"Twenty one coppers."
A jar full of milk was placed right in front of her as a man with a bald head and rounded face glaced at the baby behind her. Noticing the subtle stare, Ebina tried to ignore it, pulled out her purse and counted a bunch of coins before she gave it to him.
"Thank you, uncle Drew."
Narrowing his eyes, the man called Drew nodded his head and waved his hand to shoo her away. As her expression became grimmer, she took out the jar with one hand and walked away. Not long after, a faint noise of someone clicking their tongue appeared.
Disregarding the voice, she strode towards the direction of her house and found that the street was much quieter than before. Touch of fiery orange covered the sky as her shadow enlarged with time. Sometimes, when she saw a few acquaintances from afar and was about to greet them, they would scurry away in haste, much to her dismay.
Still, she dispelled the unpleasant feelings within and hummed a nostalgic tune from her homeland. The melody drowned her world and made her shift her gaze behind, seeing Damien watching at her and stretching out his hand to rub at her cheeks.
Soft laughter escaped her lips and she returned the gesture. For an instant, she felt the color of the world becoming brighter and a surge of warmth filled her.
"Uuuhh?"
As if to show he didn't understand why she laughed, Damien tilted his head sideways before a drop of drool came out at the edge of his lips. As both of her hands were preoccupied, she went to the side and put the clay jar on the ground and wiped the dripping drool.
Soon, she got the jar back and resumed her walk. She fastened her pace before the last light disappeared from the horizon. After three more turns and crossing two long streets, she spotted her house at last.
Entering the building, she put Damien on the table, along with whatever she brought back and went to get the candles and some charcoal for the fireplace. She got the jar and poured it into a clay pot before boiling it.
Later, she took the warm milk to Damien for his dinner. Recalling her empty stomach, a faint smile formed and she made an oatmeal for herself.
Now both of them already ate their fill, she wiped him clean, changed his clothes, and brought him to the front of the fireplace and sat there, similar to yesterday. Already prepared with another several story books in hand, she placed him on her lap and stroked his head with the gentlest movement.
"Let's see… we have The Wandering Marker...The Grand Sorcerer Herath…Tale of The Four Kingdoms… and oh?"
Widening her eyes, a particular book caught her attention. It has a red leather cover with the title of 'Legend of The King Of Possessors'. The memory of the barrack's mentor, Gerald, giving her this book back when she was a squire and a new citizen of this kingdom flashed in her head.
Back then, she didn't have that much knowledge or interest about myths and legends. To her surprise, her superior, Gerald, who was a fan of those things and a believer of the Church of Sainthood, gifted her this book. It once gave her a warm feeling as it was the very first thing given to her when she entered this foreign kingdom. Now, only bitter taste lingered when she looked at it.
"...I should have taken a look before grabbing some random books."
As a tinge of regret emerged, she was about to put it away but stopped by an unexpected force that tried to pull the book from her. Glancing at the source, she found Damien was clutching the edge of the book. His eyes twinkled and he didn't let go no matter how many times she tried to pull it out of his grasp.
"Alright… Let's go with this one."
A sigh came out of her lips as she opened the book. The first texts entered her sight while she read them out loud.
"Long, long time ago, there was once a Kingdom named Resthuur. The Resthuur kingdom was governed by the wise and kind king, who brought prosperity to all of his subjects. Bards sang his songs, spreading more of his good deeds throughout the land and attracted endless merchants and refugees."
She glanced at Damien who was staring back at her with unblinking eyes. Her hand reached out to stroke his head once more and she turned the page, showing drawn images in the book and the bold text beside them.
"The King has four children that he loved dearly. His eldest son or the crown prince, is a figure of many talents, such as art of war, survival, combat skills and many more. His second son, the second prince, is also someone of many talents, particularly skilled in calligraphy, etiquette, mastering a variety of musical instruments and possesses a handsome face that snatches the heart of countless girls in the capital."
When she read the last part, Ebina's eyebrows raised before she turned another page. This time, there was a drawing of a plump, humanoid figure chasing girls from afar. Below it, there was a drawing of a beautiful woman wearing a one piece gown and a small crown.
"Then, there is the king's third son, the third prince, who indulged his desires and spent all of his days in laziness. The shame of the palace, they said. And his youngest child, the first princess, is someone possessing unparalleled beauty in the whole land. Flowers would bloom beneath her feet and her every step would be accompanied by the melodious singing of the birds and creatures around her."
"Uuhhh?"
Damien turned his gaze from the book to Ebina whilst he sucked his thumb and titled his head sideways. Ebina smiled at his reaction and said, "Do you think the author exaggerated the characters' description, Damien? I think so too."
"Aauuhh."
Back to reading the book again, Ebina spoke out, "However, the peace of the kingdom didn't last, for the foolish third prince wished to take the throne by striking a deal with the most evil race, the Dialo. Unprepared, he has his soul taken by the Dialo, and the evil creature used his identity as a prince to win the struggle of the crown and mercilessly kill all of his brothers. Even the youngest princess didn't get spared as she disappeared in a single night without any traces.. No one has ever seen her after that."
"Doesn't that mean the princess successfully escaped then?" Ebina commented and she turned the next page. "The possessed prince, the Dialo itself, used it's devilish power to control the nobles and those in high positions. Using one of the sacred weapons of old, the Dialo summoned it's kin to our realms, using the bodies of the nobles and their warriors, immediately plunging the entire kingdom into a massacre."
Shortly, a faint snores appeared and Ebina turned to see Damien who leaned his head to his chest and had his eyes closed. After trying to put down the book without any noise, Ebina lifted Damien and brought him to the second floor, where his bed should be.
Covering him with the blanket, Ebina let out a soft whisper before she patted his head for the last time.
"Sweet dreams, Damien."