~Chapter 47~
Ruby was startled and grabbed Calix’s shoulder, forcing him to look her in the eye as she asked, “What do you mean? Calix, you’re not a bad child. Who told you that?”
Calix began to cry sadly.
“Please don’t tell me Grandfather said that,” Ruby said, her face showing how angry she was. She looked like she was ready to go after Grand Duke Lux immediately.
But Calix shook his head.
“No, I… I tried my best, but it’s just not working. So Grandfather told me to stop sword lessons.”
Finally, Calix opened up about the sword training being put on hold.
“They said to stop the lessons completely?”
“No, just for a while. But I don’t know for how long. What if I can’t train for a long time? What will I do then?”
To Calix, sword fighting was everything. Taking that away from him was like taking away his breath. Ruby couldn’t understand why Grand Duke Lux had suddenly decided to stop the lessons. It seemed like there was a reason behind it.
Ruby took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Calix’s tears and runny nose.
“I understand now, my Calix. I’m sorry I didn’t realize how upset you were.”
Ruby pulled Calix into a hug. He didn’t pull away, instead staying still, quietly letting her hold him.
Ruby’s heart hurt when she saw how down Calix was. His usual playful attitude was gone, and he seemed smaller, defeated.
“Calix, do you want to spend some time with me today, just the two of us?”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes, remember how we used to play together when we were younger, before Sasha was born?”
It had been almost four years, but both of them still remembered that time. Ruby and Calix weren’t the closest, but when they were younger, they used to spend a lot of time together. Usually, Calix would cause trouble, and Ruby would have to stop him, but they were still a close brother and sister.
“What about Sasha?” Calix asked.
“We can leave Sasha with someone else today.”
“What about Maria?”
“Maria is with the nurse.”
Hearing that, Calix stopped crying.
“Okay.”
Ruby was relieved when he nodded. She helped him stand up from where he was sitting.
“Let’s go get something delicious and have fun.”
Ruby brushed the dust off his clothes and led him out of the mansion.
She told the maids where they were going, just in case.
“Are you sure you two should go alone?”
“We’re going to spend time together today. Please look after the others.”
Ruby held Calix’s hand tightly, and luckily, he didn’t pull away.
Sasha, seeing them hold hands, pouted.
“Let’s go together next time,” Ruby said, bending down to meet Sasha’s eyes and patting her head.
“I want to go now!” Sasha said, but Ruby gently shook her head.
“Next time, okay?”
Seeing Sasha’s big teary eyes made Ruby feel bad, but she couldn’t just leave Calix and go with Sasha.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you something delicious,” Ruby said, waving goodbye to Sasha.
Ruby didn’t call for the coachman and decided to walk through the city to spend time with Calix.
“Do you remember the day we first came to Grand Duke Lux’s mansion?” Ruby asked.
“Yeah.”
“We walked so much that my legs hurt so bad. Remember?”
“We kept walking without resting.”
Even though Calix’s tone was still grumpy, Ruby continued talking.
“But we’re here now because Grandfather accepted us. If it wasn’t for him, we might not have been able to stay here.”
“At first, he wanted to kick us out. But you convinced him to let us stay.”
“That’s true. But if you hadn’t been so good at sword fighting, we probably wouldn’t be living here.”
As soon as Ruby mentioned sword fighting, Calix flinched. Ruby noticed it and decided to keep talking about sword fighting so that she could understand what was going through Calix’s mind.
“Grandfather’s sword fighting skills are said to be the best. Maybe in a few years, you could even teach the knights.”
“…”
But Calix stayed silent.
“Actually, maybe in a few years, you might even surpass Grandfather. You’re capable of that, Calix.”
Finally, Ruby managed to get a response out of him.
“I’m just pathetic. There’s no way I could do that.”
“Pathetic? Who said that? Our Calix is amazing!”
“But I can’t learn sword fighting anymore,” Calix’s voice was quiet as he looked down.
Ruby’s heart broke when she heard the sadness in his voice. She gently patted the back of his head with her free hand.
“Do you like sword fighting, Calix?”
Calix nodded slightly.
“Why do you like it?”
“I like proving that I’m strong.”
“I see. Have you become stronger from Grandfather’s training?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ve gotten weaker. Maybe that’s why Grandfather stopped the lessons.”
“Hmm… I don’t think it’s because you’ve gotten weaker, but rather because Grandfather wants you to get even stronger.”
“What do you mean? How can I get stronger if I’m not training?”
Calix didn’t understand Ruby’s confusing words. Ruby thought for a moment before figuring out how to explain.
“How about we go look for ways to get stronger?” Ruby suggested.
“Is there a way?”
Calix’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
Ruby smiled and raised a finger.
“Let’s go find out together.”
Ruby pulled Calix’s hand, and they ran into the busy streets.
Calix held onto Ruby’s hand tightly as he looked around. Usually, he would run wild and let go of her hand, but today he was calm and quiet.
Ruby couldn’t help but feel sad for him. She decided to keep the conversation lighthearted as they walked.
“How about we check out that shop?”
“I don’t really care about clothes.”
“What about that one? The sausages look good.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Ruby sighed. She noticed that Calix’s excitement was completely gone.
Then, Ruby spotted a sign for a store that might catch Calix’s interest.
“How about that one?”
“A weapon shop?”
“Yes.”
This time, Calix didn’t refuse, and Ruby led him into the weapon shop. The shelves were filled with finely crafted weapons, and the shop owner was sitting behind the counter, yawning and ignoring the children.
“Looks like this is the sword section,” Ruby said, leading Calix to the weapons.
The shopkeeper glanced at them sharply and warned, “You kids, don’t touch anything.”
“Can’t we even look around?” Ruby asked.
“These are dangerous. You shouldn’t touch them.”
“We’re customers. We’re here to find a sword that fits this boy,” Ruby said, pointing to Calix.
The shopkeeper looked them up and down, noticing that they were dressed better than ordinary children.
“Do you have money?”
“Of course.”
“With your allowance, I don’t think you can afford anything here.”
“I think we can buy something. Can we just look?”
The shopkeeper shrugged and went back to lounging at the counter, expecting an adult to show up soon.
“Do you see anything you like?” Ruby asked, leading Calix to the sword section.
Calix’s eyes lit up as he stared at the different swords, each with unique shapes and sizes.
“Can I choose one?”
“Of course. I’ll buy whatever you like. It doesn’t have to be a sword.”
The shopkeeper scoffed softly at Ruby’s words, but Ruby ignored him.
Calix picked up a thin, long rapier and admired it, but his expression darkened again.
“What’s the point of buying a sword if I can’t even train?”
Calix sounded defeated and placed the sword back.
“Calix, how about I buy it for you?”
“You?”
“Yes, I’ve always wanted to learn sword fighting too.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I want to try it.”
“Well, you can ask Grandfather to let you train…”
Ruby shook her head.
“No, I want you to teach me.”
