Chapter 145: Every Heart’s Tale

"Big Brother, are you not going to sing and dance for us?"

As soon as Aren shook his head, the kids’ expressions changed almost as if asking, ’Then why are you even here?’

Some seemed to have lost interest in him while some were disappointed.

Only a few girls seemed unperturbed by Aren’s rejection, staring at him with dreamy eyes, as if looking at the prince of their dreams appearing on a white horse.

The orphanage naturally cared for children of all ages—from toddlers to teenagers, so these girls ranged in different ages as well.

As Aren noticed the reactions of the kids, he immediately coughed once to gather their attention and spoke to salvage the situation.

"I can still tell you a story. Would you like to listen?"

The young kids below age nine all seemed to brighten up at the prospect of listening to a story, clapping happily.

"Yay!"

"I like stories!"

"Tell us! Tell us!"

The older kids remained quiet while one of the teenage boys curiously asked, "What’s the story about?"

The other kids also looked at Aren with curious gazes, waiting for his answer.

Aren had to tell a story that would satisfy all the kids of different ages.

What children below eight might find interesting and funny, the older kids might find the same as immature and boring.

Meanwhile, what the older kids might find gripping and interesting, the younger ones might find it too complex to understand, ultimately losing interest and causing a ruckus.

Every age group had different interests, so satisfying them altogether seemed a bit difficult, but he already had a story ready as he came prepared for this moment.

He looked at the boy who had asked the question about the topic of the story, and then he smiled at him amiably. "It’s about revenge... magic... and dragons."

"Yay!"

"I like Magic!"

"I like dragons!"

Since most of the children’s fairytales had magic and dragon elements, the kids were familiar with them.

The teenage boy assumed Aren’s story to be just another kid’s fairytale and with little interest sat in the back of the group to listen to the celebrity’s story.

He didn’t have anything better to do anyway.

Moreover, he would be scolded by the orphanage lady if he offended Aren or left in the middle.

He was basically here to please Aren, trying not to offend him.

Many other kids his age shared the same thoughts.

The boy looked to his side to check on his companions, only to notice that many girls of his age, even his crush, seemed to be staring at Aren with a smitten smile, as if just looking at him filled them with pleasure.

Seeing this, he felt a sense of animosity rising inside him, but then again... looking at Aren, his animosity calmed down instantly. Aren’s face was just too handsome to compete with. He admitted his defeat.

Currently, the children sat in a semicircle facing Aren, who stood in front of them and began to narrate the story, adding a bit of his acting skills in the mix.

"In the kingdom of Hestia, there ruled an evil king. This king liked to kidnap beautiful women. One day, while strolling across the streets of his market with his guards, the king spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on."

Aren pretended to sweep his gaze over the faces in the room only to stop at the face of one woman standing in the corner.

He smiled and pointed at her. "Just like her. She was as beautiful as her."

Yana Moss, being pointed at so suddenly, was startled as all the gazes in the room focused on her.

[Image.]

Aren didn’t give anyone the chance to raise an objection as he immediately continued.

"The evil king ordered his guards to capture her."

Aren acted to be the evil king and pointed at Yana, ordering the imaginary guards. "Go capture that woman and bring her to my magic castle, hahaha!"

His evil laughter was dramatic, making a few giggle.

After all, his audience was children. He couldn’t go too dark.

"The woman, weak and fragile, couldn’t do anything but scream for help, but of course, no one dared to go against the evil king and help her."

He shook his head regretfully.

"In the end, the evil king ate her because he was an evil dragon disguising himself as a human."

That revelation made many kids gasp, while a few got excited at the entry of a dragon.

"But the evil dragon didn’t know that the beautiful woman was married. Her husband, a common man, driven by rage, vowed to avenge her and kill the evil king!"

Suddenly, the teenage boy felt that this wasn’t just any fairy tale as he felt himself being drawn into the story by Aren’s dramatic narration.

He would sometimes act as different characters of the story, speaking their dialogues in the character’s way of speaking, allowing the children to play the story in their heads.

"The hero, who wanted revenge on the evil dragon, needed to learn magic to win against the dragon. He asked around and stumbled on the rumors of a powerful mage living in the tropical forests beyond the mountains."

"He was desperate, and in that desperation, he went to look for the powerful mage."

Aren narrated his journey to the mountain, filled with perils.

"After a lot of difficulty, the man arrived at the mountain where the powerful mage appeared in front of him to welcome the hero."

"Hohoho! Welcome, courageous hero. I’m the all-powerful mage, and I’ve been keeping an eye on your journey. You’ve arrived despite great dangers. What brings you in search of me?"

Aren immediately stepped to another side, transitioning into the role of the hero, his expression becoming that of a desperate man as he iterated his sufferings to the mage.

He then again stepped back to his original position, taking on the role of the mage.

"You’ve suffered greatly at the hands of the evil king, courageous hero..."

----------------------------------

(A/N -Thanks for reading. ^..^)