Chapter 309: A little bit about him
I’ve never been to a festival. It was not like there weren’t festivity for the duchy to celebrate, but I never celebrated it with everyone. It was usually a ti to dine with the duke and after that, we would separate ways. So this was a new experience for .
"How long until this festival lasts?" I asked, watching people pass by the street while Sven and I were sitting on the dirty bench on the side of the plaza. After a lot of walking and window shopping, he urged
to sit down and rest as if that was enough to tire .
"Until... I don’t know?" I frowned and gazed to my side, where he was sitting. Sven was reclining, supported by his palms on the bench, sitting comfortably with his legs stretched out.
"Maybe until your father heard about it?"
"There’s no way His Grace hadn’t heard of this," I said, peeling my eyes away from him. "He knows everything that happens in the duchy."
"How do you know that?"
"I just know." I smiled wryly, raising my chin. "He’s not the person who let things happen for no reason. He was probably letting this happen just because he had his hands full or just to make these people happy, or maybe just to distract them."
I pursed my lips and exhaled deeply. Sven didn’t respond, but I could feel his gaze on my side. So I turned my neck and arched a brow.
"What?" I asked.
"It’s strange." Sven hesitated for a second. "Why do you address your father like that?"
"Huh?"
"Shouldn’t you call him more affectionately — wait, that’s strange. But calling him ’His Grace’ still sounds..."
"Like we’re strangers?" I completed his sentence for him.
"Yes." He nodded. "It sounds distant, but I don’t think you’re not that close with him."
I laughed at his remarks. It was funny. I never heard soone say that to . But well, Sven wasn’t soone who ca from the duchy. Therefore, there were tons of things he still didn’t know aside from knowing where to find the fun in this place.
"People who think they’re close with him often end up dead." I raised my chin, eyes softening at the bright smiles and warm atmosphere in contrast to the screaming poverty in this town. "It’s a mistake to think he is a friend. He’s the epito of betrayal."
"Really? I thought we’re brothers."
I glanced at him and sighed. "Are you dumb or what?"
"Hah??"
"How can you say you can read people when you can’t even feel the hidden agenda behind His Grace’s kindness towards you?"
"What do you an hidden agenda?" he tilted his head to the side, eyes screaming with extre puzzlent. "Octavian isn’t hiding anything from . Matter of fact, I liked him because he’s an honest man."
"It’s true that he bribed
into coming with him with free lounging, food, and even allowance. But it’s not like he didn’t tell
his motives," he added, causing my brows to furrow. "What? You think I don’t know he wants to ta
and make
his pet?"
There was a mont of silence between us as I looked at him in disbelief. Did he know all along? And he still ca?
"I’m strong." He broke the silence after minutes and shrugged. "I won’t survive until now with the way I live if I am not strong enough. My father put
through hell while raising ."
"But you don’t seem to hate him." I pointed out, noticing the proud grin that appeared on his lips for a split second.
"Why would I hate him?" his brows furrowed and once again, we stared at each other with puzzlent in our eyes.
"You said... he put you through hell," I repeated, and he nodded.
"Yes. Back when I was around four, he threw
out in the deepest part of the forest. I had to find my way ho, and it took
an entire month. I had to survive on my own." He threw his head back, gazing at the night sky through the banners hanging across the street. "Just imagine how tough it was for a four-year-old kid! I can’t even sleep well because I was too afraid a spider will crawl on ."
"Spider?" my brow arched. "That’s your concern about and not the vicious creatures living deep in the jungle?"
"I’m a werewolf. What are you saying?" he blinked, and I bit my tongue, forgetting for a mont he was part of the animal kingdom. "But it was still a scary experience at first! Want to hear how I survived?"
I pursed my lips, keeping my eyes on him. His lips stretched before he smacked them.
"This is my first adventure. Listen here. If you find yourself alone and lost in the jungle, the best thing to do is to be friends with everyone!" he intoned, pushing himself to sit upright, adjusting his seat as he faced
squarely. "It’s only scary when you don’t know things, but when you sort of get the knowledge of how it works, it’s not as scary as you thought it is...."
Sven’s story ran on and on, moving his hands in between us as if that would add an effect to the imagery. anwhile, I listened, keeping eye contact with him, getting a bit — a little too much invested in this adventure of a young boy all alone in the wild.
Apparently, for Sven, his way of survival was... to be friends with animals. He talked as if he could understand them or so sort, but that was how he survived his one-month journey after his father threw him into the deepest part of the forest.
"And then when I returned, my father bought
bread as a reward." He added after his long story-telling.
"Bread?" I asked in dismay. "Just bread?"
"What do you an, ’just’ bread? Our family isn’t well-off and a loaf of bread is my father being generous!"
"..." I blinked and studied his countenance. I could instantly tell he was telling the truth, rendering
speechless as a loaf of bread was a little... cheap.
"He also got a good scolding from my mother because she was worried."
"If she was worried, why didn’t she search for you?" I asked out of plain curiosity, but Sven suddenly went silent. His brows creased while mine arched.
"She wasn’t putting up an act, was she?" I asked awkwardly, and he frowned.
He looked at
as if he was scamd a fortune. "Heck! Was I deceived all this ti?!"
"..."
Oh, good lord... just what was this person made of?
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