After sleeping the whole night cuddled with Arthur, Nyx has an extreme reaction. She becomes so shy that she refuses to talk to him for the rest of the day. While she struggles to deal with her feelings as she hides in Arthur's Nexus, he walks around the house with a spring to his steps.
Arthur is really happy with the progress he had with Nyx. However, before he goes downstairs to have breakfast with his family, he has to take a shower. He doesn't mind wearing Nyx' strawberry scent but his mother would notice it as soon as she hugged him, and things would get difficult to explain.
Now that Arthur thinks about it, he can't help but feel concerned. 'How didn't she notice it in the bedroom?' Despite being so loving and kind, Aria also has an overprotective side that can turn her into a fierce lioness at any moment. Also, her intelligence is nothing to scoff at, and Arthur understands that point all too well.
'Maybe she knows more than I realized...' He wonders.
But as nothing can be done about it now, Arthur takes a nice shower and then goes downstairs to meet his family. Everyone is in the kitchen, his father playing with Eve while Aria finishes preparing breakfast.
As soon as Draven sees Arthur, he smiles and hugs his son. "Good morning, son."
"Good morning, father," Arthur smiles and lifts little Eve into his arms. "Good morning to you too, little bug."
"Brother!" Eve exclaims cutely and boops Arthur's nose with her tiny fingers.
Everything seems perfectly normal, but Aria can notice the slightest changes in her son's demeanor.
"Don't you seem a bit too excited today?" she asks in a casual tone, as she squints at him.
'She knows!' Arthur panics at the thought that his mother knows about Nyx, but thanks to his assassin experience, he manages to stay calm on the surface.
"How could I not be with such a lovely family?" he replies with a genuine smile on his face.
"Hahaha!" Draven laughs proudly. "That's my boy."
Aria smiles lovingly, but her sharp eyes analyze Arthur like a hawk watching its prey, making him gulp.
"I know you're a very good boy, but there's something more you're not telling Mommy," she approaches Arthur and circles around his body as if searching for a hidden illness.
That makes Arthur both relieved and worried. "I think she doesn't know yet... but if things continue like this, she'll find out eventually!"
"Mom..." He tries to appear as innocent as possible. "There's nothing wrong with me."
Aria looks deeply into his eyes. "Ah, I knew it; it's a girl, isn't it?"
'WHAT?!?' Now Arthur starts to freak out. 'Am I gonna get caught for the wrong reasons?' He tries to stay calm on the outside but ends up instinctively shaking his head.
"Don't try to hide it from Mommy," Aria speaks confidently. "You have this aura around you,"
'Aura? Is that what gave me away??' Arthur cries inside as he was just feeling happy that he was getting closer to Nyx, not what his mother thinks.
"Oh," Draven seems to have thought of something. "I know what's happening."
'You don't.' Arthur feels like facepalming seeing Draven's wiseman expression
Aria looks at Draven, and he quickly explains. "Today, we are going to fix the Carpenter family's mill, and their eldest daughter always brings a food basket for Arthur when we are around."
"That girl?" Aria asks in an annoyed tone. "Isn't she already sixteen? What does a girl that age want with my little boy?"
"Son," Draven speaks in a proud tone. "You know your father isn't as smart as your mother, right?"
"..." Arthur is confused, even though he agrees mentally.
"I mean, I wasn't born with abilities similar to your mother's," Draven explains. "I don't have the gift to control mana and perform magic."
Arthur simply nods and continues to listen to his father's words attentively.
Draven looks at his son with a regretful expression. "And you take after me in that regard more than after your mother."
"I understand," Arthur studied with his mother about that, and she explained that he wasn't born with the potential to be a great mage, although his mana isn't weak either.
Draven can see that his son isn't disappointed, which makes him even prouder and relieved.
"Don't worry, Arthur," he says confidently. "We may not be incredible mages like your mother, but we can be incredible in our own way."
Arthur doesn't doubt that; after all, his father is a hero admired by everyone in the village, and even his mother acknowledges his strength.
"I let your mother handle your education until now," Draven explains. "She wanted to teach you the importance of knowledge because it is truly necessary..."
Draven smiles, and his expression looks nostalgic. "I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for your mother's brilliant mind. But in the end, we are what we are," His eyes shine with golden sparks. "We are descendants of proud warriors, and our strength is our honor."
Arthur respects his father even more because of his honesty. He's not ashamed to admit how incredible Aria is, but he also acts with confidence and pride.
Draven runs his fingers over the hilt of the sword that is always sheathed at his side. "We can't run from who we are, and we shouldn't; in fact, we should embrace the power that runs in our veins."
Arthur nods again. He learned from Aria about the power of lineages, and he shares the lineage of powerful warriors with Draven. Until now, his father had never talked to him about such matters, so Arthur can't help but feel excited.
Draven sees the sparkle of anticipation growing in his son's eyes and is almost moved to tears. However, he maintains a serious and proud expression. "I don't want you to stop studying with your mother, but from now on, I will train you to be a warrior as well."
"Yes, father," Arthur responds excitedly.
As Liam, he only found some peace when he learned to fight and kill, and even though, as Arthur, he has overprotective parents and a peaceful life, he can't help but want to be strong here as well. He doesn't wish to be strong to oppress the weak but to protect the family he loves so much, which now includes Nyx as well.
Draven can no longer contain his excitement and starts laughing loudly. "I'm sorry for keeping you away from a sword until now, but that was so you could have a healthy childhood."
"But you're already so mature and strong..." He is truly proud of his son. "So from now on, I'll teach you everything about being a warrior."
After such motivational words, Draven takes a small package from his back. It's wrapped in cloth, but by its shape, it's not hard to guess what's covered in it.
"Take it, it's yours," Draven tosses the object to his son.
Arthur catches it in the air and is pretty sure of what it is due to its weight. He quickly unwraps the package and finds a beautiful small sword inside. The sword has only a forty-centimeter silver blade, but it looks so sharp and shiny. Also, the sword's hilt is small and very comfortable.
Arthur holds the sword in his hand, and even though it's heavy, it feels perfect. It's very natural for him to hold a blade; after all, blades were Liam's specialty as an assassin. In a few seconds of swinging the sword, Arthur quickly gets used to its weight, and it feels very natural to have it, as if it's an extension of his arm.
"A custom-made sword for me?" Arthur looks at his father with eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much!"
Draven is so shocked to see Arthur handling the sword with such natural ease that he can no longer hear anything else. He was sure that Arthur would like the sword because it's in their blood, but he still expected his son to take at least a few weeks to get used to the weight of the blade.
"Hahaha..." He laughs happily and proudly. "You really are the best son, Arthur!"