"Where do we go first?" Nova asked as soon as she and Vicente entered her hometown.
They hadn't had any trouble getting into this city, unlike what had happened until recently after their escape from Long Bay Correctional Facility.
News of Snow Claw's death had already spread throughout the kingdom after The Ruby Devils had publicly displayed the head of their enemy to show their strength in the local underworld.
In addition, the last escapee from the maximum-security wing had been captured outside of Scott Province, leaving Sophia and Oscar as the only loose individuals of concern.
Nico had also escaped from the provincial prison. Still, he was only an Acolyte, not so dangerous that cities all over the territory would act to prevent his possible entry or exit from anywhere.
Since there was also evidence that Cesar Mazzanti was responsible for the escape and that he had died along with nearly all of his party, forces from all over the kingdom considered the case closed.
If any of those involved in this incident were on the loose, they would most likely never be caught, so there was no point in continuing to make it difficult for people to get in and out of the cities.
Besides, the situation in the cities around Scott Province had recently returned to normal, making it much easier for Vicente and Nova to enter Dryhaven.
Finally, Vicente answered his woman's question. "I don't know. What would you like to do first?"
"We could go see your mother's family first." She suggested. "You said you only wanted to notify your grandparents, so since we'll be staying longer with my family, let's leave that for later."
"All right." He took something out of his spatial ring and gave it to Nova. "Do you know how to get here?"
Nova knew Dryhaven like the back of her hand. When she saw the map Vicente had gotten with the location of Hana Hogan's residence, she knew where to take her man.
"Follow me."
So, the two of them walked from the city entrance to a nice neighborhood in the south.
That wasn't a place where the wealthiest people in the city lived, but from the quality of the buildings and services nearby, Vicente could see that socially well-positioned people lived there.
Nova commented to him. "Your mother's family lives not far from my parents' house. It is a very good neighborhood. For someone who isn't a noble or doesn't have the power to become one, this is the best place to live in Dryhaven."
"Oh? Then maybe your parents even know my grandparents." Vicente commented to her as he looked around, seeing a very different place from Millfall and Saltstar City.
Many cities in the province had very different architectural styles. Noble families fought each other in various ways, including influencing the architecture of their cities.
Officially, the cities of the kingdom belonged to the king. However, there were private estates in these cities. Since most of them belonged to nobles or future nobles, this class of wealthy people determined the appearance of cities throughout the kingdom.
Vicente paid attention to the local peculiarities until Nova stopped in front of a white house surrounded by a labyrinthine garden and silver fences.
On the estate's front gate was a coat of arms with the name Hogan in gold letters.
Seeing this, Nova commented. "This is the place. I just wonder why your mother didn't have your father's last name."
The name Hogan belonged to Kate's mother's family, a name that should normally come from the father. But as patriarchal as this society was, it wasn't impossible to find people with their mother's last name.
Vicente also found this strange, but he already knew why. "My maternal grandfather was a simple man. He won my maternal grandmother's heart and made her leave her family.
Their relationship must have been very complicated at first, but they managed to stay together after some promises and agreements. These included the last name of any children Hana might have in her life."
"Interesting." She commented before he pressed the buzzer of the beautiful residence.
After a few rings, a woman dressed in household clothes, her hair tied in a bun, and a beautiful smile on her mature face appeared there.
"Right?" She asked as she looked at the tall, black-haired young man and the beautiful blue-haired girl.
Nova was a few years older than Vicente, but in person, no one would believe that, as he looked much more mature than her.
When he saw the black-haired woman's eyes, Vicente got right to the point. "I'm looking for Hana Hogan. I'm Vicente Fuller, Kate Hogan's son."
After Vicente's words rang out, the woman's expression froze as she stared at the young man as if she had been electrocuted.
"Kate's son?" She asked after a moment, already feeling her heart beat faster. 'It can't be... That girl already has such a big son?'
This woman had worked for Hana Hogan for a long time. She had done all kinds of jobs for the woman, including breastfeeding Kate in Hana's absence.
Seeing Kate's son in front of her, she couldn't help but be shocked at how big he already was.
It must be said that Kate was very young when she gave birth to Lauren!
Normally, magicians like her and Andrew took a long time to have children since it wasn't so easy to get pregnant in this world when you had mana in your body.
But Andrew and Kate had been blessed with three children before their deaths, having produced so many offspring in less than 50 years of life!
The last time this woman had seen Kate before Vicente and Nova was 23 years ago when Kate and Andrew had started their journey as a couple.
Vicente didn't know about this person's history with his mother and said. "Yes, I am. I'd like to see Hana Hogan. I have a very important matter to discuss with her. It concerns my mother."
The woman finally left her state of astonishment and opened the door for Vicente and Nova, making room for both of them. "Of course! Of course! I'll take you to Mrs. Hogan. Please come with me."
The two followed the woman as she smiled and talked about Kate.
"Young man, I didn't expect to meet Kate's son so soon. Did you know that I breastfed your mother?"
"Did you?" Vicente made a strange face while Nova smiled.
"Yes, if she hadn't left with that young man, I probably would have taken care of you too." The level 5 woman said. "Anyway, who is this young woman with you? Is she your girlfriend?"
"She is my girlfriend. Her name is Nova Bain."
"Oh?" The woman looked at Nova. "From House Bain? The boating and fishing family from Dryhaven?"
