Basil's visit to my house was a surprise for everyone. First of all, my mother's reaction to seeing him in the entrance with his butler was a poem, something I would like to portray and hang in my room to look at and laugh non-stop. My father behaved like the duke he was, polite and kind, welcoming him. While Reese was left speechless for a few seconds seeing him in our living room having tea with various types of pastries he had looked at me without understanding how we had reached this point but he also winked at me as if he were congratulating me. He probably thought I was being courted by Basil.
I didn't bother to contradict him, because whoever thought that could save me many questions about the presence of the black-haired man in my house.
We were in the living room in the company of our butlers, my parents wanted to stay but I asked them kindly to leave. Only Walter and Basil's butler were our companions, we had to get rid of them if we wanted to talk about what we had come to talk about.
"Walter, I would like to be alone with Lord Basil. We have something private to talk about."
Walter looked at me in surprise because until a few hours ago I hated nobles and now I wanted to be alone with one. Still, he smiled softly and nodded elegantly and asked me to call him if I needed anything and left. Basil asked the same of his butler who did not look as surprised as Walter, we will have to see how many girls this black-haired prince has been alone with.
Once we were alone I took my cup of tea and took a sip to think carefully about my next question I did not know how to bring up this subject. However, Basil got ahead of me.
"What is your name?"
"Hosui Yoshino."
"What is your real name?" he asked again, not without kindness.
"I could ask you the same question."
"Why do you think I'm from another world?"
"Why are you so interested in this topic? Do you enjoy the occultism, Lord Basil?"
Basil sighed because he realized that the conversation was going nowhere, he had underestimated me he surely thought that I would obediently answer all his questions but he was wrong. I saw him think, trying to find another way to bring up the subject until he seemed to find it because his eyes lit up with something similar to melancholy.
"Does the name Caleb Miller mean anything to you?"
My reaction seemed to be immutable, because Basil looked disappointed. But the reality was that I felt like he had stabbed me in the chest, I lowered my gaze for a few seconds, letting my bangs hide my eyes. I nodded slowly.
From there Basil continued with the conversation and I just listened. He introduced himself as Liam Davis and he was Caleb's best friend. It was at that moment that I started to remember but as I had said before my brother and I weren't that close so I had no idea who his friends were.
"We saw each other at school and hung out from time to time. You know how he was, sometimes he would close himself off and not want to know anything about anyone," Basil said while drinking some tea.
And he was right. Caleb was an introvert who needed to mentally prepare himself for at least 10 hours before socializing with others, plus he had a social battery of 4 hours he couldn't be around people for longer than that. He also had moments where he hated being around others he would lock himself in his room and only have the necessary contact with people maybe Liam was one of the only people Caleb felt safe with and could be in their company despite not being in the mood.
"Do you know the abandoned tracks behind Hensworth Hospital?" Basil asked, I nodded and he nodded too "We used to go there to hang out sometimes. The day he died, I went there on my own, I felt like it was a way to be close to him for some reason. Suddenly I took a wrong step and twisted my ankle, I fell on the tracks… but I realized that they weren't train tracks but grass. I appeared in the Davenport house's garden and I became Basil."
"But you still have your memories of your past life." I affirmed and Basil nodded, that only made me sigh "Do you think we're dead? Why are we here?"
The black-haired guy paused to drink tea and eat scones, I imitated him because I was already starting to get hungry but I could see that we were both thinking about our next words. Maybe neither of us knew what he was doing here but there was something we did know.
"We have to find out, " Basil said "Do you think Caleb is here?"
"I don't know, maybe… How are we going to find him?"
Basil shook his head but then started talking about the school library which has a restricted area where there were books of dark magic. He said that there might be information about summoning humans to this world, it was something to start with. We agreed to infiltrate the library the next day but we couldn't be seen together or there would be an uproar throughout the academy.
"Wait for me near the locker room," Basil said. "I'll go get you and then we'll sneak into the library."
I nodded because I couldn't really think of another plan but I didn't count on there being someone else listening behind the door.
I said goodbye to Basil after a few minutes, his driver had arrived just in time, apparently the Davenport family wasn't too happy about their son spending time with me. I returned to my room to find Reese waiting for me at the door, I ignored him but he stretched out his arm and placed his hand on the threshold of my bedroom door blocking my way. I looked at him defiantly and he did too.
"What's your problem?" I said, already fed up with having to deal with him. "It's my room, let me in."
But he didn't say anything he simply leaned over me until his face was inches from mine as a provocation, I didn't move.
"If you embarrass this family, I'll send you back to the cave you came from. Understood?"
Then I let out a giggle now his true colors were finally showing. "How curious, it's the second time someone said that to me today."
And with a subtle movement of my fingers, the arm that was blocking my way to my room was enveloped by a black mist that twisted it painfully without breaking it. Reese squealed in pain and moved out of my way, he glared at me and I smiled at him. I walked into my room and my smile automatically disappeared. I really hate this family.