Throughout the remaining night, Nux engaged himself with the other servants, cleaning and attending to the remaining guests and when everything had finally come to an end, they returned to their rooms.
It was a hectic day for them so Lord Harry was graceful enough to let them rest longer, they only needed not to overdo it by sleeping for too long.
Nux woke up later than the others and by the time he did, the servants were done with most of the chores while Val was out for some shopping with Sophia. These two seemed to be becoming closer by the day despite their age differences.
It was approaching noon when they returned and when they got to the mansion, Val caught sight of Nux tending to the flowers.
"Go ahead, I'll join you in the kitchen later," he said to Sophia before heading to where Nux was. "Hey," he greeted him.
"Welcome," Nux replied and stretched himself. "What did you get at the market?" He asked.
"Nothing much, just some fruits and veggies," Val replied.
"That sounds heartbreaking," Nux said, forming a sad face.
"I saw you with princess Isabella last night," Val said, seeming very serious. "And it seems you both are close already."
"Is there any problem?" Nux asked him.
"Nothing," Val replied with a shrug but looking at him, Nux knew that the boy had something to say.
"Go ahead and speak," he said, causing the boy to sigh.
"Fine, since you insist, I'll talk," he said... "When Sophia and I went to the market, I heard some discussions going about her but I didn't want Sophia to know about so I sneaked away and went to listen to what those people were saying."
"And what were they talking about?" Nux asked.
"They said she's a half-elf," Val replied.
"And?" Nux asked, not quite getting Val's point. "Is there anything wrong in being a half-elf?"
"Yes!" Val exclaimed and went closer to Nux. "Legends says that Elfs and half-elfs are descendants of a race called witches. Witches are very dangerous and they are said to feed on the manas of humans to prolong their lives, centuries ago, some brave men from the four kingdoms came together to defeat that evil race and had them all annihilated but years after, rumors have it that not all of them were killed. Now, I am beginning to believe those rumors."
Nux's eyes widened in shock as he listened to Val's words. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Princess Isabella, a half-elf and a descendant of witches? It seemed like something out of the ordinary. He had read about witches and demons back in his former world but he didn't know all that existed somewhere in this new world. Still, he didn't want to believe that his precious heroine was a witch.
"But that's just a legend," he argued, trying to rationalize the situation. "There's no proof that any of it is true."
Val nodded, his expression serious. "I know, but what if it's not just a legend? What if it's true? Think about it, Nux. Princess Isabella is always so calm and collected, even in the face of danger. And she has that strange, otherworldly beauty to her. It's almost...unnatural."
Nux felt a shiver run down his spine as he listened to Val's words. He had to admit, there was something strange about Princess Isabella, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She was calm, but not all that extremely calm during troubles. He didn't want to believe that she was a half-elf, or the descendant of witches. It seemed like such a ridiculous, far-fetched idea.
"I don't know, Val," Nux said, shaking his head. "I just can't believe that Princess Isabella is a witch. It's just too crazy."
Val sighed, his expression frustrated. "I know it sounds crazy, Nux. But just think about it, okay? Keep an open mind. And be careful around Princess Isabella. If she is a witch, we don't know what she's capable of."
Nux nodded as he watched Val leave, he was feeling a sense of unease. He didn't know what to believe, or what to think. He didn't want to be careful around her or start avoiding her because of what they said about her but still... It was difficult not believing all that Val told him.
Nux wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished his tending to the flowers. He had been thinking about his encounter with Malakai all morning and now he had to think about Isabella too, all of these weren't what he expected when he thought of coming to the capital and he had every chance or perhaps right to not get involved in any of them but since the people involved are people who showed a bit of care and love to him, he had to do something for them.
One thing he learned from his previous world was gratitude. He learned to show gratitude for everything done for him and with gratitude comes payback; it was an essential tool for him. When someone does something for him or to him, he had to show gratitude for it and by showing gratitude, he had to pay back. For example, if someone does something bad to him, he had to pay him back with something bad... That was gratitude to him.
Lord Harry and Isabella had been good to him so he had to return the favor, he decided to take this chance and go see Lord Harry in his study since he had promised to help him solve the case between him and Malakai.
He made his way to the study, knocking on the door before entering. Lord Harry looked up from the papers he was reading, a look of surprise on his face.
"Ah, Nux," he said. "What brings you here?"
Nux took a deep breath before speaking. "I wanted to ask you about Malakai," he said. "What's going on between you two? Why does he keep threatening you?"
Lord Harry's expression turned guarded, and he leaned back in his chair. "I don't think that's any of your concern, Nux," he said.
But Nux was not deterred. He took a step forward, his eyes locked on Lord Harry's. "I'm making it my concern," he said. "I care about what happens to you, Lord Harry. And I want to know what's going on."
Lord Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine," he said. "I'll tell you. But you have to promise me that you'll keep this to yourself."
Nux nodded eagerly. "I promise," he said.
Lord Harry leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Malakai and I have a... complicated history," he said. "We were once business partners, but things went sour. He's been trying to get revenge on me ever since."
Nux's eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of business were you in?" he asked.
Lord Harry hesitated before speaking. "I'd rather not say," he said. "Let's just say that it was something that I'm not proud of."
Nux nodded, understanding. "I see," he said.
Lord Harry leaned back in his chair, looking relieved. "Thank you for understanding, Nux," he said. "I appreciate your discretion."
Nux nodded, smiling. "Of course, Lord Harry," he said. "I'm always here to help."
As Nux turned to leave, Lord Harry called out to him. "Nux?" he said.
Nux turned back to him. "Yes, Lord Harry?" he asked.
Lord Harry's expression was serious. "Be careful around Malakai," he said. "He's not a man to be messed with."
"I understand," Nux replied and left the room. Inwardly, he was disappointed in Lord Harry. 'Does he not know the true reason why Malakai hates him?' He grunted inwardly. 'The problem with the two of them isn't just a mere business crisis, there was more to it and if something isn't done about it, Lord Harry might loose his life. No, I can't let this happen!'
At the mere thought of it, his face darkened. Nux would not let anything happen to Lord Harry, no matter what.
'I need to find Isabella before nightfall!' He thought and with that, he prepared to leave the mansion.