They followed Gus through the cobblestone pathway, the villagers were gathered around them but maintained a respectful distance. Perhaps it was because of the soldiers that were at their sides? Well Tom and the soldiers with them right now didn’t look too foreboding, except Frank, the guy who looked like he could smash barrels with ease. The guy probably did it.

Hyde wasn’t too sure.

Everything seemed to be a blur, his head was throbbing as they passed from one home to the next. And surely but slowly, the crowds began to disperse into their respective places or lost interest. The sun was nearly gone after all, so they would all be returning home. Now to Hyde, the sun painted a beautiful landscape before him. The sun's streaks of orange and yellow flitting through the wooden houses and casting shadows in the corners of his eyes. He sighed to himself. It was a wonder how the villagers could greet him and the others with such earnestness and open heartedness? They should be rioting, screaming and yelling at them. They could have prevented it⁠—

“Ack.”

His face smashed against a hard surface.

“We’re here, Sir Hyde.”

The butler in front of him wasn’t even apologetic, but never mind that… they would be meeting the Village Head. Hyde was sure that it was a Title of Power, not as much as Marquess, especially not a King but there was an aura that emanated around the house. It didn’t look too different from the other buildings, a house made out of wood, but it clearly felt different from the others.

The door swung open.

“Papa!”

Hyde blinked once.

An older man should have been rushing out to greet them and prostrating for their lack of promptness or perhaps berating them for not coming in their time of need. Instead a young girl was at the door, a flustered expression on their face as she looked back inside their home. She wore a pouty look and was clutching her clean but simple dress with tight fists.

“Papaaa!”

“Rose, come here.”

A woman soon appeared and ushered the girl back inside the house. She smiled apologetically and curtsied at them. The woman looked quite motherly with her hair in a bun, wearing a dress that was similar to the girl’s. Hyde for a fact knew that his mother wouldn’t try a hairstyle like that or try to wear the same clothing as Rhine.

“Milords and milady, welcome to the village of Wren. Please excuse my husband⁠—he’s still recovering from a recent injury.”

Hyde blinked for a moment, still taking in the situation on hand. A recent injury? Could it be related to the bandits’ attack? Guilt continued to ram itself in his chest. Perhaps it would stay put there and never let him rest.

“Eliza, please don’t embarrass me in front of our revered guests.”

A man finally appeared, sporting a good number of bandages wrapped around his torso. Other than that, he looked alright and grabbed for Gus’ hand and began to shake it energetically.

“Good evening sir Falcon! We’re quite pleased to have you here in our village.”

Heat rose up in Hyde’s cheeks but he said nothing. It didn’t matter that Gus was mistaken as the heir to the Falcon house and not him.The butler shook the man’s hand before bowing and moving to the side, allowing the actual heir to finally be seen by the Village Head. Gus then cleared his throat, it seemed to Hyde that the man was also surprised like him to be mistaken as the heir but hid it well enough.

“Thank you for the warm welcome sir, please allow me to introduce Sir Hyde and Lady Rhine of the Falcon House.”

The man blinked before he guffawed, walking forward and ruffled his head. Hyde thankfully didn't bolt out of there.

It was an odd sensation, getting your head ruffled.

“I didn’t expect the heir of the Falcon House to be so young! A pleasure to meet you sir Falcon, your humble servant Reuben Fletcher at your service.”

Did his father ever pat him on the head for a job well done? It was a childish thought he had to put aside. He looked at the older man squarely in the eyes and held out his hand.

“U-um good day to you sir Fletcher, thanks for having us here.”

The Village Head took his hands and shook it, firmly and with weathered hands. He visibly nodded at him, and Hyde felt a surge of pride make its way to his chest. It was as if he was being recognized as a person of his own and not simply because of his rank.

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“It's no problem! Please feel free to stay in our houses, we must apologize that we don't really have inns in our village, much less a summer villa for you to stay at.”

The man seemed a bit sheepish as his gaze fell towards the village before them. The man had a point, if they were to compare it to the Falcon Fortress, it would clearly pale in comparison. Just then, a feminine figure moved forward and waved a hand, there was probably a smile was on his sister’s face right now.

“Ah please don’t fret about it sir Fletcher, we’re quite thankful for your hospitality!”

“Thank you lassie!” Reuben smiled at her before he glanced back at Hyde again, practically elbowing him at the side.

“I guess you’d no need to wonder if you’d been a looker as a girl.”

Hyde scratched his cheek, averting his gaze from his sister. It’d be no good to get compared, it didn’t matter that they looked quite similar, it was still awkward.

“I suppose so…um, sir Reuben?”

“What is it lad?”

“That injury of yours...”

Hyde coughed, he didn't mind men being half naked. Soldiers usually did that when they were out training, but he's never seen his father or any other noble expose their chest. Then again, the man's chest was all bandaged up. Imagining a sword cleanly piercing through the man's body was awe inspiring and also made him guilty at the same time.

“Ah, I fell off a tree.”

“But the bandits! Wait… tree?”

“Ah, Rose over here likes honey and one of the boys saw a hive up a tree. I tried scaling up to get some… but as you can see, it didn’t work out too well.”

Hyde frowned, he assumed the injury was related to the bandits coming around. But nobody has really mentioned it either.

“Sir? The bandits—”

“Ah, look at the time⁠—it’s nearly time for supper. You and your company must be quite tired… please allow me to show you some rooms for you to stay at. We so happen to have two extra rooms.”

“Papa!”

The young girl tugged at the man’s pants, her expression rather livid. Hyde kept an uneasy smile on, they were avoiding it? He wasn’t so sure what to think of it now. Maybe he had been wrong, those weren't thieves? It was disconcerting.

“Now Rose, it’s only polite that you share your room. Don’t you usually just come inside our room during the night?”

“I’m a big girl! I don’t do that.”

“We couldn't oblige too much on you.”

Rhine pointed out for both of them. Plus, if there were two rooms… Hyde would have to share with Gus? He always seemed to have the short end of the stick here.

“Nonsense! It's not everyday that the heir of the Falcon family visits his domain.”

Hyde probably should feel thankful, instead, another wave of shame washed over him. A good noble should care about their people right? Especially a village that's just a day away from their home. He wasn’t exactly sure on what their father actually did for their people. It didn’t seem to be enough if thieves were raiding and pillaging villages under their domain.

“Well, we don’t want to impose, but thank you sir. We’d like to take you on for that offer.”

Gus finally answered for them, without even asking their opinion on this? The Village Head nodded, but then paused, looking at their butler.

“What about you sir…”

“Just Gus, sir Fletcher. I serve as their butler and temporary guardian in lieu of Marquess Falcon.”

Guardian huh? That was one way to look at things, not that Hyde would agree with that term. Taking a glance at his sister, even Rhine seemed not well-taken to that term, her lips curled down. They could have been fine on their own… although Gus was doing the talking for them right now. There was the irony of it. The Village Head scratched his chin.

“Well then, Gus, um, a place for you to stay at…”

“Helen, one of our lovely neighbors, would have a spare room, and I think she’d be more than willing to have a guest.”

Eliza smiled at the butler, although there was that glint in the woman’s eyes that Hyde didn’t like that much. It reminded him of when Rhine invited him to help her out for experiments, when their mother asked something from their father and the look that girls sent him during balls.

“Actually,”

Gus began to speak up, and Hyde wished that it wasn’t the guy saying that he could stay with him inside the room. There was only enough contact he could tolerate per day.

“Heavens no, you’re trying to set up that old widow with this fine young man?”

Reuben gave a disapproving look at his wife, while the woman sheepishly shrugged and smiled—caught red handed.

“I’m not playing matchmaker, it’s just that Helen is the first one that I can think of that has available space.”

“Excuse me madam, it’d be impossible for me to stay at another house. Under strict orders, I was to stay as close as possible to his children.”

Their butler soon explain, and rather smoothly at that in Hyde’s opinion. It left the blame on their father and not the butler himself, it would actually make him even more good in their eyes…

“I do believe, however, we have more than enough men that’d be happy to occupy any available room. Since you were so inclined to offer this space, I believe our eligible captain would be very much obliged to accept that offer.”

That sly dog! Hyde didn’t expect the man to could pull off a remark like that, but somehow the guy did, wearing a playful smile at that. And the woman laughed, making their butler promise to have their captain come here soon as possible. Hyde already felt sorry for their captain already. And with that, he and Rhine were led to their respective rooms. Now that Hyde thought of it, Gus still hasn’t mentioned where he was sleeping. The guy shouldn’t try entering either of their rooms! But if Hyde had to choose, he’d reluctantly let the guy share a room with him...