Chapter 64 - By The Lake

Chapter 64 – By the Lake

At first, Lila didn’t get what he was pointing at exactly since a tangled mess of vines was all she could see. But after Lacias told her to look more closely, she squinted her eyes and saw a door hidden among the knots of bushes, and it looked like it was there for quite a long time now. Lila wouldn’t have known there was a footpath if not for Lacias’ direction.

She initially thought that she was being dishonest, having Lacias help her in finding Lugar’s ring was not fair and she knew that it wouldn’t be her own victory. But she realized that she started at a disadvantage, too, and this was the only way she could win. She brushed the fleeting guilt aside and strode to where Lacias was pointing at.

They made their way towards the aged door. “What is this?”

“It’s an underground warehouse.”

Lugar sure used the strangest spots, one that was not easily visible to the eye and Lila was grateful for Lacias’ help. If it weren’t for him she wouldn’t have found this place. She opened the door wide open and saw a deep and narrow staircase leading downwards.

“It’s dark down there so you have to be careful.” Lacias gathered his ring and directed a black and blue light on Lila’s feet, wrapping around each of her ankles and illuminated the path before her.

“What do you store here?” Lila asked.

“Our family heirloom.”

“Heirloom?”

“Which I’m not interested in. Oh, the ring’s there, Lila.” Lacias

Lila found it interesting. The Wiperes must’ve considered what was bestowed to them by the first emperor as their heirloom, the one that was given to the family when they established a pact. However, the door standing below the staircase was firmly locked, and there weren’t any keyholes or chains that one could simply unlatch. There had to be another way to pry it open.

As much as Lila wanted to see what lay behind the door, the aura surrounding it was quite unsettling, making her hesitate to step closer. Lugar’s ring was in front of it, spanning in a circular motion like it was waiting for entry.

“Would you spend the day with me if I catch that one?” Lacias asked, pointing at Lugar’s ring with a slender finger.

“I’m afraid there’s something I have to attend to.” Lila responded with a slight smile.

“With whom if I may ask?” Lacias beamed. Lila recalled the conversation she had with Jane earlier.

*

“Lady! How about you go on a picnic with the young master?”

“I don’t think Hir is interested in having a picnic with me.” Lila shrugged at the suggestion.

“He is, actually! He told me that he wants to go to one.”

“He is?” Lila asked.

“Don’t you believe me?” Jane asked playfully.

“I do.”

“What I’m telling you is true. Young master really does want to go on a picnic.”

*

“I see.” She promised Hir that she would spend the day with him tomorrow, and the memory tugged at her heartstrings.

“I am going to a picnic with my son.” Lila answered, her smile growing wide.

“Oh.. your son.” Lacias’ smile was set into a thin line. “I can’t believe you’re going without me.” Lacias said with a hint of sadness lacing his voice. “Are you casting me aside already?”

“That was not my intention at all.”

“Then let me come with you.”

She could not imagine Lacias going on a picnic, but seeing that it was a chance for Lacias to grow closer to Hir, she nodded. “All right.”

Lila won the bet since Hizette had only found one, she two.  While Lugar was aware that Lila must have gotten help from Lacias, he decided to say no word about it seeing Lacias standing next to Lila with a smile sitting on his face. Lugar grinned at the two, the prospect of Lila winning had nothing to do with him.

“Lady, what will you have Hizette do?” Lugar asked.

“I already know what I want, but it’s something that you need to do for me.” Lila said, staring straight at Lugar.

“Me?” Lugar repeated, wanting to make sure if he heard her right as he pointed to himself.

“Well you participated with us, remember? Since you lost, you have to pay the price.” Lila hummed in victory.

Lugar sternly looked at Lila, caught off guard at the sudden turn of events before noticing Lacias glaring at him.

*

“So it’s a strawberry feast?”

“Yes. Do you like it?”

“It’s so pretty!” Jane exclaimed.

Lila had been spending the day making desserts to bring to the picnic, putting together a three-tiered afternoon tea. It was artfully done; the topmost tier consisted of strawberry cream sandwiches and strawberry-filled croissants; strawberry flavored scones and macarons filled the middle level, and on the last tier stood an assortment of strawberry puddings, muffins and shortcakes.

Jane’s eyes brightened at the mouth-watering sight.

“The young master would be thrilled once he sees this!”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. He really likes strawberries.”

Lila placed a yellow cloth atop the spread she meticulously prepared. “Won’t he be scared though?” Their picnic will take place near the lake, and she planned to take Hir on a small boat to play a bit in the water.

“He likes to have fun so there’s no need to worry.” Jane said.

Lila smiled at the assurance. “You’re right.”

Hir would definitely enjoy playing in a boat, and being in the ice blue waters entices him to swim there one day.

*

“Hir, do you like it?”

“Yes! It’s my first time being in a place like this!” Hir responded gleefully, eyes shining as he stared at the beautiful lake.

“I also prepared a boat for you.”

“A boat?!” Hir screeched in sheer excitement, eyes growing wide at Lacias’ words.

“We should eat first before playing in the boat. Hir, come here.” Lila beckoned him to come and took the yellow cloth off, revealing the mountainous desserts she and Jane had prepared earlier.

“Wow!” Hir’s mouth widened in anticipation, eyeing the various heaps of desserts set in front of him. “What are these?”

“I heard that bringing desserts is a must while being on a picnic, so I prepared you some.” Lila said.

“There are so many!” The boy’s round eyes zeroed in on the delicacies, looking like a small, excited puppy and Lila smiled at how cute he was. “Go grab some.”

“Thank you!” Hir clapped happily, a skip on his step as Lila handed him a wrapped sandwich. “Is this okay?”

“Yes!” Hir took it with both hands. The sandwich was filled with a hefty amount of strawberry spread and it was a little too big to eat in one go. But that didn’t stop Hir from stuffing it inside his mouth, staining the sides of his lips a glossy red.

He mumbled that it was delicious, mouth brimming of cream and fillings. Lila couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Lacias plastered himself to her side and asked her to feed him a sandwich. Lila turned to look at him, thinking of the savory dishes she had prepared for him.

“You said you don’t like sweets.” Lila teasingly said.

“How could I not when you’re the one who’s giving them?” Lacias flashed her a sweet smile.

Please read this TL’s note:

Rings are form of energies. It comes in different forms for each character, others may take creative forms such as butterfly. It’s called a Ring as it comes from the hand literally. Inexperienced ring users uses pistol to summon their rings. The more experienced they are, the more rings they are able to produce.

Shadows are people who uses distorted rings which are called “Holes.” Rings such as these are colorless. They attach to other people’s rings and sap its energy to gain power.

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