Unfortunately when it comes to talents, I don't have many I can write home about.
As I've mentioned before, my sole redeeming quality was my ability to study well and that was mostly due to my good memory and refusal to be less than I already was. It was the one thing my teachers praised for. Other than that I can't really say I'm good at anything else, or maybe I just didn't have a chance of discovering any other talent.
While reading the history book, I came across section dedicated to Donellan Grey's achievement throughout the years. He's contributed a lot to the kingdom and is best known for his swordsmanship. According to the book, he is a level 8 swordsman out of 10 levels.
"That's insane" I exclaimed out loud.
No wonder he's so widely known. I guess this is a talent that was passed down in the family because Simuel was also expected to learn swordsmanship soon. But I remembered his lessons being delayed due to his weak constitution.
That was also one of the many reasons why Donellan was away a lot. He was trying to look for a solution to help his son so that his condition could get better. How admirable I thought. He's doing all of this and yet his son is completely unaware. I think one of the first things I'll do is fix this father and son's relationship. There have been too many misunderstandings over the years and things have only gotten worse.
Once I finished reading my books, I realized that several hours had passed by and that it was almost time for dinner. I made my way out the library and let the guard know I was done. I realized that the guard had been changed to a new one.
"I guess they rotate shifts" I mumbled to myself.
We finally arrived to my room and I was greeted by 2 other maids besides Gwendolyn.
"Good evening Young Master." They all greeted.
Gwendolyn made her way towards me and let me know that dinner was ready. We all made our way to the dinning room where I was greeted by a table filled with food. There were all kinds of delicacies and mouth watering meals in front of me. I hadn't realized until I was in front of the table how hungry I was. Back in my world. I had to skip certain meals to be able to afford food for the rest of the week. Such a dull and dreary existence.
"Is all of this for me?" I asked Gwendolyn who was by my side.
"Yes Young Master, since you've finally recovered and haven't had a proper meal in 7 days, the chef decided to prepare a feast." She said, while smiling at me.
In that moment, I had never been more touched in my life. I could tell the people here did care for Simuel. They understood why he was sometimes cold and took pity on him. They knew his father was away for his sake but no one thought to tell him because they felt that it wasn't their place. So in a way, this was their way of helping Simuel find some peace in his home.
One of the maids pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. I obliged and took a seat, ready to eat a hardy meal for the first time in awhile. Of course I wanted to express my appreciation for them not just as Simuel but as Daus Moore as well.
"Thank you everyone!" I said and give the brightest smile I could muster.
Everyone looked taken aback because it was the first time their young master expressed gratitude and smiled so brightly. They were in a daze for a moment but snapped out of it after hearing Gwendolyn clear her throat.
"You're most welcome Young Master Grey", they all said in unison.
And with that I dug in and enjoyed my meal. After diner, several servants came to clear the table and Gwendolyn brought me dessert. It was a delicious peach cobbler pie with vanilla ice cream on the side. Even after eating that huge meal my mouth still watered at the sight of the delectable treat. I was snapped out of my reverie at the sound of Gwendolyn's voice.
"Young Master, your father will be coming home tomorrow in the morning from his travels." She gave me a worried look.
Gwendolyn as well as everyone in the mansion knew that I felt slightly uncomfortable when it came to my father. But it wasn't just me. Most of the staff felt uncomfortable as well.
Actually around this time in the novel, although Simuel was young, he was a bright and perceptive child. He knew that his father could be slightly indifferent towards him but he didn't quite understand why. He was always an obedient and well behaved child, he did well in his studies (or at least tried his best considering he did not like studying much) so he came to conclusion that perhaps his father did not think he was good enough and therefore wasn't worthy of his attention.
He thought that maybe he could make up for his lack of interest in studies with swordsmanship but soon realized that although he had the talent, he didn't have the body that could handle said talent. And so he felt useless.
He soon started to close off his heart to his father and avoided him whenever he could for fear of disappointing him even more. Since I hadn't said anything for awhile, Gwendolyn thought I was upset and so she assured me that I only needed to greet him and welcome him back.
He usually goes back to his study when he's back from his travels anyway.
I smiled at Gwendolyn and thanked her for letting me know. I didn't want to worry her.
Once I finished my dessert I took my bath for the night and went to bed. I made sure to bring back a couple books from the library so I wouldn't have to keep going back and forth. I asked one of the maids earlier to bring me something to write with and write on. I wanted to write down my thoughts and the events that are to happen according to the novel to best prepare.
I needed to figure out a way to get closer to Donellan without it being suspicious. As you guys know I didn't have a good relationship with my own father so I didn't know how a father and son were suppose to interact with each other. I could just refer to the comics I've read in the past.
I used to read a lot of stories fantasy father and daughter comics (don't judge me for this, they are quite good) so I knew what not to do.
Never thought I would be relying on these comics for survival. Once I had my thoughts collected , I finally decided to call it a night and made my way to bed.
"I need all the sleep I can get." Tomorrow's going to be a big day, I sighed to myself.