Max felt awkward at the praise Lloyd had for him and Lara's response only made it worse. Of course, it was also nice to know that some saw his efforts and commended him.
Just then, Lara remarked. "Is there a reason those two came looking for you?" She was referring to the nobles that had left not too long ago.
As the wife of a noble, it was understandable for her to be acquainted with most nobles and as such, she was indeed knowledgeable about those two.
Lloyd waved it off. "Don't bother about it. Just a business endeavor but they feel the need to cheat me all because of their status as nobles, hmmph, foolish."
Lara looked skeptical. "You should be careful, you know how nobles can be when people go against them."
"Hmmph, if they dare to overstep their boundaries, I'll be more than happy to educate them on principles." Lloyd's aura exploded at that moment allowing Max to sense his life force.
!!!
Indeed… the man before him was not a simple man.
Max could sense that apart from being an accomplished businessman, Sir Lloyd was also an accomplished Magician.
Of course, it was only natural seeing as he had managed to remain in his position for so long without anyone threatening him.
One should know that trading was a dangerous game and what's more when it involved egotistical nobles that would be willing to kill as long as their shoes were dirtied by accident.
But with all this, a thought still nagged at the back of his mind but Max chose to remain quiet.
At that moment, Lloyd's words jolted from his thoughts. "How about you take Max out for a stroll?... It would be a good experience for him."
Laura looked a bit unwilling. "Do I have to?"
Lloyd chuckled as he turned his attention to Max. "Tudor County is a wonderful place with a few sights to tickle your fancy. So what do you say?... Would you like to go on a little tour?"
"Uhmm…" Max was about to reject the Lara nudged him at the side. The latter rearranged his thoughts as he continued. "Of course, I'd love to go sightseeing."
Based on the sudden suggestion as well as Lara's action, Max could tell that Lloyd had something to discuss with her and did not want to involve the 'kids'.
In the end, even though he had grown, in the eyes of the truly powerful, Max was merely an ant.
Though Max would have preferred using the time to train, he had no choice but to accept the kind gesture.
Lloyd smiled as he turned back to Laura. "Max has agreed, would you be willing to show him around?"
Since Max had realized what was going on, it was obviously clear for Laura to see thus she did not object.
"I'll go… but I need some money for shopping." Even though she agreed readily, she was still shameless enough to demand money with Lloyd's response being a burly laugh.
Max saw this and slowly turned to Lara, only to be met with a gaze of contempt. "Why are you looking at me, eh?... You think money grows on trees?"
He did not know where the laugh or cry.
Pulling out a bag from underneath his desk, Lloyd handed it over. "There are over five hundred gold coins in there, you can enjoy yourself with it. You too, Max."
Max's confusion cleared just like that as his eyes shone a different shade, one filled with shiny gold.
Laura snatched the bag and went on her merry way, gesturing for Max to follow her.
As they closed the door behind them, Lara and Lloyd were the only ones left in the study.
"What did they really want?" Lara asked, her previous carefree attitude gone as a more stern expression followed.
Lloyd sighed. "The skirmishes are getting out of hand. Even though the news says that the rebels are losing, I think it's not as one-sided as that. The nobles want me to discuss with my associates about cutting off supply to the commoners since it's indirectly feeding the rebels."
Lara frowned. "So they would rather watch their people starve than try and find the rebel leader?... The Empire nobility just continues to shock me at how disgusting they can be."
"Don't think much about it. I already rejected their offer but now I can only say that we are in for a rocky time." Lloyd got back into his seat, drumming his fingers on the table.
As the two adults were conversing, Max and Laura at the other end made their way toward the manor entrance.
Just then, Max called out. "Hey, Laura."
"Yeah?" Laura answered.
"Sorry to ask but how about your mother?... You said nothing about her on our way here and even your dad didn't make any references to having a woman in his life."
Laura paused. Silence reigned for a few seconds at which point Max realized that Laura's body was trembling.
As he reached out to grab her shoulder, she suddenly turned around, a forced smile on her face as her eyes were somewhat red.
"I didn't want to say anything about that because my mom is dead."
Max sighed inwardly, he had more or less made the conjecture. As they stood in the orchid, He asked. "What happened to her?"
Laura looked solemn as she responded. "She died a long time ago, a time when my dad wasn't rich or strong yet. Poverty claimed her life but not before she stored my soul in an incubator and gifted it to a powerful dimensional being to keep till it was sure that my father could take care of me."
Max was astounded. How powerful was her mother to be able to perform such a complex ritual?
Laura smiled. "You must be wondering how she managed to do something so miraculous, eh?"
Max slowly nodded.
"Even I don't know. All I remember is seeing my mom's dying face and after Lord knows how many years, I opened my eyes to a new world." Laura explained.
"I understand. I'm sorry for prying."
"It doesn't matter. Your mom would tell you about it anyway so it's best you heard it from me."
Max noted her attitude and was rather appreciative of it. Stretching out his palm, he gestured for a handshake.
"What is this?" Laura asked, putting up a brow.
Max smiled. "A show of friendship."