Own Time

Chapter 31

Aidan's POV

After the tumultuous yet successful event of the previous day, I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with my mother. Now, we find ourselves in the garden, engaged in a lively conversation. Despite our many topics and occasional disagreements, one question lingers in my mind.

"Why did you change our plan without informing me? And how close are you to Second Klovis Zayah?" I asked, frowning as I looked at her. She sighed and met my gaze.

"Oh yes, we haven't discussed this because someone fell asleep..." she teased, making my upper lip curl in irritation. "Well, your two questions are related. First, yes, I am close enough to the Second Klovis to form an alliance. So, after you shared your plan with us, I used an artifact the old man created to send him a discreet message. As for why I didn't inform you, there's no good reason; I simply forgot," she concluded with a smile.

"You forgot?" I echoed, staring at her in disbelief and annoyance.

"Yes, I remembered just as the Supreme Family arrived, so I decided not to involve you. Besides, I know you're good at improvising," she replied.

"Wow, the more I get to know you, the more I understand why Vel and the others worry about your actions," I said, shaking my head. Mother shot me a glare while Vel chuckled quietly at her side.

"That makes me unique," she defended herself, though she sounded rather guilty. "And in my defense, no innocents have been harmed by my actions. I'm still cautious."

"If you say so, but they do get mentally harmed..." I blurted out, earning another glare from her. "Back to the main conversation, how did you get close to Zayah if he's part of the family you always want to avoid?" I asked, as Mother frowned and leaned back in her chair.

"Obviously, I wouldn't approach him if he were like the rest of his family. But we met seven years ago, when I was appointed and declared as the new Estevel. I had to go to the palace for the proper ceremony, and that's when I first interacted with the Supreme Family. We immediately disliked each other. After the ceremony, I left because I had no interest in engaging with insincere people. In the palace's back garden, I met the Second Klovis, who was only six years old at the time," she explained.

So, Zayah is only thirteen now, but he seems more mature than his age. I stayed silent, allowing her to continue.

"I saw him hiding from someone and noticed he was badly hurt, with bruises all over his arms and legs. So, without even thinking about his family ties, I approached him and offered my help. He didn't say a word but allowed me to heal his wounds. As I stayed with him, he gradually became comfortable with me, and I learned where he got his bruises and why he was hiding. It wasn't surprising. It was because of his family. Despite having the blood of the Arazon and Floris, he was treated poorly and unequally compared to his older brother, leading to mistreatment by everyone in the palace. All the injuries he's suffered over the years are just because..."

"He doesn't possess any mahika," I finished her sentence, not even looking at her.

"How did you know that?" Mother asked, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"I just guessed. It's common logic in our world. If people don't see any value in you and you fail to prove your worth, they consider you useless and mistreat you. I saw how his family treated him yesterday; they even said it was the first time he'd actually done something useful," I said, looking down again, feeling sorry for him.

Then, to my surprise, Mother lifted me and placed me on her lap. I looked at her, shocked.

"It's not the world's fault, and it never will be. It's the beings who live in it—selfish people who only think of themselves, arrogant and entitled beings who look down on others. I'm sure this topic reminds you of something you'd rather forget," she said in a soothing voice.