Chapter 412: Aether and Missing Leg (1/2)
Things were getting awkward between the staring mother and the wounded Arthur, and he had no idea what to say. She was a woman of elegance despite her dusty face and calloused hands. As the woman sat straight, Arthur could glean some hint of manners embedded to her bones.
”Have you ever worked for nobility?” Arthur asked, and the woman nodded with a smile.
”Yes, My Lord. My mother was one of the maids who served the Lord of Aquamia, and I was raised in the servants' quarters. I had just become a maid myself when the previous king was slain, and King Solomon impeached the Lord of the city.”
”And how did that affect you?”
”It was many years ago, and I was just a child,” the woman sighed and shook her head. ”I knew not things were changing, but they did. The Marchioness of Aquamia was one of those who allied with King Solomon, and she was a merchant of the city. So when she took control, she replaced the servants with her people.”
”And what happened to you and your mother?” Arthur didn't know that the rebellion might not have helped everyone but harmed them instead.
”An angry mob killed her after she left the mansion. I, however, was saved by one of the knights of his Majesty.”
The words send chills down Arthur's spine. This woman was telling the cruel fate of her mother with such a matter-of-fact face that it uneased him. Was she genuinely accepting the world, or did she think it was disrespectful to show that side of her?
”And then you met Regal?”
”Indeed,” the woman finally smiled. ”He was a young man then, and he was pulling his cart from Aquamia to here. When he found him, he offered to give me a ride.”
”Wouldn't the city be a better option?”
”For a penniless teenager, the city is a terrifying place. Society demands fees from you for existing, but its hands wouldn't reach a poor village. And,” the woman added with a sweet smile as her husband came back, ”I'm happy with the man I married.”
”Hm?” Regal was confused as he closed the door. ”What did you say, Dacey?”
”Nothing, just telling our guest some old stories,” Dacey smiled as she looked at her husband's cheerful expression. ”Are they eating?”
”All thanks to our Lord,” Regal sat down as he bowed his head again. ”Some of us cried of joy for eating such food after so long, and most are waiting outside for them to thank you.”
”There's no need to thank me,” Arthur shook his head. The kids seemed sleepy after such a meal, and their mother helped them take a nap in one of the rooms. ”How did he lose his leg?”
Regal had two kids, one older brother with a lost leg and a younger sister who couldn't walk properly. After hearing his question, Regal sighed with a bitter expression.
”We told them that they shouldn't go near the stream, but it seems kids only want to do the forbidden. Then, one day, he didn't come back. We looked for him until dawn before we found him beside the stream, and a monster bit his leg off.”
”He was bleeding for all that time?” Arthur was surprised, as an average person would die from losing a limb.
”Ah, yes, the heavens showed mercy,” Regal looked away as if he was hiding something and didn't want to look Arthur in the eye. Arthur didn't pursue the topic, as they might still be wary of him.
”Do you know what attacked your son?”
”We don't know, but judging by the wound, it was a monster,” Dacey cupped her hands worriedly. Regal touched her hand in consoling.
Arthur knew they must be traumatized, and so was their kid, but he needed to know about the abnormalities that were going on in the sea. After all, he knew that something controlled the monsters to attack approaching humans, but that being didn't take any more measures to hurt nearby villages.
'The monsters are acting as if they are protecting the river,' Arthur knew that the Lo River was big enough to be inhabited by other creatures, and there were many lakes that the Lo River connects or feeds.
”I'll pay for my stay, so can you find me a bed?” Arthur was still wounded from the fight, and he was tired. But, as the night was descending, he thought that it might be better if he slept for a bit.