Chapter 53: Messenger

We rushed to the mayor’s mansion.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve come to this town. The people in this town were friendly to me since the beginning, and they were furious when they found out that Amy and I had nearly been kidnapped. They even added that I was an important child of this town. Once they found out that I was also helping people increase their magic power with Alistair, they were thankful and decided that they wouldn’t treat me in a special way.

They treated me like any other child in their town.

It’s been a while since I’ve come to this town, I grew a lot in the time I spent here, and I could control my body better. I couldn’t run yet, but I could walk to the mayor’s mansion without getting tired.

I walked fast to the mayor’s mansion in the afternoons while holding Alistair’s hand.

“Say, Bart,” the butler, who came with us, kept glancing at me. “I think we should hurry.”

“Oh, ah. Let them wait. It’s important for kids to walk by themselves. And-.”

“And?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

Bart was focused on the wrong thing. Now, we’re at the edge of town. We’re almost at the mayor’s mansion. Fuu.

“Well, it’s fine for her to walk by herself. But it’s not as cute as tottering.”

“Oh boy, I didn’t say that alright?” Bart muttered his excuse. I stopped and turned around.

“Noth thoththering!”

“Oh, oh? Sorry. Yeah, you’re not tottering. You’re walking fast.”

That’s fine. For some reason, everyone was laughing really hard, and Alistair and I reached the mayor’s mansion. The butler opened the door and led us to the parlour as a servant who knew the way.

When he got to the parlour, he looked at Bart as if he wanted to say something, but held it down in the end and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

It was exactly like the time with the previous messengers. I felt weird and glanced up at Alistair. He looked forward with serious eyes.

When the butler opened the door, Bart went in first, then Kyaro and Clyde, then Alistair and I, and Mill was behind us as if he was defending our backs. Like the other time, the mayor sat on the sofa in the back, and a messenger sat opposite him. They were gracefully holding their teacups. There was a servant behind the mayor and two people, who I didn’t know, next to the wall. They’re probably the messenger’s guards.

“You’re here?” The messenger stood up after the mayor said that and looked at us.

“Otousyama…”

“Lei?” Alistair heard my quiet mutter. Alistair, Bart and the others froze for a second because they were surprised.

“I’m wong.”

That’s right. That person is probably around 20 years old. He had lighter hair than the mayor, but darker than mine; his blonde hair was tied in a ponytail to the back. He had a good posture and dark violet eyes.

Yeah, there’s no way for him to be my father since his age, hair and eyes are all different. Father is taller than him, and I can never tell what he’s thinking from looking at him. The man’s face distorted a little as he gently said, “Lei.” He never looked at me with such dark and cold eyes.

“Uoah.”

“Lei?”

I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go back to where father is. I love Bart and Alistair, but I want to go back to where father and brother are.

“Uoooaaah.”

Alistair let go off my hand when I burst out into tears. Mill picked me up while Alistair was panicking.

“Miww noth Otousyama, go home.”

“Oh, is that so? Yeah, it’s okay.”

Mill couldn’t understand what I was saying at all, but he gently swayed me while holding my head to his chest. I’ve endured it all this time, but I couldn’t hold it in anymore when I saw someone who looked like father. I couldn’t stop crying.

“This baby doesn’t know anything,” The messenger said in disappointment.

“There’s a rumour going around saying that she’s really smart.”

“I’m surprised that they sent a messenger who would intimidate and make a baby cry,” Bart growled.

“Bart.” The mayor’s voice didn’t sound as energetic as it usually did.

“What is it, mayor?”

“This person came from the capital.”

“I’ve heard.”

“His name is Hubert Wester.”

Bart looked as if he was searching through his memories.

“Hubert… Gilbert, Hubert… Hubert!” Then he looked as if he realised something and the mayor said in a worn-out tone, “Yes. The 2^nd Prince of Wester.”

My tears stopped. I’ve never seen a prince in this life or my previous one. I rubbed my face on Mill’s clothes, and he gently patted my back.

No, I just saw one.

“*SNIFF*.”

I lifted my face off Mill’s chest and looked at him. His gentle brown eyes were looking at me just like they always are.

Yeah. So what if he’s a prince? I just got a little upset because he looked like father, but father is way more handsome than him and brother is also handsome even though he’s small right now. And they don’t have such a nasty look in their eyes.

Well, father generally has a poker-face… But at least he doesn’t have a nasty look in his eye.

I rubbed my eyes on my sleeves and looked at Mill. He looked at me questioningly and seemed to have noticed something. He wiped away the tear marks on my cheeks with his sleeve.

“Miww chu shhouwd hab a handwerchief.”

“My bad, I forgot about it.”

I laughed a little when I saw Mill smiling wryly.

“Miww, thhanwsh. Doww.”

“You’re alright now?”

“Ai.”

I asked Mill to put me down and turned around to look at Alistair. Alistair’s face was stiff, and he looked at me in worry and gently wiped the remaining tears from the corner of my eyes.

“Awishthair hand.”

We held hands, and I turned to look at the messenger.

“Oh.”

It’s not ‘oh’. I can’t be easy-going just because he looks a little like father!