Own Time

Chapter 19

Turning the pages of a book filled with knowledge I sought, despite the unfamiliar words, I sat alone in the library. My mother, unaware of my quest for learning, simply wished for me to enjoy myself. Outside, Crade waited patiently, having misunderstood my request for solitude as a sign of his wrongdoing. His concern was evident, but I reassured him, explaining that I felt uneasy under constant watch.

Upon entering the library, I asked Crade to select a children's book with plenty of pictures and few words. When I sat down in a chair that was so large I initially mistook it for a bed, Crade explained that it belonged to my mother, who often visited the library during her free time. Griza had told me I could use it, so I did.

After sitting down with the book Crade had chosen, I watched him leave the library to wait outside. As soon as he was gone, I left the enormous chair and picked out some books I thought might be more helpful.

Now, I am reading about the animal symbols of each family. I can only understand the family names, the symbols' names, and the sketches of the creatures, as most of the other words are unfamiliar to me.

After reading everything I could understand in the book, I realized I could now remember all the details. There are nearly a hundred families, each with a unique symbol representing a specific animal. This made sense to me because, before I time-traveled, I often ventured out of town for various tasks.

Some of these animals I had seen during my travels, while others were prized possessions of certain families, which made sense after my mother mentioned them. A few were so unique that it was the first time I learned such creatures existed.

But my main focus was to learn about the important Kwaris and their symbolic animals, as they hold the highest positions in all the lands. From what I gathered, seven Kwaris families hold the most authority. Here's what I've learned:

The Snow Bear belongs to the Flokersei Family, the Murder Whale to the Bedaim Family, the Leopard to the Marruse Family, the Tiger to the Praceves Family, and the Lion to the Supreme Family,

which, considering the lion's significance, didn't surprise me at all.

There are special beings I haven't encountered or known about before. They are unique entities that everyone fears and believe to be the guardians of both lands. One of these beings is The Phoenix, which belongs to the Krieger Family—my family now. According to my mother, our family, having the Phoenix as our symbol, wields immense power that deters anyone from challenging us.

The other special being is The Black Dragon, which I have never seen or heard of before. The sketch of the creature looks like a lizard, leading me to wonder if it's related to them. 'What is it?' I ponder. 'Why is it called a special being?' Beneath the sketch are words I don't understand. My biggest concern is that it doesn't belong to any family. 'What's that supposed to mean?' I think I should ask my mother about this, continuing from her last explanation.

I closed the book and stretched my arms and legs, having been reading for quite a while. I jumped down from the chair, walked to the door, and knocked three times to signal Crade that I was done. Stepping back a little, I watched as he opened the door.

"Young master, how was your reading? Did you enjoy it?" he asked with a wide smile.

"Absolutely, it was amazing and colorful," I replied as I stepped out. It wasn't really a lie; knowledge is indeed amazing and colorful, which settled the matter without me awkwardly revealing what I had truly been reading.

I was now heading to the dining room, wondering if mother would join me since she had left me with Griza in her office. Afterward, she departed with Vel and Sir Crost, leaving me nervous and fearful about what she might be planning to do. I speculated she might be visiting bald-head or the people in the orphanage. These thoughts reminded me that she hadn't disclosed what happened to them when she mentioned she would explain upon our arrival at the mansion.

"Will mother be joining us?" I asked Crade, who carried me on his arm as he walked.

"I don't know, young master. I wasn't informed if she's going to join you," Crade replied without looking at me, which made me frown. Usually, when I asked this question, he assured me not to worry because mother never missed having a meal with me. Did he know something? It occurred to me that before Griza left the office, she and Crade had a brief discussion that I couldn't hear, likely due to a mahika preventing me from hearing it. They spoke in normal voices, but I couldn't make out a single word.

"I understand," I said, feeling a bit gloomy.

"Don't worry, young master. Here at the mansion, no one would dare to hurt you or take away your innocence," Crade said earnestly, his eyes serious. Now I understood what he and Griza had talked about earlier.

"Thank you," I replied with a forced smile.

We arrived in front of the dining room, and Crade slowly opened the door, my assumption being that mother wouldn't be joining me. With my head lowered, we entered.

"You're late?" I suddenly looked up to see my mother already seated, with our food prepared. I tapped Crade's shoulder, and he nodded, gently putting me down. Without hesitation, I ran towards my mother.

"Young master, be careful!" all the attendants shouted, but I paid them no mind. I ran and hugged my mother's right leg.

"Why did you run?" Mother asked as she lifted me by my clothes and gently placed me back down into my chair.

"I was just excited, that's all," I said, smiling with my eyes, but she raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"Why did you hug my leg?" she asked.

"I just missed you," I replied genuinely, though I still felt uneasy saying those words.

"What did you do?" she pressed again.

"What? I didn't do anything," I said, genuinely confused.

"It's suspicious how you're acting right now. Are you sure you didn't do anything? I won't be mad," she leaned forward, her gaze fixed on me.

"You're really... Never mind. Can you just accept it? I rarely do this," I said, annoyed, and began eating with more aggression.

"Why didn't you continue? I'm sure you were about to call me something insulting," she remarked as she playfully wiped my face.

"Just eat already," I retorted, glaring at her. She chuckled softly and leaned in to start her meal.

"There you go, now that's more like it. But my apologies for what I said earlier; I was just shocked," she said, not looking directly at me.

"Well, at least you know," I replied, making her glance at me with a smirk.

"Of course," she responded, and we continued eating, teasing each other playfully between bites.

'It's truly amazing to have a REAL FAMILY'