"WAAHHH! It's Hillville Village!"

Yes, the loud pink haired Lin was full of enthusiasm after reaching the village.

Some people greeted us, but since all are busy and today's the day before winter's last day. The village is full of crowd.

Hillville is secretly famous among commoners and only few in noble society knew this village since it is a village were talented commoners came from.

But most of the residents here aren't really from Hanlon, and most are from slave houses that were rescued and brought here.

It's hard to get out of Hanlon and go back to their hometowns so they found this village and then the Hillville's population gradually increased up to this day. Many of the residents came back to their hometowns but many also stayed.

As Lin had said it really is safe here specially to homeless or people with nowhere to go.

And today, there's also a celebration later on tonight in this village to approach the Winter's last day. So there are stalls, game areas and other entertainment stalls.

But right now, it seems we'll have a serious night.

"So, Lin right?"

"Y-yes!..?" Lin said in surprise and stiffened.

Derick sighed, and when we reached Leione's house we entered and was welcomed with gift boxes.

"It was all addressed to.. Cloud? And Charlie?" Lin said as she curiously looked on the tags. She's really curious to many things huh?

"F-for Cloud? I don't even have a gift.. I'm such a failure for—" and she kept on blabbering about things in despair.

"So what now Derick?" Cloud asked and sat beside me on the couch.

"Right. Lin you should sit with us and have a talk."

Lin nodded and walked towards us. Derick sat on the couch opposite to ours, and Lin stopped midway looking at— me!? Wait.. she's glaring at me?

Why?

"Umf."

How did it became like this?

The couch was small so I, Cloud and Lin was close enough for our butts to touch. You know what I mean.

"T-this is.." embarrassing..?

And a moment later.

"Poof."

The soft touch of the couch beneath me, and the free space.

Wait, how did I end up sitting beside.. Derick!?

Derick looked at me, and ignored my confused look. But, this much is better I guess?

I looked across the table and Lin has this proud smile on her face. She's really into Cloud huh?

"So, Lin."

"Yes!"

"What color does Cloud's hair has?"

"Yes? White!"

"Now?"

Lin looked confused, she tilted her head and her face looked at us questionably.

"It's still.. white? Why? How it should looked like?"

I know why Derick would be suspicious, in my eyes, Cloud's hair was as black as Derick's but Lin broke Derick's spell which really is suspicious.

So, Derick's magic is weak?

I looked at Derick with doubtful eyes and his eyes send daggers to me but I didn't divert my eyes so he just shook me away so I smiled in victory. Hehe.

"Can you not tell others that Cloud had white hair?"

"Why not?"

"Because.."

"Why not?"

"..."

Derick didn't answer anymore, he had enough. Pfft.

"Because it'll attract too much attention." I said clearly.

Lin tilted her head to the right and looked at me questionably, again.

"Why?"

She's so full of why's.

"We want to keep it hidden." Cloud said.

"Just.. why?"

"..."

"Why?"

I can't— with this girl.

"We just need to hide it, okay?"

"Wh—"

"That's not the point though, how can you see it white?"

"Shall it not appear white? You keep on saying his hair's black, but it's white though."

"It's black as a coal for me, Lin." I sighed after saying it, she just nodded her head but still looking confused.

"Fine, I'll just admire it within then. Even though I really wanted to tell others how dazzling, beautiful it is or let whole world.."

And now she's in her own world again.

"If it appears black to you, it seems my magic can't fool her."

"But, it's strange Derick. My hair still looked black to her though?" I said to him. It really is strange, it was like Cloud's an exception for Lin.

Was it like any magic put on Cloud can't affect Lin? Or I don't know, I don't have much knowledge about magic.

"It's weird, but it's good that she's really into him. If not, it'll be a problem."

Right.

"By the way Lin, is it fine for you to be out this long?"

She immediately stopped and her mood drooped down. O-oh my—

"I- I don't wanna go back.. maybe I'll go back tomorrow. Can I?"

"It'll be hard for us since you're part of nobility. We might be suspected of keeping you if no one from your people knew that you're here willingly."

"I.. I know but, I don't want to be there. It's always.. suffocating."

We didn't had a choice so we kept her, we talked— I mean she talked to us about various things. She had many stories to tell that it seems like she prepared them all for a conversation.

She's very talkative, and that's a good thing since the two gusy I'm with were all people of few words.

"Well, in my family.. I should've had twin older siblings if they hadn't died after birth because of too much mana and suffocated from it and it bursts out. A baby's body can't handle that much of mana, even though they're twins, that was a bit of a good thing since they shared the mana they had but the doctor didn't knew the excess amount of mana since he's only a medical doctor and our family isn't a family related to magic that much, we held swords instead of magic. So after that loss, they became very careful when I was born but.. for some reason, they're not caring at all. I was sent here, without any guardian. I only have my nanny. But, I don't trust my nanny well.."

Her hands tremble while clenching it.

"she's a lot crueler than mommy."

I thought being with your family is a luxurious thing to experience, but I was wrong. Not all families that are together are happy and welcoming. I can sympathize with her but also not, since I myself doesn't want that luxurious thing called 'family' if the only thing I will take from are only for a facade.