"I had checked them personally. They are good," said Colonel Cardin. "I am glad, those things weren't cheap," I replied and closed the file in front of me.
 
We had brought the mines from the merchant state. It is the third batch that came.
 
Mines are important. It is not because of the damage they do. If the enemy leader is smart and has people with the required skills, they can avoid them easily. Their real use is the attention they capture.
 
The battles are fought with mind as much as men and weapons. 
 
The mines are great against the undead and are a big part of our strategy to deal with them. They are coming for us, and we need to be ready to face them.
 
Still, I wish, they would take their sweet time. A few months at least, but obviously it will not happen.
 
They might come sooner than we might expect, and we will need to be prepared for that.
 
Colonel Cardin left a few minutes later.
 
It had been three hours since I had returned from the establishment and that enormous shock. I have been busy; it is not intentional, but I didn't resist the work.
 
I don't know what to think about those two new people, I am now responsible for. I don't know why she sent them here. Children should be with their parents; siblings aren't a substitute for them.
 
I am feeling a host of emotions and the most intense among them is anger.
 
She was dead. We thought she was dead. She had gone for the mission and never returned. There was no news of her. She was there and like a poof; she had disappeared.
 
My father had hired people; the one with the investigative classes, but they weren't able to find anything about her disappearance.
 
He had straight up told me she had died. I mean, what else couldn't be there? Mercenaries die, many in such corners where even their bodies aren't found.
 
Now she had turned from the grave.
 
Her letter is still in my pocket, but I am not having the will to open it. Instead, I am getting more angry. If she had sent one like this a decade ago, it would have spared me the agony of years.
 
I took a deep breath and calmed myself before focusing on the work.
 
I stayed in my office till eleven, before walking out. A few minutes later, I reached the mansion.
 
Click!
 
When I entered my suit, I didn't find it empty as usual. A woman is sitting in a living room, with a bunch of files in front of her and one in her hand, from which she is reading.
 
Seeing me, she put down the file.
 
"How are you feeling?" asked Carla. "Fine," I replied, but she kept looking at me.
 
"I am feeling a lot of emotions. Anger, betrayal, love, longing, and many more that I don't know what to do with them," I said and sat beside her.
 
"It is good you're feeling those things. It means you care," she said, and it was my time to give her a look, but she just smiled.
 
"I just wished she had sent a message. One message, you know. To tell me that she is alive," I said and once again tears welled up in my eyes and this time, I didn't stop them from falling down.
 
"Maybe she wanted to, but she couldn't," she said, and I looked at her. 
 
"Have you read the letter? You should read it. It may have the answer, you seek," 
 
I didn't reply to that, but I did take out the envelope from my pocket and tore it away, before taking out the letter.
 
It is a single-page letter, smaller than I had thought. It made me angry once again.
 
I mean, how you have only a page's worth of things to say to your son, who had considered you dead, for over a decade.
 
The first thing, I noticed was handwriting. It is hers. I recognize it. She used to send me many letters when she went on long missions; I have them in the safe.
 
It is also written in heralden, instead of common. 
 
I calmed my emotions and began to read it, and before I knew it; I began to cry again. It was not even emotional, but it still made me cry.
 
Soon, I finished reading the whole letter and laid against her, thinking.
 
"What did it say?" Carla asked. "Nothing and everything. It is kind of vague, so much so that she didn't even mention my name." I replied.
 
She didn't even write my nickname.
 
"Could it be written by an imposter?" she asked, and I laughed, before shaking my head. 
 
"No, it is her," I replied.
 
The vagueness is not surprising. It is in format; she used to talk about her missions. Many are contractually bound the person to not reveal any detail, but some details could be revealed vaguely.
 
She had written in the style, she used to talk to me.
 
There are many things in the letter, apologies, excuses, and promises, but nothing that would give me any details. 
 
As if she feared someone might read the letter or try to divine the information. 
 
Still, it had said many things, that forced me to think.
 
"Now that you know where she is, will you be contacting her?" she asked. To which I shook my head. 
 
"Masal Colosseum is dangerous. I wouldn't do anything before I know all the details," I replied. 
 
It is a legacy, Grade V one and not a normal Grade V eighter, but a colosseum class. The biggest class. There is a reason, the class is named after them, because they are the biggest and most dangerous.
 
Two things make them dangerous. First is the sheer amount of essence they have emotions they harness, and second is the warriors they have.
 
Even the weakest colosseum class legacy of any grade produces at least ten times more emotion essence than an average tavern class legacy. 
 
There are many complexities in it, but it is true. The Colosseum harnesses far more emotions than any type of legacy.
 
Nothing needs to be said about warriors. It is the place, where people fight. There is no dearth to the powerhouses. It is why, each of the heavenly colosseums is strong as kingdoms.
 
Nobody messes with them; it is they who mess with others.
 
"That is wise," she said. 
 
We lay there without talking in each other's comfort. 
 
She rarely stays here, despite me giving her a suit next to mine. She usually stays in the room behind or office. She had an apartment and a suit in the circle, both of which had been destroyed.
 
Even before that, she used to sleep in the room most nights or with me.
 
"How are they?" I asked after some time. "They are good children. Polite and obedient, your mother had raised them well," she replied.
 
I just stared blankly ahead, thinking.
 
"I don't know what to do with them," I said and sighed. "Don't worry about it too much. Take a step at a time and it will be fine." She said.
 
I nodded and hugged her.
 
A few minutes later, we went to the bed. It took me some time to fall asleep and it was without a nightmare.
 
Since the battle, I have had them every day. 
 
I had woken up from a nightmare with a sword in my hand. I don't want such incidents to happen, with Carla sleeping beside me.
 
When I woke up, I was alone, which isn't surprising She wakes up earlier than me. Though, this time, she had left behind the note.
 
Reading it, I quickly got up from the bed and freshened up. After showering and changing into the suite, I walked out of the room. 
 
A minute later, I was in the kitchen, where Carla was waiting with two children.
 
"Have you been waiting for long?" I asked, to which she shook her head. "No, only a few minutes," she replied.
 
I took a seat at the head of the table and looked at the two children, who were sitting quietly. They looked nervous, and enamored; I could see their sneaking glances looking around.
 
The mansion may not be the grandest out there, but it is pretty big and opulent. Impressive to children like them, even to me. I had lived in a big home, but the mansion was still the biggest, I had ever lived in.
 
The change can be overwhelming, but they seemed to be handling it well.
 
"Have you two slept well?" I asked. "Yes," the boy replied, while the girl bobbed her head a little. Even now, she is still holding that stuffed toy in her lap, with nervousness in her eyes.
 
"If you need anything, you can tell me or Carla here," I said to them. "Ok," replied the boy, while the girl once again nodded.
 
I wish I had a little more experience with children. It would have made the conversation, less awkward.
 
Thankfully, the staff saved me from further awkwardness and began to put on a breakfast. I looked at dishes, before looking at Carla thankfully.
 
There are more sweet dishes than normal, and the children like sweets. Even the boys, eyes lit up, seeing them. 
 
No matter how much, he tried to act like an adult. He is a child.
 
Soon, we begin to eat. I also took a bite of some sweets. Usually, I control myself with sugar, but decided to eat today with the children.
 
"I had called Selina for a nanny; she is sending one in a few days," I inform her. Selina is the only person, I trust. 
 
Rose had multiple nannies; she is going to ask one of them. If they don't accept, then she will send several and I will ask Carla to interview them.
 
"Also, see if any girls are interested in a job; they will need to be trained, of course," I said. 
 
"Will any come, seeing the state of the city?" she asked. "I am offering good money," I replied, to which she smiled. Money is a big motivator, and I am offering it enough to make a lot of them forget the danger of the undead.
 
"I think a few girls will be interested in the job," she said. 
 
My position is such, that I need to select the people who work for me carefully. I rather have girls I trust to take care of my sister, than some unknown woman.
 
However, they can't simply start the job. It is a demanding job. One needs to be professionally trained for this.
 
"I was thinking, whether it would be safe for the children to be in a merchant state. The city isn't exactly safe," she said with hesitation.
 
"It's not like I hadn't thought about it, and it will be an option, but they have traveled for months; they should stay in one place, at least for a few weeks," I said.  
 
The city is a dangerous place, but they are the safest people. Even if the enemies captured the city, they won't kill them.
 
They will be a leverage against me.
 
It is why, I want to send them to the merchant state, but it wouldn't be good for them. They need a stable environment and I think, I could provide that despite the state of the city. 
 
Still, if the conditions changed. I wouldn't hesitate to send them to the merchant state.
 
"Listen to Carla. If you need anything, ask her," I said as we finished the breakfast. I feel bad handling them to Carla, but she is the only one, I trust with them.
 
She will be with them, taking them to her work. There are people in her office that would watch over them while she works.
 
It is not an optimal solution, but only one I have till the nanny arrives.

An.

For more, Tap PATREON Below.