Of Roses... And Blood? Wait What-?

Sudden Visit

"It's rare for you to be visiting me like this, your highness. You usually head straight for my son's villa in the Forest of Darkness." Alberu was greeted unexpectedly with Deruth's words. He was definitely thrown off, but Alberu was too much of a skilled actor to let it show on his face.

He decided that it was a wise idea to just ignore the fact that Cale Henituse has a villa in the Forest of Darkness. Thank goodness Choi Han's hood has its uses for times like this.

Such as hiding his awful acting and honest facial expressions for example. It was honestly pretty admirable of Choi Han to not flinch at Deruth's words.

"Yes, well... I came by to visit with the intentions of checking on you, Duke Deruth." Alberu was cautious to not let Count Deruth's current title slip out. If it was Choi Han alone, he would've been caught within a matter of seconds.

Deruth seemed to brightened up at Alberu's words, causing Alberu to inwardly sigh in relief. So it wasn't the wrong thing to say. Good to know.

"Thank you for your concerns, your highness. My family has been doing extremely well. Despite the previous conflicts between various kingdoms and the multiple wars our Roan kingdom faced. Rather, I'm more worried about the fact that my son might not be able to rest due to these recent events." Deruth leaned back in his chair as he thought of his one and only child with Jour.

Knowing his son, he would be rather oblivious to the reactions of the people around him regarding his suicidal actions.

It wasn't hard to imagine Cale convincing himself that he was fine. The boy would keep working as long as his hands and legs were able to move, regardless of the bruises and wounds he gets along the way. However, Deruth was simply afraid that at one point, his son's people would one way or another, go insane due to his continuous careless behaviour.

Deruth is well aware that he is one of those people. If only his son could think about rest for once, Deruth wouldn't have to worry about Cale so much. The Duke's train of thoughts were cut off with Alberu speaking up.

"Yes, I'm sure that would be the case. But I feel like I've overwelcomed my stay. It's best for me to head straight to Cale's villa." Alberu knew he should leave as soon as possible. He would risk getting caught if the conversation drags any longer. Although the Deruth in his world was nothing remarkable, Alberu sense a hidden sharpness from this world's Deruth. Perhaps it was simply his imagination. But Alberu was not willing to find out.

Deruth didn't seem all that bothered for the brief stay of Alberu and his group, and he did not question who these hooded individuals were. This was why Alberu felt strange speaking to this world's Deruth. With a respectful bow, Alberu and his group immediately left the Henituse's County.

...

"My son sure was caught in something troublesome. Should I call for Zed? I could use a drink." Deruth rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. As Alberu left, his deep brown gaze followed the the figures of Alberu and the group from his office window.

>>>>>>>>>>>

"So young master Cale has a villa in the Forest of Darkness. I feel like we shouldn't question why the young master chose to live in one of the forbidden regions out of all places. Rather, I'm curious as to why young master Cale chose to involve himself in the wars." Rosalyn assessed the information she recieved with critical thinking. She couldn't help it! Being a mage, it was in her nature to be curious about everything.

"The young master sounds different from our original world." Ron pointed out after a moment of silence. It was clear that he had a lot in his mind. Raising the young master for 18 years, only to end up in an alternate world where he might be a completely different character. To be honest, Ron was not sure how the young master of this world would turn out.