Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

- - -

I headed to the dining room in time for lunch.

In the last week, Zeiroi is joining us at the table because we are working on table manners.

Aldus was not happy about this, but I told him that it's not Zeiroi's fault that he spent half of his life in a dungeon, eating who-knows-what, and the best way for Zeiroi to learn is to observe others. Of course, I explained to Zeiroi the rules, and I showed him how to use utensils, but unless he puts those to use, he will forget.

When on his own, Zieroi eats mostly sandwiches and vegetable soup which the cook taught him how to make. Zeiroi is quite efficient; he cooks in large batches and refrigerates it so that he has meals ready for the next few days.

I told Aldus that Zeiroi's optimization of efforts is a sign of how he is smart, but Aldus was not impressed.

"A lazy person will find efficient ways to do things so that he doesn't need to put an effort. The fact that he is willing to eat the same thing for a week in order to avoid preparing food, is not what I call smart. He is lucky that he didn't get food poisoning so far because that soup goes bad after four days in the fridge. I am glad that Zeiroi is not in charge of the laundry, otherwise, I might need to wear the same ones for a week in the name of conserving energy. He is a useless sloth."

I was speechless.

Well, there was some truth behind Aldus's words, but every story has two sides and I chose to see this as Zeiroi's virtue and not as his fault.

As much as I admire Zeiroi's wits about having meals with the least amount of work, he will never learn table etiquette if his whole meal is in one bowl and he eats it with a spoon (or just slurps from the bowl). That's why I insist that Zeiroi joins us for at least one meal a day.

Zeiroi is making amazing progress.

I taught him human alphabets and he knows them, but he needs to practice reading in order to develop fluency and penmanship.

Other than that, I'm teaching him about the history and the human world overall, so that he knows how things work and doesn't stand out when he leaves this place.

Even if he continues living here, he will leave the property eventually. Right?

Back to the present…

I was three steps away from the dining room when I heard Aldus shouting, "Out with it! And you get out also!"

I rushed to see what calamity descended upon us, and I saw Aldus glaring at Zeiroi. Now what?

"What's going on?", I asked, and Zeiroi swiftly moved to stand behind me.

"This pet of yours brought pet of his own into my house!", Aldus was raging.

I didn't get it. OK. I got it partially. Pet number one was Zeiroi, but what about the second one?

I looked at Zeiroi. "Pet?"

Zeiroi turned toward me, and I saw a tiny snout peeking from Zeiroi's shirt. The top button was undone, just enough for the critter's head to peek through. Why does he keep animals in his shirt?

"Is that a rat?", I asked while hoping that the answer was, no.

Zeiroi reached into his shirt and pulled out a hedgehog.

I couldn't believe this. Why is he provoking Aldus? I told him more than once that Aldus is anal about hygiene and that rodents, birds, furry animals, and such are NOT clean. And this was in the dining room with food on the table!

"Zeiroi, can you, please, eat in the kitchen today? And keep the animal outside."

Zeiroi nodded in agreement and scurried out of the dining room without a word.

Gingerly, I approached the table, and Aldus was quick to pull the chair for me. Even when he is angry, he is still a gentleman.

"When is he leaving?", Aldus grumbled.

"Zeiroi is learning…"

"Learning, my foot!", Aldus interrupted me. "He is obedient when you are around, and when you go to have fun with your lover, I'm stuck with a lazy useless hoodlum who only knows how to coddle with animals."

I let out a long exhale. Aldus is barely seeing him because Zeiroi is in the garden while Aldus is in the lab, but if I bring up that point, it will re-ignite the argument. I needed a way to defuse Aldus's rage.

"You know that he doesn't have anywhere to go.", I said pleadingly.

"So, we are letting him freeload here?"

"He needs to learn skills that will allow him to make a living. Something that will NOT be imbuing items with magic.", I said. "Besides, he is not freeloading. He is helping in the garden."

This was the truth. Zeiroi was mostly lazing around but he showed initiative in tasks related to gardening. Somehow, he knew what each plant needs to thrive. Also, every time we went into the forest behind the vineyard, I noticed small animals approaching him without fear.

Books say that elves are in tune with nature, so maybe this is one of his abilities.

Other than a gardener, Zeiroi would be a good zookeeper. If he can come to work on time... or at all.

Aldus rolled his eyes. "We have a gardener, and we don't need two. Or do you want me to fire Rinaldo so that the freeloader can get a job from an honest man who served me for more than two decades?"

"No, no…", I said quickly. "Actually, I was thinking that once construction at the old Bluemoon pack's packhouse is completed, Zeiroi can move there and take care of the grounds. Be patient just a bit more. OK?"

I didn't discuss this with Duke, but we will hire staff, gardener included, and Zeiroi said that he is happy with a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and access to outside, so… there is that. Perfect solution.

"Fine…", Aldus grumbled. "But make sure that he doesn't bring any more animals inside. I will not tolerate filthy creatures in the house."

"You tolerate Lazarus."

Aldus frowned and gave me a stern look for my cheeky response, but two seconds later, he shook his head and stifled a laugh.

I was glad that I managed to diffuse the situation, and I was even more glad that Lazarus was not here.

Aldus gestured for me to eat. "I assume you spoke with Mateo about coming here."

I confirmed. "Duke said that he will need a few days to make necessary preparations and he will plan to be absent from work for two weeks."

Aldus nodded in confirmation.

"Father…", I called. "What if things go wrong?"

"Don't worry. I planned for emergencies."

"What did you plan?" It's not that I didn't trust him but knowing what he prepared to make this failsafe would put me at ease. Hopefully.

"Let's finish the meal, and then I will show you."

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