Chapter 131 - Shall We Begin?
While the Black Shadow guards had been following the orders by the King to search and bring back the etcher meant for Prince Draco, Yvonne St. Claire was gazing at the very same etcher.
Her mild existential crisis had come to an end after she realized that there was nothing she could do even if all she was now was a fictional character in the script that she had rejected.
Demon had now accepted Yvonne as his fated etched and was standing next to her, shielding her tiny body from the harsh morning Sun's rays.
This action of his was making Captain Desmo Reel's brows raise up in amusement.
He knew that etchers had a special affection for their fated etched and cared deeply for them yet this turn of events was quite new as they were moving at a high speed.
Even he and Precious had taken some to adjust after the etching process had been completed however everything seemed so effortless and hassle-free when it came to this student of his.
'Ah! I had forgotten why I had arrived here.' He shook his head at the time they've already wasted.
"Child…" He began his sentence but was immediately cut off.
"Yvonne." The little girl uttered her name which made the Captain gain a look of confusion on his face.
"My name is Yvonne and not 'Child'." She corrected him with a disappointed shake of her head.
'He called me 'Child' earlier as well but I was a little preoccupied with different matters to correct him.' She recalled and then patted the side of the horse who had been her distraction.
Captain Reel rolled his eyes and took a step forward while keeping an eye on the monstrous etcher.
The first time that the Captain had attempted to get close to Yvonne, the horse by her side had shielded her so the man was cautious as he did not wish for anyone to get injured here.
Thankfully, Demon was an obedient boy who followed the instructions of his master and hence he stood still.
Though he hadn't moved an inch, his eyes were fixed on the man who had come close to their position.
'What is this?' Yvonne wondered as she alternated her gaze between the man and the beast who had locked eyes.
Once Desmo Reel had successfully approached their position, he glanced over Yvonne once again to make sure that she had no injuries which might have cost him his head if the Earl was made aware of this incident.
"Hmm…" He nodded in approval when he saw no signs of injury on her body.
The sight of the huge beast's body raised high up in the air flashed before his eyes and he could not help but worry how the child must have felt when she had to experience such a traumatizing incident.
"Why were you so close to this…" He questioned while pointing his finger at the massive horse by her side.
Since etchers had a high intelligence compared to their species, Demon leered at the man whose finger was aimed at his snout.
Yvonne thought back to the time that had caused Demon and her to get startled.
Thinking of why she had to ungracefully plant her butt to the ground, she first glared at the beast next to her and then turned her eyes towards the stable.
"The horses had caused a loud ruckus with their neighs which startled my poor Demon!" She revealed while narrowing her eyes at the stable.
The moment she had disclosed why she had been on the ground with the horse almost squishing her little body, Captain Desmo began coughing relentlessly.
He turned around and shot an accusing glance at this Precious since she was the one who had initiated the said ruckus thanks to her beauty.
The white mare once again neighed after feeling the accusatory glare being shot at her.
Yvonne and Demon who had been ignorant of what had happened at the stable were left at the side as they watched the horse and man staring at each other.
"Does the Captain love horses a lot?" She muttered to herself but was heard by the other man.
Desmo turned towards the source of the voice and waited for her to explain herself.
"The Captain has been staring at this horse and then at that one." She answered while gesturing towards Demon then Precious.
Taking a moment to observe the two horses, Yvonne noticed that they were the polar opposites of each other.
If her Demon looked like a soul-snatching demon from hell then the horse behind the Captain looked just like an angel who had descended to save the condemned.
Yvonne looked up when she felt something nudging at her shoulder and chuckled when she found the long snout of her new pet prodding her to get her attention.
Upon hearing her question, Desmo remembered that the child knew nothing about what an etcher was and therefore, he took it upon himself to educate her regarding the same.
"Shall we begin our class?" He inquired and did not bother to wait for her answer as he began walking in the other direction.
He knew that Yvonne was the one who was adamant about learning from him and hence, whatever he did, she would follow without any questions asked.
Though a part of this was true since Yvonne would certainly not want to piss her tutor off this did not mean that she would accept his attitude every time.
Captain Desmo held the reins of his Precious and strode in the direction of the woods that were present at a short distance from the stables.
'I need to speak to him about many things so calm down and follow his lead for now.' She coaxed her heart and then strode ahead.
As she stepped ahead, she felt that something was wrong as the shadow that should have disappeared after she moved away from Demon remained in the same place.
With every step she took, she turned around to glimpse at her new pet and found that the distance between them had not increased.
'Is he following me?' Yvonne wondered and decided to test her theory out.
She scurried forward and then came to an abrupt halt. Taking a peek at the horse behind her, she got the answer that she was looking for.
"Ah-ha!" She scoffed when she found that the horse was once again at the same distance away from her.
Desmo Reel rolled his eyes when he saw this childish behavior but then chided himself for what he had gotten himself into.
"She is a five-year-old child after all! What else can I expect from her?" He muttered to himself and then glared at the newly formed pair of etcher and etched.
"Bring the horse along!" He commanded in a loud voice as he had walked quite a few feet away from them.
Upon hearing his words of instruction, Yvonne shrugged and then looked into Demon's dark crimson eyes.
"Care to come along?" She inquired and giggled when the mighty horse nodded his head in acceptance.
"Such a good boy!" She rubbed his muzzle and walked next to him as they followed the Captain.
'Well, I guess this is fine since the Captain must have called me to the stables to select a horse for myself and luckily I found this beauty!' She surmised as she moved along with her horse.
She thanked her lucky stars for helping her find her new pet whom her fussy self was absolutely satisfied with.