Free Web NovelChapter 56: 56. I want her ( II )
Aodh, Raika, Alaric, and Kai’s mother sat in the living room, which was practically their dining hall.
Raika sat at the head of the table, Alaric on her lap, the viscount sitting a considerable distance to the side, and Kai’s mother sat facing him.
The tension in the room was palpable.
The viscount had called off the celebration; everyone went back to their homes, whispering about the events that had transpired.
A supreme, the thunder princess, and the cursed child.
Stories they could wring a lot of gossip from.
"Here is your tea..." Kai crudely yet carefully presented a cup to the viscount.
This was her third lap; she had already brought some to Raika and Alaric, a hospitable guest.
"Thank you, Kai..." Aodh ruffled her hair, the little girl smiling proudly.
"Let’s get this over with..." Raika broke the tension; she had a journey ahead of her, not to mention hated pretentious meetings.
"Oh yes, sorry princess..." Though he behaved stoically, internally he thanked his lucky stars that Raika had spoken first.
He had heard rumors of her temper and feared angering her with his choice of words.
"Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you," Raika sized him up, wondering what this man was even doing in the seating.
She wanted Kai, and her mother was here, who was this man to sit in their talk?
She had asked earlier, and he made himself known: the assistant of the Count of Pryrewood.
He was not the father, not a guardian; to Raika, she couldn’t fathom why he was here.
"..." Aodh opened his mouth to speak, but his voice lost its sound.
He didn’t know what to say, stunned silent by Raika’s attitude.
"Do you want to go with us or not..." Raika asked Lilly. The latter, who still hadn’t made up her mind, turned to the viscount with pleading eyes.
At least she knew him, but she knew nothing of the Vulcan household except for the distasteful rumors circulating around.
Alaric, the product of infidelity. Alaric, cursed by the gods for the sins of the household. The child who brought strife and discontent among the nation.
Almost all revolved around Alaric, and as for Raika, she was simply bad-tempered and ill-natured, willing to kill at the slightest annoyance, something she had already demonstrated earlier with her reaction to the elderly lady’s comment.
She couldn’t make up her mind, and would have preferred if they didn’t join such a family yet couldn’t outright reject them, turning to the viscount for support.
"She would..."
"Who were you again..." Raika snapped at the viscount who had wanted to intervene.
"Sigh..." Alaric sighed internally.
His mother was a handful.
"Viscount, we are sorry for any inconveniences brought by our abrupt arrival, but we would like to take Kai and her mother to the Capital with us. I have taken a fancy to her and would like her to teach me magic..." Alaric spoke, his tone refined, leaving Lilly, Aodh, and even Kai in shock.
"Why are you speaking like a grown-up..." Kai commented.
Lilly quickly covered her daughter’s mouth.
Alaric only smiled at her.
It wouldn’t be strange for a prince to have this level of nobility, though he had never been educated as such, at least not in this world.
"Viscount!..." Alaric called out, Aodh taken aback by his manners and refined words.
"He is truly a prince..."
"Sorry, Your Highness... Your maturity caught me off guard..." Aodh bowed in apology, Lilly glancing at the seven-year-old.
"I guess royalty is different," she thought, impressed by Alaric as she mentally compared him with her very own seven-year-old.
Aodh smiled slightly, elated he had someone he could communicate with "...Yes, that shouldn’t..."
"You guys are wasting time." Raika interrupted once more.
Alaric looked up at her, Aodh’s words caught in his throat.
She ignored both of their gazes as she turned to Lilly. "Lass, do you want to come with us to the Capital or not..."
Unimpressed by the fancy words Alaric had spoken.
It reminded her of the long, boring meetings Aiden would usually invite her to.
To her, most of those meetings were full of fancy words and flattery, wasting more than half the time on long paragraphs when the matter could be settled with a simple yes or no.
"Yes..." a frightened Lilly nodded vigorously in agreement, cold sweat already soaking her gown. freewebnoveℓ.com
"What have I done to deserve this..." She wished she could say no, but who was she to reject the Queen’s order?
"Okay, then it’s settled. We’ll come pick you up tomorrow..." Raika rose to her feet; the meeting adjourned.
"Wait, I can’t leave her out of my sight. What if there is a spy from the enemy country here..." Alaric thought.
"Mother, why don’t we visit the Count’s manor? She can come with us and we can get to know each other..." he requested.
Raika’s brows raised in confusion, Aodh beaming in excitement.
"It will be an honor to have them there."
"Didn’t you say you preferred the inns?" Raika tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, I have changed my mind..." Alaric crossed his arms and made a pout.
An internal scream trying to force its way out.
He had never acted so childish in all his years in his past life; no undercover mission had ever required that of him. Yet here he was, behaving like a spoiled brat.
Raika blushed, finding his expression cute.
"Okay, let’s go..." She pinched his cheeks lovingly.
Though she couldn’t stand nobility, it wouldn’t hurt to stay in the manor, as long as they didn’t start anything funny.
"It will be our honor to host you..." Aodh bowed respectfully, a grin breaking on his face.
Lilly could only look on; she had no say in this. Her simple life was surely about to turn into something interesting.
As for Kai, she kept her gaze glued to the red-eyed boy, her little thoughts unknown to all.
...
"Welcome..." the Count himself greeted the group as they entered the gate, already informed beforehand that the Thunder Princess, the Queen of the Vulcan Kingdom, was visiting.
Though on short notice, and with the sun long set, he had made quick preparations.
"Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity..." Alaric instructed Philip as they entered the manor.
