I looked out the window throughout the ride. Lylah's gaze was fixed on me, making me feel uneasy.
"Lylah, stop staring so much," Dax said, and Lylah gasped and looked away. "Aunt, don't mind her. She'll stop acting this way soon," he added, and I nodded, unsure of what to say.
The door opened, and we all turned to see Keith standing there with a smile.
"Okay, we're here," he announced. I stepped out and took in the beautiful scenery. The North never failed to impress me. "Stay close. If you get lost, it'll be hard to find you. I'm not good at looking down all the time," Keith warned. This was going to be a long day.
"I'll try my best," I said, walking past him.
"Keith, stop teasing her," Sienna chided.
"Dad, why do you like teasing Aunt so much?" Dax asked.
"I'm not teasing her. Faina, am I teasing you?" Keith asked. I almost rolled my eyes.
"You do," Dax insisted.
"Okay, okay," Keith said, raising his hands in defeat. "I'll be taking my leave. See you later," he said, giving Sienna a meaningful look. What were they up to?
"Let's go," Sienna said, and I followed her. As I stepped forward, I felt a small hand grab mine. I instinctively pulled away and turned to see a surprised Lylah. Our eyes met, and I saw Dax looking at us.
"You surprised me. Sorry," I said quickly. Should I hold her hand? I gave her a weak smile and extended my hand. She smiled back and took it. It was a new experience for me, holding a child's hand.
"You're close to Aunt, huh? Good to know you're not being shy anymore," Dax remarked. I looked up to see Sienna's amused smile.
"Dax, do you want Aunt to hold your hand too?" Sienna asked.
"No," he said quickly. "But… well, since you asked," he added, stepping forward. He reminded me of a cat—proud yet endearing in his own way.
Sienna showed me around the small town near their mansion, which was mainly inhabited by the mansion's workers. There were a few shops and restaurants run by non-affiliates, just regular businesses taking advantage of the town's charm.
"We'll stay here for the night and head to the city in the morning," Sienna said.
True to plan, we went to the city the next morning and arrived around noon. Sightseeing wasn't so bad, but I felt incredibly exhausted. The kids had boundless energy and continued to show me everything, while all I wanted was to sit down and, if possible, lie down.
I checked my watch, which I always carried, and sighed. I was grateful for their efforts to show me around, but I didn't feel well enough to enjoy it.
"Let's go to the flower shop next," Lylah suggested. Her shyness was gone, replaced by an energetic enthusiasm.
"Is it necessary?" Dax asked.
"Yes, I want to go there," she said, pointing to the shop.
"Fine," Dax agreed, and they pulled me along.
"Welcome… Ah, young miss, young master, how are you today?" the florist greeted.
"Fine, we came with our aunt today," Lylah said.
"Aunt?" the florist said, looking me over. "Welcome, ma'am. Is there anything specific you'd like?" she asked.
"We want to look at the flowers," Lylah replied.
"Go right ahead. The flowers at the back are suffering because of those Drityl flowers that won't stop growing," she sighed.
"I'll have someone clear them for you," Sienna said from behind us. Drityl flowers? Oh, right, they're a type of weed common in the North, once used medicinally but now mostly discarded.
"Your Grace, that's too much," the florist protested.
"It's for Lylah's garden. I don't want her to get harmed," Sienna said. And the nectar is poisonous.
"Aunt, let's go inside. I'll show you the flowers I planted," Lylah said, pulling me toward the shop.
"Stay away from the Drityl flowers," Sienna called after us.
We entered and stepped out into a garden filled with flowers. Lylah ran off to admire the blooms while Dax stood beside me, watching her. I turned my attention to the flowers, and upon seeing the Drityl, I approached them for a closer look.
As I reached out to pluck one, a hand grabbed mine.
"That's poisonous. You'll be in danger if you touch it without gloves," a voice said. I looked up, startled.
"Phoenix?" I said, surprised.
"Hey, Faina," he said, helping me up. "What brings you to the North?" he asked.
"I came to visit," I replied.
"For how long?"
"Until Sienna says I can leave," I answered, and he laughed.
"Typical," he said, turning to the couple who seemed to be eavesdropping. "Can I leave now?" he asked, and they looked at him.
"Leave?" Sienna asked.
"Calm down, honey. I'll take care of this," Keith said. What were these two up to? "Phoenix, do you want me to lose height?" Keith asked. How did my height come up? "Your dormmate is here; why don't you catch up and talk?" he suggested, but it didn't sound like a suggestion.
"Uncle, you know Aunt Faina too?" Dax asked.
"Yes, we were all in the same dorm at the academy," Phoenix replied.
"Then is it true that Aunt was taller but lost height?" Dax asked. I glanced at Keith, who was struggling to hide his smile.
"No," Phoenix said, looking at Keith. "Sienna, I was on my way somewhere before you called me over. I was almost out of the capital," he said. Why did they interrupt him?
"He was?" Sienna asked, her expression saying, 'good job.' "I just wanted to see you," she said.
"And I'm here," Phoenix replied.
"Stop being shy," Sienna said, stepping forward. Phoenix said something quietly, and Sienna's laughter didn't clarify much.
"Lylah, what's wrong?" Dax's voice broke through the moment, and we turned to see Lylah on the floor. Everyone rushed to her side. She was coughing up blood and looked extremely pale.
"Lylah," Sienna said, kneeling beside her. I noticed a Drityl flower nearby. Sienna tried to pick her up.
"Sienna, put her down and move back," I said quickly.
"Huh?" Sienna looked at me, confused, but complied.
"Faina, we need to get her to a physician," Phoenix said. Did everyone forget my training?
I knelt beside Lylah and checked her temperature. She had a fever. Focusing on the point of poison inhalation… I touched her chest and was about to use my healing magic when I remembered something.
"How old is she?" I asked.
"Three," Sienna replied. She was too young for much magic. I had no choice.
I adjusted the pace of my magic release to be slow and steady to avoid awakening her magic. Lylah continued coughing, and I could feel the group's anxiety, but I knew it wasn't life-threatening. She soon passed out, but I kept going, as there was no herbal remedy available.
"She's fine; she just inhaled a bit of Drityl nectar," I said, pointing to the flowers. "She probably brought it close to her mouth," I added, standing up. "Give me your hand," I said to Sienna. She extended her hand, and I healed her just to be safe.
"Thanks, Faina," Sienna said.
"It's fine. Could you carry her?" I asked Keith, who still looked uneasy.
"Ah, yes, okay," he said, stepping forward to carry her.
"You're really cool, Aunt," Dax said.