Chapter 775 - 774. Charity Begins With Humility (4)

The next day, Alys, Carlos and Eric rode back to the same settlement, the previous day’s work had given them and overview of what to expect next. Alys and Silas were once again back in the tent with the children, while Carlos was back again in the records tent jotting down details without even caring of what looks the people were giving him.

Eric was outside overlooking everything and helping with whatever was needed.

Since the children were acquainted with Silas and Alys they found it easier to approach them.

"So, you are the Master of the Mage’s Tower?" One of the boys asked Silas.

"Yes," Silas answered.

"Anybody can come to your Tower?" Another one asked.

"No, only those who want to work hard and learn magic can."

He was sitting on the stool surrounded by the slightly older kids while Alys was playing with the infants and toddlers.

"Then, can I learn magic too?" One of the girls asked, her bright orange hair was tied up in twin pig tails while her lively green eyes sparkled with interest.

"Depends," he said as he looked at her up and down.

"On what?"

"On whether you have the talent for magic or not," he said.

"And what if I don’t have talent but I want to go to your Tower?" The girl asked.

Silas shrugged, "Then you can become a researcher. You can use the devices and assist other mages."

The girl’s face brightened up, "Can I come to your Tower then?"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"I want to learn magic too!"

The kids started shouting and Silas clapped his hands once making them all stop the clamor.

"I can take all of you," he said but then his eyes grew slightly colder, "but if you don’t work and get me results you’ll have to leave."

The kids flinched hearing that and Alys sighed, she couldn’t even tell him off here since she knew he was way too strict when it came to his Tower. It was something had he had built from the scratch with all his blood, sweat and tears. The Tower that could stand against the societal norms and hierarchy. The fact that the internal hierarchy was merit based was in itself a novelty and in order to keep that ecosystem running, the Tower had rigid rules which sometimes put a lot of pressure on the Mages and researchers. Even Alys was exempt from it, she had earned herself the nickname of being an explosives expert but she knew she had been on the verge of being kicked out if it hadn’t been for Silas’s mentoring and some ideas from Reina.

"If I work very hard and give you results, will you let me stay there?" The orange haired girl asked.

Silas looked down at her and then nodded.

Her eyes grew wider, "Then will I also get to eat however much I like there? Or do I have to pay for that?"

Silas’s eyebrows twitched while Alys froze.

For a moment, while playing along with these kids they seemed to have forgotten the reason why these kids were in that tent in the first place.

Most of these children were orphans or only had a single parent left who was busy working outside to rebuild their life.

The toddler whom Alys was playing with curled his tiny fingers around her long forefinger and cooed questioningly as she had stopped so suddenly.

Alys blinked and then smiled at the toddler making him giggle while she glanced at Silas.

"You don’t need to worry about not being fed in the future," he said.

"If not for my Tower, you will be send to a good place where you will get food, good clothes, a proper bed and you will even go to school."

The children inched closer at the mention of these new facilities.

"Really? All of us?"

Silas nodded, "The person who is currently providing for the food now will take care of you all even in future."

The kids became even more fascinated at that, "Who?"

"The King?"

Silas’s usually blank face twisted in a scowl hearing that but he quickly wiped away that expression and shook his head.

"No,"

"Dummy it’s the Lord that the knights and other adults speak of."

"Oh, the masked Master!"

The kids seemed to be familiar with the founder of the Oasis Foundation.

Alys smiled as she listened to the kids speaking excitedly to Silas about their benefactor. Her mind drifted as she played with the toddlers thinking of Reina and how she was using Ocean’s persona to keep her family safe. Alys had seen the way Rune and Duke Aurelius were protective of her, even Silas and Marquis Fairisles for that matter. They all cherished each other enough to risk their lives for the safety of each other.

It was kind of a foreign feeling for Alys, growing up without her parents and only sending for herself was hard but those days were of the past, now while she did have the man she loved and a few relations but the concept of family was still beyond her.

Even after spending the day with her "cousins," she couldn’t discern how she felt about them. She knew Eric was a kind and righteous person, someone who reminded her of her father which gave her the confidence that he might become a good King. Her feelings for Carlos, on the other hand, were unknown.

The other day when Carlos had gotten hurt while trying to save a child she had felt a sense of panic but it was only momentary. She had asked him about his leg during dinner but couldn’t bring herself to worry about him for some reason. She blamed Katherine for that, her lack of empathy towards a person who looked like he was trying to redeem himself was because he was connected to someone who had snatched everything away from Alys.

She didn’t even want to think about Colette after she heard from Silas that she was the one who had hexed her mother and turned her into that demonic monster. Like mother, like daughter...

Alys often tried to make things clear at least for herself that she wouldn’t get close to anyone of the royal family but after opening up to her Uncle who genuinely cared for her, Lady Elise who treated her warmly and Eric who looked like he also wanted to grow close to her, she couldn’t help but feel her resolve sway. She couldn’t help but hope that maybe, she could reconcile but then again, she couldn’t be sure of what would happen in future.

She knew she had people whom she could trust to have her back and who would do anything in case something happens to her but she couldn’t help but look back on the days when she was all alone. The times when the nights felt so unbearable that she wanted to give up on fighting.

The dark thoughts started rushing back again as she sat there.

Silas who had been answering and casting minor spells for the kids noticed Alys going quiet, her head tilted downwards and her lashes lowered as she grew distant.

He narrowed his eyes for a moment before he snapped his fingers and the children squealed loudly making her flinch and look in their direction.

The glowing red butterflies fluttered in the air and the kids laughed in glee trying to chase and catch them. One of those butterflies flew over to Alys and perched over her finger.

She stared at it, feeling the dark thoughts fading before she glanced at Silas who was staring at her and smiled.

Everything was fine as long as she had this man by her side.

The second day was drawing to a close and as the volunteers started wrapping up their work and Carlos limped out of the records tent.

The sky was painted in the colors of twilight as the sun started disappearing and the air started growing chilly.

Carlos looked around at the people and again the feeling of being left out came over him like the other day when Eric and Alys were talking so naturally to each other like siblings. Carlos himself wasn’t close to Colette in the first place so, he found it a little strange to watch Alys and Eric. They were supposed to be cousins, yet, they were more like strangers- rivals, if he was being honest.

Despite being a legitimate son of the King, his throne was snatched away by a Concubine’s son and if not for him then there was now and even stronger hieress to the throne, the First Princess. It was almost as if he was never meant to become the King.

"That’s not happening." Carlos blinked as he heard Ruel.

"Huh?"

"As long as you have me, you’re not being pushed aside from your rightful claim."

Carlos hummed, Ruel’s confident words weren’t having much effect on him at present.

He turned his gaze looking at Eric who was talking to Alys and Silas, he laughed at something and she smiled.

Carlos kept staring at them before he sighed and then felt a tug at his sleeve.

He turned his head, looking down at a little girl who stood there. Her recognized her, she was the same child whose doll he’d found the other day. She had pinched the hem of his sleeve as she looked up at him with her large eyes. She held her other hand behind her back, as if hiding something.

He instinctively glanced around wondering if someone had sent her to him or if someone would just storm up and shout at her for approaching him. But nobody was paying any attention to them.

He looked down at her again and asked, "What do you want?"

The girl shook her head before she fidgeted and then brought her other hand ahead. Carlos noticed what she was holding as she stretched her hand up at him.

It was a bright yellow flower, two of its petals seemed to be damaged because of being plucked haphazardly.

The girl looked nervous as she held up the flower and Carlos wondered why she was holding it up to him.

"You want me to take it?" He asked and the girl nodded shyly.

Carlos didn’t think much and took the flower. He could feel the girl staring at him as he looked at the flower.

He didn’t understand what was it that she wanted and he looked at her again as she kept staring at him wordlessly.

He stared at her for a few seconds before he placed the flower in his pocket and the girl beamed.

"So, that’s what she wanted." He thought to himself.

"Thank you for finding my Jenny." The girl spoke.

"Who’s Jenny?"

The girl grinned, "My doll."

Carlos was taken aback, he hadn’t expected not wished that he would be thanked here in this place where people were openly hostile towards him.

The sudden words of gratitude rendered him speechless and the girl let go of his sleeve and skipped away smiling at him.

"Carlos!" He flinched and turned looking at Eric who was waving at him.

"Let’s head back now!"

He relaxed his shoulders and walked towards the carriage and got on.

Eric sat down beside him and Carlos avoided Alys’s eyes who sat right in front of him, he looked out of the window.

The carriage started moving and Eric yawned widely starting a conversation with Alys. They seemed even more close for some reason now that they talked more casually.

Carlos didn’t bother to listen as he stared out at the passing scenery. He kept thinking of Nyx at moments like this, wondering what she might be doing. He couldn’t even contact her after the siege since he was under an even stricter watchful eye of the Ryujin mansion’s people. Just when he thought of them, he recalled the woman whom he had seen twice displaying ruthless battles.

"... Isn’t that right, Carlos?" Carlos blinked as he heard his voice and turned his head looking at Eric who was looking at him with a smile.

"What?"

Eric chuckled, "Don’t tell me you weren’t listening,"

Carlos felt a little awkward as they all looked at him.

"...I wasn’t." He admitted and Eric shook his head, still smiling before he tilted his head, his eyes resting on Carlos’s chest.

"Oh, a flower."

Carlos involuntarily touched the flower that he’d kept in his breastpocket earlier and Eric smiled.

"So that’s what the little girl was giving you, huh."

Carlos didn’t say anything, nobody else was looking but Eric was.

"That’s cute, did she thank you?" Alys asked.

Carlos nodded and Eric patted his shoulder, "Feels good to be thanked for something you did, right?"

Carlos felt the strange warmth in his chest as he nodded again and then turned away, hiding his eyes that were starting to become red.

Eric simply smiled and leaned back in his seat while Alys stared at Carlos from the corner of her eye.