Amy smiled awkwardly, she felt a bit stiff from her gaze. Amy let out a sigh before heading towards Melissa's side, probably to help her set up camp.

Meanwhile, in the distance. Adrian let out a sigh of relief while Leo continued to go on and on about the fun thing the both of them would do once they got to the capital.

Truthfully, he had been listening in on their conversation, beneath his cloths, his muscles had increased several fold thanks to their bond, Adrian had been cautious the whole time, to the point that he had even been prepared to intervene if things continued to progress badly, fortunately for him, his darlin Snow had handled the situation properly.

" Thank God..." He sighed with relief.

" Come again?" Leo asked, confused by his words.

" No... It's nothing. Why don't you tell me more about that cafe you mentioned earlier, do they really have the best tea you've ever tasted." Adrian changed the subject without much thought.

" Oh, well of course. I must say, I was stunned the first time I went there." Leo continued, telling Adrian more and more while he glanced down at his jotter gifted by the doctor, completely oblivious to his words, although he nodded from time to time to feign attention.

And like that, they continued to pass time till it was finally dark out, by then, the campfire had already been made.

Melissa personally served everyone their meals, Ignatius who felt that it was not right to leave such matters to someone under his care, lent her a hand, and together, the both of them made sure everyone was fed.

Adrian glanced at Amy who was seating beside Leo and Snow, Grey and Emma who sat next to his mother, though distant, he felt a tad sad seeing that non of them looked as happy as they should be, there were out here, in the wilderness, camping on their own and yet.

' Don't tell me they're planning on staying moody forever. Can't they at least take advantage of this moment and have some fun.' He sighed, feeling like there was no way for him to get them to like each other.

The silence didn't last long since everyone was eating, now the scene at least looked more natural and ambiguous, like a full on family enjoying a freshly made meal.

For a moment, the tension from earlier seemed to have been burned away by the simple, primal comfort of hot food and shared warmth.

Adrian took a slow bite of the hearty stew, his gaze drifting past the circle of firelight to the darker perimeter of their camp.

There, standing like statues at their posts, were the four mercenaries Ignatius had hired. They stood with their backs to the light of the campfire, not that the light of the campfire did them any good from so far away.

Though that wasn't a problem since they had lit their individual oil lamps, making sure not to leave out any blind spots.

They all stood facing the swallowing darkness of the forest, their forms tense and alert even as they took turns eating from their own rations.

Adrian felt reluctant watching them all on their own.

They were out there in the cold, guarding this strange, fractured party while he sat in relative comfort.

One shouldn't be mistaken though, the reason Adrian felt reluctant watching them wasn't because he pitied them, his gaze was filled with reluctance, not the nativity of youth.

"It's a shame they won't be joining us," he muttered, more to himself than anyone, letting out an inaudible sigh.

"I was kind of hoping to hear some stories from them."

He wasn't just trying to seem friendly. A deeper, more urgent curiosity gnawed at him than that.

These were men who traveled for a living, who took jobs that led them into treacherous situations, the fact that they were still alive showed just how rich their experience and skill set must've been.

If anyone had firsthand accounts of encounters with creatures like the ones now sitting around this very fire, or worse, the mysterious "Fifty-Two Cards", it would be them. Well, that was what Adrian believed anyways.

He was eager to pry any information he could from them, to add to the knowledge in the doctor's jotter.

Across the fire, Amy scraped the last of her stew from her bowl with a satisfied sigh. She placed the bowl neatly by her feet and looked up, her face glowing in the firelight.

"Thank you for the meal, Aunty, Sir Ignatius. It was quite delicious." Amy said with a smile.

Melissa, who was still eating her's, dropped her spoon for a moment, smiling in return.

"You're very welcome, dear."

" I'm glad the food was to your liking. I'll be sure to make lots more like it."

Ignatius, took a sip from his spoon, before he gave a slight, formal bow of his head. "The pleasure was mine, Miss Amy. i'm glad the meal was to your liking as well."

As Amy settled back, she caught a pair of eyes fixed on her from the other side of the fire. Leo was non other than the perpetrator, his own food forgotten in his lap, a look of estranged, slightly dazed attention on his face. Amy's eyebrows raised. She touched a finger to her cheek. "Is there something on my face, Leo? A bit of stew, perhaps?"

Leo jolted as if struck. He hadn't expected to be caught. His cheeks flushed a bright, unmistakable red, visible even in the firelight. "N-no! Nothing at all!" he stammered, his voice jumping an octave.

He hurried to think of what to say that would make up for his obvious blunder, his mind blanking. "I was just… surprised! At how quickly you finished. That's all."

" We've never really had the chance to eat together before, since you and Mr. Miller were usually very busy... so this was a first for me."

Amy looked genuinely puzzled now. She glanced down at her empty bowl, then back at him.

"Oh, I didn't know." Amy said, looking apologetic.

" Is it considered rude to eat quickly in the capital? I suppose my manners might be a little rustic." There was a hint of genuine concern in her voice, like a village girl worrying about city etiquette.

Seeing her misunderstanding, Leo's panic doubled. He waved his hands frantically, nearly upsetting his own bowl. "No, no, no! Not at all! That's not what I meant! I just—I admire a healthy appetite!"

" I mean I think girls with big appetites are great." Leo said yet winced inwardly when he realized he was digging himself into a deeper hole than before, his words becoming more absurd.

' So he's one of those idiots who can't seem to behave properly Infront of their crush...' Adrian stared plainly at Leo, wondering if this was the same reserved young man from before.

Amy was silent for a moment before chuckling a bit. She shook her head, her orange pigtails swaying. "It's okay, Leo. Really. You don't have to try so hard."

She leaned back, a playful, knowing glint entering her eyes. "Besides, I don't think it's that surprising for a girl from the capital to have such an appetite, after all, I'm a bit of a foodie myself."

The sentence landed in the firelight like a spark on dry tinder. Adrian and Leo didn't seem to care about the latter part of her sentence but the short words before.

A girl from the capital.....

Adrian, who had been half-listening while watching the mercenaries, slowly turned his head with a look of disbelief on his face, while Leo's frantic waving stopped, his hands frozen in mid-air. For a second, the only sound they heard was the crackle and pop of the burning logs.

"You're… from the capital?" Adrian asked, his voice low with surprise.

" But I thought... I mean the clinic... you..." Leo was equally as shocked, not knowing what to say.

Amy's smile turned into a full, smug grin. She basked in their stunned expressions for a moment, clearly enjoying having a secret they hadn't guessed. "You really didn't know?" she teased, her gaze lingering on Adrian.

Adrian set his bowl down, his full attention now on her. He ran a hand through his hair, a helpless smile on his face. "How could I? You never told me."

" If I remember correctly, You just… showed up one day with your father. Everyone in the village just assumed you were from a neighboring town, or that Mr. Miller had family elsewhere."

Amy held up a finger, wagging it Infront of him. "On the contrary, that doesn't mean I tried to hide it, You, my ignorant friend, are the one who never asked."

Adrian and Amy looked at each other's expression before bre

aking into a laughing fit.

The sound of their laughter, however, sent different ripples through the rest of the group.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.