"Zion, that's no good," Briella said as she and the boy walked hand in hand down the hallways of their residence. "You shouldn't test my husband's patience like that. He has been on edge ever since our son disappeared, so do not provoke him."
"Understood, Lady Briella," Thirteen replied.
"Now, what do you want to eat?" Briella inquired.
"I'm not picky with food," Thirteen answered.
"Vegetables then."
"On second thought, can I have some meat?"
The Tigerkin Lady giggled before nodding her head. Briella might look very carefree, but the boy knew that she wasn't as simple as she portrayed herself to be.
Every time she referred to him as an adoptive son, he called her Lady Briella.
However, whenever he did, the beautiful Tigerkin didn't correct him or say anything like "stop calling me Lady Briella, and call me Mother or Mama."
This confirmed his suspicion that Briella wasn't really serious about making him her adoptive son.
She was simply calling him that for reasons that only she knew about.
When they arrived in the dining room, they saw another Tigerkin with hair that only reached their shoulders.
The Tigerkin had their back facing them, so the seven-year-old was unable to see what the person looked like.
"So you're here, Cleo," Briella said. "Perfect timing. I'd like you to meet the newest member of our family."
Cleo, who had just been called, turned around and met Thirteen's gaze.
Thirteen assumed that Cleo was another one of Briella's sons. But after hearing her name and seeing the bulge on her chest, he immediately realized that she was actually a girl.
The most striking feature of Cleo was her eyes.
Unlike her parents, who both had blue eyes, Cleo had mixed-colored eyes of purple and green.
"It's you," Cleo muttered. "That boy I always see in my dreams."
The young lady's gaze then landed on the Black Snake coiled around the boy's neck, further confirming her suspicion.
"Mother, he is the boy that I told you abou—"
But before Cleo could finish whatever she was going to say, Briella held up her hand, cutting her off completely.
"Let's talk about it later, Dear," Briella stated before glancing at the maids. "Please prepare the food. We will dine first because my husband is busy."
"Yes, Lady Briella." The Head Maid, who was a human, nodded and motioned for the other maids to start serving food on the table.
Cleo obeyed her mother, but her gaze locked on Thirteen's body as if trying to make sure that he was the same boy whom she had been seeing in her dreams.
Thirteen sat calmly on his chair and waited for the food to be served.
'This family is more interesting than I thought,' Thirteen thought. 'If this is really Taiga's family, then it fits his Heroic Background perfectly.'
Although Thirteen wasn't a hundred percent sure that Briella and General Stark were really Taiga's parents, he believed that his hunch had a high chance of being accurate.
All he needed to do was do a little more prodding before he could confirm his suspicion, which he would do as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
He was also curious because Cleo seemed to know him, or at least, knew him through her dreams.
"Here, Zion. Eat a lot so you will grow big and strong," Briella said while placing several meat dishes on the boy's plate.
After making sure that his plate was filled with food, Briella took out a Beast Core from her storage ring that was the size of a golf ball.
She then placed it beside Thirteen's plate before pointing at Tiona.
"This is for her." Briella winked.
Thirteen nodded in understanding and picked up the Beast Core to feed Tiona.
The Black Snake swallowed it whole, and once she did, a satisfied look appeared on her face.
She could digest lower-ranked Cores in less than a minute, so the small bulge it created in her body disappeared soon after.
After feeding his Beast Companion, Thirteen began to eat heartily because he was truly hungry.
The Scouting Party had neither rested nor eaten until after they had reunited with their captain. They had hurriedly left the Barbarian Lands in fear of being discovered by their enemy's Hunting Parties.
The three people ate in a lively atmosphere, with Briella asking Zion a few questions about his Master and the other slaves that he had been with.
The boy answered the questions but made sure to not mention Percival.
However, he did mention that there were other Tigerkins in their Hunting Party, which made Cleo's frown deepen.
"Hey, is my…," Cleo stopped her question midway after seeing her mother give her a warning gaze.
The young lady then lowered her head, and ate her food in silence.
"Cleo, we'll have a talk later, okay?" Briella stated.
"Yes, Mother," Cleo replied in a timid voice, not daring to defy her mother.
Thirteen didn't fail to notice their small interaction and came up with the conclusion that Briella might be the true voice of the family, outranking even her husband.
Although her Rank was only at the Grandmaster Level, no one at the General's Residence seemed to be able to defy her, including her husband, whom she had left behind in his office.
After they finished eating lunch, Briella took him to the room, where he was going to stay for the time being.
"If you need anything, just ask the maid that is stationed in front of your door," Briella stated. "Her name is Ada, and she will be your personal maid during your stay here."
Thirteen nodded. "Understood."
After making sure that he didn't need anything else, Briella walked toward the door. However, before she left, she glanced at the seven-year-old and smiled.
"By the way, my Profession is a Seer," Briella declared before giving the boy a wink. "See you later, Zion."
After saying those words, the Tigerkin Lady finally left, leaving Thirteen scratching his head.
"It's all falling into place," Thirteen muttered before picking up a chair and placing it near the window of his room. "Now I understand. So she is a Seer."
Briella had admitted her Profession to Zion on her own accord, making the boy understand why she was trying to get close to him.
A moment later, he started to make chirping sounds, mimicking the sound of the birds that were chirping on the trees in front of his window.
After a few minutes, a Pocopoco landed by the windowsill and looked at his Master, who had a complicated look on his face.
"Vassago, I need you to confirm something for me." Thirteen then began to tell the Pocopoco about the message that he wanted to pass to Cristopher and Taiga, who were on their way to Gronar City.
"Fate sure knows how to play a joke," Vassago commented after his Master finished telling him what to do. "I don't believe in coincidences, Master. How about you?"
"I don't believe in Fate if that's what you're asking," Thirteen replied.
"You don't believe in Fate, Master?"
"No."
The Pocopoco eyed the boy for half a minute before nodding his head.
"Be safe, Master," Vassago said as he opened his wings. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Safe trip, Vassago," Thirteen stated. "Don't worry. You know where to find me."
After that brief exchange, the Pocopoco finally took flight.
This time, he was headed toward the Barbarian Lands, where the Hero of the Tigerkins was currently traveling back to their base in Gronar City, unaware that the one person whom he hated the most was currently living in the house where he had spent the majority of his childhood.
