Chapter 24
"Come on and focus on this. If you learn, you may communicate with us through writing other than nodding your head." Reg tried to encourage Celia to be more proud about learning this whole thing. Celia scoffed, looking off to the side—unamused. "Does it not get tiring nodding your head all the time? If you do not learn, then I might have to read all the books and letters to you. Did you want me to do that?" Reg smiled, knowing very well that Celia loved to be alone more than with anyone while she did her thing.
Celia growled. She remained sitting down on the bed and holding her pencil. Her expression showed only boredom, and she kept her gaze on the chalkboard that Reg had brought into her bedroom. 'Hurry up already. I will only learn for the sake of you not being so involved in my life.' The maids would leave out some snacks for them during each break while Reg kept teaching her. He had taken the day off to teach Celia how to read and write.
'You that bored? Or do you hate life that much?' Daise spoke.
'You can guess which one I hate more. I am not going to argue with you. It is one thing that I have the three people bugging me, but now it is another with you. It is worse with you because you can listen to both inner and outer thoughts. You being able to hear my thoughts and hear other people talk is getting very annoying when you chat.' Celia spoke to Daise while her eyes focused on Reg's teaching.
'Geez, I did not know that you had that much of a big attitude. If I knew you were this stingy, I would not have bound us by flesh and blood.' Daise pointed out.
'Too bad. You already did, and so if one of us dies, then we both die. Be happy with what you can get.' Celia did not care how much Daise would complain since it was her choice to bind them together. 'You ever going to explain more about us being bounded by flesh and blood or are you going to keep quiet about it.'
'Now that you say that, it is true that I binded us. I was a simple creature that was mutated with many other creatures before I became what I am.' Daise decided to explain during Reg's teaching.
'Does it mean that you can hear other animals in your head since you were experimented on, too?' Celia started copying the letters and words Reg wrote on the chalkboard.
'Nope, I am the main heart. So, I was the main body part that was injected by other animal cells. I can barely handle you, so I doubt that I can handle other animals in my head talking to me.'
'Says the one who's been the most chatty about this.' Celia finished writing when Reg appeared and stared up close to her face. Celia did not growl at him; it was getting better now that she was not cautious or fearful of them.
"Hmm… sometimes I feel like you are there, but at times I feel like you are not. Do you have something on your mind that you are in and out of this?" Reg spoke up to Celia, seeing how she was able to write everything he had just taught her, but her gaze did not look as focused.
'Oh, he is a good observer.' Daise commented.
Celia shook her head, hopping off of her bed and getting ready to walk out. She still did not wear shoes, which would confuse almost anyone about why she did not. Reg would stare at her feet; it was bare down there. He was a beast kin and did not wear any shoes since he had paws for feet. He would wear it at some point when he first got his human transformation. A beast child getting their first human transformation would have it around their teens. "Are you not going to wear any shoes?"
Celia stared down at her bare feet with claws instead of nails. She did not care; she enjoyed the free air, and it was better grip with her feet than shoes or sandals. 'I prefer my feet to be out, and even if one made me shoes, I don't think it would last long due to my claws. My ears even started to grow out.' She started walking down the hall.
'That is due to that time of saving the archmage. The more you use the mutated beast blood within yourself, then the more it takes over your human form.' Daise knew that for a fact.
Sachin was even shocked that time when he entered Celia's room to spot that she had grown full beast ears. It was like they were trying to celebrate it or something. It felt ridiculous, but Priti had the idea to celebrate her growth. 'I feel like I am getting more high blood pressure from them than I did with Laonn.' The man's face had never left her memories, and she knew she would come across him someday. She wanted to be able to save other children who had been through Laonn's experiments and hopefully get them the help they needed—mere sympathy? Who knows.
Both children then stopped, seeing Priti enter into a carriage so secretly. "What is my mother doing?" Reg questioned, seeing his mother look as though she was sneaking out. Celia did not know why, but it worried her about letting Priti go alone. She did not hesitate to run and climb into the back of the carriage where all the luggage could easily hide her. Reg did not have time to shout or call her out; he followed her and snuck on. "What are you doing???"
Celia did not say anything, but she knew that Priti would give birth very soon. She had finally reached her final month, and seeing her go out without letting anyone know only made her more uncertain about the dangers. 'We have to follow and see where she is going.' Celia leaned her ear towards the moving carriage to see if she could hear anything inside. It was good for her enhanced senses; she could hear it loud and clear.
***
Priti sat in the carriage, rather concerned but wanting to help her husband with the case and Celia. She had no doubt in her mind that she had found a lead. The butler was there with her, his name being Lauro Holme—a Caracal beast kin. "Madam, are you sure that this is a lead? A suspicious letter asking us to meet at an abandoned orphanage." Lauro did not know how to feel, but it did not make sense for them to go without telling Sachin.
"I have to do this. I want to know what happened and what went on there. Maybe we can find out from that place that Laonn had been taking children from there. We need to bring this case to a close, and I do not wish for Celia to feel like she is still in danger." Priti was stubborn.
"That does not make sense, though. She was from a rich family, but are we certain that they sold her to an orphanage first?" Lauro did not know if the letter was something that they could trust with the person who wrote it, claiming to be the orphanage caretaker.
"At this point, we need all the help that we can take. I know that Sachin will be mad, but it does not matter. This might be a break, at least." Priti was not going to stop. "You can stop me all you want, but I am going to that place no matter what."
***
"Hey, do you recall ever being in an orphanage?" Reg asked Celia since he had been listening in on the conversation going on in the carriage.
Celia shook her head, not ever recalling if she was in one. She could recall being out on the streets but never in an orphanage. 'Why did she not come and talk to me first before making the choice to head out to a suspicious person's home? Does she not know that this is how you get murdered?' Celia knew from her past life that she was going into it again. 'I can't tell who is more stupid now.' The carriage was not enjoyable, but they had made it to an orphanage deep into the forest. 'This is definitely some trap.' Celia saw how old and run-down the place was. There were even crows all around, just cawing at the visitors.