Draven stood up, continuing his thoughts.
*By then, I won't look like a ten-year-old anymore. Heh.*
"The meal was nice. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave."
His mother looked at him.
"Darling, your hair is growing out again. Come, let me give you a quick haircut."
"Oh, I didn't even realize. But maybe later, Mom. I promise I'll come find you."
Draven walked toward the door and opened it.
"I'll take my leave. See you later, Mother and Father."
He walked out of the dining room, with Lyriana and Aldric following behind him.
As he walked down the hallway with both hands in his pockets, Draven thought,
*Now that I've filled my belly, what am I going to do next? Should I go to the library? Naaaaah. Maybe I should just take a nap since there's nothing else to do.*
He continued walking, with Aldric and Lyriana following closely behind.
*Or should I just go back and get that haircut from Mom? Oh, yeah! It just crossed my mind. I should probably practice using the bow.*
"Hey, Liliana."
Lyriana, hearing him, replied, "Forgive me, Young Master, but I believe you meant Lyriana."
*Oh, I thought I got it right. Guess not. But the names sound so similar.*
"Right, Lyriana. Please go to my room and bring me my bow."
"Understood, Young Master. I'll return with it shortly."
She quickly disappeared.
Aldric, walking behind Draven, thought,
*She's really taking this job seriously. If we hadn't made a Blood Oath, I would've thought she actually liked being his maid.*
Draven continued walking with both hands in his pockets before speaking again.
"Hey, dude, what's your name?"
Aldric was taken aback.
*He's asking for my name? How should I reply? I guess I should answer like a servant would.*
"Your Highness, my name is Aldric," he replied.
Draven thought,
*Aldric? What the hell kind of name is Aldric? Why can't it be something like Drake, Richard, or maybe Justin?*
Aldric continued, "And I am at your command."
Draven scoffed.
"Cut the crap, dude. I don't know what you two are trying to do, and I really don't care."
His voice turned cold.
"But if you try to fuck with me or my parents, I'll make sure to kill you both."
*That doesn't sound right. I should've said 'me or my family,' but it's not like they can do anything to Mom and Dad anyway.*
Aldric, still following behind him, thought,
*Fuck, what's that? He says he's gonna kill us if we try to fuck with him or his parents? I don't know what the hell that means, but we couldn't do anything to him or his parents even if we wanted to.*
He opened his mouth to speak.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but—"
Draven cut him off.
"Hey, dude, I don't really care what your reason is or what you're trying to do. Just do your job."
"Understood, Your Highness," Aldric replied.
However, inwardly, he thought,
*He sure talks weirdly when his parents aren't around. And he keeps using words I don't quite understand.*
Draven glanced at him.
"So, how old are you?"
Aldric thought,
*Why is he asking about my age all of a sudden? I guess I have to answer.*
"Your Highness, I am 137 years old."
Draven continued walking with both hands in his pockets.
"To think you're the older one."
*Your parents sure made a mistake.*
Aldric stared at him from behind.
*What the hell do you mean by that, brat?*
---
The scene changed.
The three of them were standing beneath a tree in the forest outside the castle.
Draven took his bow from Lyriana.
*Since I'm gonna practice using this thing, I might as well practice with some live targets.*
He turned toward Aldric.
"Hey, Eldric, find some nearby creatures. I need living targets to practice on."
Aldric thought,
*Brat, that's not my name!*
Outwardly, he replied, "Your Highness, I believe you mean Aldric."
Draven looked at him.
*What the hell is this bastard talking about?*
"Eldric, Aldric, what the fuck is the difference? Just do what I tell you to do, goddammit!"
Aldric thought,
*Damn brat! He must've done that on purpose!*
"Understood. I'll get right on it," he replied.
Aldric quickly disappeared.
Draven turned toward Lyriana.
"And you're supposed to be the younger one?"