' Don't tell me they are master and disciple? Is that how he was able to save the young master from a goblin den? Not through mere luck or brute force, but through applied, preordained knowledge?'

The more Ignatius thought, the more astonished he became. His view of Adrian, which had been that of a brave but simple village lad caught in a bizarre romantic situation, began to radically reshape. He looked at Leo, who was dozing again, oblivious.

' To think the young master had managed to cross paths with such a person. And not only cross paths, but earn his loyalty, convince him and his... unique family... to return to the capital with him and maybe even convince him to work for the household!'

A gentle, relieved warmth spread through Ignatius's chest. He'd been worried that the young master might've been tricked by this village people, but to think that one of them held this much value.

' Isn't this, in essence, the same as recruiting a future expert for the household? A hidden jewel, plucked from the hinterlands.'

He was so caught up in this grand reevaluation, building a narrative of hidden masters and secret discipleship based on a few glimpsed pages, that he failed to grasp a simple truth.

he had seen only fragments of knowledge contained within the jotter. Who knew how utterly dumbfounded he would be if he had read the entire jotter, with its entries on all sorts of supernaturals, supernatural phenomenon, alchemy and even magic.

Sadly for Ignatius, that was an impossible dream. The reason being that for some reason, Adrian felt as if the journal itself was endless and the second reason being that the journal was Adrian's alone, a gift from a grumpy village doctor who would certainly never ask for it back.

And even though Adrian knew it was his to keep, he couldn't stop himself from trying to devour every single piece of knowledge within it, as if preparing for an exam that would determine his very survival.

******

The light had bled completely from the sky, leaving a deep indigo sprinkled with the faint glimpses of stars, when Ignatius finally called for a halt. The carriages pulled into a small, relatively clear area just off the path, a designated waypoint for travelers.

A collective, grateful sigh seemed to rise from both vehicles as doors swung open and stiff limbs unfolded into the cool evening air.

"Finally!" Leo exclaimed, arching his back with a series of audible pops.

Everyone spilled out, stretching and groaning. The simple act of standing on solid, unmoving ground felt like a luxury. The four mercenaries Ignatius had brought, immediately fanned out to the edges of the small clearing without a word, their hands resting on weapon hilts, eyes scanning the dark tree line as they stood at the ready.

Adrian couldn't help but admire their dedication to their jobs, to think that such hardworking people actually existed.

Watching them take up their positions seamlessly, Ignatius gave a small, satisfied nod. They were without a doubt, professional in the literal sense.

He then turned to Leo, offering a slight bow. "Please excuse me young master while I see to the camp essentials. I promise I will not take long."

"Alright," Leo said, rubbing his arms for warmth. "We'll be waiting."

"Excuse me, Sir Ignatius," a gentle voice interjected. Melissa approached, her kind face serene in the twilight.

"Yes, my lady?" the butler replied, turning with polite look on his face.

"Why not let me lend you a hand? I'm quite capable with a campfire and a cooking pot. And I'd rather not burden you alone with catering for everyone."

Ignatius was taken aback. A slight, almost imperceptible fluster touched his features. Having a person he was duty-bound to serve and protect offering to perform menial tasks just to help lighten his load wasn't just unusual, it struck him off guard.

"A-are you sure, my lady? It is hardly appropriate—"

"It's okay, I insist," Melissa retorted with a warm, firm smile that brooked no argument.

' Being cooped up in that carriage for hours has me itching to do something useful.' she chuckled to herself. The thought of sitting idle while others worked was far more disagreeable to her than any breach of protocol.

Seeing the sincere determination in her eyes, Ignatius had no real grounds for refusal. He gave another bow, shallower this time. "Your assistance will be most welcome, my lady. Thank you."

As Melissa moved to follow the butler toward the supply carriage, she paused and turned back to the cluster of younger women who had gathered together, in her eyes, they looked like an island of tension in the settling camp.

She fixed them with a look that was both fond and stern. "As for you four," she said, her voice carrying a motherly weight. "please try not to do anything... troubling while I'm gone, alright?" She didn't specify what 'troubling' might entail, but the meaning was clear, no fighting, no scheming and definitely no supernatural incidents.

After making sure her words were heard, she turned and followed Ignatius.

Left alone, Snow, Grey, and Emma all stood in a loose semi-circle. For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, almost as one, their gazes, slid away from each other and turned across the clearing. They landed on the same point, Adrian, who was standing near the lead carriage, deep in conversation with Leo who was telling him about the capital and whatnot.

After being apart for so long, all three of them wanted to approach him but seeing him busy with another, non of them wanted to intrude, afraid of secretly displeasing him.

*****

As the camp began to take shape behind them, with the sound of Ignatius and Melissa unpacking supplies and the mercenaries standing guard at the perimeter, Snow though unwilling to intrude, felt rather restless not being with him, but, she believed that he wouldn't be preoccupied for long, after all, a conversation couldn't last forever, could it?

' Now that we're no longer in those wooden boxes, I can finally be with darling again...' she thought, her expression brightening at the prospect of reclaiming Adrian's attention.

She took a step toward where he stood with Leo, but then her smile dimmed, frosting over when she recalled something she couldn't avoid.

' But that also means she can as well...' Her blue eyes slid sideways, flashing an inconspicuous glare at Amy who was completely unaware, standing a few paces away, looking just as relieved to be free of the carriage.

Before she could decide on a course of action, she felt a small, insistent pat on her arm. She turned to find Emma looking up at her, a shrewd gleam in her emerald eyes. The goblin-girl gestured for Snow to lean down.

When Snow bent her head, Emma whispered her thoughts into her ear. "I'm sure we're already thinking of the same thing. Why don't we try to keep her with us, instead of letting her get near darling?"

" But how are we supposed to do that?"

Snow straightened, considering it, her lips pursing together. It was a clever, if frustrating, tactic. "Are you sure she'd fall for that? She doesn't seem the type to enjoy our company." Snow joked, they had practically ignored her, showing their open hostility up till now, why would she even spare them a moment of her time?

"Of course she would," Emma sneered, her cute canines showing.

" She still hasn't given up on getting us to accept her, there's no reason for her to refuse our offer."

" Hmm.. you are right about that."

Snow chuckled, finding the idea, plausible. It was a double-edged sword, yes. By keeping Amy occupied, they themselves would be sacrificing precious time they could be spending with Adrian. But the trade-off was worth it.

Keeping the rival away from the prize was a victory nonetheless. "Very well," Snow murmured. "Let us—"

"Wait," Emma interrupted, her head swiveling. "Where is she?"

' What are you talking about? What do you mean where is she?'

Snow's gaze snapped back to where Amy had been standing just a moment before only to realise that the spot was empty. A spike of alarm shot through her.

' Don't tell me she's already with him?!' She instantly scanned toward Adrian, but he was still deep in conversation with Leo, no Amy in sight.

' What?' Snow was confused. ' If she's not with darling, then where could she have gone?'

"She's... over there?" Emma said, but her tone was laced with confusion rather than triumph.

Snow followed Emma's pointing finger. There, at the edge of the clearing where the torchlight began to falter, were two figures walking side-by-side, heading slowly toward the darker tree line.

One was Amy, while the other was Grey.

Her posture looked relaxed, while her head was tilted as if listening intently. As they watched, Amy said something, gesturing animatedly, and Grey's shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Then Grey responded, her movements expressive, and it was Amy's turn to laugh, the sound carrying softly back to them.

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