"I was referring to Laura. And please, there's no need to call me 'sir'. I don't rule over this town," he replied, shaking his head as he stifled down a chuckle.
I returned a smile as his own was contagious. "Sir– I mean, Grandpa Ben, how come you said Laura's your granddaughter? She said she was an orphan," I continued, leaning closer as I kept my voice low.
"Well, she didn't lie about that. She was truly an orphan," he replied, his voice changing to a much more serious tone. He continued, "I was the one who adopted her. At first, I wanted to be her grandfather only. But, since I adopted her, I have treated her as my own, which makes me a father to her as well."
Laura was absolutely fortunate to have both a father and a grandfather in one man. Perhaps, that was the reason she had such a gentle nature. It could be because of how Grandpa Ben treated her.
"So, Robert, who are you parents? And where do you live?" he asked, crossing his arms and putting them on the counter.
His question made me stop, questioning everything that could possibly happen. Up to this point, I had only introduced myself as a random stranger. A stranger that happened to pass by, and assisted Laura. I couldn't tell him that I was not of this world. My identity as an immortal must be protected at all costs. Or else, I would end up with a humongous crowd once again.
To be fair, I didn't see Grandpa Ben as someone who would tell everyone a person's deepest, darkest secrets. But still, I didn't want to attract any more attention in this place.
"Did I say something wrong, Robert?" he asked, noticing my silence. "Was there something offensive about my question?" he asked another.
"Oh, not at all, Grandpa Ben," I replied right away as I shook my head. "It's just, um…"
'Come now, Robert,' I thought to myself, scolding me for my sloth. 'Think of something!'
I continued, with an immense amount of caution, "You see, Grandpa Ben, I am not a resident of this town. Since that's the case, I don't think that mentioning my family is important."
"Is there some sort of conflict within the family? You seem to be… uncomfortable, just by the mere thought of your parents," said Grandpa Ben.
"Let's just say that there are matters that happened within the family that have made our relationship, our unity as a sour one," I replied, my lips formed into a firm smile after.
"Can you share a bit about that?" he asked another.
Perhaps, I could share a few things, just to remove some of the ridiculous weight that I carried on my chest. I didn't tell him that I came from a family of Immortals so it could be safe to share a few of my frustrations with him. He seemed to be genuinely interested and concerned as well.
"In my opinion, it was the marriage arrangement that ultimately destroyed my relationship with them. Not only did I not have a say in the matter, but the whole ordeal was completely for their benefit," I answered, looking down to my hands that were now intertwined with each other,
"If you're in an arranged marriage, I assume that you come from a rich family, correct?" he smirked.
"I guess we can call it that way," I replied, hesitant. I wasn't the sort of person that was proud of his title. I also didn't parade my wealth, inside and outside the castle grounds. To be completely honest, I preferred to look like a normal being whether I was in the castle or not. To boast what I had was never an attitude of mine.
"One order of tea and apple pie, ready to be served!" a worker shouted behind Grandpa Ben. He immediately put the entire meal on the counter behind him.
Laura appeared from inside the kitchen, grabbed the tray and headed towards me. "Here you are, good sir. Tea, and your freshly-baked pie," she said, putting my orders right in front of me. "Enjoy!" she smiled and headed back to the kitchen.
Grandpa Ben let out a chuckle. "I'm sure he will," he teased Laura.
She briefly turned her head around and stuck her tongue out to Grandpa Ben. After their little moment of playful banter, Laura returned to work.
"Go ahead, son. Give it a try," he said as he reverted his attention back to me
I smiled as I gently lifted the cup closer to my mouth. As the hot liquid touched my tongue, I could say that this was one of the best kinds of beverages I had ever tasted. "Sir," I put the tea down, "I mean, Grandpa Ben, I have to say that this is one of the best teas that has ever touched my lips."
"I'm glad you like it. Rodrigo was the one who makes all the beverages here," Grandpa Ben said with a sense of pride. "He said that the recipe he's using was handed down through his family for generations. It was also a well-guarded secret. Whoever created that recipe was a genius, and all thanks must be given to its creator," he explained.
"A genius, indeed," I smiled. My eyes turned its attention to the apple pie.
"Since you had, as you said, the best tea that you have ever tasted, are you now ready for the best apple pie here in this town?" he asked, extremely enthusiastic.
"Well, by the looks, as well as the aroma of the pie, it's incredibly mouth-watering," I complimented, pulling the slice of pie closer to me.
"Though, I must warn you, boy: those who have tasted Laura's apple pies went about them. They always return here, and eat as much pie as they can," he replied as he handed a fork to me.
I stuck my fork into the pie when someone from the kitchen rang a handheld bell. "It's almost time for lunch, everyone! Lunch is almost here!" he shouted as he walked around the kitchen with his bell. "Enough with all the breakfast pastries and beverages. It's time for dessert!" he continued. After ringing the bell, as well as shouting like a mad man inside the bakery, he returned to his workstation.
"You have a timekeeper in here, Grandpa Ben?" I asked.
"Oh, yes, we do. We have to have one," he answered, folding his arms and laying them on the counter once again. He leaned towards me and continued, "We want to be different from other bakeries here as much as possible. We don't want to be a bakery that bakes bread, and only bread. Our treatment in this workplace is like family. So, every time a customer enters that very door," he pointed at the door briefly, "We serve breakfast, snacks, and desserts for everyone's delight," he added.
"What time do you normally close the bakery?" I asked.
"When the street clocker rings the bell during the evening, we take it as a sign to close the shop. If there are people who want midnight snacks, we deliver them after we close the bakery," he explained. "Now, that's enough talking. Go ahead, and try the apple pie," he pointed at the pie.
Oh, right! The pie!
I returned to the apple pie and carefully sliced a small bite. As I lifted it, it looked just too delicious that you just wanted to eat it with your eyes alone. I was about to take a bite when Lady whinnied in front of the entrance.
"Your horse has a bit of an attitude, son," Grandpa Ben snickered.
Lady didn't usually act that way unless there was a crowd. What was happening with her? Was she trying to tell me something?
I turned to Grandpa Ben, "Grandpa Ben, do you know what time it is currently?"
"Hm, well for a start, it isn't officially lunchtime yet. The street clocker hasn't announced it yet," he explained.
Right after what he said, someone shouted from the streets. "It's time for lunch! Time for lunch! Those who are currently working, it's time for lunch!" a young man rang a bell, followed by five other men, beating their drums. He continued to do this as he passed by the shop.
"Well, now, it's really time for lunch," Grandpa Ben laughed.
So, that was what Lady was trying to say!
It was time for lunch. It was time for her lunch, which meant I needed to go back home. I didn't want my family to find out that I was outside, especially James.
"Grandpa Ben, I have to go," I replied, standing up as quickly as I could.
"What?" he stood up, brows knitted together in confusion. "But, you still haven't tried the pie yet."
"Perhaps, next time, Grandpa Ben. I can't be late for family lunch," I answered. Without wasting any more time, I ran towards the entrance.
~*~*~*~
As soon as I reached Lady, I wasted no time and quickly jumped on her back.
"Wait!"