Finding Truth

《17.5》

Servants?

Shiro had been staying in the castle for a while now. But there was one thing he noticed. If this was a royal castle, where are the servants?

"The human king's castle had a lot of servants. Does the king not allow them?" He asked Koharu as they studied in the library. The two girls with them as well.

"Oh... there are. There's a lot, actually." Koharu answered, placing his book down and looked at his older brother in confusion. "Haven't you seen them. Just a while ago we passed by five of them."

"Five? I didn't see anyone." Shiro said in utter confusion.

"It must be father's doing then." Kohana added. "He must think you're not comfortable here yet, so he's telling the servants to not show in front of you."

"Human king?" Aiko asked from the side, placing her book down as well. The three of them began to look around and nudged the other to speak. "Have you been in the human kingdom, Shiro?"

Shiro shook his head very fast. "No! Of course not! You must've heard wrong!!"

"Hm... maybe. I am reading a human fairy tale." She chuckled, going back to her book, making the three sigh in relief.

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Èxi

"Douma is a noble." Koharu began to explain to his brother. "He's a viscount and his only son, Inosuke, is his heir and next to take his title as a viscount and a member of the Èxi."

"Tengen was a mercenary." Kohana added as she sliced through her cake. "I heard that he was paid to kill father when he was younger, but he refused and father took him in and protected him. He has three kids too."

"Father is the marquis." Aiko said. "Father and the king have known each other since childhood. That's all I know about them. Father doesn't really open up to his past."

"Kanae was one of the top students of the academy and was picked to be a candidate for father's aide." Koharu explained.

"Akaza was actually a servant at first," Kohana explained, pouring more tea for everyone. "But father took him in and trained him and made him his knight when he was younger."

"And miss Tamayo was the king's former nanny." Aiko explained. "She was a very talented alchemist that was ordered by the previous king to care for the current king."

"Woah... I didn't know that..." Shiro said as he finished listening to their explanation.

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Iguro Aiko

Aiko is the only daughter of the marquis. She grew up without a mother so it was quite hard on Obanai to raise him alone. And as the only child, she was trained and thought to be the next heir of her house.

She knows that there are still other members of the Iguro family scattered around the kingdom, but she knew that they were all banished by his father for doing unspeakable acts and tainting their name.

She promised to become a daughter her father can be proud of.

She just wishes she could meet her mother, even if it's only one time.

But every time she would ask her father, he keeps telling her the same thing;

"When the time is right, you can meet her."

He gives her a pat on the head and a soft smile. But she can see the pain behind that smile. She can sense his pain and suffering. How can she not? 

She's a halfty. A child of a demon and a human.