The First Son of the Count's Family

Bab 2 :Lies A Hidden Power (April 4 - 5, 781)

Food...

 Hungry...

!!!

What is this-

...Tears.

Amidst a sensation akin to waking up from a long dream of darkness and regrets, she noticed and teared in the sudden but delicious taste of carefully prepared steak, fresh, perfectly cooked vegetables, and a plethora of other rich tastes that she had never dreamed of in her life, but now enjoyed and craved.

But more than that, before she could demand for more, she felt and tasted tears. Tears that were different from her phantom tears of joy.

Tears of regret.

Strengthened by food, drawn to the outside, she peered out and silenced, all cravings and demands slowly disappearing even as more food and bottles of wine rolled or flowed in with a heavy flood of muddy water. Sparks burst across her palate, but her heart settled and even ached as she ignored them all because of the stronger taste of tears, blood, and regret.

"I'm sorry." The boy said, crying to himself again and again under the heavy rain. "I'm sorry." He said, choking on wine with each memory and thought that shook and trembled throughout his small being. "I'm sorry." He pleaded in small whispers under a barren tree amidst scattered bottles of wine, amidst puddles of mud drenched by blood, tears, and rain.

Self-hate and regret, laments and grief, apologies to no one yet everyone...

The boy did not want her (no, she sees the other thing in his hands), the boy did not know her (no, she knows how thoughts could be louder than anything else in the world), but she saw him and her heart stretched.

The tree groaned.

Ooooooong...

"I will protect you."

He neither heard her nor saw her. But thankfully, he also had no chance to do what he had set out to do.

A person who knew the boy appeared and though she wasn't happy with how rough the man treated the boy, she was glad that it really wasn't the boy's time yet and that the boy was safe for now.

She rested with the boy's eyes.

------------

"Damn it!"

Edro, former servant of Lady Violan before she became the Countess, cursed as he turned back and went after the damn punk of the kind dear territory lord who had married his widowed lady.

When he had first saw the damn brat wandering around in the rain despite how he had heard of what had happened earlier in another bar (and good thing because this piece of trash who had always made his former lady unhappy deserved that and so much more), Edro had vindictively wanted to leave the brat walking in this accursed weather alone but in the end, he couldn't do it.

Upon facing the door of his house, Edro had found himself turning back to drag the stupid punk back home.

Growling upon finding the trash (drinking yet again!!) at the Man-Eating Tree (the rope probably wasn't serious, but Edro spitefully wished the brat would do the world a favor and do it) and dragging him back, Edro snarled, "Stop causing so much trouble for your family!! It's really too bad that Lady Violan and Count Deruth would cry over your death!"