CHAPTER 18

I woke up suddenly after hearing Mom shouting at Arthur for sleeping in so late, and summoned two clones.

"You fix the bed. Come on, we don't have time," I shouted.

One clone didn't waste any time, tidying the bed quickly, while the other kept watching me carefully, waiting for its command.

"Well, come help me wear something appropriate. Mom could be here any second."

My two clones hurried up, and I did the same.

The bed wasn't really a mess to handle, so the first clone didn't have much to do and disappeared quickly. The second wasn't so fortunate.

My hair wasn't easy to deal with, especially with its length, and my face still looked sleepy even after waking up. But I still had time.

The door suddenly opened. Guess I don't have that much time.

"Mom, have you seen Sylvie?" Arthur asked.

"I haven't, Art. Need my help in finding her?" Mom responded.

She left without actually checking on me.

I got time to actually get ready for breakfast and for the trip eventually.

I got to the breakfast table filled with so many types of food—rich people stuff, I guess. It's really hard getting used to this after growing up as middle class back on Earth and being a commoner's child in this life.

"Slept well?" Mom asked with a lovely smile on her face. She's got Arthur after all; we're finally all well and reunited.

"Yes, Mom. The bed is too comfortable. It's been ages since I last slept this well," Arthur said.

"Does that mean you were uncomfortable with the elves? Did you eat well? Did you drink water often? Why wouldn't you sleep well back there?" Mom jumped in with a bunch of questions.

"Calm down, Mom. I was alright. It's just that being around you is far better than being around the elves. Obviously, they treated me well. That gramps was nice to me and the whole royal family was as well," he said.

"They seem like good people. I would like to meet them, even though that's pretty impossible," I said.

"Of course they are good people. They took care of your brother for five years," Mom said.

"Going back to the sleep subject, yes, Mom, and you?" I said, trying to sound as happy as possible.

The fact that this family is all happy and well won't last long, unfortunately.

Mom seemed convinced by my acting so far, or that's what she's showing.

"Yes, honey. So have you got any plans for today? Since Arthur is back now, I really think you should take him around for a tour and get him a new haircut or a few pairs of clothes. How about we go out with Tabitha? She's a really good deal maker and knows some well-known makers, but she's already done so much for us. There's no need to bother her, and she's quite busy at the moment. I can take you out and maybe..."

"Mom, I think you are overthinking right now. We already have a plan. Today is a family day. We'll all go out and have fun. Where is Father, though?" I asked.

"He went to work early today. I can ask him to come here. A family day out is just what we need, since our family is all reunited again. Perfect plan you have there, both of you."

Mom said enthusiastically and gave us a tight hug.

"Or you know what? Let's surprise your father and go to his workplace. Then we'll go around the city. That'll be a good surprise for him, and Arthur can see the auction house too."

"And honey, did you find Sylvie? I searched but couldn't find her," Mom added.

"Yes, I found her. She was sleeping under the bed," Arthur said.

"Where is Ellie? I haven't seen her yet," Arthur said.

"She's with your father. She didn't stop crying until he agreed to take her with him," Mom said.

After a hurried breakfast, we all got into a cart heading towards the auction house, as the Helsteas were busy in a meeting with the royal family of Sapin.

We arrived at the auction house to find Ellie playing around with the guards as if she was challenging them to a duel. Father was laughing, and the guards were having fun.

A child's happiness can really change the mood of people.

Father was excited when he saw us. He immediately rushed to us, giving us a family hug.

"So, you're asking me to leave my job for one day to spend it with the family?" Father said in a serious tone.

That kind of thing stresses me out. Father saying something serious is awkward. Arthur was as shocked as I was.

"Of course, I'll do it," he said excitedly.

"Give me a few moments," he added.

Father went to appoint his strongest guard as his replacement for the day, got Ellie, and placed her on his neck. He got changed, and here we are, ready to go.

We first went to a restaurant—my restaurant, actually, but they don't know that yet.

Mom kept asking Arthur questions like, "Did you have friends there?" which led Arthur to tell us about his incident with Tessia, though he left out the part about the slave traders.

That was the most significant question. We kept telling jokes and stories. Father told Arthur about the time I got one of his guards beaten up, suggesting Arthur give it a try as well.

Ellie kept staring at her bigger brothers, having fun with the meal. She literally played with it more than she ate.

We eventually went to a garden and just sat down to relax.

I got up and played the only game I'm actually good at with Arthur, which is football, or soccer as Americans call it. He knew it too, and Father decided to join us. I was a defender while Arthur was a striker and Dad the goalkeeper. We kept exchanging these roles to see who would score the most. It was all fun.

The view in front of me changed instantly from Father trying to block my shot to an upper view of some forest. Seeing it from above, it kept going faster and faster. The trees got closer and closer until it reached ground level, then everything went black again.

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