Lucas passed to the first page, speed reading without worrying whether or not Arlecchino could follow along. Of course, her mind worked fast enough to match the writing with his words.
“There was once a young shepherd that got very bored. Mindless days of guarding sheep got to his head, and he came up with a devious plan.”
His tone was drawn out, like he found it a bother to read something so simple. Lucas turned the page, showing the watercolor drawing of the shepherd dying a small, white sheep black with a twisted grin on his face.
“A wolf broke in! He would shout for the villagers to hear, and once they saw the small sheep, their fear would twist to anger along with their expressions. The shepherd laughed just imagining the change.”
Lucas hummed before looking at her with a raised brow.
“You better not be getting any odd ideas.”
What ideas would she get from such a poor story? If anything, she was sure Freminet would’ve enjoyed this more. Now that she thought about it, when was the last time she had read him a book? When he was seven, and still wary of her?
Lucas turned the page, the shepherd was now pointing at the small sheep whose wool he had dyed. His face twisted into a grin.
“He shouted with all his might, ‘Wolf! Someone help! Please!’ The villagers heard his call, grabbed their pitchforks, and hurried up the hill. But once they arrived, the shepherd laughed in their faces while holding onto the small ‘wolf.’ He grinned, and said- ‘Hah! Help me from this fearsome wolf!'”
Lucas scoffed before turning the page, it depicted the villagers scowling as they returned to their village. Angry frowns on their faces, while the next page had them staring at the shepherd’s house in shock.
“The villagers scolded the young shepherd, and went down home. But the next day, the shepherd screamed about a wolf once more.”
The next page had the villagers going up the mountain to the shepherd’s house, their worry changing to shock, then anger as the shepherd laughed at them once more.
Lucas read it with a mocking tone, as he finally started getting into character.
“You fell for it!’ The shepherd yelled while laughing.”
Lucas smiled and leaned down, closer to Arlecchino before whispering.
“Arle, you’re a smart child. Tell me, will the villagers trust the shepherd, if he shouts ‘wolf’… Once more?”
The real question, was whether or not she should answer him. So far, it would be more beneficial to continue gaining Lucas’s interest. Even if she hates to admit it, he’s the sole reason she’s managed to live this far as an infant.
She shook her head, Lucas grinned at her reaction and roughly ruffled her head.
“Good. That’s exactly right. They don’t trust him, because he abused their worry out of boredom.”
Arlecchino stared at him until he moved his hand away. His grin grew upon seeing the fuzzy mess he had left her hair in.
“Remember that.”
He went back to the book while Arlecchino huffed. He does know that babies aren’t supposed to remember these memories, right?
“Now, the shepherd wasn’t smart like us.”
The next page depicted an actual wolf, yellow teeth, drool leaking as it growled at the shepherd who slept on a boulder. The sheep’s noticed their predator first, and quickly scrattered. The shepherd woke up, and screamed upon seeing the wolf.
“To his horror, a real wolf appeared! Its teeth glowed from the saliva dripping down. He pointed at it, and screamed out, ‘Wolf!'”
He turned the page, where the shepherd was seen running down the hill into town. Pointing at his shack while the villagers stared at him with skepticism.
“There’s a wolf!’ The shepherd cried, but the townspeople scoffed.”
The very last page of the tale, had the villagers frowning at the shepherd while the wolf feasted on the sheeps above. Blood stained its teeth and fangs as it tore apart a sheep’s body.
“Nice try, shepherd. We won’t fall for it this time.'”
Lucas suddenly dropped the book, scooped her up, and lifted her high above. Arlecchino blinked as she finally looked down at him. His ruby eyes narrowed in a smirk as he looked at her eyes.
“Arle, do you wish to be empress?”
Empress…? Right, she was a princess of the Obelia empire. Lucas had mentioned that once after changing her diaper. Wondering how a princess could create such revolting… Waste.
Anyway, Lucas tilted his head, prompting Arle to do the same. Just to annoy him.
“If that’s your wish, I’ll help you. Having my daughter as empress would make things easier for me.”
He may not need it, but the advantages that came with that title were tempting.
Arlecchino had never considered becoming empress. After remembering that blond man who came to greet her when she was born, stealing the crown for herself was tempting.
Watching that arrogant man plead the daughter he had abandoned to spare his life, was an interesting stage.
But that’s not what she wanted.
Lucas hummed and brought her back down, placing her on his chest as he leaned on the couch. Arlecchino stayed still with her hands on his chest, Lucas grabbed her cheeks and pulled them apart with a slight pout.
“You don’t want that? Right? You’re after something much, much more interesting.”
He huffed while observing her small frown. His actions never stopped.
“I don’t get it, what’s the point of family? You could have so much more power, gain more knowledge, if you stopped bothering with other people.”
That’s what he did, and now, he just needs to eat the world fruit and continue his pursuit.
“You will live a very lonely life.”
He frowned at the reminder, but he shrugged it off. It’s never bothered him, and… He smashed Arle’s cheeks together, and grinned at her annoyed stare.
He wasn’t alone right now.
–
Arlecchino had gotten into the habit of murmuring words and sentences whenever Lucas was out. She had to practice the language, but she didn’t want to talk in front of him. She found it quite odd, but this phenomenon wasn’t unusual for her back when she was a child. She never spoke unless spoken to, and always kept to herself.
Now, the feeling of her throat tightening around her vocal cords, prevented her from speaking without reason once more. She didn’t really mind it so far, since Lucas was the only person she could talk to.
‘Click.’ She stopped murmuring and looked at the door, dropping the toys she was using for motor control and waited. The door opened, and Arlecchino knew it wasn’t Lucas. He would always appear out of nowhere, or enter through the window.
As expected, when the door fully opened, it revealed a tall woman wearing a maid’s outfit. She walked forward, her steps failing to make any sounds until she stopped right in front of Arlecchino’s crib. Her eyes stared down at her with a cold glint.
Arlecchino watched her reach inside her apron, and pull out a sharp, glistening dagger.
An assassin? But who sent her? She was abandoned here, there’s no reason to kill an abandoned princess. She frowned as the woman tightened her hold on the weapon.
No, when she was… Born, they mentioned she was cursed. If the people here were religious, someone could’ve wished her death. And then there’s the issue, of royal fights. Maybe she has an older sibling, that wishes to lose a competitor for the throne.
“… She’s, creepy.”
The assassin said that as their eyes met. Arlecchino had heard that all her life, her eyes were ‘weird,’ ‘cursed,’ ‘unpleasant.’ She had managed to forget it, since Luca didn’t have any problem with meeting her eyes.
Without another word, the dagger was lifted up. Arlecchino couldn’t stop her mind from wandering to the last time she had been threatened, when her kids stood by the traveler’s side and fought her. When the tiresome battle, ended with a mortal wound, one of her children inflicted.
Back then, she didn’t bother using Blood Bound when fighting, and now, she couldn’t even use it. Injuring the assassin wasn’t possible with her current body, and there’s a high chance her ability reset along with her current state.
In the end, she’s done for.
As the blade descended towards her head, she wondered if her children would be waiting on the other side, glad she woke up after surviving those injuries. Maybe, she could reassure Freminet it wasn’t his fault she died…
But when the blade’s sharp end reached her head, it was unexpectedly pushed back. The assassin groaned as she stumbled back from the force. Her dagger dropping as her fingers failed to hold onto it. Arlecchino raised her head, blinking with her mouth slightly open as the assassin clutched her hand. The arm kept shaking, with no sign of stopping.
She huffed and glared at Arlecchino.
“Protection? On a cursed princess? I didn’t hear anything like that…”
There was only one person who could’ve protected her. Arlecchino turned back to the window, watching it open by itself after a gust of wind forced its way inside.
A sigh sounded, and the deep voice of the man raising her managed to make her tense body relax.
“Seriously? I leave you alone for a minute, and you bring back a stray.”
Lucas huffed as he entered the room, his red eyes narrowing on the assassin. His eyes glowed, and he raised his chin before raising a brow at the intruder.
“And?”
With a single glare, the assassin was forced to fall on her knees. Watching helplessly as her body lost its control, her hand was shoved inside her mouth before it started digging around for something.
Lucas hummed as nothing came out when she showed her hand to him, no pill or poisoning method.
Whoever hired this assassin, didn’t bother going for a loyal professional. That at least made it easier for him.
He stood in front of the assassin, glancing briefly to see his daughter watching intently. His voice ran through the room, powerful and authoritive as his hand pointed at Arlecchino.
“Who sent you? My daughter isn’t someone the likes of you can touch.”
Arlecchino suddenly felt drowsy, she struggled to keep her head up as Lucas played a magical lullaby that lured her to sleep. She resisted, but it proved futile when Lucas nudged her head down into the crib and her pillow. Her consciousness faded, replaced with soft, even breaths while her chest moved up and down.
After making sure she was sleeping, Lucas snapped his fingers, making a round of bubbles appear everywhere the assassin could see. The closer he got to her face, the harder it got for her to breathe…
“I’ll give you three chances, answer me. Who sent you here?”
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