Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

I was too absorbed in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Leo already went back with a bowl in hand while the steam is visible above it, indicating that it was freshly-cooked. When he placed it above the table, I leaned more closely to see what he cooked and was glad to see a bowl of macaroni soup in front of me. It does look tasty.

"Help yourself, Prince Arthur," Leo said while pointing both of his palms to the bowl he placed above the table.

I was about to correct him once again, but seeing how he reacted earlier, I chose to remain silent and have a taste instead of the meal he prepared for tonight.

My eyes sparkled after having a taste of this deliciously-cooked macaroni soup. The flavors put to it reminds me of the same dish that was always prepared for me and my brother by our dear mother.

Aww... I suddenly missed our home.

Seeing my surprised reaction, I heard Leo laughed proudly to himself before going back to the kitchen and served his little brothers and sisters the same dish he gave to me. He motioned them to sit at the dining table while he serves them their meal.

"You know, I worked as a part-time assistant cook in a mini restaurant in Cordova, so therefore I was there to hear your fantastic speech on the king's birthday on my way home." Leo started explaining when he placed mini bowls above the table before warning each child that it's still hot.

His words made me stop sipping on the soup for a while and looked at the kid while he continued to talk about his life.

"Besides being the assistant cook, I worked many jobs as well like being a shoe shiner, attending to some noblemen's horses, storekeeper, and many others just to attend to my siblings' needs," he said as he walked again near to us when he was able to get himself a bowl of soup and sat beside the girl with pigtails.

"But they are not my real siblings," Leo continued. "We are all orphans and are now under the care of Aunt Lucinda, the one who adopted us all."

That made me gape in awe. So this is like an orphanage where a foster parent brought these orphans altogether and took care of them all. I mentally facepalmed myself for judging this place to be a hideout of a syndicate earlier. Shame on me...

"That must be kind of your Aunt Lucinda to take care of each one of you like this." A smile appeared on the corner of my lips upon thinking that there are still many kind souls out there who are willing to help others.

I saw Leo beamed at that.

"She is the best!" he exclaimed.

Then as if remembering something, he suddenly stood up from his seat and walked past the kitchen and into another shabby-looking wooden door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, quite confused about his sudden action.

With a faint smile plastered on his slim face, he said, "I forgot to take this medicine to Aunt Lucinda. She needs to drink this for her to feel better."

And that's the time I noticed him carrying a small paper bag where the medicine must be placed. Did he somehow steal some money just to buy those?

He already went inside while closing the door behind him, while I and the rest of the children sitting with me in this dining table continued to eat.

We remained like that until one of these children, the one with the pigtails, suddenly asked me, "Are you really the prince?" which stopped me from further eating and looked at the child.

"No, sweetie. I am sorry for the misunderstanding earlier," I tried explaining myself using the words that a kid can somehow comprehend. "I am just an ordinary person. That's all."

"What a bummer," the girl then replied, tilting her tiny head down in the process while pouting. "I thought you can make Aunt Lucinda's sickness go away."

I can't help but ask this kid what is their foster parent's sickness upon hearing that. The kid, in turn, looked at me with those round, brownish eyes of hers before responding. "I don't know. But sometimes I see her coughing blood, then that means her sickness is already critical."

"I wish I could indeed make your aunt's sickness go away so that you can be with her for long,"

I suddenly felt this wave of sympathy that starts to overwhelm me right now. However, since I am still an E-rank wizard until now, which is the lowest rank, and had a little knowledge about magic itself, I felt too bad that I couldn't help these children right now.

Meanwhile, all of us swiftly turned our heads to look at the door to their Aunt Lucinda's room when we heard someone wailing from the inside. I started to grow worried so that made me stood up from my seat and looked at these children.

"I'll be checking your big brother for a while, alright?" I said which they only responded with a nod.

I was just about to go near the door when it suddenly swung open with force, revealing a tear-stained faced Leo standing near to it.

His puffy eyes, which came from crying heavily earlier, looked up to me and declared these words with a heavy heart, "Aunt Lucinda's dead."

That made me gasped in disbelief and these children to cry along with their big brother. Leo walked near his siblings and hugged all of them as they all wept together. The sight of them crying made my heart heavy as well.

I feel useless at this time...

--

"Tell me... what can someone like you do something for them huh?"

---

"You're just a mere replica of the prince and master wizard."

---

Alex's words echoed again in my mind which made me felt more useless than I was before. He is right. I don't have the capability to protect those people I have sworn to protect in my speech in Cordova... nor I can't save a single, poor soul at this moment when these children badly need my help.

In short, I am indeed useless... especially at times like this.

---

-ALEX-

Feeling annoyed, I went back to the castle and met up with Lancelot and Lucas near the doors. I expected to be greeted with their puzzled faces the moment I returned without that annoying girl with me right now.

"I can't seem to find that girl all over Citadel," I stated before they could bombard me with their questions in mind. Then I focused my gaze on my umbrella and closed it.

"Look!"

Lucas pointed his right index finger to somewhere so we decided to follow it.

All three of us were shocked to see Krisella being dripping wet under the rain as she walked towards us from a distance. Her face went blank and her eyes became nonchalant, looking like she doesn't the rain pouring down at her.

"Krisella!" We all shouted in unison before I opened my umbrella once again and ran my way towards her to somehow shield her from the heavy drops of rain.

As we continued to walk towards the doors of the castle, she suddenly stopped walking which made me also halted in my tracks and gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" I dared to ask. She was acting so strange since this time that we saw her returning to the castle.

"You're right..." she said, almost in a whisper.

It stunned me for a while when I saw this girl beside me burst into tears all of a sudden. Her sobs made my heart ache just now for seeing her like this. Then her eyes, which was still heavily filled with tears, looked straight at me before saying,

"I am a useless being for not saving a poor soul earlier..."