Alex had a puzzled look and was staring at the two that were still holding each other’s hands. Viscount Finley quickly explained, “I already knew Anika, because… Well… I am still the partner of her mother… I lived with them for a few years in my youth, years before the war.”
“But… she called you father! I don’t understand…”
Anika answered while leaning her head on the shoulder of the smiling Viscount. “My real father died of old age a long time ago, but a Mermaid’s partner is looked upon as the father of all her daughters until he passes away. He is actually the real father of my younger sister, but I and all of my ten sisters still see him as our father. By the way, did mother told you that Mirya is about to marry? She finally fell in love, but it was for an Elfian! Can you believe her?”
Viscount Finley Henderson looked relived. “I know, finally! Your mother told me that Mirya took him to meet her. She is supposed to come here with him as well, I think it will be next week because they are also going to visit his parents.”
Alex cleared his throat, “Aham… Can we go inside to have lunch? You will have plenty of time to catch up but being out here in the sun with my stomach rumbling doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
The Viscount made a slight bow. “Of course, Earl, forgive my manners. Please, follow me, the main dining room is all set.”
As they were crossing the big metallic door and entering the Castle, Alex said, “By the way, uncle, the King and one of his daughters are coming in the afternoon, it’s better to warn the staff to be ready.”
The Viscount nodded to one of the Dog-kind maids that were at his side, and she left in a hurry. He then smiled back. “We will be ready for him, don’t worry. The staff is always on alert for any sudden visit from a Noble, or the King, that likes to come here in the weekends, to relax. His entourage also comes, and we always make sure they have a good time. The King is a fan of the hot spring near the mountains, but his entourage prefers the sauna and the swimming pool.”
Anika raised one eyebrow and asked, “Why those names seem to have a lot of water involved? Because if there is water, I want to try it out!”
Viscount Finley Henderson glanced at Alex and saw him nodding. He then explained, “Those are some things that Alex made. On a trip to the mountains to check the progress of the construction of the aqueduct, we found a large pond with bubbling water that was heated up from the underground. Earl Alex thought that could be useful, and when we returned here, he took a map to check the position of the hot spring and made a few sketches. Now, it has a building near it, where people can go to change clothes and bathe in the hot water. We also serve meals and there are a lot of guest rooms. The sauna is also near, and it uses the steam from the hot spring that goes inside a room where our guests can sit and sweat for a while. It’s actually very relaxing, I recommend a visit if you never tried something like that. As for the swimming pool, it’s near the hot spring, and it also uses heated water from there. We dug a huge hole on the ground with one meter deep on one side and going till five meters on the other. It’s like a big bathtub, ten meters long and five meters large, inside a building. It can be even used in the winter when the mountains have snow on top.”
“Nice! I want to try all that! I bet mother goes crazy every time she comes to visit you!”
The Viscount smiled awkwardly. “Well… she really enjoys when we are together inside the hot spring, relaxing.”
Anika elbowed him. “I bet you two don’t relax much, judging by the dreamy eyes she has when she talks about you… Hehehe!”
“I… prefer not to say anything more, for obvious reasons.”
Anika kept on asking the Viscount to tell her in detail everything her mother does when she visits, with him trying his best to avoid answering.
Behind them, Pearl was holding Alex’s left arm, and Wenammy was on the right. Pearl looked up and saw the paintings in the entire ceiling of the long and large corridor, smiling at the sight of a scenery of a forest filled with life. She saw deers and boars, and a group of Elfians on a high branch, looking at the deers.
Wenammy was staring at the wall at her right side, noticing that every couple of meters there was a small vase hanged on the wall, that had a strange liquid and with a long cotton fuse burning that was floating on a piece of cork. She pointed at one vase and asked, calling the attention of Pearl, that wondered what that was as well.
Alex made a slight smile and answered, “That liquid is a by-product of the distillery, were we make whiskey. It’s highly flammable, and it can be used like that, to provide light instead of burning candles. I don’t like the smell of candles inside a house. Well, we also make candles with a flower scent in one of my facilities, but I still prefer to use that system, because it barely makes smoke.”
Pearl frowned and walked towards one vase where she stopped to stare at the fuse that was floating on top. She looked back and asked, “This is not dangerous? If that’s so flammable, you can have a huge fire here.”
Alex pointed to the very bottom of the vase she was staring. “No one messes with the vases when they are lit, so it’s perfectly safe. Besides, there is a piece of a Magical Orb under each vase, and you can use the Magic in it to make a Water Ball in case of a fire.”
Anika, Wenammy and Pearl stared at him in surprise, and Pearl almost shouted, “You have a piece of an Orb under each vase? This corridor is long, how many vases you have in this Castle? Because that could mean…”
Alex made an awkward smile. “Yeah… My soldiers killed a lot of Monsters and I have a huge room fill with Magical Orbs, and it seems the number of Magical Voids is even increasing across my lands, granting me even more Orbs.”
Pearl squeezed his arm with her eyes shining. “No way, I want to see that room! How many Orbs you have stashed in there? All that Magic at your disposal… Unbelievable…”
Alex poked her nose with his. “Calm down, will you? You are almost ripping my arm off with your fingernails! Let’s first eat, and then I give you a tour of the Castle, okay?”
Pearl bit her lower lip, but she slowly nodded. “Ok, probably I am too excited by the sight of a room full of Magical Orbs, and that together with all this…”
She spread her free arm around and continued after taking a look at the piece of Magical Orb that Shinatobe prepared for her. “Maybe it was too much for me, but at least it’s not because of your Magic, see? Still with the same light blue colour.”
Alex smiled at the worried Elfian as she was putting the piece inside her purse again, and the sound of a door opening called their attention to the front. Two servants were opening the large wooden door, and as they followed Viscount Finley inside, a large room waited for them, with the tables joined together in a ‘U’ shape.
In the middle, it was set for five persons, and Alex asked, “It will be only us? Where are Miss Olive and the others?”
Viscount Finley explained, “I was told they were with her in a visit, and they will arrive during the afternoon. By the way, we have a new group of soldiers that recently joined our ranks, perhaps you want to take a look. I am sure they will appreciate meeting you right on their first days of work.”
“I suppose I can do that. So, what you have prepared for us to eat?”
Viscount Finley made a slight smile and pointed at the empty seats with his open right palm. “Let’s sit because I took the liberty of preparing entertainment. I hope you enjoy my choice. It’s a new group of Minstrels and dancers that is becoming quite famous in Beliersia, recently. Perhaps you could explain to me while we eat why besides my blue-haired daughter, you also have two other women clinging to you.”
Alex made an awkward smile, and he sat on the chair that a servant quickly pulled for him. “Well, it sorts like happened. I think that at first, they were only surprised and curious with me, but lately, things went a little off track.”
Anika was fighting with Pearl to sit near Alex, but she gave up when she saw the frown on her father’s forehead and sat next to him, instead, leaving Wenammy and Pearl at both sides of Alex and she explained, “I was the one that was the first to be dazzled by him. I suppose Wenammy was also, but I was more daring. I nearly threw myself into his bed, but he pushed me out of his room. That only made me want him more. I am not used to a man refusing me, I guess I liked that he didn’t accept me right away, it made me want to break his resolution. Pearl was the one that was resisting him more, but during our voyage, she broke. While we were travelling and after arriving here we learned a bit more about him, and it seems we all fell in love. The problem is that he is stubborn, he doesn’t seem to believe in our love or our intentions for our future together.”
The Viscount slowly nodded while looking at the maids that were bringing the food, checking if everything was perfect. “I see… I guess it’s understandable, considering his upbringing. His father once told me that his son lived in a faraway place, to be protected from any nasty influence or an enemy that could go after him. The first day he came here, he was amazed at everything. It was funny to see his smile and how his eyes were always shining at the sight of a Beast-kind. During the five years he lived here, we had frequent visits from Nobles that were always trying to make an agreement with his father to marry their daughters with Alex, and he became aware that none of those girls wanted him for real, they were only interested in the fame and fortune a marriage with the son of the Hero would bring to them and their family. After his father retired and Alex took the reins of all this, that was when he truly began to shine. The ideas that he was slowly developing saw the light of day, and bared fruits of his hard work to an unbelievable level.”
Anika slowly nodded, lost in deep thinking. “I guess that is indeed understandable. Alex, you don’t need to worry about me, I am not after your money or fame. My family has plenty of both, considering my mother is the sister of our Queen.”
Wenammy spoke right after, “I don’t need anything as well! My family has a seat in the High Fairy Consulate, and we are one of the oldest families. Our territory is vast and rich! So, I don’t need your money or fortune! Only your heart!”
Pearl frowned. “This Fairy completely lost her shyness! Well, it seems I am the poor one around here. Elfians don’t care much about wealth or fame, our sole purpose is to take care of forests, make plants grow, protect and help the animals and enjoy nature and life. I won’t lie and say that living in this Castle and bathing in a pile of Magical Orbs doesn’t appeal to me, but that’s not what really matters. I will be more than happy to be at your side and to have a couple of children with you. Or a handful of kids, if you like. Heck, I am even willing to share you with these two and your Spirits!”