CH. 13 Lullaby

Noah woke up to his brother's cries again. It was a common occurrence. Miss Kaylee always beat him until he bled and would heal him with potions. Noah felt helpless every time he watched his brother get hurt. For months he watched and hoped someone would hear their silent cries but then Her Highness came in like a storm. A cold scary storm that swept all their worries at once. Noah never felt such a feeling but it dulled as soon as she asked them not to call her mother.

"Cleo, It was alright now." Noah held his brother who's been suffering in his sleep for months. He wrapped Cleo's sweaty palm in his hands and spoke softly.

"It is alright." He finally said those words without feeling any agony in his heart. All this time he felt like his words held no weight but now it was different. Her Highness made sure that no one could hurt them anymore. So he mumbled those three words over and over again for Cleo and for himself. Like a spell of assurance.

"It will be alright from here on." A soft but familiar voice spoke behind him and Noah turned with tears streaming down his eyes.

"Mother." He choked in between his tears.

"Shh… It's okay. I'm right here." She said and lifted Cleo into her arms. "Here." She patted the space on the inside of the bed and Noah climbed in. She covered him with a blanket taking care not to touch him and sat not too far away from him while holding Cleo. Noah still hated contact from others except Cleo even though he too wished to be held like Cleo. He wished he would be able to accept Her Highness' warm hugs soon but for now he was content with feeling her presence through the comfortable blanket.

"Cleo, Open your eyes sweetheart." She gently woke him up and he squinted at her through the tears in his eyes.

"Mother." He mumbled.

"Yes, Sweetheart." She responded warmly. Noah realised that she didn't reject their calls like she did in the morning and an intense joy welled up in his heart along with fresh tears in his eyes.

"Are you awake now?" She asked and Cleo nodded groggily.

"Look, Noah is here as well." She said and placed him beside Noah.

"Why are you crying?" Cleo asked as soon as he caught sight of Noah's face. "You are crying too." Came the immediate reply from the other boy. Her Highness laughed softly and offered her shawl after a bit of looking around. She wiped Cleo's tear-stained face and watched Cleo clumsily wipe Noah's tears. It was a silly yet warm sight.

"Noah, Cleo. I promise you, as long as I am here nothing will ever hurt you. I will chase all your nightmares away." She promised to the two boys looking at her with wide blue eyes that reflected the bright moonlight shining through the open window.

"And If I ever rejected you like I did in the past then reject me back. Reject me with everything you've got." She added with a determined look on her face.

"Will you hate us again?" Cleo asked worriedly.

"Of course, No. I would never but if I ever did then remember that it was not me. It was just a bad dream. But do not fear, your father has promised to stand by your side so you have nothing to fear even if it's a bad dream."

"Then where will you be?" Noah asked immediately.

"Right here. Just like I am now, I will be watching over you." She smiled and Noah's heart calmed down.

"Now go to sleep." She patted Cleo's head and let Noah hold on to her shawl.

"Don't go." Cleo pleaded and held onto the skirt of her nightgown. She laughed at his cute gesture before humming a strange yet sweet tune that lulled the two kids into deep peaceful sleep that they hadn't had in months.

* * *

Seth looked at the report on what happened to Kaylee Allen after that. The strange woman who came from another world, had hired a group of bandits, one that was wanted for many horrible crimes. She let them attack the carriage that Miss Kaylee had boarded on her way to Verdant. Then they molested her, robbed her off her clothes and other valuable things before letting her go. Besides, all this happened after Miss Kaylee entered Verdant. It was an obvious but clever plan. It would be difficult to accuse anyone but the bandits even if this became known.

The report also had a detailed explanation on how Miss Kaylee went to her home and locked herself up without making a single protest. Currently, she was rejecting any visits and fell into a fit if anyone tried to make any physical contact with her. Is this what she meant when she said that she would make Miss Kaylee go through what the twins had experienced in her hands?

He remembered how she hummed a tune as she put the twins to sleep a few nights ago. He was finally finished with work and when he remembered her words that morning, he was already making his way to her palace and when he reached, she was holding Cleo in her arms and tucking Noah with a blanket. He watched as she too fell asleep sitting and carried her back to her bed. He couldn't describe what he felt that night as he watched her and the twins but it burned and overflowed in his chest. That was a dangerous thing to happen outside a battlefield. So he left immediately after.

Seth held the report in his hand and sighed as he leaned back in the carriage seat. He was on his way in a hurry after learning that She was meeting with the bandits. It was a small inn for the adventurers outside Eonon. A place close to many Dungeons so it has scarce customers except for adventures now and then.

"We are here, Your Highness." Jasper informed and Seth practically jumped out of the carriage and ran inside the inn. His knights, Order of Velia, the ones he used to work in the shadows surrounded the inn. Ellie Hazel was also standing outside on guard. He was surprised when he heard the news but admiration came after his surprise. Ellie Hazel was a Valedictorian of her class and her adventurer class was B which was high for someone with such a short experience period. When he heard Rowan going against his whole family for her, Seth was more than happy for him. Seth always thought that Duke Felipe was a fool for not recognizing his daughter-in-law. Seth knew that the Duke acknowledged her talent but not as his daughter-in-law, What a foolish man.

"Good day, Your Highness." Lady Hazel bowed in greeting.

"Where is she?" Seth asked and walked in before hearing a response. There in a silent inn, that woman was sitting without a word and a group of men lay dead at her feet. Seth looked at the spilt food on the table.

"I poisoned them." She informed him calmly.

"For someone who spoke like she had no courage to take her life, I wasn't expecting this." Seth said a laugh escaping him at the sight of the dead bodies.

"I've never committed murder in my life. I should be frightened to death after coming back to my senses but tell me why I feel an odd sense of peace. The moment life left these men, forget regret, I even thought that they died too easily for what they did." She spoke calmly.

"I think after my soul jumped bodies, My morals also got skewed a little. Hey, I still think I'm fine with what I did but please stop me if I ever cross the line." She looked at Seth with desperation.

"You are asking the wrong person." He muttered helplessly.

"I will try." He added a moment later and she smiled brightly at him like they were standing amidst a flower meadow instead of a bunch of lifeless bodies.