04

Six months had passed since the nameless child first stepped into the Mon'draigg manor. Initially, the family had been skeptical, wary of taking in a boy who seemed more like an empty husk than a child. But over time, they came to accept him as one of their own. The child, once burdened with sorrow after leaving the Soru'draigg manor, had adapted as well. He had learned to live his life without overthinking every action, though his quiet determination never wavered.

Alcor sat alone at the dining room table, his fingers tightly gripping his coffee cup as his eyes darted nervously around the room. He even bent down to check under the table. After making sure, for the umpteenth time, that he was alone, he sighed deeply and reached for his novel.

"Hmm? Squish?" he muttered, confusion knitting his brows. Instead of the familiar leather cover, he felt something soft. Alcor looked down, and his heart nearly stopped when he realized his book had been replaced by the mischievously grinning child who had been plaguing him for the past three months. Initially, the boy had been heartbroken when Alcor rejected his request to be trained, but that had changed.

As his guardian, Alcor might have been relieved by the boy's determination. Instead, he found himself hounded day and night, the boy relentless in his pursuit to become his apprentice. There was nowhere to escape; the boy had even taken to appearing on top of Alcor's horse as he prepared for missions.

"Uncle Alcor," the boy's voice was sweetly innocent, but it sent a shiver down Alcor's spine.

"I said NO!" Alcor shouted, prying the child off his arm with panicked fervor before bolting to the bathroom, coffee sloshing in his cup. The boy's laughter echoed in the empty room, and Alcor knew this wouldn't be the last time he had to flee from his persistent shadow.

Later that day, the boy recounted his latest attempt to Cynthia, lying comfortably on her lap, his small fingers tangled in her hair. Cynthia chuckled softly, her hand resting gently on his head.

"Don't give up," she encouraged, her voice warm. "I'm sure he'll cave in sooner or later." The boy grinned, leaning into her touch, a gesture that made Cynthia and everyone around her smile.

"Yeah, Uncle Alcor is really weak if you pester him long enough," a teenage girl, ten years older than the boy, chimed in from across the room.

"Really, big sis Allie?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah, don't you trust your big sis?" Allie laughed, flexing her well-defined biceps playfully. "If you want, I can help you corner that stubborn uncle of ours so you can really drill into him."

"OOOH, PRESSURE HIM! YES!" the boy exclaimed, bouncing with excitement. Cynthia, however, shot Allie a sharp look that made the girl quickly look away, not daring to challenge her aunt's maternal instincts.

Aria, the clan head who had been quietly sipping her tea, finally spoke up. "I must say, you pick up on things quite fast, child. But it's little wonder, considering you're connected to the most gifted emperor this empire has ever seen."

"Really, Granny Aria? I am?" the boy asked, his eyes shining with hope.

"Do not ask me, child. In time, you will know the truth of your heritage," Aria replied, a smirk playing on her lips. "Though I suppose you'll need the skills to uncover it. I'll have a word with that stubborn uncle of yours about training you."

The boy's face lit up with excitement, but the others exchanged uneasy glances. Allie nervously laughed, silently praying for her uncle's safety. "Well, I guess that means you don't have to worry about convincing him anymore."

"I should talk to Alcor before Grandma does," Cynthia murmured, her eyes narrowing with concern as she stroked the boy's hair. He looked up at her, then turned to Allie, who was now lazily lounging on a couch, ignoring a middle-aged man trying to lecture her on proper behavior for a lady.

"How about you, Uncle Jin?" the boy asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Do you think Uncle Alcor will teach me soon?"

Jin, who had been scoffing at the whole situation, straightened up under the stern gazes of Aria and Cynthia. "Alcor is as stubborn as a mule, but if the head of the family asks him directly, then all you need to do is wait. But if you're impatient, proving yourself is the most Soru'draigg way of convincing him."

"Prove myself?" the boy repeated, tilting his head in thought.

"Yes. Show him you have determination or talent," Jin replied, eyeing the child from head to toe before nodding approvingly. "Though I doubt you lack either."

"Really? I don't?" The boy's eyes darted to Cynthia, who smiled and nodded, then to Allie, who shrugged and continued lounging. Finally, he turned to Aria.

"Do not seek confirmation from others, child," Aria said sharply. "If you cannot believe in yourself without others' approval, then you are not worthy of the Mon'draigg name, let alone the Soru'draigg."

That night, the boy sat by his bedroom window, gazing out at the darkened landscape. His room, once barren, was now filled with books on cooking and romance novels he had never shown interest in. But tonight, his mind wasn't on reading. Instead, he replayed the words of his new family, pondering how he could prove himself.

"I should ask…" he muttered, realizing that direct action was better than endless contemplation. He slipped out of his room, padding quietly through the darkened halls toward the living room, hoping to find someone still awake.

"I can't find it. Are you sure it's here?"

The boy stopped in his tracks, his attention drawn to a slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway. Curiosity piqued, he tiptoed closer.

"In the middle of the forest? How am I supposed to find it with such a vague clue? I can't ask for help, you know that."

"I... can help?" the boy whispered to himself, slowly closing the door to his uncle's room. He then turned his gaze towards the canopy of trees outside the window, the cold wind howling against the hollow trunks seemed to be calling out to him.