Days have gone by, and as much as we wanted to spend more time with Flower, unfortunately, the army has been calling her. Flower left the house to get back to her camp, leaving our mother sobbing from her parting.
"She will come back, mother." I reassured her but she cried even more louder. "Dad, do some-" But he was already gone.
'Goodluck, son.' Benedict said via Wi-Fi Link. Before I could say something, he cut off the line as quickly as he left.
'Curses!'
It took a while to calm mother down. The moment she was calm, she fell asleep. Meanwhile, I spent my time with Benedict, eager to hear stories of his adventures and battles as a Guardian first and General after. He told me stories of his battles that included Banther, Master Sorania, and mother before becoming a general.
Ordinary children would be ignorant to the friendly-theme stories that their parents would tell them in order to not taint their minds with dirt. But, despite lies that Benedict was sharing (and when I said by 'lies', I meant to say that he was changing and hiding some parts of his stories), I could already tell he had a hard time during his career.
After listening to my father's glorious stories, I patted his shoulders. "It must've been hard, father." I said, making Benedict surprised. When I said those words, I didn't say them as Arthur. But as General Kyle from Earth. I knew how tough war is. No matter how strong people think you are because of your achievements and victories you brought home, what they don't know is that we are still humans/zolgarians. We have one heart, which makes us vulnerable still.
After hanging out with my father, I went and checked on Banther to see how he was faring. I was glad when I saw him recovering, but the newly formed scars remained in his skin.
"I'm sorry for giving you a task that might've killed you, Banther." I apologized while we both were staring at the city under us from the open balcony.
Banther chuckled. "Don't apologize, young master. It wasn't my first time fighting a member from the Black Hole."
"But that still could've killed you." I said solemnly.
Banther sighed and patted my back. "I'm the one that should be apologizing."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I wasn't a big help to you against Iskara. It's either I'm getting old or getting rusty." He said, his eyes never leaving me.
I smiled and patted his back as well. "No, you were a big help. Thanks to you for holding him back, I've gotten enough rest that I needed. But let's not talk about what happened in the past. What do you want to do when you recover?"
"I'll go back to my duty, of course." He said.
"That's it?" I asked. "There must be something else."
Banther chuckled after he realized what I wanted to hear from him. "Of course, I'll train to sharpen my skills again. It has been a while after all."
I smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Did you hear what Iskara said before he died?"
"Of course. How could I forget his threats?" His eyes then became cold steel, replaying the last conversation I had with Iskara.
"I know I could trust in you, Banther. Within two years, I've got to know you better and got close to you. When I go to the academy, I know that my family will be protected because of you." I said.
Banther smiled. "Don't worry. I will protect everyone here while you do your own business, young master." He said.
After having a conversation with Banther, I visited the maids and talked to them how their lives have been so far in this house and if there was anything I could do to help them feel at home. Talking to them was great, especially I got to know each of them. Not only the maids, but also the butlers, cooks, and Guardians assigned by my father to protect the house.
I also spent time with Hoshuka. But for some reason, I could feel an awkward tension in the air around her.
"Is everything alright, Hoshuka?" I asked while we walked side by side. If any royal families see us, they will shame us. But I didn't care any about formalities since I've known Hoshuka since I was born.
"Oh? Y-Yeah. I'm okay." Hoshuka said, her face becoming red.
"Are you sure? Do you have cold? Your face looks red." I said which made her flinch and she hid her face behind her hands.
"Please, I'm okay. I'm just sad to see Miss Flower leave so early." She said. I knew it was a lie, but I didn't pressure her anymore. I'm sure something is going on in her life and until she becomes comfortable enough to share it with me, I won't say anything else.
The rest of the week was amazing. Although I wished that time lasted for more hours, but I had to prepare for the upcoming academy. I missed everyone so I wanted to cherish every second I got with them.
Because you'll never know when death will come at your neck.