~Chapter 59~
“That’s right, Prince Ivan. When Ruby gets angry, she’s scarier than a ghost,” Calix suddenly chimed in during the conversation.
“When did I get angry?” Ruby asked, looking at Calix in surprise.
“You’re so scary when you get mad. We can’t move when you say something,” Calix said, shrugging. Everyone burst into laughter at his playful tone.
“Yeah, ghosts are scary,” Sasha added, shivering and supporting Calix’s comment.
“Haha, so Lady Ruby has that side to her,” Barker chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter.
“Calix, Sasha, you really are something,” Ruby said, giving them a disapproving look. But then, Sennis smiled and defended the children.
“I think it’s a good thing. Somehow, Lady Ruby feels more approachable now,” she said.
Calix gave Ivan a meaningful look. Ivan, catching on to his expression, cleared his throat and added to the conversation.
“That’s what I wanted to say too. It’s not that your personality is strange, but there’s more to you than what Barker sees. There’s a human side to you too,” Ivan explained.
“Oh, is that what you meant?” Ruby’s misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.
Ivan, feeling thankful for getting out of a sticky situation, gave Calix a nod.
“Consider this a favor owed,” Calix seemed to say with his eyes, as he smiled mischievously at Ivan.
As they continued talking, they reached the basement of the mansion. They carefully descended the stairs and stopped in front of a large iron door. Barker took a key from his pocket and unlocked the padlock.
“This is the storage room where we keep the important items of our mansion,” Barker explained.
Sennis, looking curious, asked, “Isn’t one padlock a bit too weak to protect a storage room?”
Barker turned to Sennis and replied, “There’s magic placed on this lock. Even if you have a key, if you’re not authorized, you can’t open it.”
It was a casual tone, as if he were saying it was no big deal. Ruby nodded, understanding, as she too had been curious about it.
Barker pushed the door open with some effort, but it was still a little hard, so Ivan stepped in to help him.
As the door opened, a rush of cold air spilled out. Strangely, though the room seemed sealed tight, there was no smell at all. Ruby wondered if there was some sort of protective magic around the entire basement to keep it fresh.
“Is it okay for us to go in here?” Ruby asked, feeling a bit uneasy as she peered inside.
“You’re special guests, so it’s fine. I’ve already received permission from your parents,” Barker assured them.
With that, Ruby stepped in, feeling reassured.
The basement was tall enough for three adults to stand in a row. On either side, mannequins dressed in armor stood lined up, holding weapons that looked sharp and threatening, as though ready to attack at any moment.
In front of each mannequin was a glass display case.
“The armor on the walls is collected from various countries by my father. He enjoys collecting military items as a hobby,” Barker explained.
“They’ve been collected according to the history of armor in the Baldur Empire, I take it?” Ivan asked, admiring the collection.
Sennis, however, looked a little frightened.
“Do they have any magic that makes them move on their own?” she asked cautiously.
“Of course. If anyone tries to touch these items without permission, the knights will automatically attack,” Barker replied, teasing Sennis.
“Eek!” Sennis gasped, immediately stepping away from the display.
Seeing her reaction, Sasha stepped forward and said confidently, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Sennis smiled faintly at Sasha’s boldness.
“Thank you for saying that, but if the knights start moving, we should run away quickly.”
Sennis didn’t know about Sasha’s unusual strength, so she said it in a lighthearted manner.
Ivan glanced around the room and, looking puzzled, said, “I don’t feel any magic here.”
Barker, looking surprised, turned to Ivan. “Can you sense magic, Your Highness?”
“I’m not skilled in magic, but I can tell if there’s magic or not,” Ivan replied.
“That’s true. Actually, there’s no magic on these knights. It was just a joke,” Barker admitted, with a slight grin.
Sennis immediately got angry. “Why would you make such a joke?”
“It was just funny seeing you so scared,” Barker said with a grin, unapologetically.
“You shouldn’t tease Lady Sennis like that,” Ruby said gently, like she was scolding her younger siblings.
“Sorry, Lady Sennis. I didn’t think it through,” Barker quickly apologized, glancing at Ruby for approval.
Ruby, not wanting to make a big deal of it, simply smiled awkwardly and let it go.
“Please, don’t make jokes like that again!” Sennis said, still a little flustered but accepting Barker’s apology.
“Alright, let’s continue with the explanation,” Barker said, trying to shift the conversation back on track.
“Everything in this room was collected by my mother over several decades. These handcrafted items were mostly used to decorate the house before we built the new mansion, and now they’re here,” Barker continued.
Sasha, who had been looking at the closest display case, pulled Ruby over to take a closer look. Calix followed them, curiosity written all over his face.
“Big sister, what is this?” Calix asked.
“It looks like a decorative animal,” Ruby said, staring at the small animal model.
It had a round body with tiny, delicate legs. Its eyes were large and shiny, making it look almost alive.
“This is a model of a Kyla, a magical beast,” Barker explained.
“A Kyla? This little thing is a magical beast?” Ruby asked, surprised.
“Yes, it’s a rare magical beast that only lives in the northern regions. My mother bought this model when she traveled to the north,” Barker explained.
Ruby had never heard of a Kyla before, even in the books she’d read.
While she was admiring the model, Ivan stepped closer and looked at it too.
“The color is quite different from the real Kyla,” Ivan commented.
“Prince Ivan, do you know about the Kyla?” Ruby asked, surprised.
“I’ve been to the northern regions before,” Ivan explained.
“It’s so cute and interesting,” Ruby said, fascinated by the little model.
“It looks like it would roll if you pushed it,” Calix commented.
“That’s right. When a Kyla is threatened, it curls up and rolls away,” Barker said, impressed by how quickly Calix figured it out.
“Wow, I didn’t know that,” Calix said, looking proud.
“Even though it’s cute, the Kyla is still a magical beast,” Sennis said, looking at the model with a slightly scared expression.
“The Kyla doesn’t harm people, though, and the northern people live in harmony with it. They even keep them as pets,” Barker explained, giving Sennis a pointed look as if telling her not to worry.
Sennis didn’t seem to understand Barker’s tone, and Ruby could see the tension between them.
“Would you like to see more of these?” Barker asked, changing the subject.
“Yes, let’s see them,” Ruby said, eager to see more of the collection.
As they continued looking at the displays, Ivan also seemed impressed, even though he had seen many valuable things in his life.
For Calix and Sasha, it felt like they had entered a whole new world. They were fascinated by everything they saw.
Ruby was busy trying to keep her siblings from touching anything they shouldn’t, while trying to keep them from knocking things over.
“Calix, stay away from that,” Ruby said, her voice filled with concern.
“Come on, just a little closer,” Calix insisted, trying to get a better look.
Ruby struggled to keep Calix away from the display.
Noticing her difficulty, Ivan stepped in and gently pulled Calix’s hand away from the glass.
“I’ll hold onto Calix’s hand,” Ivan said.
“Prince Ivan,” Ruby said, feeling guilty for needing help.
“It’s fine. He won’t get into trouble with me,” Ivan said, reassuring her.
“Thank you, Prince Ivan,” Ruby said, grateful for the help.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Calix,” Ivan said with a smile, making Ruby feel relieved.
