Emerald Warde has always been a woman who was good with children even though the last child she lived under the same roof with was her baby brother, Clerivan who was five years younger than her. Maybe she was forced to become motherly to care for a set of grown children that refuses to eat and sleep to create things and completely loses track of time because of bonding with his sword, namely his father and brother respectively. It became her job after they no longer had their mother to look after them.

And it has been years ever since she got to take care of a child prodigy.

Emerald watched the child in the corner of her eyes, sitting on her far left manning the counter of the diner while reading a book that he got from her almost forgotten bookshelf inside her house. She was happy that the book of magic she bought years ago has finally able to see the light and maybe a potential owner that could make use of it brilliantly, but she was baffled how a young child was able to understand such a concept when normal kids his age would probably be wondering how to put on their clothes properly.

Clerivan, as a youngster, held quite the talent in wielding a sword that he became a swordmaster at the raw age of twenty then proceeded to be one of the most valued knights of the Arkwright Duchy after graduating with flying colors. Emerald was one of the many who were able to witness how her little brother got along well with wooden swords than people, at first it worried her that he wasn't having a normal childhood because of it. But she soon learned to accept that Clerivan was just born special, and he did seem happy doing what suited his ability rather than playing. She let him do what he wants since the purpose of being a child is to have fun, and it looked like he was the happiest when he was watching Lord Alcasser's second son, Lord Alistair train with his blade.

It has been more than a week ever since Lady Avy brought the child, who was introduced to her as Kill, into her house, and seven days after she volunteered to take care of him while the lady was away, she was already able to figure out what kind of kid the boy was.

Kill was intelligent and quiet. He doesn't talk unless it was necessary and spends his time reading books. Emerald also found out that he doesn't like taking things on a silver platter, volunteering to watch the counter because she was short-staffed after one of her employees asked for leave since her mother got sick and couldn't take care of herself. She was hesitant to give him something to do, after all, he was a guest that Lady Avy trusted her to take care of, she couldn't possibly ask him something in return for giving him a roof above his head.

But the boy insisted, hence, she asked him to just watch the counter instead although he seemed interested in bringing orders, nevertheless, he obeyed, knowing that he might just become an inconvenience since he's not really fit for the job.

When people asked Emerald who the boy was, she answered according to what Lady Avy told her. Lady Avy was supposed to be her distant cousin and they just moved to the capital to expect a better life, so she tells people that Kill is her cousin's son that was left in her care because his mother was working to support their life in the capital. It wasn't hard for her to lie because those who asked easily bought the things she told them, and the boy also knows what he would say when put in a situation.

"Are you waiting for Lady Avy's call?"

The night time came, and Kill was already seated on the chair in front of the vanity mirror inside the room that was provided for him to stay in. He watched the small communication stone with excitement and anticipation, waiting for it to glow, an indication that someone is calling. It may have been the only thing that he looks forward to every day.

Emerald sat on a chair next to him, looking at the boy with softness. He must've liked the lady so much.

Rumors really can't be trusted. She would often hear nasty things concerning the Arkwright duchy's only lady, and it never occurred to her that she was actually someone who is good around kids. When she asks Clerivan about it, he just answered with silence, sometimes telling her that Lady Avy is still the duke's daughter no matter what and she shouldn't talk badly about her.

She really didn't intend to do so, after all, she never met the lady in person and only knew her through the talks of the people who happened to hear some gossip and decided to make it a topic when eating inside her diner. Since her diner was a pretty decent place, even nobles frequent there and there are a couple of them that talk about those with higher standing, and of course, the Arkwright Family is one of them.

They said Lady Avy has a temper that shouldn't be messed with, in contrast to her family's reputation that is always quiet and collected, she was uncontrollable. But based on what she saw, she patiently spoon-fed the child who was too weak to do so by himself. She spoke to him with great understanding that calmed him down despite the said child being an emotional wreck the past few days. She requested for her to take care of him during her absence politely and was prepared to be rejected when she did, it was an admirable act that set Emerald's opinion of the lady to be a good one.

"The lady must be a really special person to you," Emerald giggled, prompting the child to turn into the color of ripened tomatoes, but nevertheless, still nodded as a response.

Just before Kill could say anything, the communication stone in front of him glowed. He immediately abandoned the thought and hurriedly tapped the ball of crystal to accept the call.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to push out my maid from my room."

It was the first sentence they heard from the stone as a holographic image of a girl appeared above it. It was just in a plain color of white and blue without other colors to add details but it was enough to see Lady Avy's face clearly.

"It's okay, Mama. I did not wait for long," Kill reassured her with a smile.

"What did you do today, kiddo? Anything notable happened?"

"Nothing out of ordinary. I just helped Mi-... Auntie Emerald watch the diner while she did her job."

Emerald couldn't help but smile at how the child still couldn't call her Auntie by habit, they thought it was necessary since they were supposed to be related but it still warmed the woman's heart hearing him call her that.

The two chatted for a while before Kill finally retired for the night, leaving the communication stone still connected. Lady Avy somewhat noticed that Emerald was with them while they were talking and waited for the child to sleep before getting a chance to have a word with the woman.

"Thank you for taking him in. I'll find a way to repay you once I come back," the lady started, her tone was back to its normal toughness again, although not as gruff as those back alley gangsters, still not something that you would imagine a noble lady using to converse with others.

"There is no need for that, Lady Avy. Kill is a bright child and is by no means an inconvenience to me. He brightens up the house actually," Emerald answered with a smile.

"I guess I will have to be in your debt until I become stable enough to have the both of us floating without help."

She was surprised by the lady's statement, it was such a big deal considering that she is direct blood of one of the supporting pillars of the empire, and if it was heard by the public ears, it would be a huge scandal.

"What do you mean, My Lady?" she furrowed her brows in confusion, not wanting to entertain the idea of the girl running away with a beast child because it would not only stain the reputation of her house but also put their lives in grave danger knowing that there will be no one outside the duchy's protection that could shield them from harm brought by the people with ill intent towards the nobility.

"I know what you're thinking." Lady Avy chortled, amused. "I am not running away, well I guess given my circumstances, running away would not be a very good option. I really don't have any reasons to, anyway. I just need enough influence to support Kill without being questioned. I can't do it in my current position, and age if I may add. I can't be considered a legal guardian so I'm entrusting him to you for now," she finished.

That is true, a child without parents that is yet to reach the age of legality, which is eighteen is still considered a person completely controlled by the law, and that means they have no say in their own life having the Imperial word dictate how they will live their lives, most of them are sent to orphanages or the temple until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

Having a minor as a guardian wouldn't protect Kill from the Imperial verdict unless Lady Avy reaches eighteen, she cannot publicly declare that she is Kill's adoptive mother.

"I can just fake my age when I'm there, but once I become more prone to the public's eye, it would be difficult to hide Kill and my age would be a lot of trouble. I can't ask anyone in the mansion to take him since I don't know how my family would react, so for now, I can only trust you and pops to shelter him in my stead."

~~~

Avy had her brows knitted together while she watched the gray feline curled up into a ball of fur, breathing as if it was the only thing it could do. It was mewling softly, pain evident in every sound he created. It's been a week since she arrived at the Harrington estate and she could say that the cat's condition did not get any better even though Mariel did her best to care for it, it was fed every day and examined but to no avail, it seemed like it would draw his last breath at any second.

"Unfortunately, darkness is not created to fix things that were already broken before it even got the chance to be touched by you."

That was Ares' answer when she asked him if he could do something, or if he knew something she could do now that she's officially a wielder of dark magic. It frustrated her that the curse didn't want to tell her anything about what her power could do because 'Darkness is infinite. It is not limited by anything, hence the limit is the user. If you want to do something, it should be you who discovers how. That's what the other two did before it was passed down to you.' he says. She couldn't do anything to the cat who had his soul trampled on by humans.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when a couple of knocks on her bedroom door interrupted.

"Come in," she responded, knowing exactly who it was.

"Is the kitty alright?" a girl opened the door of her room, peeking at the gap with a worried face.

Avy sighed and gestured for her to come inside, or them, to be precise. Clion followed the girl who was the same height as him, and probably the same age.

"Are you okay, teacher?" she asked.

Avy wondered how the proud brat who scowled at her days ago started treating her like she was her own older sister.

(A couple of days prior)

After Avy finished eating breakfast, she was quick to take a bath and dress up, the least uncomfortable dress amongst the herd of itchy, heavy, and unpleasant ones that Mariel packed before leaving the manor, and a pair of equally not so painful to wear shoes, she grabbed a book from the side table and left her room to go to her destination, still accompanied by her servants, of course.

Unexpectedly enough, she had promised the boy she met the previous day to meet again on the spot where they ran into each other because the little guy wanted to introduce her to his sister after asking for her permission. Avy commended the display of respect hence she didn't refuse, much to the young master's joy. She thought that it would be better to be on good terms with the children residing in the place where she was currently staying and would probably be her shelter for the next few weeks since she heard from Mariel that the Summit wouldn't start until a couple of days or so, and it is usually held for more than a week. She's well aware of how those little bundles of innocence could turn into small satans when enraged because she had seen her fair share of unpleasant memories courtesy of her small cousins when she was forced to babysit as a high school student. She had no time for kiddie version of devils.

Avy took her time walking, maybe because she enjoyed the part of the Harrington Mansion that has no maids scattered around, giving her the freedom to relax without being thrown with fearful gazes that tickled her urge to go back somewhere she could no longer feel anyone staring at her. Or maybe it was because of the unnecessarily heavy dress that she was wearing.

She had no choice, thinking positively, it was the lightest looking one. Mariel made it a point that she couldn't walk around with her nightwear just like what she usually does in her own home because the owner of the Harrington Mansion could come home at any time. She didn't protest, because it was indeed embarrassing to be seen in an ankle-length long-sleeved loose dress. Sarcasm added. She really understood that it wasn't presentable, it's not like she could argue anyway, she not an original inhabitant of that world, or at least, not her soul, hence she had to meet the standards of how they view clothes, can't really set a fashion trend with shirts and jeans, can she? It would be inappropriate and unappreciative of the old era's way of dressing up. And a big disrespect to clothing evolution.

Grumbling about the heavy garments that she had to put on her body, she made sure to wipe the frown that was getting too comfortable resting on her face, lest she offends her new companion who in her observation, is someone that gets discouraged quickly. Avy doesn't want to make a child cry. As much as she would always think that they are the least unpleasant phase of a human being, children are still annoying and that fact wouldn't be erased by a few cute smiles here and there.

When Avy arrived at the spot where she was the other day, she wasn't surprised to find the boy already sitting on the bench with his sketchbook and a pen in his hands, seemingly too absorbed in what he was working on but eventually turned his head when he felt the presence of another person approaching. Clion waved his hand and scooted a little, giving Avy a space to sit which she accepted gratefully.

Avy looked around, expecting to see another child since she was told that she would be meeting Clion's sister that day, but she saw no one other than the said boy. He must've taken notice of her gesture and quickly wrote on his pad before showing it to her, covering his face.

I apologize, Lady Avy. But my sister is still not accustomed to meeting new people.

She raised her brows, what a good choice of words. But she knew that the sister he was talking about really didn't want to meet her, of course, she was aware of it, because the two of them although only a couple of times, were mentioned in the novel. They were first introduced when the male lead, Zach's backstory was revealed. She had a grasp of their personality, and just merely basing on it, Clion was lying to not make Avy feel bad and to cover up his sister's nasty attitude.

"It's fine since I will be staying here for quite some time," she told him.

Clion looked excited by this and wrote on his pad to express his joy, Stay as long as you want, Lady Avy! We seldom have visitors and we're not allowed to go out either. And brother is always away.

"Is that so? Thank you for having me then, I look forward to your company."

~~~

Throughout their conversation, Avy didn't find the other's presence annoying, instead, she was amused at how he could continue meaningful conversations when given the right topic. An example of it was his fascination with magic technology and magic stones that he unexpectedly shared with the lady's father, Duke Arkwright. Avy, who was one of the few people that read his limited edition books, shared some of the ideas with the child. Avy become more interested in that field more, of course not to have more topics to talk about with Clion, definitely not, it was to add to her knowledge and maybe to conquer the current era with it, yes, it was because of that.

Unfortunately, they had to stop because she noticed how Clion's handwriting became more sloppy as time went by, probably because his hand started to hurt from writing his response too much. As much as she wanted to converse with him more, she would be needing him for the next day to aid her boredom, hence she decided to call for lunch instead.

"We can always talk about these things some other time. Eating comes first," she said when Clion showed a disappointed pout.

"If you abuse your hands too much, they're gonna rot and fall off," she mused with a smile, "Right, Sir knight?" she turned to Clerivan who was standing behind her.

"That is true, young master. I have some of my peers who lost their limbs because of overworking."

Avy tried her best not to crack a laugh after Clion looked at them in horror, he took them too seriously. She wondered how Clerivan kept his face stoic when she was dying inside to hold her laughter.

Clerivan was the only one with her since she asked Mariel to inform the mansion's maids to give them food. Ares on the other hand, she doesn't care where he was after the said cat told her that he will be exploring the place for a while.

After a few minutes of waiting, the maids finally arrived with the food, a lot of them. She figured that it was Mariel who requested for the food's increase in quantity knowing her mistress' appetite, she just ignored the bewildered look on the servants' faces.

The two of them started eating, although it was mostly silent because Clion couldn't write on his pad while holding a fork and a knife, aside from sentences from Avy that could be answered by yes or no, they didn't talk much. The table was peaceful and quiet until a loud crashing sound was heard.

Avy flinched and looked in the direction of the sound, frowning. There she saw a maid with a pile of broken plates on the ground in front of her. It wasn't the plates that made Avy feel odd, but the shocked faces of every servant present and their eyes seemingly directed to a single person.

A clanking noise of silver utensils dropping on the ground called Avy's attention back to the child in front of her. Her mouth gaped open when she saw how Clion started breathing heavily as if he was out of air.

He covered his ears and started screaming.

~~~

Yay another cliffhanger. Sorry for not updating, I was in camp and we couldn't use our gadgets there. Again, I'm lazy to proofread this since I have music practice later. See you next week! Comment your thoughts! Watch your words though, I don't accept harsh criticisms >:(

Because I am sensitive and I will cry.

-sincerely(not really), Mori