Chapter Text
“Fu-fu-fu! You have nothing to worry about, Baul.”
Lilia laughed as he guided his old friend and grandson through the forest.
The youngest of the three stared around in fascination, watching the wild animals that observed them from the undergrowth before quietly retreating deeper into the woods.
“This place is beautiful, Lilia-sama!” Sebek exclaimed, startling a flock of birds perched nearby.
“Fu-fu-fu, isn't it?” Lilia chuckled. “Silver loves wandering around here and playing with the animals. Ah, truly, you're doing me a great favor by coming.”
His thoughts drifted back to a few days earlier.
To the night Silver had once again slipped away to join a wolf pack on a hunt.
Only to return carrying the severed head of a bear.
Apparently, she and the younger wolves had hunted it together.
According to Silver, the bear had not belonged to this forest and had been causing trouble for the others.
She had offered him the head as casually as if she were presenting flowers, insisting she had no use for it herself and had only kept it because the wolves encouraged her to take a trophy.
Apparently, she usually gave such things to Malleus.
And Malleus took them back to the castle.
Honestly, those two were going to send him to an early grave.
Though if it weren't for Malleus, Silver would probably be climbing trees and running wild like some feral creature by now.
“In any case, Silver is only a little older than you,” Lilia continued as they stepped into a small clearing where his cottage stood. “So I'm hoping the two of you will get along.”
“Of course, Lilia-sama!” Sebek declared immediately.
The boy followed him inside without hesitation.
“You've made quite a cozy home for yourself,” Baul remarked, looking at the flowers that decorated little garden nearby
Lilia laughed.
“Well, I have to occupy my time somehow. Besides, it's a good way to make sure Silver stays nearby. You have no idea how many times she's stolen my gardening tools because, apparently, ‘the way I plant flowers scares all the insects away.’”
Still chuckling, Lilia opened the door and allowed his guests inside before following after them.
“Honestly, whenever she's awake, she somehow manages to disappear from my sight.”
He sighed.
“Silver! I'm home!”
“Welcome back!”
Silver's voice immediately carried from the kitchen.
A sweet scent drifted through the house moments later.
Cake.
Suppressing a sigh, Lilia led his guests into the living room before peeking into the kitchen.
“What have I told you about cooking when you're home alone?”
Silver carefully removed a fruit cake from the oven.
“That I'm not allowed to use the stove,” she replied without looking away from her work. “You never said anything about the oven.”
Lilia sighed.
“Would you come to the living room for a moment? We have guests.”
This time, he decided not to lecture her.
No matter how hard he tried to protect Silver from danger—or from anything that might hurt her—she always found a way around his rules whenever she set her mind on something.
“Hm? Big Brother said he was visiting tomorrow. Did I sleep through a day...?”
The last part was muttered under her breath.
Unfortunately for her, Lilia heard it perfectly.
Stepping closer, he ruffled her short, silver hair.
Not blonde.
Never blonde again.
As long as he lived, it would never be blonde.
It was enough that her eyes were identical to his.
When he had first found her standing before a mirror in the middle of the night, hacking off the long hair that both he and Malleus loved braiding and playing with, he thought he might have a heart attack.
Later, when he had asked why she did it while fixing the uneven mess she'd made, Silver had simply replied:
"It's heavy... And it gets in the way."
Honestly, he had no idea where his daughter got her stubborn streak.
That was a lie.
He knew exactly where she got it from.
The same person she inherited those aurora-colored eyes from.
“Don't worry,” Lilia said, laughing as she tried to dodge his hand. “Mall will be here tomorrow, just like we planned. We have different guests today.”
“Come on. I want to introduce you.”
Taking her hand, he guided her toward the living room.
“Silver, this is Baul, an old friend of mine, and his grandson, Sebek.”
He gestured toward the two fae waiting inside.
“It's good to see you again, Silver,” Baul greeted warmly.
“You've grown so much since the last time I saw you.”
He chuckled softly.
Most likely remembering one of the countless occasions when Lilia had appeared on his doorstep carrying a crying infant because he couldn't figure out why she wouldn't sleep, why she wouldn't stop crying, or why she refused to drink the nectar he'd prepared for her.
Only after Baul's son-in-law—a human foolish, definitly not brave, enough to move to Briar Valley—had explained basic infant care to him had those visits become less frequent.
Then the Queen began assigning him more work, and there was no time left for visits.
Silver tilted her head.
“Do we know each other?”
“You don't remember because you were so little,” Lilia explained with a smile. “But I used to bring you to the Zigvolt estate all the time.”
He smiled fondly at the memory.
Back then, Silver had constantly grabbed Lilia's long hair and tried to eat it.
Eventually, he cut it shorter.
That hadn't stopped her.
Even half-asleep, she still loved playing with his and eventualy Malleus hair.
“Lilia-sama?! What is a human doing here?!”
Sebek stared at Silver in complete shock.
“Sebek, this is Silver. My daughter.”
Lilia introduced her calmly before looking at Silver.
“And Silver, this is Sebek. Just like Malleus, he'll be staying with us during the holidays.”
Silver studied the younger boy curiously.
“Human! Where are you going?!”
Sebek shouted as he chased after her through the forest.
Silver rolled her eyes.
Then continued walking deeper into the woods.
“Go away.”
She sped up slightly, determined to lose annoying company
“Lilia-sama said we're supposed to spend time together while he and Grandfather discuss important matters!”
Sebek called after her.
Moments later, he finally caught up and matched her pace.
“He never said for how long.”
Silver glanced over her shoulder.
Then stopped.
A Shadow stood several steps behind Sebek.
Its claws tore uselessly through the air as it tried to reach younger boy
Die! How dare you mix our blood with those monsters?!
The creature shrieked.
Others joined it.
More insults.
More hatred.
More voices.
Drawing the attention of the surrounding Shadows.
“Huh?! What is it, human?!”
Sebek shouted.
Silver blinked.
Then reached toward him.
Her finger flicked his forehead.
“H-Huh?! W-What are you doing?!”
Sebek stumbled backward, completely caught off guard.
A small smile tugged at Silver's lips.
“I'll show you a cool place.”
Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand.
“Come on.”
And with that, she led this strange child deeper into the forest.
Toward one of the few places where even the Shadows were afraid to follow.