“I really hate you, mister…”

Murmuring by himself, Lucas lazily walked to his room. Even though he tried to stay near the room, that old man drove him away, basically in a very polite manner which kind of irritated Lucas.

“Come on. Lucas. If you want to listen, I will walk around the room and try to listen. I have sharp ears!”

“Eura……”

“What? Don’t you want to make Lucas happy?”

“It’s not like that…”

Lucas chuckled as he listened to the duo behind him.

“You don’t need to do that, Eura. Anton would probably not allow you to be around, too.”

He remembered how the whole mansion was covering the whole matter from him. And he thought that it was too extreme to do that.

‘Why would they want to keep that matter too much?’

According to Lucas’s opinion, Cassius was not someone who would go to that length. He believed that his father was someone who would care for his children but also someone who would make his children learn through practical experience. Not someone to cover a matter too much from Lucas.

Lucas thought probably it was his brother and sister’s idea but he was surprised that Cassius allowed them to do so.

‘Maybe because I am not the heir?’

It was because Lucas might not need knowledge or experience or so he thought.

“Are you sure, Lucas? We are good at sneaking around, though.”

“Really, ok. I already know this and that.”

It was really fine. And it was not that he wanted to know information because he got to know the outline of the matter.

‘Why did Maria refuse father’s proposal….?’

But he got the answer to the question instantly. Knowing Maria, she would probably say that taking care of the citizens was her own duty and she was not a coward to draw back. It was how Maria was. And he also cursed at how his sister could be so stubborn.

Lucas worried that his father would be too extreme at Edwin, though. Cassius was not someone who liked abandoning a particular duty and such which was why, he just wanted to interfere a bit when things got too severe between his father and brother.

‘I wish they would cool their heads down for a moment….’

On the topic of Maria coming back to Evandall’s mansion, Lucas also agreed with his brother but he couldn’t just go in and take the side of Edwin in argument. It would be like adding fuel to fire. And knowing how extreme his brother could go when he was serious, Lucas was anxious. Edwin was someone who didn’t even care about the country or his dignity if it was for his family. Lucas didn’t really want to recall all the acts that Edwin did, just because of wrath on Ryosuke.

‘Big brother might even consider dragging her back to the mansion….’ Lucas sighed once again.

“Aren’t you returning to your chamber, master?”

Tus realized that the way that Lucas was taking was not leading to his room which was why he reminded him of this, thinking that Lucas might be too lost in his thoughts and made a wrong turn.

“No, I have stayed in the room all day so maybe it will be great to walk around the garden a bit.”

“Ah, yes. That’s a great idea!”

Both Tus and Eura smiled. Smiled like their curling lips were going to reach to their ears. During these past days, Lucas was looking at the letters, books and writing down things after things. There was one time that made Tus really surprised at how Lucas had invented his own language when he saw Lucas wrote in the characters he had never seen before.

‘Master is even creating a secret code at his age….’ Tus really didn’t know how bright Lucas could be but both him and Eura didn’t like how Lucas used to coop up in his room all the time, especially during the past week and they genuinely believed that this child needed outside energy once in a while.

But in a sudden, they also halted their steps when Lucas, walking before them, stopped at the end of the hallway. And when they realized what made Lucas stop, a chill ran down their spines.

“Sister Alisa is too pitiful….”

“Who knows how fate can be so cruel….”

‘What are they saying?’ Lucas paid attention to the two young maids they were chatting at the end of the stairs and realizing that the two didn’t know that Lucas was up there, he decided to keep quiet as he kind of heard the name Alisa.

But the voice behind him almost made him flinch unexpectedly.

“Lucas! You are going to the garden, right? I will brew some tea and also make some snacks! What kind of snacks do you want to eat!?”

‘Why do you have to be so loud, Eura!?’ He inwardly screamed at how Eura jumped in when he was going to listen in secret.

‘I know you can sometimes be loud but please… why now!?’

And he looked at the end of the stairs wishing that the two maids would not hear them but only to meet with two flustered eyes, gazing at Lucas as if they were seeing a ghost.

“What are you two telling about?” Lucas stepped down the stairs, not understanding why these two maids had to seem alarmed when he came.

‘There is only one possibility. Another secret!’ He now started to feel like he was like a pirate not hunting the treasures but the secrets.

“It is nothing, young master.” The two maids bowed as a greeting but their answers were not Lucas’s favourite. “It is just a small chat…”

“Is something wrong with Alisa?”

Lucas gazed at the two maids who were kind of stuttering, raising his suspicions bit by bit. Remembering that he had seen these two from time to time with Alisa when he was young, it was possible that they could be someone close to her.

“Umm,... well, young master,...”

“Ah, Young master...It is just that sister Alisa’s grandmother had passed away and so, we felt sorry for her. She only had one family member… so that’s why…”

“Yes, young master. She is right. We are just concerned about her. I apologize if our talk disturbed you.”

The two maids bowed once again, making Lucas almost apologize to them at the same time. The overly polite manner was once he couldn’t use to, even after all these years.

“No, you didn’t…. It’s ok… But are you sure that Alisa is fine? I haven’t seen her for some time… And she doesn’t usually take long leaves like that?”

“She is, young master. It must be that she just needs some rest.”

“Yes, young master. She really loves her grandmother…”

‘Am I just overthinking, then?’ Looking at the two maids, Lucas felt like they were really telling the truth but at the same time, he didn’t believe it that much. The maids excused themselves and Lucas let them go because it seemed like he would not get more answers even though he tried to push them.

But then, the realization kicked into his mind.

‘Alisa said that she came from the southern part….’ Some of the southern cities were under the heavy watch and they rarely let the citizens go out of the town for a while, except for emergency cases as an extra measure. It could have been the possibility that Alisa wasn’t able to go out of her town. Lucas thought it should be ok if it was just that but another thought made the color on his face run out.

‘What if she was the infected one?......’

It was a possibility.

“Tus, Eura… Do you know the name of Alisa’s hometown?” Lucas looked back at the two behind him but he only got the answer that they also didn’t know exactly. He didn’t want to be suspicious of the two because they had never lied to him, as far as he knew of. But at the same time, a doubt was raised in one part of his mind.

“Please ask that to the head servant, later. Don’t tell him that I ask that.”

‘You better get the answer, Tus, Eura…’

Tus and Eura looked at each other as they nodded, telling Lucas that they would do like that. It was a glad thing that Lucas didn’t ask more but at the same time it was heavy. Following Lucas once more, they looked at each other, knowing what each other meant just by seeing their eyes.

They both hoped that Lucas wouldn’t do stupid things or went out beyond his capability if he knew of the truth. Since Alisa was one of the people Lucas felt attached to.

***

“Brother Edwin!”

Lucas called out when he saw his brother come into the garden, with a sullen face, of course. He instantly guessed that the discussion with father might not have gone too well.

“Come enjoy the tea.”

‘Yeah, come here and let’s have a relaxing talk, a bit. Sullen face doesn’t suit you.”

He hoped that his brother would be able to give time to him because it was thinkable that Edwin would be a bit busy, right now. Maybe his head would be the one which was really busy.

And to his expectation, Edwin really headed to Lucas where he was enjoying his tea while his own head was also busy with thoughts at the same time.

If it was as usual, Lucas would have troubled his brother for leaving him in the dark, like asking ‘Why do you ask for big sister Maria? Was she supposed to be here? Aren’t you two together? Where is big sister?’ but now he decided to let his brother free from his little revenge.

Lucas poured the tea for his brother by himself, thinking that he, himself, would also be happy if his little sister made something for him. And Lucas was delighted that he asked for Lavender tea today. He also needed to be calm and clear his mind after all.

“Are you ok, brother? You look like you are distressed. Why don’t you talk to me?”

“Haha… Do I really look like that?”

“You sure do. Did you fight with father?”

Edwin gazed at Lucas, admiring how his little brother caught on quickly. He wouldn’t be surprised if Lucas became a mind reader in the future.

“A little bit.”

‘That’s what you call a little bit?’ At the same time, Lucas was admiring at how Edwin managed to shout at and withstand that cold and icy glare of his father, filled with the aura that might be able to kill someone. No one would dare to do that. Even Lucas didn’t.

“I don’t know what happened but what about trying to get a calm discussion with him? You know how father is.”

‘And without storming into his office and shouting till the whole mansion floor could hear, of course.’ Lucas believed that if one fault existed in his brother, it would definitely be his temper when related with his family.

Edwin was quiet for a while. He realized that he might have triggered some of his father’s temper by his actions and he also didn’t know why he did that.

“Don’t you have questions for me?”

But at the same time, he was surprised at how Lucas didn’t ask of Maria. If it was Lucas, Edwin believed that he would have realized something was off by now. And he thought his actions when he arrived at this mansion would have been strange for his little brother.

“You can tell me when you are ready.”

‘I have already known almost all of it, so take your time.’ Lucas sipped his tea a bit, making a small smile. He, somehow, thought that there might be a chance his brother would open up to him but there were no words even after a few minutes passed by.

“Umm, Lucas, don’t you want to go travel a bit?”

Lucas almost choked on his tea when he heard that.

‘What do you mean by travel!?’ He surely knew that it was not a time to relax.

“Why, brother? It was not long that I returned here…”

But Edwin was not having the same idea.

‘Evandall is not safe….’ Edwin thought what would happen if that curse or disease reached the main city. And what would happen if Lucas was caught in that, too.

“What about going to Varia? It is a port city and you can go watch the sea there.”

“No, I mean-”

“Or do you want to visit the capital again? Hmm, you can probably meet up with Ryosuke, too, in the capital.”

‘Capital is probably ok, too….. I heard nothing has happened there….’

“Brother? Why would I leave? It is not like I-”

“Lucas, you should. I will tell father. Choose a place far from Evandall.”

‘Would he think that I am driving him away from here?’ Edwin didn’t care anymore. He would explain Lucas properly, later. Maria was now in the place surrounded by a possible death and he thought that he couldn’t let Lucas be here, too.

One might say that he was going too far. But Edwin couldn’t let a family member disappear, anymore. He really didn’t want that.

“I will leave now, because I have things to do. I will see you later.”

Lucas was dumbfounded and was left speechless. He tried to stop Edwin but he went too fast, not even looking back.

‘Can’t you just listen to me a bit!?’

Lucas could somehow guess what made his brother get that kind of idea in such a situation. And he could not blame his brother for that.

With his brother gone and Tus and Eura not knowing what to tell Lucas, the garden was left quiet, yet again.

***

The sun was going to set as its rays came inside the room, in a bright orange.

And Lucas stood tall near his desk, gazing at a certain unfinished map.

“I don’t know if it is the right choice…”

He murmured alone. He was leaving it as a last resource if the situation got worse and there was really nothing left for him to use.

But what could he do?

Alisa could be one of the infected people. Maria also had the risk and Edwin was on the verge of going crazy for his anxiety and worries.

It was not a situation for Lucas to dwell for so long.

---

A/N: Enjoy the new chapter! And about the contract, I decided to shove it away for now, since I am not really in need of money either. And I still want to write freely and own every rights of my first novel. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions!! And it really made me so glad to know that you really do love the novel!!! TwT 

Thank you for reading!!! I really love you all, dear readers!!