The kids were happy with specifically tailored bribes and agreed to keep shut about things when I mentioned their sister's honor. The eldest, Bill Yards Hall, seemed to have noticed that I was the one who would be in trouble, but understood the part of his sister's honor as well. I left Vienna a potion that Maria had brought along and that place was done with in no time at all.
Dinner was simple. I didn't have to be present anywhere, so I took it in my room.
The evening went by. Maria was in my room, still acting rather detached.
With the food in front of me, I felt rather weird.
Over the years, I had gotten used to sharing my meals with others. It was likely the effect of my memories as Yujin. It was when I had donned a mask and entered a gate, with the masked persona as a villain, I was pretty much the enemy of many awakeners, but once I was stranded in a gate, a healer from an awakener's party had ended up seeing my face.
He called me a 'misguided' kid and helped me out, not knowing that I was only chasing strength. That guy shared his meals with me, who had nothing to my name inside the high-difficulty gate. He had also later lost himself trying to save me.
I sighed.
That damn healer gave me a soft spot for both, kids and meals.
"Maria, you won't be eating?"
"I can't, young master. I will have my meals after you go to sleep, young master."
I thought for a few seconds and sighed again.
The food was too much for just one person anyway.
I picked up the plates in my hands and walked over to Maria. She tilted her head to the side, as if asking what I was up to, but I didn't bother with her reactions. With the service table not far away and some of the plates in my hand, I broke off a piece of the steak they had served and stabbed with the fork.
"Young master, what are you—"
As she opened her mouth to speak, I quickly fed her the steak. The fork glided across her lips as I pulled them out before ignoring her and breaking off another piece for myself.
"Young master..." Maria seemed conflicted, but I didn't say anything.
Disregarding the first six years of my life as Eugene, where I was just a normal kid, the remaining years where I had Yujin's memory had totalled my age well up to twenty four. In a way, I was just as old as Keith.
Here, where people lived up to be young till eighty and die at well above one fifty, Maria who was twenty four and Keith who was twenty five were both still kids. I didn't count, of course.
I had a soft spot for kids.
I picked up another cut of the steak and dragged it toward Maria. She seemed to be hesitating for a few seconds, but I remained firm. Soon enough, she opened her mouth just a bit and ate it.
I nodded, satisfied, and started picking up the few different dishes as well, making sure to feed both of us.
Maria didn't say much during the entire time, and I wasn't one to break the silence either. Once we were done, I picked up a cloth and softly dabbed it over Maria's lips to clean her up. Only after we were done eating did I move away from next to her.
"I'll... take the dishes away."
Maria said in a soft voice. She piled up the dishes, but her hands were trembling very slightly.
This girl. Her problem wasn't that I had memories of a different time, but self doubt.
I understood it well now.
I had already heard from her and Keith about her relationship with my mother. Maria probably wanted to safe-guard me from unnecessary sufferings but believed she couldn't do it well enough. She was a kind soul, she must have realized sometime through the years that I had experienced some serious stuff as Yujin, and now that we were here, where she had the most memories with my mother, that feeling was overwhelming her.
Humans were such fickle creatures. It was astounding.
As Maria was about to leave, I spoke up.
"I like the sound of your smile."
Maria stopped in her tracks.
Whenever she smiled, she would let out a cute little laugh.
"I'm happy I got to hear it today."
I turned away from her completely and went down on the bed.
It took a while before I could hear the sound of the door opening.
As the door opened, the sound of a little laugh reached me as well.
Maria left the room, and I relaxed.
"..."
"Fuck, I have to work out a little after eating."
The path to the strongest was a long one! I had to level up now to enjoy more beatdowns like I did with Vienna!
That night, Maria returned with a word from Lady Sophia.
***
The next morning rolled up soon. Dressed in a simple black tunic and brown trousers that accentuated my hair and eyes (according to Lily,) I was waiting alone at the entrance of the Castle's garden.
Soon enough, a group of three strutted toward me from the entrance.
"Lord Eugene, are you ready to leave?