After returning to the castle Faust had a quick meal and went back to his room. He was conflicted when he thought about the events that had transpired earlier. It was very weird.

‘Leona's behavior was… attention seeking? Is that it? Is it because nobody else dares to talk that way with her? Even if it’s just playful.’

To Faust, the events didn’t have any hidden meaning besides maybe an acknowledgment of her beauty. What mattered to him most was that he had made a good friend and gained the opportunity to practice with her. He had learned a lot, but only through continuous practice would he be able to apply it correctly.

While he had to admit that his thoughts wandered often when she was around him, he also knew that it was impossible to be more than friends with her regardless of how he felt. She was the daughter of a powerful baron while he was just a farmer.

He was aware of his lowly status, even if the treatment he received was better than a poor noble’s somewhere in the rural areas. It made him sigh dejectedly as he walked down the hall to his room. Not because of Leona, but because it felt unfair.

The whole system felt that way. Nobles had much more rights than a serf like him. He was basically his landowner’s property. In one sense or another Schenk and his daughter even owned him. Though they would never see it that way, as they were kind. Other nobles didn’t think that way.

As he grumbled thinking about serfdom, he heard the sweet voice of Flora from her room that he was about to pass. The door was slightly open. She sang a song, yet he couldn’t make out the lyrics from where he was.

Her sweet voice had enchanted him. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of her. She was a beacon of light for him. Even if he could forget about the suffering, they’d endured sometimes it could become overwhelming.

When that happened Flora and Faust held onto each other as if they were drowning. Of course, that lead to an emotional binding.

Faust spied through the small crack in the door and immediately blushed.

‘What is she wearing?!? Is that a dress?’ he quickly looked away, but after a few seconds he took a longer glance. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Flora was sitting on a bench under her window, looking outside of it and singing a song. He couldn’t help but smile.

What caught his eye immediately when he looked at her was the dark blue dress she wore. He had never seen a dress so tightly fitted. He could see the outline of her bosom, her thin waist, and her cheeks.

The dress didn’t miss its intended purpose. Faust couldn’t help but marvel at her appearance.

She exuded a new kind of charm that he had never seen on her before. Flora appeared… like a lady. Her couldn’t pull his eyes off her as he listened to her singing. The sight was too much for him. He admired what he saw before him.

His cheeks burned. Suddenly Flora’s head turned and directly looked at him. She had stopped singing and had a smirk on her face.

“What are you doing?” her teasing tone drove him mad, and he quickly searched his mind for an excuse while opening the door and coming in.

“I…I wanted to come in, but you were just… stunning.” He said, still completely overwhelmed.

She giggled cutely in response and stood up gracefully. Then she walked over to him and let her hips sway. Faust didn’t hold back and ogled her shamelessly. She came to a halt a step away from him and looked up at him.

The dress allowed him to see into her cleavage and he had to focus his mind to keep looking into her face. She raised an eyebrow.

It was at this moment Faust felt a fleeting premonition, that this moment might be more than just an innocent exchange.

Inwardly Flora felt triumph.

‘It worked! What Mirabella had shown me worked!’

The girl had overcome her shyness to win Faust over after seeing him disappear with Leona. Of course, she couldn’t know that their relationship wasn’t like that. Leaving with her for hours was suspicious after all. Mirabella had helped her choose a dress and showed her how to move gracefully… and seductively.

Faust had fallen prey to her hard work. It wasn’t like he didn’t know she liked him. He also felt intense emotions whenever they were together. They both felt a longing for each other. It was their safe haven from their trauma.

“Flora.” He said her name and she cocked her head cutely which drove Faust over the edge.

“You’re beautiful.” He blurted out. A satisfied grin showed on her face.

This looked so funny Faust had to laugh.

“You did this on purpose.” He closed the door to give them some privacy and then sat down on her bed, looking at her.

“Glad you like it.” She looked away and then quickly walked over to him, sitting on his lap. She was so fast he couldn’t stop her.

She intended to tease him, yet as she noticed the unexpected hardness below her it made her acutely aware of the effect her actions had on him. Her feelings changed from playfulness to a more complex emotion. A flush of surprise painted her cheeks.

Exhilarated by her own boldness the realization of Faust’s arousal made her instinctively jump back. Embarrassment and a tinge of excitement intertwined as she grappled with her new emotions.

Tension filled the room as their gazes met. As she stood there, she couldn’t help but wonder what Faust would do in the face of the unspoken acknowledgment of their desires that hung between them. It was unknown territory for both of them.

“I can expla…” as Faust was about to explain Flora bit her lip and sat down on his lap again. He was speechless. Their relationship had changed.

‘Did she just… wow. I guess this is what people call showing clear intentions.’ He shook his head with a happy smile. Then he shyly put a hand around her body, pulling her closer. To an outsider, it looked like a couple sharing a sensual hug.

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Flora rested her body against his. He felt a soft sensation and smelled her hair. It smelled sweet, like grapes even.

"Cornflower" he whispered. She nodded and giggled. She felt so happy he didn't reject her. She had been extremely anxious.

They remained like this for a few minutes. Torrential thoughts filled their heads. It was all new to them.

“I can forget when I’m with you.” She said and he could catch the underlying sadness in her voice.

“It’s the same for me.” He caressed her face. His mind was elsewhere though.

‘Do I feel this way towards her because she makes the pain go away?’ the thought didn’t leave his head.

‘Are our feelings authentic? Or are we just drowning grabbing for anything in reach to save ourselves?’ he didn’t know. And neither did Flora.

Neither of them mentioned their thoughts and they simply enjoyed each other’s warmth. Their actions were quite intimate, yet nothing indecent. They shared their pain and lost track of time.

When Faust was about to leave, he felt her hand on his arm to stop him. When he turned around, he received a soft kiss on his cheek before Flora pushed him outside. He could see her face was redder than ever. She threw the door shut.

Faust rubbed his cheek and couldn’t help but smile happily.

‘She’s so cute.’

“You’re grinning like an idiot,” He heard a chuckle from Schenk, who walked around the corner. He looked exhausted.

“That’s Flora’s room, isn’t it?” he asked and pointed at her room.

Faust scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

“I guess so milord.”

“And you’re blushing.” The older man continued with a raised eyebrow.

Faust looked away and Schenk was thrown into thought.

“Come with me, kid. I’m tired, but not too tired for a chat.”

Faust gladly accepted the invitation since it would bring him out of this embarrassing situation. They walked up a few more stairs and reached the top of the donjon—the roof.

They walked out onto the roof and the outlook was stunning. The castle was already on a hill and the donjon was even higher than the walls around it. Schenk walked towards one of the edges of the battlements to look at the sunset. Faust stood next to him and took in the beautiful scenery.

Hills filled with forests filled his view. He could see 2 villages in the distance. The sun was low already and had taken a deep orange color.

“Kid. A lot of things have happened. How are you faring?” Faust could hear genuine concern in the man’s voice, and it made him feel warm.

“I’m alright.” Faust sighed.

Schenk shook his head dejectedly.

“Nobody is after seeing the dark side of life.” Pain was mixed into his voice and the boy didn’t miss it.

‘It sounds like he’s seen his share of things. He must have problems just like me… maybe he can help me deal with it…’ the young man thought.

Schenk was looking into the distance with unfocused eyes. His expression showed emptiness. A cold detachment from the world. Faust had never seen this on Schenk. He was showing … vulnerability.

‘He’s usually so cheerful and strong… it makes one forget what he probably had to suffer through in his position.’ It was at this moment that Faust realized he knew nearly nothing about his new lord.

When he still prepared the right words to ask Schenk, the older man started to speak again. His voice sounded different from normal. Raspy. Slightly shaky.

“Many years ago, I was a royal guard in the capital….” Schenk went on to recount the events from the night of the king’s assassination—the Fall of Providence. Faust had never heard about these events and asked many questions to understand what occurred. He never cared about a distant king, though he knew there was such a thing.

Schenk’s explanation ended with the words:

“…and after discovering the king and queen had died the other guards entered the room and arrested me. They thought I had something to do with it. Or so I thought. I didn’t resist. I was too shaken by the death of my beloved monarch.”

He shook his head with a sad smile. He attempted to continue but struggled to speak before closing his mouth again. He waited a few seconds and Faust didn’t dare to speak.

After a long inner conflict with himself, Schenk continued.

“I was thrown into the dungeon… and I was interrogated.” He pressed out and wordlessly took off his shirt. He pointed at the many slashing scars covering his entire body. He didn’t need to say anything.

Faust’s eyes grew wide when he finally understood where these scars came from.

‘How could anyone be so cruel? He didn’t even commit a crime. This… how can one human do this to another? How can Schenk still be so kind and caring after all that? Or is that exactly why he acts this way?’

The young man didn’t know what to do. This revelation was something so gruesome and it saddened him to no end. He felt empathy.

‘This man also suffered a lot. He must still suffer a lot.’ He corrected himself.

He quickly stepped forward and hugged a surprised Schenk. After a moment of hesitation, Schenk hugged the boy back and sighed.

“So you understand. The world is cruel towards the weak. I was just a pawn in a political plot. And yes, it still haunts me. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, screaming… but I have learned to live with it.” His voice was calm and gentle as usual.

After a brief hug, Faust took a step back. Schenk smiled at him.

‘He’s a nice kid. Yet he also carries such a burden with him… he will carry it… and it will make him mature. But I wish he didn’t need to.’ The man thought before speaking to Faust again.

“I shared this story because I know you also suffer a lot from what happened a week ago,” he paused briefly allowing Faust to understand his words.

“But just as I have… you will also learn to live with it. It will make you disillusioned. Though I don’t know if that’s a good thing. Maybe.” he sighed.

“I wanted you to know you are not alone and that things will improve.” He smiled.

Faust stood there motionlessly, and a single tear ran down his face, but he was smiling.

“Thank you.” He whispered. Schenk smiled fatherly. The baron waited for a bit before continuing.

“Do you know what the reason for our suffering was and what could’ve stopped it?” Schenk asked as he resumed to look into the distance. Faust shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Strength,” Schenk said and clenched his right fist. “If we had strength we would have never gotten into that situation. If I had strength I wouldn’t have been tortured for weeks… and you wouldn’t have lost your family.” He sighed as his hand relaxed. Faust gulped. He had just seen an intense killing intent and desire to become stronger in his eyes.

“Now I am a powerful Baron and warrior. Still, there are many stronger and more powerful than me.” He shook his head.

“There's just a limit to how much one man can do.” Intense longing filled his face.

“Sometimes I wish there was a way to surpass the human limits of strength.”

Faust felt Schenk’s desire and it lit up a flame in him.

“Maybe someday.”

Schenk looked at the kid and laughed. He was genuinely surprised.

“That’s the spirit. I like that. Never stop believing in yourself. The search for strength never ends.”

Faust nodded. “I will train hard.”

Schenk smiled.

“I heard you were training with my daughter.”

Faust’s mind shook and he immediately replied:

“She’s a good teacher and an even better friend.”

The baron smiled.

“I’m glad you get along well. She never had many friends due to her status. Just try not to let your hormones run rampant. The difference in your status is just too great. I was also your age once.” He laughed.

“Make sure you don’t ‘befriend’ her the way you did with Flora.” He smirked.

Faust didn’t miss Schenk’s choice of words.

‘He implied that if our status wasn’t so different, he wouldn’t mind.’ He concluded. He was unsure if that was a compliment or what to make of it, but he would think about it another time.

His embarrassment about his lord’s statement about him and Flora made him blush. Schenk surprised him by asking another question. It sounded serious and Faust understood that it carried a deeper meaning. The boy thought about it briefly.

“Do you like her?”

‘She is beautiful, clever, elegant… of course, I like her, but why does he ask if he knows already? What is he implying?’ Faust couldn’t make sense of it, but he nodded with a smile.

“Very much. I’ve known her my whole life. She’s caring, beautiful…” Faust stopped himself and smiled sheepishly. Schenk laughed.

“That’s good.” He didn’t let Faust know what the question was meant for.

“Oh, one more thing,” Schenk added seriously.

“You can’t just hug a baron.” He smirked.

Faust shook his head and smiled. For the first time since the raid, he genuinely felt happy to be alive. He had never seen a sunset this beautiful. He had seen that it was possible to overcome his trauma.

That gave him hope. It filled him with warmth.