CHAPTER 7 - RUSH AND SLOW

It’s quite a shock for me to discover that Raynevere’s grandfather was once a Kaiser. But still, it troubles me why he’s thinking so lowly on Gladiator Battles and Kaisers in general. Why is he calling it a childish and barbaric hobby even if he was once participating in it?

“Your father was a Kaiser in the past?” I asked Raynevere.

“Yep. I think he was our age when he started participating in battles in the colosseum. When he became a champion here in the Saltside City Battle Fiesta fifty years ago, he used the money prize to establish the corporation we know as Treenity Innovations today.” Raynevere said.

“W-What?” My jaws hung. Seriously, I do not know why that old man is despising me for being a Kaiser even if he’s a Kaiser Champion himself. Maybe he’s looking down on me because I’m doing a sloppy job looking for a Gladiator?

All of a sudden, Raynevere clapped to shift me to another topic.

“Oh! I remembered that my cousins like to see my fiance! Come, I’ll introduce you to them!” Raynevere immediately held my hand which gave a sudden jolt to my nerves.

“H-Huh?” I gasped.

“Don’t worry, they are nowhere near as scary as my Grandpa. They are all cute toddlers! I’m sure you’ll love to meet them too!” Raynevere smiled and then she started to drag me by my wrist.

<>

I’m never fond of toddlers. I don’t find them cute or amusing. I had cousins who act like little devils who only leave destruction in their wake. But I guess Raynevere’s toddler cousins are a different breed.

Raynevere introduced me to twelve children, one by one, though I can’t recall any of their names. We spent the rest of the day in their family library with Raynevere telling stories from fairytale books her hand touches and assisting my betrothed every time she asks for a book.

Those kids are all so attentive and disciplined which is way contrary to most kids. If they are instructed to sit on the playmat to listen to a fairytale story, they will needlessly obey. If my cousins are comparable to mischievous devils, I’ll compare Raynevere’s cousins as well-trained pups.

I can’t say that I hated my stay here. Sure, Raynevere’s old man is an asshole, but her twelve cousins balance the scale. Seeing their twinkling purple eyes filled with joy and giving an adorable smile whenever they see me is enough to remove the pain in my heart that Raynevere’s grandfather had inflicted.

It was already nightfall when Raynevere looked at the time and decided to stop playing with the kids.

“Oh, it’s already seven in the evening! I’m sorry, children. Mister Elzane has to leave.” Raynevere apologized with a sweet smile.

“Awww.” Most of the children cried.

“Don’t worry, Mister Elzane will visit again! Right?” Raynevere winked at me.

“R-Right,” I answered. How can I say no to her? And how can I refuse in front of so many children who have been kind to me?

“Yaaay!” The children celebrated.

“Okay, time to go home now!” Raynevere smiled and clapped.

At her signal, the twelve toddlers went to the exit of the family library while I and Raynevere were left alone.

“Ah, I’m so sorry that you were forced to stay here this late! You might have some trouble catching a bus at this hour!” Raynevere bowed as an apology.

“N-No, it’s fine. I’ll just call my parents to fetch me up from here.” I said as I pulled out my phone and searched for my mother's number.

As soon as I pressed the call button on my phone, it rang three times before my mother fetched it up. But before I could talk, my mother answered as if she knew why I’m calling.

“Oh, Elzane. I told you earlier, remember? You will be sleeping with your fiance tonight. We still have some things to prepare in the attorney’s office, so we won’t be home until midnight. Don’t worry, the President already texted your fiance about what to do. Take care!” My mother left me hanging as if I was talking to a voicemail.

I slowly turned to Raynevere who was also checking her phone. Her face is a little bit red and she’s sweating nonstop. When she realized that I was staring at her, her eyes looked at me.

“M-Mister Elzane… My father told me that he won’t be going home. He also said that you should stay in my place tonight.” Raynevere nervously said.

“O-Oh.”

That’s all I could say. Of course, it is not so sudden that I will be staying under the same roof as my crush-slash-betrothed, but at this point, I am no longer shocked at whatever crap is thrown at me. I decided I’ll just go with the flow and not care anymore.

“A-Aren’t our parents rushing these things a little bit!?” Raynevere started to freak out.

“Weird for you to realize it just now,” I muttered with sarcasm.

Isn’t she a little bit slow on this?