Gary walked home feeling depressed. He had made a fool of himself in front of his highness and worst of it, he still felt traumatized.
The place just looked like a scary forest and as a knight, such a scene shouldn't have created such an impact but it did. Gary felt embarrassed and most especially confused. Should he have asked Nate the direction to the place first? But that would sound ridiculous since he had been to the place multiple times to drag Nate out from there.
Although he had never been inside the cottage to meet the people in it, he still knew the place quite well.
Reaching his house, he saw his wife and Nate already having their dinner while they spoke and laughed. He had made up his mind to question Nate if he still visits his friend.
He knew what he was coming to do was going to spoil the peace there at the moment, but he didn't care. He wanted to know about Lucian's home. The whole thing today looked too bizarre to him.
Lucy, having seen her husband enter, stood up hurriedly to take his cloak.
"You look so tired..."
she said, looking worried.
"Yes... Nate! Have you still been visiting that freak friend of yours?" He asked while facing Nate.
There he goes again...
"No..." Nate thought and answered curtly
"You dare lie to me??" Gary asked, getting furious
"Father, I insist on having not gone there and you have no way of finding out if am telling the truth. So how about we leave it as it is..." Nate said and then stood up to go to his room.
"How dare you disrespect me, boy! Come back here..."
"Enough! Gary. He says he hasn't visited them. Can you let it go?? The more you treat him that way, the more he rebels." Lucy reasoned with him.
"Of course, as you are the one who found him, you know how we are meant to treat him..." Gary mocked.
"Gary!"
Lucy called out, looking pale.
"What! Am not allowed to say that too? If it hadn't been because we were childless, I would never have accepted this headache you found God knows where"
"Gary! How could you? You said we will keep this a secret and you promised never to mention it. "
Lucy whispered in a shaking voice.
"Well, how about you speak to that little bastard? If he dares to go against me, I don't mind throwing him out. After all, he's neither of us our son!" Gary shot back and dashed straight into their room looking furious.
Lucy turned to look around, to be sure Nate had not been anywhere close to them to hear anything. Seeing he was still in his room, she sighed out of relief, but her face still looked pale and helpless. She had always thought they would hide this secret forever, but Gary's outburst right now was causing her thoughts to waver.
Yes, Nate was neither hers nor Gary's son, but she didn't have her child and she could not bear one so she had grown to love Nate as hers. Nate had been with that Lucian kid since he was little and aside from him, he never wanted to play with anyone.
She and Gary had tried so many times to pull them apart but it was useless. She had eventually given up because she felt it was probably because Nate was not a normal kid himself.
How was he anyway normal? A baby that was found in a cave, lying and giggling in a nest completely covered in frost mists. The scene was mystical and ethereal. Everywhere else was warm aside from the said cave that felt so cold.
The surprising thing was, any normal baby would be frozen to death, but this baby's rosy cheeks glowed with color, and it kept giggling happily. It had taken all the courage in her, and the fact that she needed a child so badly to enter that cave and steal Nate.
After running with it for a while, she realized the baby's rosy-colored cheeks were dimming and the brightening light in its eyes was fading. It seemed like, it was taking nourishment from the frost mist.
Feeling worried that the baby might die and also scared she might meet its parent and get killed for attempting to steal their child if she should return him, she sort out a witch's help.
Though the witches were massacred and chased away, she knew some of them still survived because she had a friend who was one.
She didn't know what hocus pocus the witch had chanted on the baby, but from then he became like any normal baby afterward. This is the side of the story she had not told Gary.
Though Nate still looked like a normal human kid, she knew it was only this way because the witch must have sealed whatever he truly was inside of him. And she knew it was only about time that that seal broke.
But for now, she had to stop Gary from spouting nonsense.
Lucy bit her lips as she sat down. She wondered how Nate would feel if he ever found out this truth.
In a small room in Gary's house, Nate sat on his bed with sharp eyes gazing out through the window.
Since the search had ended, he was looking for ways to escape from the house.
After thinking for a bit, he jumped out of the window and landed steadily on the ground. From there, he dashed straight into the woods to Lucian's house.
Andrew had ordered his men to head out and wait at the entrance gate of the town, he wanted to have a word with the mayor of this town. They drove their carriage to the mayor's house and met with the mayor who was already at the entrance waiting. He had heard the search was done and hence had come to wait for his highness at the entrance not wanting what happened earlier to happen again.
"Your Highness!" he called out when Andrew and John stepped out of their carriage.
"You Highness, you look exhausted. I have prepared a feast for you. I know you didn't have any proper meals during your search so I made arrangements for this feast after your search..." he spoke humbly.
"Father! Is that Prince Andrew? "
The voice of a young boy came running toward them. His eyes glimmered and it was clear, he was as excited as the guards to see the crown prince of their kingdom. If Lucian and Nate were here, they would have scoffed upon seeing their taunter.
"Yes, he is. Show your respect! " The mayor reprimanded.
Roland stood looking nervous. He also wanted to do everything to please his Highness so he bowed in a rich courteous way.
"My greetings to you, your Highness..." He said humbly
Andrew simply nodded, not caring the least bit.
Roland fidgeted. This was another person besides Lucian and Nate who didn't bother with him. He felt uncomfortable. Being the mayor's son in this town, he always got the most attention from people. He didn't like being ignored like this.
"Your Highness, this is my son Roland. He's been working hard to get recruited into the Academy. He is hoping to become like you..." The mayor said attempting to put in some words for his son.
Andrew simply nodded again. Causing the Father and son duo to look frustrated. Realizing the prince didn't seem to care at all. He reverted to what he was saying.
"So the feast is ready, Your Highness, may we go inside..."