"Hey! Don't wander off on your own," she warned him.
She made effort to stop him, but he disregarded her and moved on his own. In the end, She also ended up following him in the hopes of stopping him.
Although only two people lived in the mansion, it was surprisingly vast. As they navigated through the interconnecting hallways, the space began to resemble more of a maze than a simple passage, and they couldn't find Lloyd in any of the rooms.
"How did we get lost in a mansion this small?" Eadric grumbled in annoyance.
"I knew this would happen," Edith exclaimed. "That's why I tried to stop you!"
"Stop talking! I know what I'm doing," Eadric replied, attempting to silence Edith as the clouds of embarrassment got over his head.
After navigating through numerous rooms and hallways, they eventually arrived at the dining room where Lloyd was enjoying his grub.
"What are you both waiting for? Have a seat, you two," Lloyd offered.
'Why are these guys here? I thought it was only Grait that would be here,' he thought to himself, although he managed to remain composed on the outside, as their visit wasn't necessarily bad news for him.
They turned their chairs towards him and sat down. Eadric simply gaped at him while his sister observed him before Lloyd spoke up, interrupting the awkward silence.
"Hey Eadric, why are you staring at me like that? I'm pretty sure your interests solely revolve around girls, right?" he joked as he savored his food.
Although the joke was simple and overused, it was enough to break the silence and fluster Eadric, causing him to turn red. His sister chuckled and covered her face to not show her little chuckle.
"Wh-what do you mean? I only like girls," he replied, flustered by Lloyd's comment.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but think about the Silver twins, or as they were commonly known, Edith and Eadric. In the novel, there wasn't much information about them, but he knew that they had a very favorable relationship with the protagonist and were a close aide to him.
'Edith was called the brain, and Eadric was referred to as the shield at his disposal. Edith was a grand mage and strategist in the novel, whereas Eadric was a remarkable warrior who had an impressive knowledge of the battle,' he recited the information he knew about them from the novel in his mind.
As he pondered over his thoughts, he began to formulate a plan to get close to them. 'If I were to sum everything up in just one sentence, this duo is going to be exceptionally strong if they work together. I would also benefit a lot from them if they work for me just like in the novel,' he thought to himself.
Even though there wasn't too much information about the Silver twins in the novel since they were finished off by the protagonist's comrades, he still managed to get a grasp on their potential due to Lloyd's memories and his novel knowledge.
"Although having them on my side won't be enough to stop or slow down the protagonist and his gang, it will increase my chances of not getting sliced by anyone unknown," he thought to himself.
He knew that having only the Silver twins on his side wouldn't necessarily increase his chances of survival in the future, but he also knew that having something was better than nothing.
"If I want to stand a chance against the protagonist's comrades, I need more powerful people than just this duo. And if I want to deal with the protagonist himself, then I will have to rely on my own strength," he realized.
It didn't require superhuman knowledge to figure out that if he wanted to stand even a slight chance against the protagonist, he would need more people to sacrifice themselves for him.
"Hey, why are you zoning out, Lloyd?" Eadric called out, but Lloyd didn't respond. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of how to win the twins over to his side.
"Lloyd!" Eadric called out again, this time with a hoarse voice, which finally snapped Lloyd out of his reverie.
"Eadric, sorry about that. I was lost in thought for a moment," Lloyd responded, shaking off his distraction.
"It's alright, Lloyd. Is everything okay?" Edith asked, showing concern.
"Yes, everything is fine. Just thinking about some personal matters," Lloyd replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
As the conversation continued, Lloyd couldn't help but wonder why the Silver twins had come to visit. He remembered them from his novel as close aides to his character, but right now, their relationship was neutral at best. He couldn't shake off the gut feeling that there was something more to their visit than just a visit.
'Even though they were my loyal servants in the novel, I currently have no close relationship with them. So, why would they suddenly visit me now?'
The thought of the reason sudden visit of the Silver twins finally popped into his mind, and he tried to guess the reason behind it, but nothing came to him.
He began to stand up from his chair and offered, "Anyway, you both must be exhausted from your long journey. Let me prepare something for you."
He tried to offer his hospitality to them with respect.
'For now, I'll treat them with respect and remain cautious for my own safety,' he decided.
Eadric said declining his offer, "No need to worry about us."
"You should rest and continue to recuperate from the poison," Edith said, concerned for his health.
"So it seems that news of my survival has already reached the main family," he remarked.
He wasn't surprised to learn that the news of his survival had already reached the main family. Given that someone from the main family was behind the assassination attempt.
"It appears that some members of the main family were concerned about the assassination attempt on a mere outcast," Lloyd remarked, his suspicion falling on the twins.
"The main family has eyes and ears everywhere," Edith replied.
'Looks like they don't know that I have recovered from the poison but I am not sure as they are the main family,'
Lloyd couldn't help but feel concerned that the family knew of his recovery.
He asked the twins, "So, what is the reason behind your sudden visit? No one from the main family has come to visit me since my exile to this land. Neither any siblings nor anyone else. I hope you understand my suspicion."
Since the twins were already aware of Lloyd's mistrust, he saw no reason to lie to them.
Eadric stood up impatiently and pulled out his sword from the dimensional ring, pointing it at Lloyd.
*****
There we go I have finally uploaded a chapter. Give me some PS. Anyways I want to clarify that Lloyd is the sole child of his parents and doesn't have any siblings. The reason I have used siblings while addressing them is that they all are from the same family.