Aether took a deep breath, soaking in the sun with his eyes closed. He did not expect to have such a relaxing moment like this sense coming into this novel.
This world alone was something like a giant war wrapped up into a small package and left alone for a child to toy with. Even when he slept at night he wasn't entry safe. After all, some of the biggest and bloodiest moments that happened in the novel happened at night.
He let out another long breath. His shoulders slumped as the countless thoughts that had been plaguing his mind dissipated.
'To think I thought this garden was boring.' He mentally chided his old self for getting bored of such a place. Yes it was rather plain for a garden, but it was so relaxing.
The garden was like a small refuge from the otherwise chaotic surroundings. Other than the training ground, his siblings and parents tended to stay away. Aether found out that even when they wanted to seek him out, they tended to stay on the edge of the garden, favoring the harsh looking training ground over the lush greens. Sense then, he found himself visiting the garden more and more.
"Please, Young Master. At last take a seat in the shade." Mina complained from behind him. She had been standing above him with her hands held out as she tried desperately to hide at least his face from the harsh sun.
Aether let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. "Mina, it's fine. Some sun is good for my health."
"But, Young Master." Mina whined.
Aether sighed. Although he held Mina in high regard; after all she was the first person to stand by his side in this world; he found that some of the things she did…went a little too far. This being one of them.
'I wonder, was she like this with the real Aether?' He glanced at her, 'Would she care this much if she knew I wasn't the real Aether?'
"Rawr." His hand was pushed by a cold head full of scales. Aether glanced down at the small dragon in his lap. It had been sleeping a while ago, but it seems he accidentally woke it up. It nuzzled its face into the palm of his hand just like a cat or dog would. Aether smiled and gently began to pet the dragon, enjoying the cool sensation under his fingers.
This dragon was an anomaly in this world. Aether had read the novel with great focus and detail, especially when it came to the creatures. The only creatures mentioned were the ones that stayed with Sean or when Lucian was fighting demonic creatures in the forest. Yet out of all the creatures mentioned, dragons were never mentioned, let alone hinted at.
He held the dragon up, laughing as it tried to rub against his face. Staring at its beautiful eyes, Aether couldn't help but wonder why a creature that was never hinted at in the novel appeared? Was it never mentioned because it was found by Nox and not by Lucian? Did this happen because of him?
He frowned and lowered the dragon back onto his lap. If he hadn't survived, met Nox and became partners in a project…then Nox would have never been in the forest and accidentally stumbled across the poor creature. This dragon would have died.
"Ohwowo?" The dragon nudged his hand and tilted his head like a confused puppy waiting for attention.
Aether laughed at the sight. 'It's better not to think about it.' He told himself.
Turning to the side he picked up a small piece of meat from one of the many trays Neal and Mina had set out. The dragon watched his hand with ample attention. Its tail swished back and forth and its eyes locked onto the small piece of meat.
Aether held the meat up above the dragon and gave it a small "Go ahead."
The dragon's pupils thinned and it shot up, quickly eating the piece of meat. Once done it gazed back at the tray of meat then back at Aether, repeating the same stance from before. Aether smiled, "Glutinous little dragon."
"Young Master, I don't think it's wise to feed the dragon so much at one time. Didn't the book say to feed it in small amounts throughout the day?" Mina leaned down from behind him, her eyebrows furrowed as she eyed the meat that was quickly disappearing from the tray.
She had a point. Aether hesitated grabbing the next piece of meat, but before he could make up his mind Neal reached over and snatched a piece of meat. With a glint in his eyes, Neal threw the meat in the air and with a flick of his wrist it floated over towards the dragon, stilling above the dragon's head.
"This isn't too much, it's more like a snack." Neal commented, "Look, Young Master if you make the dragon exercise while eating then you won't have to worry about overfeeding it."
"Neal." Mina grumbled. Her eyes squinted and her lip twitched. Aether didn't have to look to know that small flames were beginning to form at the tips of her fingers.
Neal ignored her in favor of playing with the piece of meat in the air. His tongue stuck out as he toyed with the small meat, making it do circles and go up and down like a toy a cat would play with. The dragon took a step out of Aethers lap, prowling like a lion as it eyed the meat.
It froze for a single second before pouncing towards the piece of meat. Neal smirked as he moved his hands, quickly forcing the meat to dart around the garden.
Aether had to admit, it was very amusing to watch the small dragon run around the garden trying to snatch the piece of meat.
"Young Master." Mina sighed, "I really don't think-"
"AHHHHH!"
Mina and Neal both jumped to their feet. Neal stood in front of Aether, one hand outstretched in front of Aether and the other already forming a small tornado. Mina on the other hand had fire not only bursting from her hands, but her hair also sparked like flames. She took cautious steps forward towards the noise. Her face dark and her eyes cold.
'What? What's happening?' Aether tried to see what was happening, but every time he moved his head, Neal moved to block his view once more.
Aether scowled. 'This is ridiculous.' He rolled his eyes and was about to stand up when he heard a very audible click of the tongue.
"Mina, is something wrong?" Aether knew that noise like the back of his hand. Mina had a habit of clicking her tongue whenever something annoyed or aggravated her. Usually it was Neal or other servants and in this case it seems her target of aggravation was a servant.
He could hear Mina sigh, "Everything is fine Young Master, but it seems your dragon has found…some new toys."
Touching Neal's hand, Aether stood up without any resistance. Neal no longer looked interested in what Mina was dealing with, instead he had turned around and Egan to place more pieces of meat on the almost empty tray, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
Aether merely glanced at Neal before making his way over to where Mina was standing. It was a slightly shaded area in the garden, a couple of trees and many bushes. A perfect place to hide when you don't want to be found, but it seemed that two butlers were found.
Aether pushed past Mina and glanced at the two figures on the ground. They were both butlers, one younger and one slightly older. The younger one was tall and muscular. He had ash blonde hair with bright blue eyes, though his face looked handsome he was currently pale as could be as the dragon was climbing on his lap, its eyes glued on the poor butler.
The older butler was smaller in build and very thin. He had short black hair and black eyes hidden behind a pair of silver rimmed glasses. He looked as equally pale as the other butler, but his eyes were more focused on the bag that had fallen on the ground, small glittering gems strewn on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Aether calmly walked over, reaching over he picked up the dragon who chirped in surprise. Holding the dragon securely in his arms he eyed the two butlers, waiting for their response.
"I-uh-I-um." The younger butler stuttered, his eyes unfocused. Aether grimaced as he noticed the other sweating bullets.
He glanced down at the dragon lying innocently in his arms 'Looks like he was really shaken by the sight of a dragon.'
Aether frowned. He knew that dragons were rare and that their obvious nonappearance in the novel only solidified this fact, but for a grown man to be scared this much at the mere sight of a baby dragon? It was almost comical.
Shaking his head he took the dragon back to Neal who had just finished making a small tower of meat. "Neal, can you watch him for a while?"
Neal's eyes were practically sparkling as he nodded his head. He outstretched his hands and delicately took the dragon despite the dragon's slight reluctance. Once it was settled in the other arms, Neal took a small piece of meat and maneuvered it with the wind in front of the dragon's mouth. The dragons shifted, sniffed and ate the meat in one go. Neal beamed, his eyes gleaming like gems.
Aether shook his head at the two and turned his focus back on the poor two butlers. He went back to where Mina was and offered a hand to the poor butlers. "I'm sorry about what my dragon did. He is still a cub and doesn't know any better."
The younger butler's eyes finally seemed to focus back on reality. He gazed at Aether's hand before his eyes traveled up to Aether's face. His eyes widened and his mouth open and closed, "You-you are…" He faltered. In an instance he lowered his eyes and head, fixing his posture he sat on his legs and diligently placed his hands on his knees.
Aether was a little annoyed at the other drastic change in attitude. Pushing away his annoyance he gave a soft smile and pushed his hand forward, gesturing for the butler to take it. The young butler kept peeking at his hand and when Aether thought that the butler would finally take it, the older butler next to him took the younger butler by the arm and yanked him upwards.
Aether frowned and dropped his hand.
"Apologizes Young Master. We were unaware that you were resting in the area. We shall take our leave now." The older butler's head was lowered and he had to place a hand on the younger butler's head, forcing him to bow as well.
Aether gave a forced smile. He hated when the servants did this. He understood it was because he was one the "Masters" of the house, but it just felt so wrong. Especially since they could have cared less about his status before.
"No need to apologize. It was my dragon's fault after all." He glanced behind him, remembering the many trays full of food that lay elegantly on the ground. An idea popped into his head, "As an apology, would you like to join me for lunch?"
The older butler was calm and collected as he responded punctually "We wouldn't da-"
"YES!"
The two said at the same time. The older butler glanced at the younger one, his mouth open and his eyes wide.
Aether laughed at the two. He could practically see a tail wagging behind the younger butler. 'Why are these two together? One was like a puppy and the other was like a cat.'
"Right this way." Aether led the two back towards the small clearing he had been eating in. Neal was still feeding the dragon when he spotted them. Immediately his eyes narrowed and he stopped feeding the dragon. The dragon in his hand growled in annoyance and shifted his attention towards Aether. With a chirp the dragon flew into Aether's arms. Its tail wagged and its face pushed against Aether's cheek.
Aether laughed and took a seat next to Neal. Mina was hot on his heal and sat on the other side of him, while the other two butlers stood still in shock, their eyes locked on the dragon.
Aether smiled at the two, "Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. Please take a seat."
"Yes, Young Master." The older butler was the one to speak, he grabbed the younger one but his arm and the two sat down across from Aether. They were stiff, with the younger one peeking glances at everything around him and the older one gazing calmly at Aether.
Aether shook his head and grabbed a plate, picking out some fruits and pastries he placed it in front of the two, "I never did get your names." He asked offhandedly, "Here, help yourselves."
"Thank you!" The younger butler took a pastry and quickly began to nibble on it, while the older butler simply took a piece of fruit and held it in his hand.
The younger butler's eyes shined as he ate the pastry, "This is so good."
"I'm glad you like it."
The young butler nodded his head in content. "Oh!" His eyes widened and he lowered the pastry. Wiping the crumbs off his face he smiled as he said, "My name is Chance! It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Young Master." His eyes darted to the side, "And this is-"
"Ren. It's a pleasure to meet you, Young Master." The older butler, Ren interrupted.
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Aether and this is Mina and Neal."
Mina and Neal both nodded, though Mina looked more like she wanted to kill and Neal was pouting while handling a knife. Aether ignored the two.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Now what were you two doing in such a secluded area of the garden?" Aether got straight to the point.
"Uh-we were…." Chance scratched the back of his head, his eyes avoiding Aether's.
Aether's eyes narrowed. 'They are obviously hiding something.'
Ren coughed, "We were heading back to the servants quarters."
"The servants quarters?" He glanced around the garden. Yes they were surrounded by the mansion's walls, but were the servants quarters really around here? He shot a glance at Mina who shook her head. "I don't remember the servants quarters being around here."
Ren was unfazed, "Of course. The servants quarters are not located around here, but there is a hidden path to them from the garden. When we are not working, we prefer to take this route."
"I see." Aether didn't believe Ren at all. "Would you mind showing me?" He asked innocently. He glanced down at the dragon who was now walking around in front of him, its nose on the ground as it sniffed. Twirling his fingers he shyly added, "You see, I'm not too familiar with the mansion."
"Of course!" Chance responded without hesitation. He stood up ready to show the way, but was stopped by the dragon latching onto a small black pouch attached to his hip. The dragon snarled like a dog playing as it tried to rip it from Chance.
"Ah! Hey, that's mine!" Chance tried to pry the dragon off, but after hearing a warning growl he let out a silent cry and began a tug of war with the black pouch. It wasn't hard to guess who would win.
Before anyone could do anything, the black pouch was ripped and countless small crystals fell onto the floor.
"What are these?" Aether eyed the countless bright crystals that the dragon was now trying to pick up with its mouth.
"Ah, this?" Chance looked slightly panicked as he tried to grab all the crystals and put them back into the already broken black pouch. The dragon picked up a single crystal and squealed in happiness as it darted back to Aether's arms. Twirling around it adjusted itself and slowly began to gnaw on the small crystal.
Aether frowned and gently pried the crystal from the dragon's mouth. A blue crystal no bigger than his hand. It sparkled like the ocean and when the light hit it in certain ways it had a hint of green and yellow. It was beautiful and not something an average butler would usually have. "Where did you get this?"
"Well…" Chance scratched his head, his eyes looking anywhere but at Aether.
'They either did something bad and don't want to get caught or are afraid to tell me.' Aether sighed. Knowing how the rest of his family was, it was probably the latter. He could imagine that if anyone else had found the two carrying such an object they would be killed on the spot before they could even explain themselves.
He took a deep breath. Ahh, how much he hated this world.
Aether shot the two a warm smile. His eyes turned into crescents and a small blush rose to his cheeks, "It's okay to tell me. I won't tell my parents."
Ren let out a small cough, his eyes closed as he spoke, "Apologizes for not letting Young Master know, but it wouldn't be wise to mention where we got this fro-"
"We got it from all those gifts the Prince had left!" Chance shouted, cutting off the other butler.
The fruit in Ren's hand was crushed. Chance turned to face Ren who was visibly shaking, his hands clenched as the juice from the fruit dripped from his hand.
Chance tilted his head, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Ren glared daggers at Chance, "You-"
Aether held up his hand, interrupting the two, "Care to elaborate more on the gifts the Prince had left?" He tilted his head with a smile still on his face.
Ren glanced over at Chance. Remembering what the Masters had said about the gifts and how they should never mention them to Aether, he couldn't help but shudder. They were so screwed.