Cale, Rok Soo knew this was incorrect from the first heir's perspective.
"Right," Violan nodded, giving Lily a small pat on the head, "Behave for Cale,"
Lily nodded with a bright smile.
Rok Soo couldn't help but whisper to Cale after Violan stepped away, "You're stronger than you look,"
"She's 4," Cale deadpanned.
"She's a human child,"
"Do you want to carry her?"
"No,"
"Then be quiet,"
"Punk,"
"Old man,"
Basen was very amused by the interaction Cale had with Rok Soo. He watched the hushed banter with a small hint of curiosity, a tiny smile on his face. However, after another moment, the amusement gave way to an ugly feeling of envy.
His hyung had been a bit more approachable this past week, but he and Lily weren't able to freely talk with Cale like the redhead seemed to do with Rok Soo.
No, they were hardly able to talk still. Cale was still stoic and cold. He spoke shortly and no more than he had to or if something had upset him. They were communicating to an extent, but Basen felt like the relationship he had with his brother was similar to that of a professional acquaintance in a territory from the opposite side of the Kingdom.
Basen wanted to talk freely with his older brother. Basen wanted a close relationship with his older brother. How come this stranger got to have that? His fists curled slightly, his serious expression hardening just a bit, before he scolded himself internally to not act out in public.
"Let's begin," Deruth announced and the two families approached the doors, which opened after a few minutes.
They walked down the steps and towards a stage that had been temporarily set up. In front of that stageâthat was guarded by knights in all directionsâwas a large crowd. The two families walked up and the crowd cheered.
Rok Soo was surprised at the number, "So many,"
Siwan, who had moved next to him, informed softly, "It's mostly for a glimpse of the Henituse Family. Since Young Master Cale's mother passed, the Henituse Family has never been seen in public as a whole,"
Rok Soo nodded at the new information and stared at the back of his Hyung who walked up with the Count and Countess. Count Deruth, naturally, gave the opening greetings, before allowing the two main leaders of the gallery to take the stage. Elis spoke first as it would be unsightly of someone other than the Countess to announce the opening of the gallery and allow the guests to enter.
Rok Soo didn't pay too much attention to the speech, tuning it out, but more so to the crowd. He could see people staring at the three in the center, but also glances behind them. Off to Elis's right was where Rok Soo and Siwan stood, while to the Countess's left, the three Henituse children stood silentlyâwell slightly. Rok Soo had heard Lily say something when the crowd had cheered for her mother, Cale softly shushing her.
He turned to check on the younger children, taking note of how Cale was at the front, with Lily in his arms. Basen was slightly behind him, seemingly timid and gripping Cale's sleeve discreetly, out of view of the onlookers. Rok Soo noted this as the behavior difference due to the younger ages and Cale's own change.
Of course, to any outsider it might not seem the way. No, they'd instead look at the completely apathetic expression of Cale's face and awkward expression on Basen and make assumptions from there. They'd look at the youngest Henituse child being held in the arms of Trash Heir and think that something had happened to make Cale agree to such a charade. After all, everyone had somehow agreed that Cale Henituse was an ill-tempered spoiled drunk who had little care for his family, blood or not.
Cale caught his eyes and raised a small eyebrow in question. Rok Soo shook his head and turned away, turning to the Countess who had been saying the final line to officially open the gallery.
Another cheer and the guards at the stairs parted for guests to enter and the gallery doors remained wide open. The crowd naturally thinned around them, heading up the stairs, but the two families didn't leave the stage. They didn't have to. Elis had explained to Rok Soo earlier that as the speech commenced, the artists would file into the gallery, preparing to wait inside for the guests. Only after a bit of time here would they enter the gallery to mingle with guests and artists. Thus, Rok Soo followed Siwan as she approached Elis.
"Good speech, Oppa,"
"You looked very cool, hyung,"
Elis gave him a look, "Were you listening?"
"You looked cool with whatever you were saying,"
Siwan covered her mouth with a fan as she snickered. Elis simply sighed.
"Ahem," a voice said and the three turned to find the Henituse siblings. Cale was the one who spoke, "We'll be returning to the Henituse estate,"
Rok Soo quickly looked at his hyung, "Hyung-nim,"
Elis released another sigh, "Yes, yes, you can return. Siwan and I can manage here,"
He smiled at Cale, "Thank you coming out, Young Master Cale, Second Master Basen, Young Lady Lily,"
Basen bowed, "It was really interesting. We looked around before and enjoyed the pieces,"
Lily chimed in, "I liked the big painting of the city with the colorful sky,"
"That's called a sunset, dear," Violan informed from where she and Deruth had approached from behind.
"Oh, that's Sir. Elliot Joyce's painting," Siwan smiled, "He's very chirpy,"
Rok Soo felt tired just thinking about the artist he had run into on his first(sort of?) day.
"Count, Countess," a new voice said and the group turned.
Rok Soo was met by the sight of a tall old man with a smile that sent shivers down his spine. More shivers followed after he heard Cale speak, "Oh, Ron, you're here,"
This was Cale's personal servant.
An assassin in disguise, Ron Molan.
Ron's son, Beacrox was also a chef at Henituse Estate and a torture specialist. Rok Soo glanced at this oblivious punk he was teaching. Maybe he should teach Cale some fighting skills, just in case.
"Yes, young master. The carriage is ready for departure,"
"Great," Cale said, "Father?"
"You're free to go," Deruth excused them, then glanced at Rok Soo, "Young Master Rok Soo, if your carriage isn't ready then you can ride with the kids. Ron, you can drop him off as well, can't you?"
"Of course,"
Rok Soo didn't like the way Ron was looking at him. He moved to decline but Elis spoke for him, "Count Deruth is very generous. Dongsaeng, you want to get back home quickly, correct?"
Rok Soo deflated, "...yes, hyung,"
"Mister Ron, please take good care of our dongsaeng," Siwan smiled.
"I will, Lady Siwan,"
Rok Soo withheld a sigh before bowing to the Count and Countess and following the Henituse children, knights coming to surround them as they were led to the carriage by Ron. Cale places Lily down beside him, Basen sits across from her, and Rok Soo sits across from Cale.
Ron smiles his scary smile at Rok Soo, "Young Master Rok Soo, you would not mind this servant dropping off the Lord's Family first?"
Rok Soo had a feeling something bad was happening to him, however, he had no reason to refuse. So he simply nodded cooly, "That's fine,"
The door closed and Cale looked at Rok Soo, "Why'd you stare at Ron like that?"
"My butler doesn't smile,"
"Oh,"
The rest of the ride is silent, other than Lily's bubbly chatter. Rok Soo watches as Basen entertains the sole Henituse daughter, glancing at Cale to see him ignoring what was going on beside him. His eyes were shut as he leaned back against his seat, one leg crossed over the other and arms crossed over his chest. His expression was apathetic as usual. A perfect mask.
Rok Soo glanced at Basen, who stopped Lily from bumping into Cale or turning to ask him about whatever she wanted. It was clear that Basen had accepted this mask, that Cale was in a mood and that he clearly had no desire to truly go out today. Rok Soo wonders, not for the first time, what Cale gained by playing this game.
When they got to the Henituse Estate, Rok Soo nudged Cale with his foot, unafraid of the glare he got when Cale opened his eyes. An orange-haired servant comes to the carriage, opening the door and bowing in greeting. He assists the children out, stepping in to carry Lily out first. As Basen steps outside, Rok Soo says quietly, "Same place?"
Cale doesn't look as he walks out, just a small nod of the head as an indication he had heard. The door closes after Rok Soo gives a small wave to little Lily, who was waving at him, "Bye-bye, Young Master Rok Soo!"
He spends the rest of the carriage ride in peaceful silence and happiness of getting to return home early.
This joy is shortly shattered when the carriage stops, despite being nowhere close to the Nyphan estate.
'What is this inimical feeling?'
The door opens and Rok Soo can do nothing but stare as Ron climbs inside with a benign smile and a polite apology. He then knocks twice on the wall and the carriage continues moving.
The two males stare at one another silent, one stoic and one with a terrifying smile.
"Young Master Rok Soo, this Ron has a small inquiry,"
"I see..."
"Yes, how does Young Master Rok Soo know Young Master Cale to speak at such familiar terms?"
'This scary old man!!'
"Furthermore,"
'There's more?!'
"I was looking for a few rats and heard that you assisted my puppy young master with a little tussle,"
"Ha..."
Rok Soo crosses his arms staring at the old butler. He speaks firmly, "No regular butler would be able to track down four gangsters out of many,"
"The Young Master told me,"
"No, he didn't. Cale wouldn't tell you,"
Ron's smile turns slightly sharp, "Ho?"
"Cale wouldn't tell anyone about the alley, or me," Rok Soo confidently says, hiding his fear of the assassin. Of course, the logical part of his mind reminds him that Ron can't actually do anything to him without making it look like the Henituse Family ordered a hit on the young master of the Nyphan family.
"You're quite a peculiar punk," Ron says, pulling a dagger out of nowhere and casually wiping it.
Rok Soo stares at the dagger and then up at Ron, "You're an assassin,"
Ron smiles, a bit of teeth showing.
Rok Soo smirks, adding after a moment, "And Cale doesn't know,"
Ron speaks coldly, "My young master is quite a sensitive puppy. Naturally, as his butler, I must ensure his company does no harm,"
'Hah! He doesn't actually care about the little brat. If he did, he wouldn't have traveled with the punk that beat Cale to near death without the respect of even a note!'
"You're quite the butler," Rok Soo says evenly, "However...I have no desire to harm that brat,"
He looked at Ron coldly for a moment, "I'm actually trying to help him,"
Ron thinks he's been insulted.
'This punk knows something about the puppy. Something I seem to be unaware of,' Ron realizes after a thought, 'But what could that possibly be?'
"I won't tell Cale about this. Just like you won't interfere," Rok Soo tells him firmly, "You might not believe my words, but I really am trying to help Cale,"
'That punk is too smart to just waste it away. Also, him knowing the future was never in the novel, so there's something odd there'
Ron stays silent and the two stare at one another.
Ron leans forward, pointing the dagger towards Rok Soo, "Answer one question,"
Rok Soo tilts his head to indicate he was listening.
"How long have you known Cale?"
'Ho? Using his name is serious...it's either a sign of disrespect or familiarity and care'
Rok Soo thinks about the question. He knows why Ron is asking. Just like how he knows Ron knows the answer already.
He smiles as he sees his estate from the window. As the carriage stops, he tells Ron, "About a week,"
The dagger is hidden as Rok Soo opens the door rather than wait for a servant to do so.
Ron watches it shut again as the Young Master walks into the estate, a male butler with glasses greeting him at the door. Rok Soo doesn't look back before entering into the manor and Ron knocks twice to get the carriage moving back to the Henituse Estate.
'That punk is strange. He's got an aura of him and can fight well. He's sharp too. Furthermore, Cale has been different the past week, the same time he's known this punk. Just what is my puppy young master up to?'
Ron decided to inquire about this situation to Beacrox when he returned. He needed a second opinion, and his son was always the best option in these events.
~~~
"Old man!"
Rok Soo sighed at the nickname Cale kept calling him. No matter how much Rok Soo tried to get him to stop, even going as far as offering Cale to simply use his name, the punk refused.
"Brat,"
Cale, unlike Rok Soo, had gotten used to the elder calling him 'punk' or 'brat'. Thus, he simply smiled, "Why are we at this alley instead of the tree?"
It had been a few months since the gallery and Rok Soo could admit to himself he'd gotten used to Cale at his side and their banters. Cale was, to be fair, quite a good student. Like any noble, his body was healthy, thus when Rok Soo had mentioned honing fighting skills, there wasn't much training Cale needed prior to being in a good condition to learn. And the kid also had some prior fighting knowledge, most likely from all the gangsters. Of course, they worked on building some muscles to ease the process.
Furthermore, Cale had picked up Korean due to Rok Soo writing guides for him and Cale taking them with him to study privately. Plus, with the amount of time the two of the spent with each other, conversing became easier and easier for Cale to get the hang of as he was constantly practicing with the older noble. Rok Soo enjoyed having small conversations in his home language with the kid. Even if at the beginning, Cale was good at learning curse words that he had somehow gotten out of Rok Soo.
Anyway, they usually met up at the silver tree, however, when they wanted to do fighting, Rok Soo and Cale usually went to the Nyphan Estate where Rok Soo had a large empty studio he wasn't quite sure what to make of yet. Furthermore, Rok Soo knew that the servants of the Nyphan Household were all extremely tightlipped. It's why his adoptive father was able to die with a basically clean reputation.
This sworn secrecy aided them both, as it provided enough privacy and space for Cale and Rok Soo to train. It also benefited Cale who was very obviously trying to keep up his trash act much to Rok Soo's displeasure.
Today, however, they were in the alley they first met.
Rok Soo, with his time with Cale, had come to a realization. This kid was useful to his plans and Rok Soo had undoubtedly changed the future. Rumors of the streets had faded from Cale the Trash to the Young Master who hadn't come to town that often anymore to drink. Little did they know Cale was simply with Rok Soo.
Thus, Rok Soo felt he had to be slightly honest with the punk.
"Cale,"
"Oh," Cale's demeanor shifted at his name, "Yes?"
Rok Soo smiled, this kid was smart and had answered in Korean.
"Let's start the plan,"
"Plan?"
Rok Soo nodded, speaking slowly so Cale could understand the words and quietly that any old man couldn't hear them, "There's an organization. Its beginning to grow influence on the Western Continent. A bad organization"
Cale frowns, after he has a bit to process the words, "They're the ones who attack,"
"Yes. Your dreams seem to be the future. I only have information up until a certain point of the future."
"Okay, but we know this already. Why are you mentioning it again?"
Rok Soo looks at Cale firmly, "This organization has already done a few bad things and are planning more"
"Like?"
"They got their hands on a dragon's egg and gave it to one of the noble houses of the Roan Kingdom. The house is trying to tame it by torture"
Cale inhaled sharply, thinking he'd understood wrong, "What? Did you say a..." his voice drops to a whisper, "...dragon?"
"It's true," Rok Soo nodded, "It hatched and the being should be about one year old,"
"One?!" Cale exclaimed, face paling. He paused for a moment, letting the horrifying fact sink into his bones. He imagined a one-year-old Lily or Basen being tortured for submission and recalled those young kids he'd see around the slums. He felt sick to his stomach. It may be a dragon, and Cale knows how majestic and powerful dragons are said to be, but a one-year-old dragon is still a child! Cale clenched his fists looking at Rok Soo with all the authority of an heir, "We have to save the little kid!!"
'Indeed. Especially if want to avoid it going crazy and causing problems in the future'
Rok Soo nodded softly, "We have until the dragon is four to save him,"
Cale frowned at once, disliking the information, "We're not saving him right away?"
"We don't have the strength with just you and me," Rok Soo shook his head, "We need allies and enough strength to successfully avoid detection and save it,"
Cale looked a bit unsettled, and Rok Soo wasn't too keen on leaving the Dragon alone either, but he knew that realistically, the two of them couldn't do much. Furthermore, they needed an excuse to go into the Tolz territory.
"You said you were trying something," Rok Soo changed the topic, "How's it coming?"
"It's steady," Cale said vaguely, before looking at Rok Soo, "I'll be out tonight drinking tonight,"
"What?"
"The rumors are failing,"
"....so?"
"They can't' fail yet,"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I know what I'm doing," Cale assured him, yet offered no explanation.
Rok Soo sighed, "This punk...fine,"
Cale smiles. Rok Soo begins down the alley, leading Cale into a carriage waiting to take them to Nyphan Estate. It's only after they're in the privacy of the cabin does Cale speak again.
"Old man,"
"What?"
"There's something that's been on my mind,"
'Hm?'
Rok Soo waits for Cale to speak.
"How did you know that the man-eating tree turned silver before anyone else?"
'This smart brat!'
Rok Soo sighed. He then summoned up a small silver shield. Cale's eyes widened, "An Ancient Power?"
"Ho?" Rok Soo was surprised Cale realized what it was right away, "Most people won't realize what it is right away,"
Cale looked at Rok Soo when the shield was gone. He seemed to be hesitating, before deciding to speak, "My Mother had an ancient power,"
Rok Soo blinked.
"Your Mother...?"
Seeing Rok Soo's expression, Cale clarifies, looking at the window through the gap in the curtain, "My biological mother. She told me once that she had an ancient power,"
'Former Countess Jour had an ancient power?'
"What did it do?"
"It was related to time," Cale recalled, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he thought back, "Hm...my mother described them as the rings on a tree. She could see a person's rings from birth to death,"
Rok Soo mumbled, "How unique,"
"Mhm," Cale smiled slightly, "That's how I recognized it. I'm quite aware of them,"
"How interesting," Rok Soo smiled.
The carriage stopped and Balint greeted the two like he usually did. He informed Rok Soo as they entered, "Lord Elis is at a meeting and Lady Siwan will be lecturing at one of the studios,"
"I see, thank you for informing me," Rok Soo nodded, "Please bring some tea and snacks to the library. Oh and tell the others not to bother us,"
Cale made an inquiring sound but followed Rok Soo without much protest. Rok Soo led Cale into the library and told him to sit down in one of the cushioned chairs while he went to gather some books.
As a family with a long lineage, there were a lot of history books in this library. Rok Soo had found the ones that focused on things other than specific art history and brought them to Cale, "They're history books. History of the continent and Roan Kingdom,"
"Boring,"
"Yes, but we need them,"
"Why?"
"I plan to collect more Ancient Powers"
"...I think I heard wrong,"
"I plan to collect more Ancient Powers"
"I heard correctly the first time, ha..." Cale sighed, "Old man, you're a little crazy,"
Rok Soo looked at Cale, "We're getting you some too, weak punk,"
Cale blankly looked up.
The door opened and Balint placed a tray of sweet tea and cookies down on the table between Cale and Rok Soo. With a bow, he excused himself. When the door shut, Cale silently grabbed a cookie.
The crunching sound echoed.
Rok Soo repeated, "You need to be able to protect yourself well. In this war, you need a certain level of strength to survive"
"I heard you the first time," Cale mumbled, "But why do I need it? It makes more sense if I gave it to Basen or Lily. You're already teaching me to fight,"
"I'm not saying you have to use it," Rok Soo says, "But, Cale, you neither practice sword nor can use mana. Teaching you hand-to-hand combat is a good start, but it's not going to help you survive forever,"
"A lot of people around me can't use a sword or mana,"
'A lot of people around you are very strong, you oblivious brat!'
"They're not dreaming of the future or quietly building strength to protect the territory"
Rok Soo then looked at Cale oddly, "How come you're against this? Most people would like it,"
"I don't mind having one if it helps me," Cale admits, he was slightly intrigued by the thought of having an ancient power, "I just need to think about what it implies and how it'll affect my plans,"
"What plans? Your plan to be trash?"
"You're really smart sometimes, old man,"
Rok Soo threw a book at Cale, who, curse him, caught it. Cale simply smiled, and opened the book, munching on another cookie.
Sigh.
'This punk...'