Alfonse sat at the table, and shortly afterward, an elderly dwarf brought him food. Without a word, she placed the plate in front of him and left. While his brothers sat together at a large table, he was alone in a corner.

As he glanced at his siblings, he noticed one was missing – Allney, his youngest brother. Perhaps he didn't want to eat with them, or he had no appetite at all. Based on what he had heard from Heinry, the others, especially their third oldest brother Mattezs, didn't treat him well.

The food prepared by the cooks looked very appetizing, but his plate seemed less appealing. Probably leftovers from what was prepared for his siblings.

After a moment of poking at the potatoes, he took a bite.

"Ugh." He spat it back onto the plate. "How much salt did they put in this..." He grimaced at the potato in front of him and took a sip of water. Putting the glass back on the table, he turned to the dwarf behind the counter, who was busy preparing supplies for the next day. As if sensing his gaze, she looked at him and stuck out her tongue. Alfonse scowled at her.

He heard the shuffle of a chair being pulled, so he turned to see who joined him. It was Allney.

"Y-you can t-take mine." He said, sliding his plate towards Alfonse, his gaze fixed on the edge of the table.

"Thanks."

"M-mine sh-shouldn't be too di-disgusting."

Alfonse cut a piece of meat from the thigh and put it in his mouth. Allney was right; the seasoning was fine, and there wasn't as much salt as in his plate.

"You can have the whole piece of meat." Alfonse skewered it with the fork and placed it on Allney's plate. Allney nodded in thanks.

Allney began to eat his potatoes, giving Alfonse a view of his face. His skin was as white as snow, almost like Maria's. His eyes, once bright blue, were now almost white, with purplish circles underneath. His hair, which had a beautiful chestnut color when Alfonse last saw him, was now somewhat dark ash. When he lifted the fork to his mouth, his sleeve slipped down, revealing bony hands.

Until now, Alfonse thought he was the worst off among his siblings. However, seeing his younger brother in such a state made him almost sick.

Unlike him and Heinry, their other siblings have living mothers, so they don't meet them much. Every woman with their father's child keeps them in a private villa with a few servants to take care of their education and growth. But there was something very wrong here.

Allney’s mother was very kind to Alfonse whenever they met. She always showered him with sugar cubes and other candies, sometimes even brushed his hair or made him tea when it was cold outside. Thinking that she would be capable of something like that… makes Alfonse sick.

From what he knows, Mattezs is living with them because his mother got killed by a servant. Even though he can be very mean and sometimes drastic, Alfonse doesn’t believe that even he could be capable of something like that.

Thinking more and more about this makes Alfonse lose his appetite.

"I'm not hungry anymore, but thanks." He picked up the piece of meat Allney gave him and returned it to his plate. "I have to go, so goodbye."

"Ah... Um... G-goodbye." Allney stammered softly, but Alfonse was already too far away to hear it.

At the door, Maria was waiting for him with the other servants. Without a glance at her, Alfonse headed to his room.

"Let's go," he ordered with a slightly irritated tone.

"You haven't eaten anything."

"I don't like the food."

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"Why not ask the cook to prepare something else for you?"

"I'm not exactly popular in the kitchen."

"Sorry, I asked so many questions."

"Ask whatever you want; I don't care."

Alfonse quickened his pace. He felt sorry for Allney, but he knew he didn't want to get involved in this. The only option would be to talk to his father about it, but that wouldn't change much. After all, he is constantly absent and doesn't care much about his children. He would probably be indifferent to what happens to them.

*************************

Maria dresses Alfonse in warm clothing while he constantly urges her on.

"Hurry, hurry, or we won't make it!"

She stuffs him with as much clothing as possible, and at the moment, he looks like a small ball of fabric. She can't help but smile at how comical he currently appears.

Alfonse turns to the mirror and doesn't look thrilled. Slowly, he turns to her with an expression that says, "Are you kidding me?"

"Sorry, master, but due to a shortage of warm clothing, I can't exactly layer you up." There is not a hint of remorse in her voice; rather, there's a touch of amusement.

She turns to her suitcase and takes out a red scarf. She wraps it around him, as he is quite small compared to her; only half of his head is visible—from the nose up. To keep his head warm, she puts on her own hat, which she bought on the way here. Now, only the tip of his nose and his large eyes are visible.

"Ugh..." is all Alfonse says.

"If you don't like it, you can freeze." She reaches for the hat, but he quickly puts his hands on his head to prevent her from taking it off.

"I didn't say I don't like it..." Even though not much of his face is visible, Maria can tell he's blushing. "You can leave what you chose."

"However you wish, young master." She smiles at him.

"C-can you call me by my name! It doesn't bother me!" He exclaims, startling her.

"It's not exactly polite, but as you wish... Mr. Alfonse."

"Feel free to drop the 'Mr.' It's not exactly pleasant for me; it's quite strange."

"Sorry, Mr. Alfonse, but I can't do that." She replies.

"O-okay, only when we're alone? Please."

"No." She cuts him off. Overall, it's very impolite to address a master by their name, let alone skip the title entirely. He's probably too young to realize that.

*************************

After a while of riding, he orders her to stop the horses. Maria spreads her arms so Alfonse can grab onto her. Due to the clothing, her movement is somewhat restricted, and he almost falls off the horse. If she didn’t catch him, he would end up with his face in the ground.

"Careful, Mr. Alfonse." She warns him and takes him into her arms.

"Stop calling me that." He says angrily, and judging by his raised eyebrow, he's quite annoyed.

"No." She replies firmly and puts him back on the ground.

She turns to tie the horses, but due to the darkness prevailing over the forest, she struggles with it. When she looks back, Alfonse is nowhere to be found.

"Young master?" Maria calls out, hoping that in the few seconds she didn't look at him, someone didn't snatch him away.

"Forget that horse; it won't run away!" A voice echoes from the forest.

So, she lets go of the reins and goes in the direction from which the voice called her. She staggers through the darkness of the forest, as there is no light passing through here, and she can't even see the tips of her boots.

"Sir? Where are you?" She asks, this time with a caring tone.

Suddenly, something small grabs her hand. She immediately realizes it's little Alfonse, and she lets him drag her deeper into the forest.

A moment later, they reach a clearing, and he lets her go, running towards the light. Maria has to shield her eyes from the dazzling brightness.

Alfonse stands on a hill's edge with arms outstretched.

"Do you see this?!" He shouts at her with enthusiasm.

Maria uncovers her eyes, and the beauty of the sky almost makes her jaw drop.

The entire sky is adorned with stars. Could she see a comet fly by? The whole town seems like an anthill, and the estate, with its dark colors, is barely visible.

"All of this," Alfonse screams at her and spins, with his arm outstretched, in a circle. "Will be mine someday! And for that," he stops and points at her. "I need you..."

Maria, overwhelmed by the beauty of the sky, can only nod—her mouth still wide open.

As if he sensed that this would be her response, Alfonse pulls out a paper with a vial of animal blood from his cloak.

"Animal blood won't be necessary." Maria says and, with a clip she takes from her pocket, cuts her finger. A drop of blood appears; she presses her finger, and a little more comes out. She puts her finger on the paper. Alfonse looks at her in confusion, as he shouldn't... She's a ghost, and she shouldn't have blood. "I'll explain when we get back." She promises and winks at him.