Chapter 234: RUN AWAY FROM HOME
"Kai."
"Y-yes, princess Aristia?" Kai replied with a slight stutter, surprised that Aristia called him.
"How did you end up on the streets of Belonmusk?" Aristia asked, not looking at him but instead still looking up at the gazebo’s ceiling.
"I..." Kai trailed off. He pursed his lips and finally said, "I ran away from home."
Thinking about it made him feel like crying.
Owen raised his brows for a second, looking Kai from his head to his toe, then asked.
"Why? Were you treated badly?"
"I... No." Kai shook his head, then nodded, then shook it again.
His parents had always treated him well. Well, up until his father turned into something else and began forcing him to practice dark magic against his wishes.
So he was unsure how to answer Owen’s question.
Fortunately, Owen didn’t press further.
"Do you have any hobbies... or skills?" Aristia asked.
Owen and Adeline turned to her, wondering why she was interested in that.
But they shrugged. Aristia probably wanted to know how he could be of service to her. She couldn’t just take him in without him working.
They weren’t wrong. But that wasn’t the only reason Aristia had. She wanted to confirm if the dream she saw was real.
Kai stared at her for a few seconds.
’I can tell her. I can trust her.’ He thought to himself.
He took in a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Princess, actually, I am a... mage."
There was a bit of silence before Owen blurted out. "What?" Sitting straight quickly and staring at Kai with a dumbfounded expression. It wasn’t everyday you saw a mage.
Kai nodded. "My parents are mages. I can use magic."
"Gasp! You are? Lord, you really are?!"
Owen’s dumbfounded expression faded and his brows twitched. He turned to the little girl on the chaise in between his and Kai’s and cleared his throat.
It was Aristia that had just reacted that way.
Owen felt like asking. "Please, put more effort into your reaction." But he clamped his mouth shut.
He glanced at her. Her round doe eyes wide open in surprise and her mouth hanging open.
Owen sighed. He didn’t have doubts on whether she already knew. He knew that the third princess could be exaggerating and dramatic sometimes. Because how would she know that Kai was a mage when she had just met him?
So he turned in Kai.
"You really can use magic? Can you prove it?"
[Oh, oh, oh. That’s a good idea. I didn’t think of that. The plan was just to get him reveal who he is and then act surprised.] Aristia looked at Owen with a look of gratitude. [Thank you, Owen.]
Owen couldn’t help but shift in his seat, wondering why Aristia was suddenly looking at him that way.
Aristia looked away and back at Kai.
"Yes... Owen’s right. You say you’re a mage. Can you prove it?"
Kai nodded. "Of course, I can."
He looked around the gazebo before his gaze shifted outside.
There was a small pond in front of the gazebo.
Kai glanced at it and raised his hand. Under everyone’s watchful gaze, a small ball of water rose from the pond, levitating in the air.
"Woah." Owen nodded, now believing it. It was the first time he had seen something like that. He muttered under his breath. "It’s true. He really can use magic."
Aristia clapped once.
Kai immediately turned to her at the sound, and the ball of water floating in the air lost shape and fell back into the pond, causing a small splash.
Aristia nodded at Kai. "That’s amazing."
The wheels on her brain were already turning and her smile as she looked at Kai increased.
Owen shuddered and Kai couldn’t help but shiver.
Aristia blinked, wiping the expression off her face.
"It’s great that you can use magic, Kai. What else can you do apart from what you just did?" She asked curiously.
Kai began to list the things he could do and with each word, Aristia’s eyes grew brighter.
When dusk approached, they left the gazebo and returned to the mansion.
During dinnertime, Aristia called Wilson.
"Papa."
"Hm?" Wilson turned his attention to her.
"I just found out that... Kai can use magic." Aristia revealed.
Wilson had a slightly surprised and thoughtful look on his face. He glanced at Aristia. "I knew there was something about that boy."
Aristia turned to Catherine. She just looked a bit surprised. It seemed like Wilson had probably shared his intuition with her. So she had been prepared to expect anything.
Alaric was the only one who really reacted.
"Wow! He can? What can he do?" He asked with widened eyes.
Aristia took time explaining what Kai could do.
Kai and Owen were having lunch together again. Kai still wasn’t comfortable enough to have food with them.
"Papa, now that Kai’s one of my... people. Doesn’t he need to swear an oath of loyalty like Owen did? He swore his loyalty, but there were no vials." Aristia asked.
Wilson looked up. "Since he swore his loyalty, then that’s already taken care of. Mages don’t need to swear their loyalty the same way Owen did." Wilson explained.
"I see..." Aristia nodded, thinking back to what Kai had done the previous day.
After dinner, Aristia went to his room.
"Since you’re a mage, there are some things you need, right?" Aristia asked.
Without waiting for him to answer, she continued. "Since you can read and write, I need you to write down the things you need to practice your ’magery’ and give it to me."
[Magery... Is that even a word. Ugh! Why didn’t I just say magic?]
Kai nodded, smiling subconsciously at her words. "Okay, princess."
Aristia left the room and entered hers, plopping down on the bed.
She turned over to face the ceiling and sighed. "Wow. This is great, really."
She could already picture the restaurant creating another shockwave.
No, she wasn’t going to tell people she had a mage by her side. But that mage would widen the margin of things the restaurant could do.
"His level is quite impressive. He can’t lift something heavy, like a boulder, but he can lift small stones and rocks. He also can’t lift a bucket of water, but can raise a small cup of it. Obviously, the things he can do will keep increasing if he keeps practicing." Aristia muttered what Kai had told her.
[I have to ask Papa to help me with this.] She thought.
Wilson would probably know what Kai would need.
Yawn.
A yawn escaped Aristia’s lips. While her eyes closed, she muttered under her breath.
"I hope I don’t dream something weird... or hear some voices. It’s creepy as fuck."