297 You Found Me

The circumstances in which the Wickerherm Family appeared to claim that Lycster was their lost child was weird, to say the least. Was Vy not worried at all? Or was she overly worried?

"What do you think about the Wickerhems?"

Vy leaned back in her chair, her lips curled into a frown. She clasped her hands together, deep in though. She looked up at Caster. 

"Did you notice anything off about them when they first arrived?"

He shook his head as he folded his arms. He leaned his back against the bookshelf behind him. 

"Can't say I have. They seemed like any other nobility I had interacted with in the past. Although I am quite certain they have never passed through our town before."

"Why would that be a concern?"

Caster explained that from what he was told, the Wickerhem Family was travelling through the nearby routes when Lycster supposedly disappeared from their care. They searched all neighbouring towns and villages for him but they could not find any sign of him. 

Eventually, they deduced that he might have been kidnapped or had been moved to other parts of the Kingdom. They continued their search without much hope. After so many years, they heard of Lycster's name through the grapevine of the nobility. 

Apparently, his appearance at the Masked Ball in Arkwing Castle was what caught the Wickerhem's attention. That led them to find out more information about the Blackfire siblings, which eventually led them to Timbretune. 

"All the noble houses were supposedly invited to the Masked Ball. So they should have been there, to begin with. I admit we did not mingle much with the other nobility during the Ball and that trip was ultimately cut short due to… unforeseen circumstances. But still��"

She tapped her finger on her chin. The Wickerhem's should have made a move then. Why now? 

-We need to investigate this further.- Vy pondered to herself. 

Looking down at her wrist, something felt off. As she looked at both of her wrists, Vy realised that her Familiar was not there. Aether was not coiled around her wrist. 

But where could he be? 

She could still sense him, which meant that he was not far from her. Putting some of the clues together, she smiled to herself. Her Familiar might seem cold and distant at times, but deep down Aether cared for the people around him. 

"In any case, they seem pretty harmless for now. As long as Lycster is happy…" a genuine smile formed on her face, "Then all is well."

"Aren't you worried, milady?" Caster asked. He could not stop himself. 

"Worried?" Vy echoed his words with a quizzed look," Worried about what?"

She remembered the words she said to him. She meant it. No matter what happens, Lycster would always be her little brother. Snapping back to reality, Vy clasped her hands together and refocused her mind. 

"Time is of the essence," she urged, cracking her knuckles before picking up the inked pen on the table, "It is time to get to work."

Back in the Drawing Room, Lycster was left alone with Wickerhems. Something felt familiar about the two people who sat across from him. As he nervously took a sip from his glass of orange juice.

"Would you like to sit with me?" the Countess Lyra asked as she patted the empty space on the sofa next to her. 

Lycster got off his seat. He placed the glass down on the coffee table and sat next to the countess. He leaned in close to her, he could smell the sweet scent of powder and floral perfume overtaking his senses. 

It felt reassuring and suffocating at the same time. Countess Lyra took out a handkerchief from her small embroidered purse. She wiped away the tears she had in her eyes. She placed one hand on her son's head, ruffling his hair. 

"You've grown up so much, my little honey cake. It must have been difficult for you." she had promised herself she would not cry. 

But the tears were flowing freely from her eyes. She had no control over them as they trickled down her cheeks. Her lips quivered, her voice wavered. Lycster looked up at his mother. He knelt on the sofa and wiped away her tears with his hand before giving her a hug. 

"I'm here now, mother," the word felt so foreign on the tip of his tongue, "You found me."

Lycster laid on his mother's lap as he listened to her speak. She told him all about their extended family who miss him dearly. They would be very excited to see him when they return to the Wickerhem Mansion in Winch Town. 

The Countess explained how they searched for him but could not find him anywhere. 

"We were worried sick when we could not find you. It was as if you vanished into thin air,"

"It was as if you did not want to be found," Count Cristo commented, "You caused quite the commotion, Lycster."

"How did I disappear?" the boy asked. 

Countess Lyra turned to look at the Count, then back at her son, "You… you don't remember?"

Lycster shook his head, "All I know is that I ended up in Timbretune. I don't know how I got here."

"It doesn't matter what happened anymore," Lyra said to her son as she put a hand on his shoulder. 

"What is important is that we found you. It is time we head back home, to Wickerhem Mansion where you belong."

"No, I don't belong there," the words flowed from his mouth as if they were always meant to be. 

The Wickerhems was surprised by his statement. But their expressions did not give it away. In fact, they seemed to take it surprisingly well. 

Lycster was flustered, he did not know why he said that. Those words, however, were true. He never cared where he was from. That was why he never actively searched for the family he had either. 

Vy is his family, his sister. 

"If you don't belong there, then where?" his mother exclaimed in distraught.

With a hand over his heart, he said with determination, "Here. I belong here."

The Count slammed his hand down on the coffee table, causing Lycster and Countess Lyra to flinch. He pointed at the boy. 

"You're a Wickerhem! What nonsense are you spouting here! That woman might have saved you but you owe her nothing! Even if you did, it is nothing our family can't pay for. Your place is back home, with us," he demanded. 

Lycster shook his head, "What proof do you have that I am indeed a Wickerhem? I can't even prove who I am!"

"Lycster Wickerhem, that is who you are. You were born a Wickerhem and -"

"Even if what you said is true, I am now a Blackfire and always will be!"