I had been sitting in this godforsaken place for quite a while now. While Sirius and the beasts were playing with each other, I was laying in the damp grass looking up at the dusky sky. The moon was slightly visible now as the sun had almost set. I had been introspecting about things that were happening to me.

It had happened twice now. I couldn’t move, or even think clearly. First was when I was being questioned by the Fryes and second was when the beast, Boo, had pounced on Sirius.

Was I scared? Probably.

But this was not the first time I had been in a dangerous situation. I had been in numerous wars in my past life and I had almost kissed my life goodbye too many times to count. So what changed exactly?

Is it because I’m weak now? No. There have been many instances in the past where I was weaker than my enemies, and yet was never so desperate.

Desperate…..?

Was I ever desperate in my past life?

Thoughts had slowly started taking shape in my head as I laid there. However, I soon noticed the sound of footsteps approaching me from the different direction of where Sirius was playing. I sat back up immediately as I looked for the person who was walking towards me.

I could make out a silhouette of a woman, wearing a long flowing robe that spread behind her as she walked.

Lady Frye?

I hopped up and stood straight before greeting the woman with a light bow. Lady Frye gestured with her hand for me to sit. She stood by my side as she watched her son and the nightmarish beasts play with each other.

“Isn’t it dangerous, Lady Frye?”

“...Maria. Lady Maria. And are you calling those little beasts dangerous?”

“.........”

Little? How the hell are these horrors just some little beasts?

“Yes, Lady Maria.”

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“.....Oftentimes Mehr, what we see and perceive around us is actually not true. Just because they look like that, doesn’t mean they are dangerous.”

“What are they exactly?”

Lady Maria gazed at the playful scene in front of her eyes before turning her eyes to me.

“Just some poor beasts unwanted by the world.”

Unwanted by the world…. Well, I can guess the reason for that. No sane person would want these abominations close to them.

As I was sitting there, thinking sarcastically to myself, a thought suddenly clicked in my mind. The fact that a lady of her stature was talking to a suspicious orphan boy, who dropped out of nowhere, was suspicious enough, but she had even given me a room and asked to stay for the foreseeable future. Back in the hall, when she had asked me how I got through her barrier, the killing intent in the room was palpitating. That was enough of a reason to kill me, according to the bystanders. Yet, she didn’t once show me hostility. It felt like she knew something about me. Something that even I wasn’t aware of….

“Thank you for saving my life, Lady Maria.” I stood up and bowed again, deeply this time, to show how touched I was because of their generosity.

“Hmm? It was Sirius who saved your life, wasn’t he? Thank him, then.”

I nodded as I sat back down quietly. I couldn’t quite think of a topic that would lead me to answers that would satisfy me. I didn’t know how to extract knowledge from this woman without sounding suspicious.

Is there anything that can entice her to reveal some information that she is very likely holding on to?

Just as I was thinking, I remembered a certain pendant that Sir Ghost had given me. I slowly put my hand inside my damp clothes and pulled it out. A reddish hue was covering the blue gem, and frankly, it looked quite enchanting.

I could feel the gaze of Lady Maria shifting from her son to my pendant.

Looks like this would work.... Didn’t he say this was an artifact or something. It looks pretty expensive, for sure.

I stood there silently holding the pendant in my hand as I secretly waited for her to initiate the conversation. It took a moment before she tilted her body as she got close to me to hold the pendant in her hands.

“....Where did you get this from?”

Just as I was going to sound some excuse, she spoke before I could.

“Let me guess, you don’t remember. Right?”

I stood there with my mouth half open, struggling to swallow back the same words that she had just spoken. Her cold eyes looked at me and I could feel that my body had already started sweating. I instantly turned my eyes away and looked towards Sirius for help.

Huh, why did I look towards a child for help? Why……. am I sweating? The situation isn’t even that bad. I know, for sure, that she wouldn’t kill me. And yet….

That was when thoughts, previously scattered, came together in my mind to form a realization.

When I was young and weak in my past life, I had my family to fall back to. When I was strong and had many enemies, I had my kingdom to fall back to. When I went against the King that I had served, my men and a few remaining friends were there to support me. But here, I am alone. I have no one to fall back to, no one to support me, no one to help me in my dire times. No wonder I feel scared….

There was one other thing that I always had, my brain. I’ve to be more ….Amon. My old sharp mind, without regressing to my old self.

Just as my thoughts were coming to rest, my body had relaxed and my heart felt at ease. I knew my weaknesses, and I knew my strengths. I settled my mind as I turned towards the Lady and looked into her eyes.

“What is this pendant exactly?”

My eyes had focused as I thought about everything that had happened so far.

She knows I’m lying about my memories. And yet, for some reason, she keeps me alive. She needs me for something. Not just her, this entire family needs me for something. If all they needed was my body, they had all the time they desired. No, they desire my cooperation. Are they in cahoots with Sir Ghost? Well, only one way to find out.

“And what exactly do you need from me?”