Chapter 266 - Owed

"Before the owner of this shophouse passed on, he left this to us. He said it was very important," Neil explained as best he could, "He said with it, we would be able to call this place our home."

Laina received the paper from Neil. She unfolded it carefully and read its contents. 

Neil continued to recount his tale. When people came to chase them out, Neil showed it to the authorities. But no one believed them. They claimed the piece of paper meant nothing. Neil and the other children could not read very well. They did not know what were the words on the piece of paper. 

"I just know it's very important, but I don't know what it's for," Neil explained through gritted teeth. 

He felt so useless. So helpless. He was the big brother that the other children looked up to. He felt like he let them down. 

"This..." Laina read the paper twice before she explained, "This is a title deed."

"A title deed?" Neil did not know what it was. 

"It's a certificate of ownership. This proof of who owns the place."

It was written as clear as day that the deed was transferred to Neil's name. But as he explained, no one believed him when he showed it to the authorities. 

"They said there was no way it was real. They said I faked it," Neil explained. 

His voice shook, he was mad. Just because he was a child, they did not take him seriously. 

"They tried to take us away too," he added, "But I did not let that happen."

Laina looked over to Neil. No child, no matter the age, should have to go through something like this. 

"Neil, I give you my word. I will help you get back what's yours," Laina declared as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

But before they proceed, there was one more thing. Since Neil was technically the owner of the shophouse, Laina realized the amount she had paid to the Administration was void. 

"I should be paying you instead," she said to Neil. 

Knowing that he would refuse to sell the place, she decided to rent it instead. But when she offered to pay Neil, he refused. It took him a while to come around, but he was moved by Laina's kindness. Although he was still a little wary of her, he decided to take a leap of faith. 

"You're entrusting this building to me?" Laina gasped. 

The child nodded, "I'll make sure things are on track, just as you said it would be. So don't you dare try anything funny."

~

Margaret knocked on Laina's room door. She waited. She knocked again. But there was no answer.

"Maybe she's still asleep," she muttered beneath her breath. 

"What are you doing?" Marius came up to her from behind. 

He had moved so quietly that Margaret did not notice him at all. She leaped in her spot. 

"You scared me, Marius!" Margaret yelled at him as she rubbed her chest. 

He chuckled in response, "Sorry about that. Let me apologize with a kiss."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before she could swipe him away. Margaret grinned as she turned her attention back to the door and knocked again. 

With all the commotion that just happened between her and Marius, she was certain Laina would have been able to hear. That is, if she was actually in the room. 

"This is so unlike her," she muttered. 

"Unlike who?" 

"Unlike Laina of course. We're standing in front of her door, are we not?" Margaret said as she rolled her eyes. 

"Maybe she's just tired," Marius theorized, "After all, she did come home late last night."

By the time the two of them went to bed, Laina was still not back. She had informed them that she was going to Luzernia, but she never told them how long she would be away. 

"We didn't see her return last night..." 

Just then, Marius and Margaret heard scratching against the room door. Followed by a bright loud bark. Titan was in the room. They looked at one another, then back at the door. After a moment of hesitation, Margaret opened the room door. 

The moment the door swung open, Titan leaped into her arms and began to lick Margaret's face. 

"Titan! Down boy, down!" she said as she the Solar Mastiff tried to clobber her. 

Marius peered into the room. 

"She's not here."

"What?" Margaret looked in too. 

The bed was neat and tidy, there was no sign of anyone having slept in it. 

"Maybe she left early this morning before we woke up?" Marius theorized. 

A sense of dread washed over Margaret, "Or perhaps she never returned since last night."

What if Laina got kidnapped?

If she had gone out more than a day, she knew Laina would have at least left a note. Margaret got up on her feet, Titan followed her as she made her way down the stairs. Marius trailed behind, picking up the pace as he went. 

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to find Laina. She could be in danger," Margaret said as she put on her coat. 

Marius grabbed his coat too, "Alright, I'll come with you."

Together, they left the house in the woods and made their way into Luzernia. Titan trailed along too. Margaret knew he would come in handy, he would be able to track down Laina's scent with ease.

She looked down at the dog, Titan seemingly already knew what she had in mind, "Find her for me, Titan."

Titan wagged his tail as he let out a bright bark. He began to sniff the air around them, then searched for a trail on the ground. Since it had been some time since Laina walked through the forest to get to the town, the scent was faint. 

But nothing could stop Titan from finding Laina. 

Since their arrival in Luzernia, Marius and Margaret had not been to the town. They were in awe of how beautiful it looked. As the chilly weather began to kick in, fresh snow was set to fall soon enough. Everyone was wearing thicker coats and knitted hats with scarves around their neck to keep themselves warm. 

Marius turned to Margaret. Everyone seemed to be looking at them. It was at this point that he understood why. Their clothing stood out from everyone else. Both of them were wearing thin coats, while everyone else was dressed in puffy thick coats to keep warm. 

Marius took off his coat and draped it over Margaret's shoulder. Surprised by his gesture, and a little confused, she looked at him. 

"What's wrong? Why are you giving me your coat?" she asked, oblivious. 

"I... I was afraid you were cold," he mumbled. 

He knew how ridiculous it sounded. He was a dragon and Margaret was a luxaven. Unlike humans, who made up most of the general population of Luzernia, their bodies were naturally able to keep warm. A thicker coat would only serve one purpose in such a situation, to blend in. 

"Marius, you know I don't get cold," she chided as she was about to hand him back his coat.

It was at this moment, that she began to notice the weird looks they were drawing from the people around them. She clutched onto Marius's coat. She appreciated the gesture. Seeing as they were standing in front of a clothing store, Margaret pulled him in. 

"Where are you going? Don't we need to follow Titan?" Marius asked as he got pulled into the store. 

"We'll be quick about it then."