Julian smiled impishly at her and started eating his noodles, which were getting cold. As he finished eating all the noodles and then drinking the whole soup, he cleansed his face with a tissue and got up.
"So, let's get back to my question. Where is Shun?"
"Perhaps he's wandering around. Even though I made Pa stick to him, I know my child. He would've tricked him and gone outside doing mischiefs." Sylvie answered.
"It's nice to be young. When I was a kid-"
"Okay, okay, don't start with that monotonous philosophy of yours now. We will be too late."
"What are you implying? There is no monotony in the philosophy, but vivid reflections of my experiences."
While the couple were having a sweet time together, the footsteps of someone running in the corridor echoed everywhere. Soon after, the young boy entered the balcony and shouted, "Heads or Tails?"
"(*sigh) Here he is." Julius said.
"Shun!! Why don't you stop with that betting show of yours. It's not your age for doing something like this." Sylvie shouted.
"So he may do so when he grows up?" The doctor asked.
"No, you know what I meant, right?" Sylvie said.
"Relax Mom, I was just kidding. So, you are going somewhere?" Shun asked, after looking at the couple's clothes.
"First, answer my question. What were you doing so early in the morning?" Julius asked.
"Ah… Well… I was busy doing some civil work for our little kingdom. Like I always do, you know?"
Sylvie walked near Shun and stared at him.
"…"
"…"
Seeing Shun did not respond, she held out her left hand to tap his left ear.
"Were you able to scare another traveller away from our little kingdom?" Sylvie asked.
"Hmm? He is still doing that? I thought I warned you last time, Shun."
"He was not a traveller but a bad person who came to harm us."
"And what makes you think that?" Sylvie asked.
"My coin told me and it's never wrong." During the exchange, Shun pulled out a thick coin of a medium size from his pocket and showed it to them.
It was a gold plated thick coin with no side embellishments. There was an angel wing on one side and a devil's horn on the other.
"Where did you get the gold one? As far as I remember, it was silver last time." Julius asked.
"Oh, that one? I buried it with all due respect. The short time we spent together was enjoyable, but it wasn't enough to satisfy me. I got this customized one by the minter."
"Playing with the words, are we?" Sylvie asked, twisting his ears more tightly.
"Ouch, it hurts." Shun screamed.
"Both of you take money too lightly. It's not nice to misuse it like this. Anyway, what's with that design on the coin? A horn and a wing?" Julius said.
"Yeah, it's cool, right? Flip the little buddy over, and I learn whether a person is good or evil."
"Hmm, so the wing means good, and the horn means bad?" The doctor asked.
"Of course not. Is the devil always considered being a bad guy by you all? It's an unforgivable discrimination." Shun said.
Both Julian and Sylvie exchanged worried looks with each other as they talked through their eyes.
"Hmm, you are not wrong, but it's not something we can debate on. Our ancestors told us that since they were the only ones who had ever seen them." Sylvie said as she freed Shun's ear.
"But-"
"Since we are getting late, let's not delve too deeply into these things and get back on the surface." Sylvie said, averting the topic.
"Ah, right, I almost forgot about it. Let's hurry then." Julius said.
"Where are you two going?" Shun asked.
"Some important guests have arrived in Efferva and we need to attend them." Julius said.
"Then I will accompany you both." Shun said.
"And what do you plan on doing there? They are not bad people, no maybe, they are one. But still they are not." Sylvie said in a confused manner.
"Ah, I promise. I won't cause any trouble." Shun said.
"You can come with us then. Just remember to be well mannered." Julius said.
Julian, Sylvie, Doctor, and Shun all began walking outside, but Alfred, standing with a girl, interrupted them.
"Sorry for the blocking your way, My Lord." Alfred.
"No worries. What happened and who is this girl?" Julius said.
"My lord, she is here for the caretaker job for Shun-sama."
"This little girl? You think I will allow a little child to work at my home when she has her whole life ahead of her." Julius said.
"Sir, she is one who is continuously insisting and I have already tried to deny her but she doesn't listen."
The girl removed the black cloth covering her head and bowed to Julius and Sylvie.
"I-I-I-It's nice to m-meet you, m-my lord and my l-lady." She said nervously.
"Ho! A cat girl? How rare." Sylvie said.
"Did we have any Demi-human family in Efferva or I am seeing things?" Julius said as he rubbed his eyes and looked at the little girl again.
"Hmm Hmm, good, nice props you have there. It almost looks original." Shun said as he started rubbing her ears and touching her tail.
"Hnn… Aaaah… U-U-Um, please s-s-stop doing t-that." She said in a wavering tone.
"Oh, how real? Let me detach your tail first, maybe then you will stop your acting." Shun said with a mischievous smile as he moved his other hand towards her tail.
"Stop that, you idiot!" Sylvie said as she hit Shun on her head and pulled him towards her.
"I am sorry for my child's behaviour, little girl. What's your name, by the way?" Julius asked.
"My name is Luna, m-m-my lord." She said.
"A name befitting a cute girl like you. So where are you from and why do you need this job?" Sylvie asked.
"Sylvie, we are already too late. Who knows what he'll be doing in our absence." Julius said.
"Oh, you are right. After we return, we will carry on with this. Till then, you can let Shun decide." Sylvie said.
"But my Lady-"
"And yeah, I like her, so add those positive points from my side. Shun, don't go deciding vaguely, okay?" Sylvie said.
"Tch, how troublesome." Shun thought.
"Got it, Mom. After I'm done here, I'll make my way to wherever you're headed." Shun said.
"Alright, Alright." Sylvie said as both of them left the room.
"Shall we continue, then?" Shun said with a mischievous smile.