"Ah, I'll help you, Orphia!" Without a moment's delay, Alma eagerly
followed Orphia out. It hadn't been long until Rio and Sara were the only two
left in the room.
"A-Ah, umm..."
Sara almost considered going to help them, too, but her rational mind
realized that three people weren't needed to prepare tea. She stopped in her
tracks, feeling somewhat awkward at being left alone with a person of a
different species that was also the same age. Their egotistical
misunderstanding had one-handedly caused so much trouble for Rio, after all.
"T-Thanks," Sara said, bowing without thinking. Then, she realized how
meaningless her action was, and flushed red. Sara ducked her head, her ears
and tail twitching restlessly. Rio's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to their
movements.
Do they just move of their own accord? he wondered with a slight tilt of
his head.
"U-Umm, Master Rio?" Sara suddenly burst out nervously, making Rio
stiffen up reflexively.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Umm. Did you know Latifa back when she was a slave, Master Rio?"
Sara asked with a conflicted expression, unable to help asking a difficult
question.
"No. I can imagine what kind of treatment she must have received,
though. I never pried too deep because I didn't want to trigger any bad
memories."
"...Is that so. Then, umm, if it's all right with you, Master Rio... Could
you tell what you know?"
"It won't be a very fun story. You are aware of that, right?" It wasn't
something to ask out of curiosity, Rio's words implied.
"...Yes, I know. But I want to hear it anyway." Sara looked at Rio, her
strong will burning deep within her eyes.
"All right."
Rio began to tell Sara the details of his theory on how Latifa had been
treated. How she was terrifyingly emotionless when he first met her, and how
she carried a deep-seated trauma that occasionally manifested itself in the
form of mood swings. That she was probably forced to undergo harsh combat
training, and that she was an assassin who had tried to kill him. That she had never had a proper meal in her life...
The huge, shocking truth rendered Sara completely speechless. But after
Rio finished speaking, her blood boiled with rage until she was trembling to
hold it back.
"Latifa is... She's more incredible than all of us! Enduring such things..."
"Yes, I agree completely. She really is."
Rio sympathized with Sara's pent up frustrations; as a member of a
species that had a strong sense of kinship amongst themselves, she would
naturally feel even more anger than him.
"...But I can't say I condone eavesdropping as a hobby." Rio directed to
the other side of the door.
His words made Sara gasp and whirl around towards the doorway. There
stood Ursula, Orphia, and Alma.
"Noticed us, did you? My apologies. I had a few things on my mind
regarding that girl," Ursula apologized, a mystified expression on her face.
"Is something the matter with Latifa?" Sara asked fearfully.
"This is just my own conjecture, but... Latifa is probably of my
bloodline."
Ursula's words made everyone present jump. She gave a helpless, bitter
smile, and carefully chose her words as she continued to speak.
"Over ten years ago, a blood relative of mine had their daughter run away
from home. She was a free and uncontrolled girl. At first, I thought she had
grown bored of the village and had taken to wandering around nearby, but
she never came home again. She disappeared without a trace, so we believed
that she had been attacked by a monster or beast, but..."
Ursula looked at Latifa's sleeping figure as it clung to Rio.
"I-Is that true?! Elder Ursula?" Sara asked, flabbergasted.
"Hmm. It happened long before you were born, Sara. I am not certain,
but looking at Latifa makes me feel strangely nostalgic. I wish to ask her for
her mother's name, but at the same time I fear doing so. Her mother is no
longer alive, no?" Ursula said with a rather pained expression.
"Unfortunately, I have heard Latifa's mother is no longer of this world..."
"Is that so..." A sorrowful look came over Ursula's face.
"Mm... Onii-chan? Morning..." Latifa was woken up by the
conversations occurring right beside her.
"Good morning. It seems as though breakfast is ready. Would you like
some?"
"Yes, please!" Latifa nodded eagerly. Her peaceful smile showed no
signs of the cruel past she had to bear. Right now, she was simply a happy
girl befitting of her age.
"Lord Rio, I am truly grateful to you." Ursula thanked Rio sincerely.
"No, I..." Rio's expression clouded over as he shook his head guiltily.
I was only looking out for myself... he swallowed those words without
voicing them.
"...Hm. Lord Rio has yet to have breakfast, right? I haven't had any yet,
either. If you don't mind, may I eat with you?" Ursula suggested to change
the solemn atmosphere of the room.
"Yes, of course. Right, Latifa?"
"Um... sure. If Onii-chan's all right with it." Latifa grabbed onto Rio's
clothes and nodded shyly.
"Great, that makes things much simpler. I will introduce Lord Rio to the
council of elders this morning. You lot, prepare the food. Bring your own
servings along while you're at it." Ursula smiled broadly with happiness.
"Yes, right away! We'll bring it back here. Let's go Sara, Alma." Orphia
took the initiative and moved first. She dashed towards the door.
"Indeed. Come on, or you'll be left behind, Sara." Alma went after her
without missing a beat, calling out the slow Sara.
"I-I know." Sara snapped out of her momentary daze and ran out of the
room in a hurry.
◇◇◇
After leaving Latifa in Sara and Alma's care, Rio was led by Ursula and
Orphia to the highest floor of the town hall, where the village elders had
gathered.
The town hall was a treehouse built into a large tree located in the center
of the village, the same building where Rio had stayed over last night. Rio
climbed the spiral staircase that ran around the outside of the treehouse,
overlooking the village buildings below. The spirit folk had completely
integrated their lifestyle with nature, constructing houses of wood, stone, and
clay in the forest.
It was a magical scene to behold.
Once they reached a point above the other trees of the village, they could
see one particularly humongous tree that towered over everything.