"Are you really sure you're five" Wren asked for another assurance. She still has a little hope that she was Lane's older sister even though she accepted it a moment ago.
Lane's forehead twitch as he put his arms crossed, "What? Why is your reaction like that?" He asked, sounding a bit annoyed.
Lane is oblivious to the fact that he is nowhere looking like a 9-year-old kid. Thus Wren replied, "Because you are... small..." she whispered the last part since seeing how hard he's glaring at her.
"we should stuff him up master," Lane freezes after hearing Cervi's comment. If by any means you are with a stranger especially with a child with wide imagination, refrain from making an ambiguous sentence.
"Are... are you trying to feed me to the demons?" Wren looked quite surprised with his question and the poor boy was trembling. She doesn't even know where that Idea come from.
Lane read once about North and the Vacarella. Since he has not yet received any lessons, he assumes that the book is true. It tells that the duke and his predecessors are the loyal servants of the demons and the sinners they caught were being used as a sacrifice for the demons.
Since Lia gave him away and is in the Vacarella as of now and the two of them were thinking of stuffing him. Boaife then explained it to her and she gave a frown back at Lane.
"He... has a wild imagination."
Wren's brows suddenly creased when her headache reappeared. Ever since she came back from the tea party. She felt an unbearable headache followed by dizziness. It disappears for a while and then it comes back.
"I can help you, Master."
Wren immediately said, "No. Im fine. It will disappear if I just rest." besides it isn't life threatening, more over her healing powers best works on poisons.
"Anyway..." she then glanced over Lane, he was standing still there with beads of sweat trickling down from his face.
He had that look where he was planning his escape from the mansion— no, for him this is a castle. It would be hard to escape.
Wren had no choice but to lean forward and look at his eyes
"no one here likes to eat skinny meat," Lane jolted and retorted, "T-then there is someone who will eat me once I am fattened up?!"
"He's still on it..." she mumbled. Adara chuckled at the sight, seeing how transparent Wren was with her emotions.
Adara then says, "You just said that no one eats here skinny."
"I meant about the meat."
Lane added, "Is this the reason why you want to..."
"...think whatever you want," she gave up and left the room, followed by Adara and Cervi, "you should eat first"
she finally left and the room is so quiet that Lane actually had the time to process the events today. First, he saw the weird girl which is Wren, then she wants to feed him well, dragged him to her carriage leaving her nanny behind, then finally, he was going to be a meal for demons.
this made him shiver as he recalled her mother's words to his stepfather a long time ago in their office
"... the Vacarella are at it again. The witch is gone, the monster is rampaging at their estate. They are the gossips these days."
the marchioness refers to Mavis and Patrice since word spread everywhere.
it clouded his imagination and hasn't forgotten it as he just read a legend of the north that Lia gave to him. Then, he asked a maid— Boaife as she grinned while telling exaggerated lies.
Boaife finally had the chance to prank on someone and he believed every word she said. Honestly, he and Cervi are the only ones who she can fool in this castle and sometimes Wren.
"I cannot be e..." a light knock on the door, "Young Master, it is time for dinner."
"I am not hungry—" he was stopped when the doors opened wide, maids entered with some clothes pushing inside. Some of it was Azi's old clothes, she thought they were going to fit him since he looks like a 5-year-old kid.
"urk..." Lane gulped as soon as the maids started to help him change his clothes, "I...I'm being prepared to be a food..."
one maid chuckled when she heard the mumbling, "Young master is there anything you want to eat?"
he shakes his head as an answer. When the maid undressed Lane they were utterly surprised at the fresh scars and wound on his body and they feel angry somehow to the one who inflicted these scars to him.
They were silent before changing him into more comfortable clothes.
***
"I heard ya also picked a kid, Wren!!" Laxus said across the table.
He has energy now and is making a ruckus every chance he could get. Laxus had thought that the Young Master of Farlon was a beggar after catching a glimpse of him earlier at the window and he's surprise to hear that he's the only son of the marquis.
He sure is different from what he last seen him.
"he is the heir of House Farlon."
Laxus then nods at the Duke before eating, "the kid will be staying here for the meantime."
"Why, uncle?" Azi asked, "we kidnapped him." he bluntly answered that the whole room became silent.
However, behind the walls is where Lane is hiding, hearing this made his heart pound and immediately remembered Boaife's words.
Lexus who was going to enter the room saw him and his face is pale as sheet of paper, however that didn't remove what he's feeling right now after seeing him, defenseless and weak.
"..." he suddenly strides forward and yanked Lane away from the wall and pinned him on the wall. Creating a loud thud on the walls, everyone inside the room heard it and stopped.
Lane yelped in surprise and looked at Lexus who was glaring at him. It felt like he was going to be eaten when Lexus asked,
"what are you doing here?"
Lexus couldn't believe that this boy, whom he should see a few years later. Is in front of him, in child form and completely harmless at his state.
he doesn't have a plan for this encounter, he still has something to do with the Marchioness schemes. After all this is the time it will start.
Then, suddenly Laxus came in between. Seeing his twin's reaction made him worry more. Another side of his older brother he had seen.
"Laxus get away. This kid is danger..."
"what do you think you are doing?" Lexus looked to where the voice belonged, Wren stood there, looking at them.
"what is this kid doing here?" he asked Wren the same question when Lane did not answer him. Wren and Yessenia could clearly see the fear in Lane's eyes at the sight of Lexus.
But it doesn't make sense that Lexus would react like this.
"Lexus do ya know this kid?"
Lexus did not answer, instead his eyes became sadder as he slowly loosened his grip on Lane's collar.
"Based on how you react, it seems you know him." Wren added in perfectly agreement with Laxus.
"..." Lexus once looked at the pink-haired kid before messing up his hair, whispering, "Still soft..."
His fingers glide over his silk pink-haired as he lightly smiled before leaving them, "I lose my appetite. Forgive me, Lane."
Wren finds his cousin a bit off as she watches him disappear from their sight.
"I thought I will watch a good show." The Duke says while leaning at the door frame with a bored look.
His daughters only thought at that moment was... He was a menace.
"I... almost died..." They all looked at Lane who's on the floor with his head trickling with sweat.
"Not yet," The Duke says
Wren then patted Lane's back and said, "that is not how he will kill you. First, you will feel pain for one to three weeks straight before—"
Lane trembles at the the Duke and Wren. Undeniably they became like each other, "Wren you shouldn't scare Lane like that." Azi pops out behind her as he glances over Lane
"Azi Vacarella, nice to meet you." apparently he also thought Lane is around his age as to why he was friendly.
"Yessenia Vacarella! Big sister of Azi! I haven't introduced myself earlier." Lane looked at her blankly, somehow, she kind of reminds of Wren of their first meeting and he already hates the idea of being close with Yessenia.
Especially he remembered what Yessenia said earlier. A little head pops behind Wren and smiles.
"Astreia, younger sister of Wren." Wren covered her face with her hands. Thinking how they ended up introducing themselves outside the dining room.
"ah... ah... I'm Lane Farlon." overwhelmed by the kids circling him, he stuttered and his world suddenly as he tried to calm himself down
"there is another beauty in this mansion," Lane slightly blushed at Yessenia's compliment as he looked away. Wren merely nods and smiles in satisfaction.
She felt like she did a good job bringing him with her.
"Just eat and then you will be more handsome."
Wren was amazed how his blushed face looked like the color of his hair.
"You forgot me..." Laxus cried when everyone was occupied flustering Lane and bombarding him with compliments and suggestions on how could he be more pretty.
Eventually he forgot the idea of being a meal to the demons, meanwhile the Duke is having an unexplainable face while trying to grasp the situation.
It made his stomach churn when he saw Laxus sulking on the corner and the kids where fawning over Lane, his daughters too.
He should have known that Wren is really weak to pretty faces. However, his lips curved into a smile.
his aide with him got a very bad feeling with how he stares at Laxus and the way his smile is. The duke suddenly turned over him and he shivered, "do you think that kid can hunt the monsters in Mount—"
his aide suddenly crossed his arms at fromt, sweating continuously as he said, "Master whatever it is, i am not signing up for it."
the duke suddenly hummed and pointed Laxus behind him, "He is the son of my monstrous younger sister. He will be perfect for it. Besides, it would be nice if the mansion could be quiet because I got rid one of them."
This made his aide cry. Lately the duke has been delaying his work and he is the one who does his work.
"You should just quit your job," Wren was beside them, listening as she rolled her eyes. She remembered Alef being bullied by Duke Aurea and it looks like his father also acquired that habit.
"Kid why are you listening here?" his father asked, not angry nor annoyed by her presence.
"Because my hair stands when I was there and I saw you looking at our way."
his finger rubbed his chin, thinking as he complimented his daughter in his mind.
"Father, if you are thinking of sending Laxus there, might as well bring Lexus with him."
Duke looked into her eyes which was brimming with a strong gaze, he sighed as he looked at his aide. Even himself can see that Wren wants the twins to make up and of course to get them out of the castle.
"Call the twins later in my office." his aide is silently crying inside. Meanwhile...
"Your age is... Nine?"
Lane nodded at Azi and Astreia. The cousins looked at each other with horror as they watched Lane gobble the food on the table.
Wren who just came back saw this scene. The kid has not yet eaten something like this, since Lia can stay with him for a short time and there are many eyes in Farlon Estate as to why she can't provide her a decent meal.
"Is it to your liking?" he suddenly chokes upon hearing Wren's voice.
he was surprised as he drank water, "eat slowly. There is still a lot of food." Wren said, passing a napkin to him.
"besides, no one will eat you here even after you gain weight."
"I did..."
"We are not cannibals..." Azi sighed, as the books he read there are some with exaggeration comments for his family and this is one of them
"..." he became silent as he finished his food, "Then... what am I doing here?"
Wren smiled and said like the Duke, "We kidnapped you."