"Ahh, the weather today is perfect for not knowing anything." Logan whistled, awkwardly looked away. The 'guilt' was written all over his face.
"Sir Logan, I'm not generous enough to turn a blind eye. Give my family back or I will never meet you ever again." The green-eyed girl said softly with her unique smile. It was a baseless threat but what did she care about?
Logan swallowed his saliva, glancing around. To him, however, the threat did a number. He has a job to do and he has been bribed. He couldn't back down or his pizza bread… Silently pleading to the dragon and the phoenix to put a stop to the prank.
They entered fairly early to the magic forest because she was so excited to introduce sir Logan at the river bank but one after one trial upon her family and now she was alone with sir Derrick in front of the river bank facing the guilty siren.
Logan bit his lip and looked over among the tree, however, the two disguise rulers didn't seem nervous at all. They looked cockier and amused than anything as if he was almost hoping the rulers would show up and try to reveal themselves. Logan shifted backward putting a distance between them, hoping to draw the high energy inside him behind his back.
"I will count until three." She stated, making it clear it wasn't a simple request.
"Me- Meredith!" He stammered, hands busy doing a gesture that no one knows what including himself.
"One."
"I can explain."
"Two."
Logan glanced between the stoic face of Derrick and the smiling face of Elizebeth in fright. This girl had a personality.
"Three.'
"Fine! Lords! Please stop your prank. Our beautiful lady Meredith is angry. Can't you see it?" He shouted. He was in a pinch, it seemed it was not the one set bundle of traps, Elizebeth saw it but she didn't care.
After quite some time, the atmosphere fell silent. Logan turned up to the sky, blinking and watching. He ignored Elizebeth and Derrick's curious stare before giving a long-suffering sigh and shut his eyes for a moment calling upon the patience of his ancestors.
"Where are they now?" She pouted.
Logan still shut his mouth tightly, gathering patience from his family. Derrick waited behind her just as silently.
"They are here…" He breathed after a moment. Slowly looked over her head.
"Baby! Baby!" The multiple voices from behind changed her dark aura into a cheerful and ran towards the voice. She'd already told her family that her name wasn't Elizebeth but Meredith for now.
"I'm here. I'm here!" She waved while running as Derrick followed closely behind her.
Logan sharply glanced at the two birds annoyingly quite long before the birds decided to fly away. It was him to face her wrath. It was him to receive the threat, when in fact he did nothing but followed exactly the order. "I don't deserve this slander." He breathed.
"Where are you, baby? We lost you." The sound of a monotone voice brought him back to the front.
"Sorry." Elizebeth laughed angelically. "I met my friend. Sir Logan." Told her.
"Sir Logan?" This time another male voice. Young probably around 10 to 11-year-old. Guessed Logan.
"I don't know we have a lot of traps around here." Commented one teenage boy suspiciously as they came towards his direction. This one was sharp.
"Maybe because brother touched the tree. I told you to cut it out but you'd never listen. This forest is alive, we need to ask permission to do anything." The pouted voice explained and at the same time covering Logan up.
"My Lady." Logan felt so grateful for her consideration. He swore he was gonna be a good friend to her forever.
"Sir Logan." She waved cheerfully to him, forced him to hate the inspectors, and came out from the water.
He waved back, giving her the most alluring smile while covering his sharp teeth. He came out from the river bank as the fin turned into legs. Smiling like it's nothing when the rest of them except the Duchess and Elizebeth looked at him shockingly like he was from another realm.
Well, he was from another realm.
"Wow, that's so cool." Indulf excitedly stepped, closing the gap between them before he briskly stopped. "Can I come closer?"
Logan froze with his wet legs. This youngster's so similar to the girl. "You may." He urged him.
"You are a siren?" Indulf ran in a split of lightning and crouched down to investigate his legs.
He was uncomfortable to hear the question, if he had to answer the question, he needed to show the evidence. He's afraid the prejudice from their family would hurt his feelings. He glanced at Elizebeth, pleading for something.
'Do it.'
He read the lips. He sighed. Well, the order was well-received. "Young man." He bent his upper body and lifted Indulf's chin. "It's rude to openly study my legs, young man." Grinning and showing his sharp teeth to Indulf.
And Indulf was sold.
Demien and Kyle just cautiously studied the siren in his tight face while the Duke was only interested in his daughter's well-being. The Duchess looked around with longing eyes, almost choking in tears but she covered her expression with the fan that she brought along.
"Hahaha. Sir Logan is captivating, right brother?" She ran towards her brother too.
"Yes." Indulf didn't tear his gaze away from Logan ever since.
"Hahaha," he laughed bitterly. He's the display item now. "Thank you." He said half-sincere.
Indulf nodded for no reason, full of eagerness. "Your legs and teeth are cool. Can I be your friend?"
He laughed uncomfortably again.
"Indulf! Return." Commanded the Duchess, could not see the siren's face holding himself too much.
Logan blinked towards the voice. Suspiciously, he knew the voice too well. He walked towards the group, studied the unknown woman behind the fan. Her half-face reveal gave him some ideas but he wasn't so sure.
"I know you, don't I?" Logan's voice alarmed dripping with longing. His eyes softened as he strode closer, and his body posture relaxed.
The Duke glanced back and forth between his wife and the young man. Giving them a space to work out their detached bond. So do Demien and Kyle who reluctantly do the same but the bitter truth he heard from his brother had him change his perspective about the magic realm. If he insulted the magic realm still, he insulted the duchess indirectly.
The duchess sighed, she had been cornered. Guess her aura gave away her real existence as much as her voice. She slowly put down the fan and smiled beautifully.
"Aunt?!" He gasped. "Aunt!!!" Logan scrambled towards the Duchess, sobbed.
"How are you, Logan?" The Duchess opened her arms to receive him inside her.
Hah, this was the most shocking news, even to Elizebeth. She didn't expect her bond inside the magic forest to be that strong. She has unknowingly interacted with her cousin. What shocking news.
"He is our cousin?" Demien, Kyle, and Indulf pointed their fingers and asked in unison. The unbelievable face covering their whole body. They looked at the siren relatively. Elizebeth's friend with a siren that coincidentally was their cousin. What a joke.
"Well, now, we are one step closer to meeting our aunt." Elizebeth laughed ironically and awkwardly. Who knows, yeah?
"You are my cousin. You are my cousin, Meredith." Logan jumped inside the Duchess happily and stretched his arms towards Elizebeth and at the same time to Indulf too.
Oh right. She forgot. "Elizebeth. My name is Elizebeth." She grinned to cover up her wrong.
He gaped. "Elizebeth? You liar. How dare you," but Logan just laughed it away. "I don't care anymore. Come here both of you."
Elizebeth nodded, took Indulf's arm, and ran towards inside his arms. Crowded inside the Duchess's arms.
"Oh, you are close." The Duchess sounded impressed, her voice strained with unshed tears.
"Yes. Elizebeth is not a liar." She pleaded to Logan to forgive her.
"Forgiven." He answered without thinking. Patting both Elizebeth and Indulf's heads. "Mom is missing you, aunt." He turned to the Duchess back. "Every night, she talked about you."
The duchess's heart tightened almost painfully in her chest. She missed her sister too. Too much at one time.
The Duke looked away, the guilt trapped inside his heart, unwillingly. If not because of the stupid rumors, his wife would not long for her sister like this. This was because of the rumors.
"Thank you for visiting us again." She hugged the Duchess waist, snuggled.
"I missed you too, Logan. I met you once when you were three-year-old. How do you know me?"
Logan smiled happily, the happy tears inevitably escaped his eyes. "I have a sharp memory."
The duchess wiped it away for him while laughing. "Yes, you are." Kissed his forehead.
"It's all thanks to Elizebeth we have met, aunt." Logan patted Elizebeth's head again.
The duchess paid attention to her this time. Smiling at her. "Yes, because of Elizebeth. She persuaded everyone to meet you. Thank you, sweetie." She kissed Elizebeth's soft cheek too.
"And hello, cousins." Logan waved at both Demien and Kyle who only stared from afar at the interaction between them. "And he is aunt's husband? My uncle?" He rudely pointed at Duke.
One glance, the duke knew Logan was a real deal. He was the mischievous side like the rest of his children. He could blend it very well if he gave the time.
"Hello, Logan." Duke ambled towards them and raised his hand before patting the head as he did to all his children. This one was one of him. He had to embrace it.
"Hello, uncle. Welcome to the forest." He snickered widely. Didn't mind the stoic face of the duke.
Something hit Duke's heart. It's sharp and stabbed his heart. Strangely, instead of feeling annoyed, he was delighted. Logan didn't mind his stoic face and was still smiling at him. He deserved all the love from him. He after all was a family man despite his scary face.