What nonsense. That was the first thing I thought as I stood with an ear pressed against the wall. On the other side of the wall, Liliana and a bunch of important-sounding people were discussing the events that had happened.  

It was a dangerous and risky plan. Why would anyone willingly expose their children to a plan that could kill them? Especially for the prince. I was unable to understand the thought process of the Royalty of this country.

It took a while for the people in the lounge to leave. I waited patiently, and after ensuring that there were no sounds coming from the next room, I undid the spell I had cast on myself to hide my presence.

I was asked to wait in the carriage after arriving at the mansion, but I was curious about what was happening, so I sneaked out of the carriage using a spell and followed Liliana. I was lucky to find the adjacent room empty, so I went in and was able to hear most of the conversation.

To be honest, I felt a little sorry for the red-haired girl. However, we were ultimately strangers who had only just met each other, so it was not something I should concern myself with.

Well, not like there’s anything I can do anyway, I thought with a wry smile.

I took some time to stretch as my muscles were aching from being in the same position for too long, before slowly making my way towards the door. As I was trying to recall the route back to the carriage, I stepped out of the room.

“What are your thoughts on it?”

I froze.

Even though I was confident there was no one around, a deep voice had called out to me.

My reflexes kicked in and I stiffened my muscles to get ready to bolt in the opposite direction. However, it was to no avail as I was immediately stopped.

“If you have the courage to listen in to a confidential conversation, I am sure you will not mind having a few words with me.”

I looked up at the imposing man blocking my way - Peter Remington, the Marquis of Cruador. On the way here, the person accompanying me had explained to me a little about the Remington family. According to his words, the land of Cruador was often plagued with the appearance of magical beasts coming from the Arcadia Forest. Arcadia Forest was a stretch of dense and untouched nature where a number of large magical beasts resided in. Now and then, the beasts will wander out of the forest, attacking people and buildings. As they were elusive creatures, it was hard to track them down, and the people often had to live with fear. It was thanks to the current Marquis and his wife that they were able to live even when threatened as they responded quickly to calls for help and culled the beasts with their powerful spells.

The person had strongly admired the Marquis and assured me that the Marquis was a stern but kind man and would definitely look after me. But looking at the stone-faced man standing in front of me with his arms crossed, it was clear I had overstepped his generosity.

“Cat got your tongue?” His cold green eyes bored into me as he waited for my reply.

It would be wise for me to apologise right now. Maybe even add a few tears and stutter my words. Perhaps he will take pity on me, forgive me, and then let me be on my way.

But I remembered Liliana’s pained and tired face in the cage, and could not bring myself to do it. I steeled myself mentally before breaking out into a smile.

“It was a scheme that would have made any Breusian proud.”

Unfazed by my provocation, the Marquis only raised an eyebrow.

“I see. So this is the impression from the perspective from an outsider.”

“I can’t say I don’t understand why,” he murmured before simply turning away. As the clip-clop of his shoes echoed down the silent halls, an older man wearing a swallow-tailed coat stepped out from the side of the corridor and followed him quietly.

“Are you just going to leave me like this after knowing that I had heard everything?” I could not resist asking him. I had eavesdropped on a conversation I was obviously not invited to be part of. I was already prepared for the punishment.

The man stopped in his steps and gave a backwards glance.

“You may be good at hiding your presence, but not so at hiding your magic.”

In other words, I was able to remain in my hiding spot because he had allowed me to do so - which only made me more confused than before.

Perhaps taking pity on me, the Marquis explained, “I thought that it would be a good opportunity for you to learn what was happening in this household.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I furrowed my brows. The conversation was going in a direction I was not so comfortable with. I was a stranger - a foreign kid others just picked up - why would he want me to know more about the household?

“I heard that you have spent some time with the slave traders. I was worried about the impact it might have on you, but it seems like you are doing better than I imagined.” His eyes seemed to soften for a moment as he looked at me.

“It is my fault for not taking good care of the security in my land and allowing slave trading to take place. I must take responsibility for the unpleasant encounter,” the Marquis said solemnly.

“This country is quite different from yours. Unlike in Breusia where Magicians are kept as collared beasts, Magicians in this country are valuable assets.”

‘Valuable assets’. I bristled at the cold, unfeeling words.

“I do not intend to sell myself off to anyone,” I said firmly as I clenched my fists.

The man heaved a sigh. “It seem like I could have picked a better choice of words. But if it may change your perception a little, I think of myself as one of such ‘assets’ too.”

“Flame.”

On his raised hand, a small flame appeared on his fingertips. It was undeniable proof that he was a Magician as well.

I was aware that there was a difference in social standing between Magicians in Breusia and Magicians in Lorzelea Kingdom, but his actions hit me hard. It was as different as night and day. Due to its long and bloody history, the people of Breusia had a deep hatred and fear of magic. Hence, anyone found to be a Magician will be tagged to prevent abuse of powers and be under close national scrutiny. I was wearing such a tag during my time there, although the slave traders took it off after entering the Lorzelea Kingdom. Given the low status of Magicians in the country, it was impossible for such a person to hold the title of nobility.

Seeing that I had fallen silent, Marquis Remington fizzed out the flame and placed his hands behind his back.

“What is your name?”

“... Sui,” I replied sullenly.

“Sui,” he called out in a thoughtful tone. “Today must have been a long day. You should go and get some rest soon.”

It was hard to tell if he was serious or just mocking me. As I thought, he pisses me off!

“Christian, I will leave it to you to ensure our guest is taken care of. I will be at the medical wing if you need me.”

The peppered-haired man placed a gloved hand over his heart and gave a bow. “As you wish, my Lord.”

Satisfied by his answer, he finally made his way down the corridor as the man wearing the swallow-tailed coat stayed behind.  

What a weird person. I could see how he is Liliana’s father.

“Let us head to the room,” the man addressed as Christian said as he pointed in the opposite direction.

I was brought to the third level where two rows of simple wooden doors facing each other dominated the floor. The room I was brought to was small and sparsely decorated, consisting only of a bed, a dresser, and a writing table with chair. But as a person who had been staying in a cage that I could not even stand up in, it almost felt like heaven.

“Excuse me,” the man called out to a young woman in her late teens with medium length dark blond hair. The girl looked startled at being called out as her jaws fell open. She glanced around before scampering over when she realized she was the only person around.

“Is there a-anything I can help you with?” she asked with a timid voice.

“You are only of the new housemaids correct? If I don’t remember wrongly, your name is Carol?” the man asked with a frown as he looked at the young woman who clearly wished to be somewhere else.

The girl nodded as her eyes darted around nervously.

“I will need your help to take care of the young boy here. His wounds will need to be tended to, and he is to be served warm meals during his stay. Will you be able to do that?”

“Y-yes, sir!” the maid nodded her head vigorously.

“Alright. Then I will leave the things here to you. I will be in the medical wing tonight. You may contact the housekeeper if you need any help.”

After the man had left, the woman heaved a sigh of relief.

“Is he a scary person?” I asked curiously. He seemed to be a person of few words as our walk here had been fairly quiet. He seemed to be one of the people caught up in the strange plan of the Royalty, so I felt a little sorry for him as well.

“Mr Christian is the biggest person here after the lord and the lady so I always get nervous speaking to him,” the young woman asked as she stuck out her tongue.

“I supposed I should introduce myself. I am Caroline and I guess I will be in your care,” the girl gave a bright smile, showing her crooked teeth. “I just joined 3 months ago so there are many things I am still unfamiliar with, but please let me know if you need any help.”

I shook my head. “This is more than enough.”

“What a polite child.” The maid gave a chuckle. She thought for a while before continuing, “well, I guess I should at the very least prepare a change of clothes and warm water to wipe yourself down.”

“I’ll like to get a doctor to look at you now, but the barrack’s medical wing is in a bit of a frenzy at the moment. I heard they had a bad fight today. I’m afraid I can only arrange for someone to drop by tomorrow...” Her brows drew together as she looked uneasy.

I could easily imagine the chaotic situation as we were chased by a pack of wolf-shaped magical beasts on the way here. Fighting magical beasts was bad enough, but on top of that, they were fighting with poor visibility. There were probably a number of people who will not live past the night.

The scene of the man’s head rolling around as it got toyed by the cat-like beast flashed into my mind, and I staggered.

“Are you okay?” the maid asked worriedly as she held my shoulders.

“U-un. I’ll be fine with some rest,” I replied as I rubbed my temples. Maybe it was also because I had used up too much of my magic?

Using magic again after casting a long draining spell was probably not a good idea.

“I’m sorry, did I scare you with what I said?” the maid apologised. “As long the lord and the lady is around, it will probably be fine,” she said energetically. “You might not know but their magic is really powerful!”

“Why don’t you go in and rest first? I’ll be back really soon! You can even have a nap first!” I was quickly ushered into the room and pushed to lie down on the bed.

And that was how I ended my first day in the Remington household relatively uneventfully.

*****

I was later told that the room I was staying in was one of the guest rooms prepared for the entourage of high ranking guests. For the first few days, the attendants of the Prince stayed in the rooms beside me, but by the third day, most of them had left.

It did not take long for me to realise I had been forgotten and left aside. When I approached the servants working in the mansion, most of them were friendly albeit cautious. The instructions to them were simply to provide a room and warm meals to me, and that was exactly what they did. Even when I asked them if there was anything for me to do, they gave troubled expressions and asked me to rest instead. Even though Carol had looked like an easy target, she also shook her head vehemently and insisted I stay in bed as much as possible. Thus, my first taste of freedom in a long time was rather boring.

Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to launch some investigations of my own.

It was not too difficult to find a few loose-lipped servants and I managed to suss out the rumours surrounding the only daughter of this family.

One - She was a dangerous Magician who was unable to control her powers and had caused a few accidents in the past. As a result, she was exiled to an isolated building with only a maid.

Two - She was a cursed child who summons evil beasts to do her command.

Three - Her personality was said to be so twisted you would be punished severely if you even just meet her eyes.

Four - She had seduced her elder brother and wrapped him under her tiny finger.

Having interacted with the girl herself and experienced her idiocy first-hand, while I had some inkling to the truth behind the first and second rumour, the other two were probably just tasteless lies. How did they even manage to come up with the rumour about her seducing her brother? I could assure anyone that no one will be interested in her after seeing her terrible sleeping face.

I wanted to visit Liliana the very next day I arrived at the mansion but was stopped by the guards patrolling around the garden enclosed with tall bushes, citing an order that no one was allowed to visit her as she needed time to rest.

It would have been fine to just let things be. But, if I think about it, it was because of her I was able to escape from the slave traders.

I ruffled my hair roughly.

“Alright, let’s try again tomorrow.”

 

Day 2: rejection

 

Day 3: rejection

 

Day 4: still a rejection

 

Although the guards changed often, their response was the same curt and quick ‘no’. I could see that they were starting to get frustrated at my constant pestering, so I left before I was chased away.

As I was walking back to the main building, the sound of hooves hitting the floor caught my attention. I looked up and I saw a woman with ebony black hair tied back into a slim ponytail on horseback galloping straight as an arrow towards the garden.

“Oi! What are you doing?” The guards who saw the advancing figure shouted as they pointed their spears towards the woman.

The woman ignored their warnings. Right when it seemed like the horse was going to run over the guards, she pulled the reins. The horse whinnied and raised its front legs as it came to an abrupt stop. The woman deftly lifted a leg and jumped off the horse.

One of the guards raised his spear. “No one is allowed to enter-”

“Hold the reins for me.” The woman flicked her long hair over her shoulders and passed the reins to the confused guard.

“Are you listening?” Just as it seems the guard was going to lose his temper, the other guard seemed to have come to a realisation and stopped him with a hand on his shoulders.

“Ah, we can let her be. She is that personal maid to Lady Liliana.”

“Is that so?” The guard looked surprised, but as advised by his colleague, he left the woman alone and could only watch as the woman dashed into the garden.

Later that day, while I was having my dinner in the servants’ hall, there was a buzz in the air that could only mean something interesting had happened. I overheard conversations saying that the young lady's personal maid had stormed into the office of the Marquis and caused a ruckus. It seemed like she was upset about what had happened during the time she was away.

On one of the long tables, three young women looking to be in their late teens were discussing the incident fervently.

“I’ve never liked her! She always has a haughty look on her face and orders people around,” one of them complained as she picked at her food. “How long as she been here? 3 years? I’ve never seen her do any sweeping or change the sheets!”

“But she is the daughter of a Baron so I guess she won't be punished for it,” the servant sitting opposite her said enviously.

“I heard that her contract is ending soon,” another servant added. “So you might not see her around soon.”

“Really?” The first woman who spoke asked excitedly. “But if she is gone, who will be looking after the young lady? I certainly wouldn’t want to be assigned there,” she said with a shudder.

“I heard that Grace was in tears the other day because of what she saw!”

“Eh? What did she see?”

The other servant shook her head. “You know that there’s no way she will talk about that. She is Lady Rosaline’s personal maid after all; they are all very secretive about things like that.”

“Eh… That’s unnerving…”

“I think I heard the howls of wild beasts the other night, do you think it could be that…?”

“Stop scaring me!”

“Ahh, I can’t wait for my contract to be up so that I can leave this place too,” one of the servants exclaimed. “I joined because the pay is good but it’s so scary over here!”

As the rest of her friends comforted her, I picked up my tray and walked towards the return station.

Liliana’s reputation in this household was really down in the dumps, to say the least.

Just a little, I felt worried for the red-haired girl.

*****

By the time I was finally allowed to enter, it was the eighth day I had arrived at the mansion.

It was around noon when I stepped in front of the rumoured circular two-storey building.

“So this is where you are staying in… Living in an isolated building by yourself, just how hated are you?” I muttered as I studied the building with squinted eyes.

To be stuck in bed for a week without anyone visiting her, she must be bored out of her mind or perhaps even crying from the loneliness. I could not help but give a smug smile as I imagined her delight in seeing me. Well, if she pleaded, I might even lend her a crying shoulder.

“How can I help you?”

I jumped. Were all the people in the Lorzelea Kingdom so good at surprising people? Before I had even knocked on the door, the door had creaked open, revealing a young woman wearing the standard black and white uniform used by the maids of the mansion. It was the same woman I saw the other day. Now that I was able to see her up close, I could tell that she was fairly tall for a female and had sharp features that made her feel unfriendly. She studied me with unconcealed curiosity, probably because it was rare for Liliana to receive visitors.

Caught unprepared, I fumbled with my words. “U-uh. Um, is Liliana here?”

The maid bobbed her head. “Lady Liliana is in. Please wait while I check if she is available.”

I secretly heaved a sigh of relief as she went off. Even though I was not in the wrong, I had unintentionally tensed up. As expected of the rumoured ‘bodyguard maid’ to Liliana. I had heard the servants gossiping about how they had seen her taking down a squad of guards on her own on the training grounds.

“Lady Liliana is ready to receive you. Please follow me.”

Not too long after she had left, she came back and opened the doors wide.

The sound of trickling water greeted me the moment I stepped through the doors. In contrast to its owner’s own dark circumstances, the interior of the building was cheerful and bright. Sunlight shone down through the glass rooftop, basking everything in its warm rays. And there was curiously the sound of children laughter coming from the second level.  

“Sui! How are you doing?” An energetic voice greeted me the moment I stepped into her bedroom.

“What are you doing?” I could not help but blurt out the moment I saw the situation in the room.

While Liliana was tucked snugly into her bed with a plate of cookies on her hands, a boy older than me with wavy brown hair was seated on a chair beside her bed with a small wooden box on his knees. Before him, four children of varying ages crouched on the floor as they watched the boy with eager eyes.

“We are just watching a puppet show. Come and join us!”

Perplexed but unsure of what to do, I reluctantly approached the strange gathering. One of the boys grinned and patted the floor beside him. “Yo!”

“Hello…” I greeted warily.

“I’m Eddy! You must be a new kid here!” he introduced as he leaned closer to me. His eyes shone unnaturally excitedly from meeting a new person, and I could instantly tell he was the type of person I found tough to deal with.

“Eddy! You need to be quiet or the show can’t continue!” a small girl no older than six with her hair tied into pigtails complained with her chubby cheeks puffed in protest.

“Sorry sorry!” the boy called Eddy apologised hurriedly as he held his palms together.

Seeing that his audience had quietened down, the older boy continued with his story.

...

“Princess Cecilia, I could never imagine a life without you. Please let me stay by your side forever.” The gallant knight kneeled on the floor in front of his beloved, Princess Cecilia.

“I too will never be able to endure a life without you. I will be the happiest woman in the world if you would let me be with you,” the beautiful princess said bashfully.

“- And then Princess Cecilia and her Knight lived happily ever after. The end.”

From the top of the wooden box, the words ‘the end’ dropped down, signalling the end of the story.

His small audience immediately gave a round of applause.

“I am so happy for Princess Cecilia…” Liliana sniffed as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief her maid passed to her. “It was a pity I couldn’t watch the real thing, but this is really good as well.”

I was suddenly dragged to watch finger puppetry, but I had to admit it wasn’t too bad.  

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, hee hee.” The older boy looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head.

Then, noticing me, he grinned and called out, “Hello! You are called Sui, right? Sorry for the late introduction. I am Aedus, nice to meet you!”

Taking the chance, the rest of the children took turn introducing themselves.

“Nice to meet you, I am Marina.” A girl around me age with tea brown hair bobbed her head as she gave a friendly smile.

“I’m Sally,” the youngest looking girl with strawberry blond pigtails chimed.

“Welcome here. I’m Josh,” a thin boy with light blond hair greeted.

“Nice to meet you,” I greeted in return as I slowly lowered my guard. It had been some time since I saw so many young children together, and all of them seemed to be genuinely friendly towards a foreign person like me.

“Ahem,” Liliana cleared her throat unnaturally and crawled towards me on her bed. Leaning close to my ears she whispered as she glanced at the wavy-haired boy, “by the way, his full name is Aedus Lev Swenson and he is the son of a Duke. He has a bit of weird personality but I thought it would better for you to know it first.”

“Lia!” the older boy who was apparently a noble objected. “You don’t need to care about her words. You can just call me Aedus!” he insisted.

“Sure.” I honestly could not be bothered over titles and whatnot so it suited me better that way.

“And - they are my friends who just dropped by today!” Liliana happily introduced. “Marina, Eddy, Josh and Sally live in the servants’ quarters here, while Lord Ae-”

“While I am here to entertain the patient,” Aedus chimed in with a grin.

Liliana wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “Please don’t say it like that…”

“I was really worried when I heard about you from Charles, you know?” Aedus’s face turned serious as he looked into her eyes. “I thought my heart was going to stop-”

“Stop, stoooop~” Liliana cut into his words while her arms crossed into a big ‘X’. “I am completely fine so stop fretting over my condition already,” she said exasperatedly.

“More than that.” She turned her eyes to me.

“So Sui, what have you been doing? Have you gotten used to life here?” the red-haired girl asked with earnest eyes.

“Ah, yeah. I guess. I’m still trying to get a sense of where everything is…”

Just as I was going to explain my actions for the past few days, I paused. This wasn’t the point of what I had come here for!

“You seem to be doing pretty well here. You even have friends visiting you,” I said in an accusatory tone. Where was the tragic and lonely girl from the rumours? She was clearly well-fed, well-entertained and at the pink of health.

The girl only blinked blankly at my words, seemingly unable to digest what I had just said.

Hah. It was disgraceful of me, but a part of my heart had wished for her to be miserable so that I could comfort her. She was caught in the same situation as me after all. Before I knew it, I had started to think of her as my ‘comrade’.

Not wanting to make things any more awkward, I decided that the best thing was for me to leave.

“It’s okay. If you are doing fine, I’ll leave already. Sorry for disturbing you,” I quickly said as I stood up.

Just as I turned around, something warm enveloped me into a hug from the back. I grew flustered when I realised the identity of the person.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Sui! I’m so sorry! You were lonely, weren’t you?” A muffled voice came from my back.

“That's ridiculous!” I argued as I felt my face grow red. Despite looking so frail, she unexpectedly had a lot more strength than I thought.

“Lady Liliana. You are going to hurt him like this. He is still recovering from his injuries,” her maid warned with a shake of her head.

“Ah! That’s right!” Liliana immediately released me in a flash. “S-Sui was injured from your fight with the magical beast, weren’t you? I’m so sorry!”

“I wasn’t injured from the fight actually. The injuries were all from before that…” I muttered as I turned my body slightly away.

To my surprise, my words only made Liliana’s eyes brim with tears. “Sui!” She exclaimed as she hugged me again.

“I’m really sorry for leaving you alone all this time! Please forgive me!”

Seeing the puzzled children around us, her maid politely explained the situation, “Sui was rescued together with Lady Liliana from a slave trading ring.”

The eyes of the children widened, especially so for Aedus. His fists clenched tightly as he looked at the floor.

“What is a slave trading ring?” A voice piped up. It was from the innocent-looking Sally.

The rest of the children looked as if they had swallowed a frog as they were unsure of how to answer the question.

“Umm… it is where bad guys take you away and force you to do things you do not want to do,” Marina finally replied as she stroked the head of the young girl.

“That must have been really tough…” The young girl was aghast at the meaning of the words. “Are you okay?” She asked as she turned to me with her head tilted slightly.

“If you’re going to stay here, we’ll all look after you,” the boy who had called out to me initially, Eddy, said as he looked slightly concerned.

“I’m okay already! So stop hugging me,” I said firmly as I tried to wiggle out of Liliana’s grasp. Honestly, why was her grasp so tight?

“Thank you,” a small voice came from my back. “I heard about what happened while I was unconscious.”

“I still don’t fully remember what happened, but I am sure I was saved because Sui didn’t give up and stayed beside me.”

“Thank you very, very much for that.” She gave a bright and genuine smile; a smile that was much better than the one she had given while in that steel cage.

My  - Angel.

 

Ah.

 

No.

 

Ahhhhhh, what was I thinking? Aware that an embarrassing thought had flashed through my mind, I ruffled my hair roughly.

It was all because the girl was saying strange things!

“Sui?” The red-haired girl asked as her light green eyes turned round at my strange action.

I was sure that my face was as red as a tomato by now, and I covered it slightly with a hand.

“D-don’t come so close to me!” I objected as I tried to push her away with my other hand.

And then in the smallest voice I could muster:

“You’re welcome, I guess…”

Beside us, her maid for some reason only shook her head.

“His Highness has my sympathies…”