"I apologize for making you worry, Elara.
I promise you, this would not happen again."
Vaan spoke as he suddenly pulled Elara close to him and placed her head on his chest. Elara widened her eyes in surprise,
"Y-Young Master V-Vaan??" She stuttered as she tried to move away.
"Stay like this for a while, I feel relaxed," Vaan spoke in a soft voice.
"…" Elara turned silent as she stopped moving and closed her eyes. Her face was red, however, since it was in the opposite direction, Vaan couldn't see that sight.
In this position, Elara could clearly hear Vaan's heartbeat, this made her feel closer to him. It was a strange, but nice feeling.
Elara's breathing stabilized as Vaan started ruffling her hair.
"Also, did you forget? It is not Young Master Vaan, you have to call me Vaan, it feels much closer this way."
"V-Vaan…"
Elara spoke up. Vaan smiled as he heard her stutter, then, he closed his eyes as well.
Elara being close to him calmed his heart down as well, the connection they were forming, although Vaan felt it was being forced on them, his heart didn't hate it.
The two of them didn't say anything and just stayed like this, as more time passed, they relaxed, it was calming time in Vaan's usual hectic life. Elara was enjoying this special moment as well.
But then,
"Lady Elara, it is time for Young Master Vaan's me-"
Gabel walked into the room, and seeing them like this, he was taken aback.
"!!!"
Elara quickly sat up, her face that had barely calmed down flushed again. Vaan, on the other hand, looked annoyed.
Gabel realized it, however, as a competent butler, he knew how to act in this situation.
"Young Master Vaan, you are awake."
Indeed, he just didn't have to comment anything about what he had seen.
'I didn't see anything. My left eye is colorblind while the right one doesn't work.'
However, seeing that his trick isn't working and that Vaan was still glaring at him, the competent butler quickly thought about another trick,
"Lady Elara, Young Master is awake, isn't that a good thing? You can finally have rest now. You have been beside him for the past five days, ignoring your health in your process." Gabel pointed out and suddenly, Vaan's expression changed.
"What?" He questioned.
Elara was flustered, however, before she could stop Gabel, the butler continued,
"Indeed, Lady Elara visited you the moment she heard about the incident and didn't leave your side after that. Even while the Medic asked her to leave the room while they casted Heal on you, she stood right in front of the door, waiting to assist with anything the medics might need.
While you were lying unconscious, she stayed by your side the entire time, many people, even Lady Astra asked her to leave and have a proper rest instead of dozing off on the chair, Lady Elara however, rejected her offer and stayed here.
She even skipped her Magic Lessons to be here, which, from what Lady Astra said, was the first time she has ever done ever since she was 7 years old."
"V-Vaan I-" Elara wanted to give an explanation, however, "Actually, Lady Elara has been careless about her meals as well, she fed you properly and took note of everything you would need for a quicker recovery, however, while doing that, she was ignoring her health. Even now, Lady Elara is not in her best condition and needs ample rest to recover."
To save himself, the butler was exposing everything Elara had done in these past 5 days, letting her face Vaan's anger instead.
And just as Gabel thought, Vaan turned towards Elara and narrowed his eyes.
"V-Vaan, it is not like that! I am comple-"
"Go rest," Vaan ordered.
"You will rest for the entire day, Gabel, I want you to make sure that she eats well, if she doesn't, report it to me, making sure that she eats her meals and reporting to me when she doesn't should be your highest priority, is that clear?"
"As you command, Young Master Vaan." Gabel bowed her head.
"Vaan, but you need to ea-"
"I will eat by myself, or better yet, let's have the next meal together, how about it?" Vaan questioned.
"I-I would like that…" Elara nodded as she spoke in a soft tone.
"Alright then, go to your room and rest, we will have our next meal exactly 8 hours later, okay?"
"I understand." Elara nodded again.
Vaan smiled gently, seeing his expression, Gabel was taken aback.
'This monster can show such an expression?'
He wondered, ever since Vaan had woken up that day, the only expression he had seen him make was that demonic smile that seemed to tell how he was about to fuck someone up.
But to think this man was showing an expression like this.
Soon, however, Gabel's body trembled.
As Elara walked out of the room, Vaan's smile disappeared.
Not only that, a horrifyingly cold look appeared on his face as he stood up from his bed.
"Young Master Vaan, you can't! Your body is still recove-" Gabel tried to stop him, however,
"Where is he?" Vaan questioned.
"W-What?" Gabel stuttered. Vaan looked into Gabel's eyes and questioned again.
"Ronald Frostmoon, where is he?"
"H-He is recovering from his wounds in another ward, the injuries he sustained were much worse than what Young Master had suffered, so he is still not healed yet. The medics are still working on regrowing his right arm that was turned into Ashes."
The strength in Vaan's tone was so strong that as if he was hypnotized, Gabel gave away all the details.
Vaan then grabbed his coat and while he wore it, he ordered, "Take me there."
The merciless look in his eyes was enough for Gabel to know what Vaan was thinking, he knew that no matter what he did, he couldn't possibly take him to Roland's ward.
Gabel didn't move, Vaan, who was already about to open the door and walk out frowned when he saw that,
"Gabel, I said take me to Roland's room."
"W-What are you planning to do?" Gabel questioned.
Vaan, however, narrowed his eyes, "Act like a servant you are."
"…" Gabel didn't say anything.
"Do you want to die?" Vaan questioned.
"I cannot do what you are asking me to do, Young Master. Lady Astra gave me strict orders not to do it."
"I will talk to Mother, you do what I tell you to, or else you are useless."
"Then I will be useless in this scenario, Young Master," Gabel replied. He couldn't possibly go against Astra.
"…" Vaan observed Gabel for a while, then,
"You are fired.
Go to Lady Astra and ask her whom you will serve from now on, I do not wish to see you again."
Saying those words, Vaan walked out of his ward.
His thoughts were simple, there were only so many Wards in Vesta Family, he will search through them all if he had to.
Vaan didn't care.
Roland Frostmoon had to die.
And Gabel, who understood what Vaan was thinking widened his eyes in horror, he quickly followed Vaan and,
"Young Master Vaan! Why are you going this far!?" He questioned.
"Why!? Why don't you allow me to fire an Instant Spell right on your face, let's see how you would act up!" Vaan shouted without stopping.
His eyes, bloodshot.
He was angry.
He nearly died. Honestly, he didn't fear death before, he had already died once before, after all. Now, however, he feared death…
Losing this life he had gotten… a life where he had his mother… a life where he had Elara…
He feared losing this life.
Roland, who used an Instant Spell, Vaan could tell, if he hadn't reacted in the last second, he wouldn't have been standing here. That spell, if it had connected, Vaan would have died.
That bastard who tried to take his life…
Vaan couldn't let that man live.
"You used Instant Spells as well! It was a battle between two mages and it ended! You can't follow through with this unless it is discussed in the Vesta Meeting Hall in front of the Frostmoon Family, or else it will create huge problems!" Gabel tried to reason.
"Oh yeah? And I used Instant Spells as well? I used them because I was capable of doing so, anyone else would have simply died! Are you saying that I can't kill the person who tried to kill me just because you are scared about how that man's family would react?
Strongest Magic Family my ass!
Aren't the Vestas just weaklings trying to impress people who aren't worth shit!?
Fair, Just, Upright, Righteous!? Where I come from, that's called being Dumb!"
Vaan shouted. In his anger, he ignore all the boundaries and said whatever words came to his mind, but then,
"Oh yeah? You think you are that good just because you can kill a bedridden opponent?
Heh, calling the Family words like that when you are the one who relies on this 'dumb' Family to get everything you have in your life,
What does that make you, huh?"
Vaan then heard a voice, irritated, he turned around to see who was the bastard who said those words, but then,
His eyes widened in absolute shock.
"F-F-Father…?"
