Chapter 19 - Searching For A Cave!

Lucien slowly made his way to the garden; it was his favorite spot in the mansion, second only to the bedroom. As he stepped into the garden, he noticed that the maids and his mother were sitting on the grass and quietly watching the sunset. The entire sky was painted in shades of orange and pink, casting an ethereal glow on whatever it touched. 'Whoa…!' Lucien exclaimed as his gaze fell on Marigold. Her wavy auburn hair glowed in the sunlight as she gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while her emerald green eyes shone like jewels against the backdrop of the fading sunlight. "She's… breathtaking!" Lucien murmured, his heart thumped against his chest as he stared at her breathtaking beauty. He quietly made his way to Marigold and sat beside her. He leaned his body against her, placed his head on her shoulder, and began to sway with her, matching her rhythm. He took a deep breath; the fresh scent of grass, trees, and distant mountains washed over him like a gentle breeze, adding more beauty to the moment. A small but beautiful smile tugged at Marigold's lips while watching her son. She leaned her head against his as they watched the sun set behind the mountains, taking a rest for the day. A few minutes had passed since the sun had set behind the mountains, but they still sat in silence, unwilling to break the serene atmosphere. "How was your day, baby?" Marigold whispered, her voice sounding like a divine goddess against a tranquil backdrop. "It was good. I made some plans for the future. What about you, mama?"  "Hmmm, I had a good day too. I baked some cookies today, but I added salt instead of sugar," Marigold replied, her voice trailing off as her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. CHUCKLE The maids chuckled as they listened to Marigold; they recalled the moment when she tasted the cookies and threw up because they had too much salt. HMPH Marigold snorted slightly and started sulking. Lucien smiled while watching this as he reminisced about his past life.  He was always alone in his previous life; his parents left him in front of an orphanage, and the only friend he could make was Adam. Adam, too, was an orphan; they grew up together and were more or less like brothers. But now, in this life, he has a family. A mother who loved him more than anything else and maids who would do anything for him. 'That's why I'll never let them go! They are mine!' Greed and obsessiveness shone in his eyes briefly before they faded away. "Mama, I will be going to the mountains tomorrow," Lucien informed. It was time for him to make preparations if something were to happen while they were there. "To the mountains?" Marigold asked; she knew her son feared that there might be an attack on them and was preparing escape routes. "Yes, I will search for caves that are big enough to make them our safe house," Lucien answered while closing his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. Marigold bit her lip; her baby was doing everything he could to keep them safe. 'I will make sure he's happy whenever he's home,' she vowed silently..... The next day, Lucien woke up early and did some light exercise, but he didn't complete his daily quests; 'there's no penalty for not completing them and the rewards are too little,' he mumbled. He then walked toward the mountains in big strides; the cave he wanted to find needed to be far, but not so far that it would become impractical. Lucien walked for a few hours until he came across a mountain that had a small river flowing at its foot.  'This might be a good place. We can escape using the river if ever people find us.' He then began to search the mountain for caves that could house them. It took him another few hours to find a cave that was big enough and close enough to the river. But, there's a problem. "I wouldn't say it's a problem since it's too weak," Lucien muttered as he looked at the sleeping bear. Lucien could sense that it was a normal grizzly bear and was not a threat to him. WHISTLE He whistled to get its attention and wake it up from its sleep. The bear lazily opened one of its eyes to see who dared to disturb its sleep. Its gaze fell on Lucien, who was standing at the entrance of the cave with a big grin stuck to his face. The bear's mouth twitched as it looked into his eyes; there was no fear in them. Instead, Lucien was looking at it as if it were a big piece of meat. The bear rose from its slumber, towering over Lucien in height and roared at him while baring its teeth. ROAR Lucien's grin widened at the bear's roar, "I have never eaten bear meat before. I wonder what you taste like." He taunted. The Bear, as if understanding Lucien, hurled at him at full speed. It has to show this puny human the power of its paws. But Lucien stood still; his eyes just stared at the oncoming grizzly bear. 'I want to test my physical strength,' he muttered to himself. He had never fought against anyone and wanted to compare his strength to the Grizzly, which was known to be one of the strongest in his previous life. The bear reached him in a second; it gazed at Lucien arrogantly and swung its paw down. Lucien, however, didn't care about the paw coming down on him. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the bear with his full strength. BOOM BANG The bear was sent flying like a broken kite and crashed into the wall. Its guts spilled out and blood leaked from its mouth as it lost its life. 'Ugh! I should've controlled my strength; now the cave is all messed up. But still, I never thought I was this powerful!' He walked over to the bear carcass, carried it on his shoulder, and exited the cave. "I should bring Judiel with me and ask her opinion.... maybe…." A perverted smile bloomed on his face, and his eyes shone with lust as he imagined taking Judiel in the cave. 'Hehehe'