After sleeping the whole night cuddled with Arthur, Nyx has an extreme reaction. She becomes so shy that she refuses to talk to him for the rest of the day. While she struggles to deal with her feelings as she hides in Arthur's Nexus, he walks around the house with a spring to his steps.
Arthur is really happy with the progress he had with Nyx. However, before he goes downstairs to have breakfast with his family, he has to take a shower. He doesn't mind wearing Nyx' strawberry scent but his mother would notice it as soon as she hugged him, and things would get difficult to explain.
Now that Arthur thinks about it, he can't help but feel concerned. 'How didn't she notice it in the bedroom?' Despite being so loving and kind, Aria also has an overprotective side that can turn her into a fierce lioness at any moment. Also, her intelligence is nothing to scoff at, and Arthur understands that point all too well.
'Maybe she knows more than I realized...' He wonders.
But as nothing can be done about it now, Arthur takes a nice shower and then goes downstairs to meet his family. Everyone is in the kitchen, his father playing with Eve while Aria finishes preparing breakfast.
As soon as Draven sees Arthur, he smiles and hugs his son. "Good morning, son."
"Good morning, father," Arthur smiles and lifts little Eve into his arms. "Good morning to you too, little bug."
"Brother!" Eve exclaims cutely and boops Arthur's nose with her tiny fingers.
Everything seems perfectly normal, but Aria can notice the slightest changes in her son's demeanor.
"Don't you seem a bit too excited today?" she asks in a casual tone, as she squints at him.
'She knows!' Arthur panics at the thought that his mother knows about Nyx, but thanks to his assassin experience, he manages to stay calm on the surface.
"How could I not be with such a lovely family?" he replies with a genuine smile on his face.
"Hahaha!" Draven laughs proudly. "That's my boy."
Aria smiles lovingly, but her sharp eyes analyze Arthur like a hawk watching its prey, making him gulp.
"I know you're a very good boy, but there's something more you're not telling Mommy," she approaches Arthur and circles around his body as if searching for a hidden illness.
That makes Arthur both relieved and worried. "I think she doesn't know yet... but if things continue like this, she'll find out eventually!"
"Mom..." He tries to appear as innocent as possible. "There's nothing wrong with me."
Aria looks deeply into his eyes. "Ah, I knew it; it's a girl, isn't it?"
'WHAT?!?' Now Arthur starts to freak out. 'Am I gonna get caught for the wrong reasons?' He tries to stay calm on the outside but ends up instinctively shaking his head.
"Don't try to hide it from Mommy," Aria speaks confidently. "You have this aura around you,"
'Aura? Is that what gave me away??' Arthur cries inside as he was just feeling happy that he was getting closer to Nyx, not what his mother thinks.
"Oh," Draven seems to have thought of something. "I know what's happening."
'You don't.' Arthur feels like facepalming seeing Draven's wiseman expression
Aria looks at Draven, and he quickly explains. "Today, we are going to fix the Carpenter family's mill, and their eldest daughter always brings a food basket for Arthur when we are around."
"That girl?" Aria asks in an annoyed tone. "Isn't she already sixteen? What does a girl that age want with my little boy?"
Draven can't help but smile proudly. "Don't blame the girl for being interested in our Arthur; after all, he inherited the perfect physique from his father and the stunning beauty from his mother."
Aria doesn't like how Arthur is maturing too quickly and becoming less and less her innocent little boy. She wants to be able to enjoy his childhood even more, but Draven keeps encouraging him to start looking for girls already, and this makes her worried.
Draven also feels frustrated because no matter how hard he tries to be a good father to his son, Aria only seems to get more distant from him.
"So that's it?" Aria casts her eagle gaze at Arthur again. "Are you like this because of that girl?"
Arthur doesn't want to lie to his mother, but he was delivered a way out on a platter without having to mention Nyx, at least for now.
"Well..." He thought that girl was cute, even for his high standards due to growing up with a stunning beauty like his mother. Although his thoughts also wander to Nyx, who is very cute for a little girl, with her golden eyes and little horns.
Aria finds his reaction strange, as he is frozen in thought with a pondering look on his face, especially due to such a simple girl, but she thinks it makes sense since he only knows people from the village.
'Maybe it's because her body is mature like that of a young adult?' she wonders.
But of course, the reactions Aria is seeing in Arthur are due to different reasons, making her misunderstand. She still suspects that something is wrong, as her maternal instincts are never wrong when it comes to her children.
But once again, Draven intervenes to help his son. "Leave the boy alone, Aria."
She gives him a fierce look, and Draven almost backs away in fear. "I mean, everyone can see that he's very mature for his age, probably like a fourteen-year-old boy already..."
Aria isn't buying the idea, but Draven continues. "So let him enjoy these moments; after all, when he grows up fully, he may fall in love with a woman as it happened to me, and then he won't have eyes for anyone else ever."
Draven really tries his best, but Aria just shakes her head. She disagrees with him about some things but doesn't let such things reach Arthur and Eve, so they don't suspect anything.
"Okay..." Then she looks at Arthur with a loving expression. "Mommy can't stop girls from being interested in you, but you have to promise me that you'll be responsible." She continues, "You can act as mature as you want, but you still have four years ahead to become an adult, so until then, you have to control yourself."
Arthur understands what Aria means; in that world, boys are considered adults at fifteen and girls at sixteen. But that's only the law, because even at those ages, they are still considered just young adults.
"I won't disappoint you, Mom," Arthur promises. He wants to be a good son to repay the love and care that his parents have given him, so he tries to listen to them as much as possible to not upset them.
Aria hugs him and strokes his hair. "I know, my son."
Arthur can breathe a sigh of relief for keeping his secret. He hopes to be able to tell his parents about Nyx at some point, but he simply can't do it now because of the fear that his parents might think of him as a freak for how different he is. So he tries to be the best possible son, hoping that when it's no longer possible to hide Nyx's existence, it will not matter if he is different from others.
After breakfast, Arthur goes with Draven to the Carpenter farm to rebuild the large windmill that was knocked down by the wind. The farmers in the village are simple people, and to rebuild such a large windmill, they would need ten men and probably a few days.
But Draven can do that job in a day alone, and he enjoys helping the village folks, which is always appreciated by the honest farmers. Arthur does his best to assist his father, and the task isn't really difficult since his body is filled with energy after last night's sleep.
But he notices that it's not just his mood that is boosted; in fact, his whole body seems stronger than ever. He's slightly stronger, his agility has improved, and his senses are sharper; everything seems better after meeting Nyx.
As a result, Arthur ends up being much more helpful to his father than Draven could have imagined, completing the task of rebuilding the windmill before midday. This is a reason for Draven to be even prouder of his son, but it's bad news for the Carpenters' daughter, who tries to get closer to Arthur whenever possible.
To avoid suspicion, Arthur also approaches the girl named Margaret. She could certainly be considered a young beauty with great potential in Liam's world, so showing some interest in her is not difficult at all.
Arthur doesn't want to hurt the girls' feelings, so he doesn't try to give her false hopes and just acts friendly with her while keeping a healthy distance. After Draven encourages him to accept the snacks prepared by the girl with care, the two head home in time for lunch.
Arthur begins to wonder if his closeness with Nyx is the reason for his increase in power, so he doesn't notice how enthusiastic Draven seems. After a serious conversation with Aria, Draven calls Arthur to the backyard, leaving him curious.
"Son," Draven speaks in a proud tone. "You know your father isn't as smart as your mother, right?"
"..." Arthur is confused, even though he agrees mentally.
"I mean, I wasn't born with abilities similar to your mother's," Draven explains. "I don't have the gift to control mana and perform magic."
Arthur simply nods and continues to listen to his father's words attentively.
Draven looks at his son with a regretful expression. "And you take after me in that regard more than after your mother."
"I understand," Arthur studied with his mother about that, and she explained that he wasn't born with the potential to be a great mage, although his mana isn't weak either.
Draven can see that his son isn't disappointed, which makes him even prouder and relieved.
"Don't worry, Arthur," he says confidently. "We may not be incredible mages like your mother, but we can be incredible in our own way."
Arthur doesn't doubt that; after all, his father is a hero admired by everyone in the village, and even his mother acknowledges his strength.
"I let your mother handle your education until now," Draven explains. "She wanted to teach you the importance of knowledge because it is truly necessary..."
Draven smiles, and his expression looks nostalgic. "I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for your mother's brilliant mind. But in the end, we are what we are," His eyes shine with golden sparks. "We are descendants of proud warriors, and our strength is our honor."
Arthur respects his father even more because of his honesty. He's not ashamed to admit how incredible Aria is, but he also acts with confidence and pride.
Draven runs his fingers over the hilt of the sword that is always sheathed at his side. "We can't run from who we are, and we shouldn't; in fact, we should embrace the power that runs in our veins."
Arthur nods again. He learned from Aria about the power of lineages, and he shares the lineage of powerful warriors with Draven. Until now, his father had never talked to him about such matters, so Arthur can't help but feel excited.
Draven sees the sparkle of anticipation growing in his son's eyes and is almost moved to tears. However, he maintains a serious and proud expression. "I don't want you to stop studying with your mother, but from now on, I will train you to be a warrior as well."
"Yes, father," Arthur responds excitedly.
As Liam, he only found some peace when he learned to fight and kill, and even though, as Arthur, he has overprotective parents and a peaceful life, he can't help but want to be strong here as well. He doesn't wish to be strong to oppress the weak but to protect the family he loves so much, which now includes Nyx as well.
Draven can no longer contain his excitement and starts laughing loudly. "I'm sorry for keeping you away from a sword until now, but that was so you could have a healthy childhood."
"But you're already so mature and strong..." He is truly proud of his son. "So from now on, I'll teach you everything about being a warrior."
After such motivational words, Draven takes a small package from his back. It's wrapped in cloth, but by its shape, it's not hard to guess what's covered in it.
"Take it, it's yours," Draven tosses the object to his son.
Arthur catches it in the air and is pretty sure of what it is due to its weight. He quickly unwraps the package and finds a beautiful small sword inside. The sword has only a forty-centimeter silver blade, but it looks so sharp and shiny. Also, the sword's hilt is small and very comfortable.
Arthur holds the sword in his hand, and even though it's heavy, it feels perfect. It's very natural for him to hold a blade; after all, blades were Liam's specialty as an assassin. In a few seconds of swinging the sword, Arthur quickly gets used to its weight, and it feels very natural to have it, as if it's an extension of his arm.
"A custom-made sword for me?" Arthur looks at his father with eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much!"
Draven is so shocked to see Arthur handling the sword with such natural ease that he can no longer hear anything else. He was sure that Arthur would like the sword because it's in their blood, but he still expected his son to take at least a few weeks to get used to the weight of the blade.
"Hahaha..." He laughs happily and proudly. "You really are the best son, Arthur!"