*knock*
"Come in..." Said the yawning Naell. He was still feeling tired from the expedition, but unlike on Earth, where he would often panic just to make it in time, here he was given the privilege of nobility.
Upon entering, a young maid calmly and with a hint of nervousness said,
"Young master... Madam Lilia requests your presence for breakfast."
"Thank you for telling me Miss. Please, tell my mother that after I'm done preparing, I'll be on my way." Naell's reply was sluggish but well-mannered. Nonetheless, the young maid could not help but still be slightly frightened.
It was no surprise that upon becoming mellow, Naell once again, became a hot topic all over the Beryldot estate, but this time, it was in a more favorable direction.
Ladies who were often frightened of him, were now curious with his mysterious yet charming appearance. Nevertheless, it would still take time before all of them could forget about his past.
Such was also the case for the employees of the Beryldot's household, as they were still afraid of him, yet they could not help but appreciate his now calmer and dreamy demeanor.
'Just like Baroness Alicia.' Employees that were hired long before, would now often compare Naell to his deceased mother; an unexplainable eerie ambiance packed with a cheeky personality.
Going back, Naell's pace was slow as he was sluggish, but even so, he managed to arrive on time.
Upon entering the dining room, Naell saw the two owls comfortably sitting on the table. His father was seated at the center- with Lilia beside him and Sebastian on his left. Lily was beside the young owl who was shamelessly salivating from the food being brought out.
'A glutton..' Naell thought, while he greeted them on with a noble's bow.
The food was noticeably more luxurious than usual; mushroom soup, roast beef, and potatoes were served first, followed by pastries consisting of bagels, croissants, and pretzels with the option of cheese, jam, or chocolate dip, accompanied by beverages, such as tea, coffee, with the option of hot or cold.
The seemingly well acquainted young owl and Lily's eyes widened upon seeing cookies and hot chocolate after their main meal. It was noticeable how both of them were happily chatting during breakfast.
After a while, Baron Fharom decided to head out and do an inspection with Sebastian, all while Lily, together with Naell, Lilia, the young owl, and Athena, decided to take a stroll around town.
The vibrant town of Beryldot was very welcoming in the morning, as the busy sounds of its residents farther added to its cozy nature.
Yet, as welcoming as they were, all were stunned seeing Naell with his family. They often thought the young master disliked his stepmother and sister. Not to mention, upon seeing all of their smiling faces, the villagers felt that the rumors of the young master of Beryldot, losing his mind after the beating, was indeed true.
Originally, the five planned to have tea with Andrea and Drew altogether, but with Lily insisting on taking the young owl to the park, they decided to head their separate ways.
Naell was left as the guardian of the two children and was amazed at how Lily and the young arrogant owl could just get along.
'How did Lily make this fat, chunky bird act normal?'
The park was located at the middle of the southern part of the Beryldot estate. It wasn't that big nor was it luxurious, yet most of the citizens found themselves enjoying the open space filled with flowers, the lively laughter of children, and the newly added area, dedicated for those who wished to open up stalls to sell food and drinks to those in the vicinity.
"Young miss! Come try my food." Shouted the stall owners when they saw Lily.
They all bowed down upon seeing Naell. All they had with the young master of Beryldot was respect, as it wasn't a secret who innovated the idea of all those changes. Lily often felt pride knowing it was her brother.
In that world, small stalls were not known, as restaurants and stores were businesses established by rich merchants or nobles. That was why, when Naell suggested the idea, together with other innovations, the Beryldot estate became more vibrant, as the common masses could now provide for themselves without risking their lives into the unknown.
Most of those stall owners were adventurers who could no longer fight due to the injuries they had sustained, widows or widowers, and even the young citizens who were afraid to wander the world.
Most of them wanted to personally thank Naell, yet weren't able to, as the young master always had an isolated aura that made most too scared to approach him.
Little did they know, Naell just misunderstood their looks as hostility towards his awful social commonsense.
"Who is that friend of yours, Young miss? Asked the older woman who was selling ribbons and other hair accessories.
"HOOT!"
Naell was glad to see how happy his little sister was as she talked with the citizen. More so, when he gifted her a strawberry colored headband that suited her golden hair. Even the fat owl was enjoying himself as he gobbled up the food offered freely by the stall owners.
As they walked, they saw the librarian of Beryldot who greeted them warmly as she said,
"Greetings, Young master. It is rare to see you here."
"Likewise, Lady Klata. Let me introduce you to my sister, Lily Witner Beryldot and this here is Ow---."
"HOOT!"
"Ohhh! What an energetic fellow and greetings, Young miss."
"Good day to you as well, Lady Klata." Replied Lily as she gently smiled, which then was followed by her curtsy bow.
"That explains a lot." Said Klata who looked towards the confused Naell. She then added on jokingly,
"You aren't keen on my advances because you are always surrounded by beautiful ladies and cute fellows."
It might have been because they both loved books, as the bad rumors regarding the young master, did not stop them from being acquainted, more so, from teasing one another.
"That's clearly a misunderstanding as you are after a baseless assumption, instead of my heart." Naell's reply could've been considered flattering, but for Klata, she was well aware that it was nowhere near his intention.
Nevertheless, Klata with a giggle bravely retorted, her skin somewhat glowed from his remark.
"It might not be bad to have both of them, Young master."
Lily was startled, she did not know her brother could talk so comfortably with others, and even more so, flirt. Yet, she did not know that for those two, it was all that they called:
'The fellowship of the books.'
After some more cheeky discussion, they parted ways, as Naell, the young owl, and Lily were then heading over to the place of the lovey-dovey couple.
"See you again Young miss, little fellow, and Mister L." Klata waved her hand as she smiled and walked further away from them.
Naell was really troubled by Klata's misunderstanding and was very angry at the author. He knew in the novel, Arts and Magic, that Mr. L was an easter egg character--- neither created for the plot, nor existed in the story.
Examples of those easter egg scenarios were: the letters that were delivered to a princess which should have been a major plot, became a courtship of nonsensical romance, as the author had forgotten it.
Another was how the hordes of monsters that were sighted near the estate of Beryldot, had been erased in an unknown manner, as the author thought it was unnecessary with Andrew in the capital.
Naell knew all too well that Mr. L was just a scapegoat written by the author to excuse himself from the plot holes he had created, and now it was being used against him, as to why--- all because of his negligence.
He did not know that Klata was a huge fan of mystery and romance. That was why she made Naell her primary suspect when she saw him writing the letter L in a non-italic way.
It was a blunder, as the alphabet of Arts and Magic were all in italic. It wasn't a big deal for some, but only Mr. L who often left a mark, used a non-italic letter just like Naell.
Adding to the fact that she knew the truth of how Naell thwarted the goblin invasion, and how Mr. L was often described as having bright red eyes, and was last seen on the Beryldot estate, the very same place, and appearance of the young master of Beryldot.
"..."
"Brother, are you Mr. L?" Lily could not help but ask her brother who was still in a daze and looked more troubled than before.
Luckily, Naell was brought back to reality by Lily's voice as he then replied,
"That's what happens if you read too much romance, sister. You become dramatic, Hah hah..."
Lily just accepted it as the truth. She did not care much if he was the rumored playboy or the monster hunter. What mattered for her was the happiness of her brother.
All the while, the young owl, whose tummy was very full, was half-asleep and only registered the simple words of where to go, or when to stop.
Upon arriving at their destination, the lovey-dovey couple, Athena and Lilia went on and greeted them.
Naell and Lily got surprised as the almost robotic owl became lively upon seeing the food.
Various flavors of cakes and assorted cookies were prepared on the table. Different leaves for a cup of tea, and deep dark chocolate drinks were served for them to drink.
After saying goodbye to the lovey-dovey couple who was playing with Lily awhile ago, they all decided to go home, and rest for the day until the morrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------https://www.patreon.com/nezothecat
https://twitter.com/NeZotheCat