Aldric watched as Quinn dashed away, feeling a sense of... loss and loneliness, which confused him.

Loss? Loneliness? Why should he feel such things toward a lad he had just met? Though he admitted the boy was very lovable and his quirky character charming, he shouldn't feel so... attached.

"Did you want to adopt him?" Vincent's voice came his way, his tone teasing. "You look like you've just lost something precious."

Aldric turned his stallion and said, "He is a precious little thing, to his family, that is."

Vincent snorted as he, too, turned his stallion. "And not to you? I've never seen you take so much care of a stranger before. Even go so far as to clean his face. Others who encountered such a scene back there in the woods would have thought a doting father is cleaning his son's face."

Aldric, Vincent, and Theo were heading toward Bedford Manor now, taking the main road, which was busy with the hustle and bustle of people everywhere.

Aldric said, "He's eighteen, apparently. It's impossible for him to be my son."

"Eighteen?" Vincent said. "You must be jesting. That pipsqueak is eighteen? He's only a head or two taller than Jonah when we last saw him, and that was a year ago when he was nine."

From the perspective of the Norsewood men, anyone below five foot eight was considered small, since they were simply taller and bigger than most. Even most of the female of the north were tall, standing at least five foot seven.

Theo chuckled. "Well, what do you expect? Us living up north are unusually taller and bigger than the average man down south."

"True," Vincent said. "But I suspect the pipsqueak is a special case, one who can really cook. Damn, but that beef burger was divine. I've never tasted anything as good as that in my life."

"I do wonder how bread can be that soft," Theo said. "Is it a special recipe from Bedford? If so, we should investigate. That sort of bread would be very popular up north."

"Not just up north, but everywhere in every kingdom," Vincent said. "Perhaps we should ask Lord Bedford?"

Aldric said, "Quinn mentioned the ingredients are common in his hometown. So perhaps it's not a Bedford thing."

"Ah, and he did say he's not from Bedford," Vincent said. "Darn, we didn't ask what town he was from. We could have stopped by if it's on the way home."

Theo said, "It is unfortunate. It looks like our chance of eating another soft bread, and even more so, a beef burger is rather slim."

Vincent snorted. "Slim? I'd say nonexistent."

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the gate of Bedford Manor, and a footman came rushing over as the men got down from their horses.

"May I ask who you are, sirs?" the footman said, standing a few feet away as he stared wide-eyed at the men who looked so tall and shredded, he swore they were deities from the land of the gods. "Do you... uh, do you have an appointment with Lord Bedford, sirs?"

Aldric said, "I believe we're a week earlier than expected, but Lord Bedford is expecting us."

The footman raised his brows, wondering how the likes of Lord Bedford had a connection to beings that looked so... powerful and overwhelmingly strong, the likes that had seen countless battles. "Indeed, sir?"

"Aldric Templeton, Earl of Norsewood," Aldric said.

Just as he heard the infamous name, the footman dropped his mouth open and started involuntarily quaking in his boots. He managed to get a hold of himself, however, and uttered, "Ald... Aldric Tem... Templeton? Earl of.... Norse... wood, sir?"

"Indeed," Vincent said. "What's the matter, lad? Why have you gone barmy at the sight of Lord Norsewood? Inform Lord Bedford immediately of our arrival. We've traveled far and are exhausted."

The footman bowed. "Oh, indeed, sirs. Yes, of course, I must inform the lord..." He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and prayed for a moment. Then he turned on his heel and started sprinting toward the manor.

Vincent shook his head. "And he didn't even bother to invite us in." He turned to Aldric. "It's you, Aldric. He's afraid of you, just like everyone else. The moment they hear your name and meet you face-to-face, they turn nutty with fear."

"The lad, Quinn, didn't," Theo reminded them.

Vincent chuckled. "Indeed, he didn't, which makes him even more of a special case."

Aldric said, "The boy doesn't know who I am, and it's best kept that way. It'll only taint his memories of our encounter if he knows."

The footman returned, and he was not alone. As he sprinted like the devil was after him, there were three other servants, two stablemen and a butler, and they were also racing as if their coats were on fire.

Huffing and puffing from the exertion, the footman said, "I... apologize, my lord, for not... receiving you... properly. Please forgive me."

The others finally caught up and came to a stop, and while puffing, they bowed almost to their waists. The butler, Mr. Gray, said, "My lord... wel...come to... Bedford Manor." He finally caught his breath and continued. "Unfortunately, Lord Bedford is currently busy. Please... allow me to apologize on his... behalf. Meanwhile, please relax and enjoy what Bedford Manor has to offer in terms of... hospitality."

Aldric said, his voice gruff, "Lord Bedford is busy?"

The other three servants squirmed at Aldric's intense tone, although Mr. Gray managed to keep himself composed. He was well used to the intense tone and hot temper from serving Lord Bedford for the past thirty years. Unlike Lord Bedford who always made him apprehensive and on guard, Lord Norsewood, despite his impressive presence and authoritative aura, gave him a sense of... respect and safety? Indeed, it confused Mr. Gray.

He said, "Unfortunately, he is, my lord, but he will be ready momentarily."

Of course, the lord was nowhere ready, Mr. Gray thought, for the man and his wife were currently panicking and running around like headless chickens and screaming at the servants to get things ready to impress their guests and appease their exhaustion and irritation.

As for Lady Calla and Lady Iris? Well, the moment they heard the unexpected news of Lord Norsewood's arrival, they started wailing that they were going to be murdered as their maids escorted them to their rooms to hide. Indeed, they won't be showing themselves in front of Lord Norsewood until it was safe for them to do so.

Aldric said, "Then I'm looking forward to meeting with him." He nodded, and as the two stablemen took the stallions away, he, Vincent, and Theo followed the butler and the footman into the estate.

Mr. Gray said, "Since it's a beautiful autumn day, I believe serving tea outside in the garden would be lovely."

A few moments later, Aldric, Vincent, and Theo found themselves sitting around a table under a gazebo in the middle of the impressive garden. Beyond the field of grasses was a pond with swans gliding about. Since the butler had left to consult with Lord Bedford as to what should be done next, the maids were now serving them tea.

They were, needless to say, terrified and couldn't even look them in the eye. The one attending Aldric had her hands shaking so severely he was impressed she managed to fill the cup without spilling.

Aldric took a sip, neither liking the taste nor disliking it since it was the usual bland flavor.

The two maids hurriedly left the moment they had finished their duties, and Vincent shook his head. He got up and went to prop himself against the pillar of the gazebo as he gazed after the escaping girls.

"I believe they're seeing us as demons, for sure. They are frightened out of their wits. The poor things." Not that he felt one bit of remorse for them though. Rather, he was amused.

Indeed, he was even more so when he saw a girl loitering about on the other side of the field. As she came closer toward the manor, he noticed she was a beautiful little thing, with long brown curls braided and resting over one side of her shoulders, a face that made him dream of pleasure, and a slender body that promised warmth.

Carrying a basket, the girl looked about her surroundings, and Vincent chuckled. "What in heavens is she doing?" he said under his breath.

Curious, he gracefully jogged down the few steps. Behind him, Theo said, "Don't scare the lassie, Vincent."

Vincent raised his hand in the air. "I'll do my best to not make her cry." Moments later, he rounded the corner and saw the girl sneaking about and peering at the window. He easily caught up to her, his steps light. Close, he leaned in and said, "My, what a very suspicious-looking lassie. Here to steal something?"

Maria jolted and spun around, her eyes wide with fright. She shook her head furiously and said, her voice shaky, "No, sir, I'm not here to steal anything."

Vincent tilted his head to one side, his eyes twinkling. "Are you sure about that?"

She nodded her head. "Indeed, sir." She raised the basket in front of her. "See? I'm here to deliver lunch to my mother and brother."

"Is that so?" he asked, pleasantly surprised that she looked even more beautiful on closer inspection. Goodness, but she smelled amazing, though he had the feeling he had encountered that unique scent before, only recently.

She said, "I've never seen you around here before. Are you perhaps a knight, sir?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, I am."

"I see," she said. "From the capital. You must be staying at the guesthouse."

Vincent hadn't a clue where they'd be staying yet, and to be frank, he didn't care. He said, "What's your name, lassie."

Maria swallowed, her eyes large. "Are you going to tell on me, sir?"

Vincent raised a brow. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I swore to never step foot on this place again, yet here I am. I'm breaking my own vow, sir."

"And why did you vow to never step foot in this place again?"

"It's personal, sir," she said. "Would you mind very much keeping this encounter between us a secret, sir?"

A devilish smile on his lips, he said, "That depends. You see, I'm a knight, and a knight is honorable and doesn't lie. He especially does not let things slide if something looks suspicious, and you, lassie, look utterly suspicious."

Maria licked her lips nervously. She said, "I beg of you, sir." She lifted the lid of the basket and brought out a decent-sized box made of the familiar flax Vincent had seen before. She opened the lid of the box, and the man was greeted with slices of very dark-brown-looking cake. Maria continued, "I'll give you this, sir. It goes very well with tea. My cousin Quinn made it. It's called chocolate cake."

"Quinn?" Vincent asked, surprised at hearing the name.

"Yes, sir," Maria said. "Quinn Fairchild, my cute little cousin. Oh, and my name is Maria, sir, Maria Fairchild." She nodded toward the box of cake. "Just a taste and you'll be over the moon, sir. You'll never, ever find it anywhere else in this world. Indeed, it is from another world entirely, so in fact, you are one very lucky man. So, I'm giving this to you, and please keep our encounter just between the two of us."

She moved forward, grabbed his hand, and planted the box on his palm. Stepping back, she put a finger to her lips to indicate that he should keep his promise to not tell on her. Then turning on her heel, she rushed away, leaving Vincent to stare after her, befuddled.

She was bribing him, Vincent realized. With cake!

He returned to the gazebo a moment later and placed the box in the middle of the table, which drew both Aldric's and Theo's attention.

Theo asked, "What is that?"

Vincent lifted the lid to show his comrades the cake inside. He said, "Apparently, it is called chocolate cake and it is made by Quinn Fairchild."

Aldric raised his brows. "Quinn?"

Vincent nodded. "Quinn. Now, if we're talking about the same Quinn Fairchild, he's apparently that girl's cousin."

"Then she must be the relative the lad mentioned," Theo said. He leaned in and inspected the pieces of cake. "Looks burned."

"More than burned if you ask me," Vincent said. "It's charcoaled."

Aldric said, "If it's the same Quinn who made this, I'm sure it's not burned, and it'd taste out of this world."

Vincent said, "That's what the lassie said. The cake is from another world entirely were her exact words. I guess she meant the taste."

Aldric picked up one piece and said, "It doesn't feel hard. In fact, it's soft." He took a bite, and the moment he did, he widened his eyes in astonishment though his face was impassive.

"Aldric?" Vincent asked. "How is it?"

"It's... delicious. It's soft, moist, and sweet. I've never tasted anything like this before."

"Really now," Vincent said and picked one up. He took a bite and couldn't help but chuckle in pleasant surprise. "It is indeed out of this world."

Theo, who had just finished one piece, said, "It goes very well with tea. The girls would love this."

Aldric nodded. "They would," he said, thinking about his children, nieces and nephews, and sisters. And it was indeed especially nice with tea, despite the one in front of him that didn't taste like anything.

The men finished the six slices in the box, and indeed, they were very satisfied with the unexpected dessert made by the mysterious, loveable Quinn.