"Normal Speech"

'Thought'

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Four days later, Cale joined his family for breakfast again after not being able to do so in preparation for the journey to the capital.

He had been visiting Billos's tea shop everyday, sometimes he stayed there until late afternoon to read the books or just waiting for the items he requested from Billos.

Deruth looked at Cale's simple clothes and thought about the young Cale during the time his mother was still around.

The young Cale hated the complicate clothes, ones that his small hands couldn't wear on his own. Cale had been a self-reliance as a child. Only his mother could made him wearing those fancy clothes once in a while, because he looked cute in it.

He had guess that's one of the reason he started to wear those overly fancy clothes in remembrance of his mother. To see his son wearing the clothes he found comfortable in again, meant that he had choose to at least moved on. He couldn't help but smile at that.

"I guess you're leaving today. It's good that you seems to be healthy despite the busy preparation you were doing."

Cale smiled instead of responding. 'Well, I eat well and sleep well, I don't even have a chance to touch any alcohol since the day I met Choi Han. The happiest things are the fact that I didn't get beaten up and all preparations are done.'

Except for one. He looked at Deruth.

"Father, it looks like the number of people in the envoy has grown again. I asked you to please reduce the number."

He had told his father that Hans and Ron is enough for the servant quota. He couldn't effort to bring more people, it would just make it hard to sneak out to save the dragon.

"Ah. About that..." Deruth didn't finish his sentence, he glanced a little at Violan.

"That was my decision." Violan interjected though she was looking at her plate.

Her hair was perfectly formed a bun, without a single stray hair. She looked so similar to Basen. Even the way they both avoid Cale's eyes and the stoic expression on their face.

"We can't have someone from our family looking poor and terrible just because you want to go with small envoy." It was an extremely stoic voice.

Violan then lifted her gaze up to look at Cale's direction and added quickly as if she was afraid that her stepson would misunderstood her. "...I am not saying that you are terrible."

Cale stared at Violan, remembered how she had tried to shield him from an attack when the northern alliance attacked their territory. She had blocked an incoming arrow that was aimed for him. Luckily the arrow only grazed her shoulder.

His eyes soften a little, though no one really see it as it disappeared as fast as it appeared. "Even I know that much."

Violan hesitated for a moment from the unexpected gentle tone from Cale. Cale never spoke harshly to her or Basen, but it had never been this gentle.

She cleared the lump that raised inside her throat and continued, consciously softened her stoic tone. "People, especially nobles, care a lot about appearance."

The Countess, Violan, his stepmother. Cale remembered the first time he saw her and Basen as his father, Deruth, introduced them to him.

He saw how happy his father's smile was and he understood why his grieving father fell in love with such a woman.

Violan had a lot of pride for herself and her life, but she never showed any haughty prideful behavior towards her family. Cale could tell that Violan started to have a lot of pride for this family the moment she fell in love with Deruth.

He knew everything. He was smart, if he said so himself. But he couldn't accept the fact that his mother was replaced so soon. That was one of the reason he chose not to interact with Violan and Basen afterward.

However, he never blamed them, because love was unpredictable and uncontrollable. He was happy that his father could find his happiness again.

Violan could feel that Cale is observing her, but she continued without a change in her expression.

"Art is not for human tra—" the word 'trash' was cut off by her own cough. She was a bit of coarse speaker because she worked in the merchant world for a while in the past. "Anyway, there are a lot of people who think that appearance reveal everything about a person."

This was her way of telling him the reason she wanted him to take a lot of servants along. She didn't want Cale to be judged negatively just because he took a few servants with him.

Naturally, Cale knew what his stepmother meant, but his plan was ones that he couldn't allow any mistakes. Having more people was just a burden to his plan.

Furthermore, he didn't have the mind to protect everyone, if by chance the dragon going berserk before the time Cale knew of. He hated to be the one responsible for someone's death.

So he persuaded Violan in a way he was sure she would agree. "Art is the mirror of the soul."

Violan raised her head and looked at Cale. This is the first time they have eyes contact since Cale had regressed. "You know about that phrase."

"Of course I know."

In the past life, he had avoided anything related to Violan. However these past few days, aside from making preparations, he had also walked around the territory to look around.

He had just recited one of the things he saw on one of those sightseeing trips. "Sculpting is not just cutting into chunk of marble. It is creating a reflection of what is in your heart."

This time, it was Cale who looked down at his plate continued eating, avoiding Violan's warm gaze.

"I saw it on the plaque of the Gallery" The statement written on that plaque was something Violan had personally written.

"I understand. Let's reduce the number of people going with you, but in return, the carriage and everything else needed to be in highest quality. This is how 'our' Henituse family should act."

"That sounds great. Please only give me the best." Cale accepted the compromise jokingly.

'Yes, this is how Henituse family should show off their wealth. Together with my Trash nickname, it's a perfect disguise.' Cale thought happily now that everything smoothly went the way he wanted.

"Mn. I will make sure you have the carriage that won't hurt your butt even as you travel on bumpy roads."

"Okay. Let's do that." Cale couldn't see the slight smile on Violan's face that was quickly disappeared because he was busy eating his breakfast again.

On the other hand, the other three people at the table who had watched from the beginning saw everything that happened.

Deruth decided to ask Cale when his conversation with Violan ended. "Did you have a chance to verify the information from Hans regarding the personalities of all the nobles who is going to the capital?"

Deruth was using his own network as well as purchasing information from Information Guild on the other nobles, in order to help Cale as much as possible for the event.

"I've read them. It was quite entertaining to read. There are some petty ones, some stupid ones and some smart and scary ones, even those who are desperate for power. Look like all sorts of people are going this time."

"You read everything I've sent you. Ahem. I mean, do as you please, don't worry about anything at all. But, Cale...."

"Yes?"

"I've heard some strange rumor. Apparently the Man-eating tree, the black tree on the hill in the slum has changed. It is now a white tree with beautiful blue leaves. There is even grass started to grow in the spot where nothing used to grow before."

Cale knew that Deruth would has made a connections from all his sudden trips to the slum. However, Cale had no intention of revealing his Ancient Power to anyone right now. He wanted it to be a trump card.

So he just pretended that he had no knowledge about it. "What an interesting rumor. I'd want to see the tree when I'm back."

Deruth had his suspicions, but if his son decided that he didn't want anyone to know the reason, then so be it. He would make sure the rumor wouldn't get connected to Cale at all.

He knew that his son had changed, and even though he wanted to ask for a reason, he held himself back. He didn't want to push his son to point of estranging each other again.

He hoped that one day, Cale could see him as a reliable father and told him about it.

"Yes, but it isn't a big deal. However, you need to pay attention to rumors no matter what you do in the future. There are nothing scarier than human eyes and mouths.

Anything that happened in the territory is fine for the members of our household. I will deal with it, so you don't have to worry about it." Deruth assured Cale.

Cale noticed his father's indirect message. "I will keep that in mind."

When breakfast finally came to an end, Cale received his goodbyes from his father and stepmother as they couldn't see Cale off because of works.

Cale turned to look at his siblings, who awkwardly standing there. He was not sure how to act with them yet. "Do you have anything to say to me?"

Basen shook his head at the question. Their younger sister, Lily, however, slowly approached Cale. She was just 7 years old, 11 years apart from him.

"P-Please have a safe trip, O-Oppa."

"Thank you. You be safe here, too."

"Yes!" Lily vigorously nodded her head. She then looked quietly at Cale as if decided to say what she wanted to say or not.

Cale racked his brain about everything he knew about kids in his two lifetimes and decided to make a guess. "Should I buy you a present while on my trip?"

"Really? You would do that?" Lily looked at Cale with her sparkly big blue eyes.

'She really wants a present. What a relief I guess right.' Cale thought.

"What would you like?" He asked with a smile.

"A sword. Please buy me a sword."

Cale's expression turned a bit blank. He remembered how Lily did her best to protect Basen who was just getting better from the injuries from the Terror Plaza incident.

Seeing Cale's expression, Basen misunderstood and started to explain for Lily. "Hyung-nim, Lily's dream is to become a swordsman."

"Oh, is that so?" Cale turned to look at Lily closely this time. He patted her head, like he did with the cat siblings. "I guess it suits our Lily. I'll make sure to buy you the best one."

Lily started to smile widely and lower his head in embarrassment and happiness.

Cale then turned to Basen, who looked stunned. "How about you?"

"A fountain pen."

"Got it."

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Tsuki: Enjoy!