Chapter 20: Chapter TWENTY

Ethan nodded as he stood up. His Vila was not happy at the idea of ​​parting with the young woman, but his mind approved of her decision. The less she got out of the infirmary, the less babysitting he would have to do.

He led her through the castle to the Vilas neighborhood. This one was smaller than the other wings of the structure since there were far fewer inhabitants, but it was relatively cozy. Magic wall chandeliers lighted the small hallway that served several rooms. At the end of the hall, there was a small living room decorated with a few armchairs and sofas, an imposing chandelier, and bearskin rugs. The chandelier was not powered by magic during the day since small skylights naturally lit the room, giving it a peaceful and intimate atmosphere. Nevertheless, despite the pleasant layout, no one used it. Vilas didn't particularly like to mix.

Before he passed the arch delimiting his neighborhood, Mia stopped, nervous.

"Maybe I should wait for you here, I don't want to meet other Vilas..."

"So being alone in the middle of the hallway sounds like a better idea?" he replied, raising an eyebrow, mockingly.

She mumbled something under her breath before following him again. He sneered discreetly, convinced he had heard something like "no need to act like a dick, asshole".

When Ethan arrived in front of his room, he unlocked the door and opened it wide. He had never bothered to lock it, judging that no one would dare rummage through his belongings and that the most precious of them were already sealed in his office, but the new course of his misadventures had convinced him to be extra careful.

Mia didn't dare cross the threshold, but he didn't mind. After all, he was still just a stranger to her. A stranger who had insulted her during their first meetings and who had dragged her into a story that was beyond her. He couldn't blame her for being uncomfortable.After checking that no one but Mia was watching in his room, he slipped his hand into the middle drawer and pushed open a square false ceiling a few centimeters in width and length while using his index finger to retrieve the key that was hidden there. Putting it all back together, he heard Mia giggle behind him.

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" she laughed.

"Until the day it isn't anymore," he smiled.

Within seconds, he retrieved the sheets of his enchanted correspondence. One of these papers was connected to another parchment, the latter held by his parents. Fortunately, he was foreseeing and had brought two bound copies with him in case he needed to contact anyone else. It wasn't like his family couldn't afford it.

When his eyes landed on the first paper, his body and his heart froze. It was the correspondence intended for his mother, and she had left him a message that he was deeply apprehensive to read.

"What's the matter?" Mia asked, taking a step forward.

Ethan took the time to separate the copies and put the one he didn't need immediately on his desk. He would deal with that later. The Vila did not wish to add another worry to the young woman.

"Nothing, a message from my family," he corrected himself quickly, turning to the blonde and handing her the paper.

She seemed dubious, but didn't comment and just grabbed the object and stared at it.

"I have nothing to write with"

"Here, I have a spare quill."

He grabbed it and the inkwell from his desk and passed them to Mia, who rolled her eyes.

"A quill... Really..."

"What did you expect?"

"Nothing... Nothing..." she replied with a smirk.

Ethan frowned, but let it sink in again. He had to remember that she came from another world and that it was not necessarily similar to his. Which he certainly had trouble imagining. And he didn't particularly want to anyway.

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"Let's go," he announced, stepping out of his room and locking it.

He accompanied the young woman in total silence to the infirmary. Mia seemed lost in thought, and he was too busy scanning the surroundings and challenging anyone who dared cross their path. She gave him a small wave of goodbye when they arrived and rushed into the fairy quarters.

His inner Vila growled as he saw her walk away, but he told it to shut up. He had to take care of this correspondence as soon as possible, and he needed a clear mind.

Back in his room, he sat down in his chair and grabbed the first paper, scanning it with his eyes. His mother's elegant penmanship reflected her personality well: cold, precise, confident. As usual, her words were straight to the point.

"I heard rumors about you and a human. I hope that's not what I think. You know what will happen otherwise."

Well, at least she had preferred to question him by writing and not by visiting him. He could still lie and deny the whole affair, but she would eventually find out the truth sooner or later. All he could do was buy them time. Rummaging through one of his desk drawers, he pulled out a new quill and an inkwell.

"Hello, Mother.

These are just baseless rumors. With the death of the werewolf, tempers flare and some have got it into their heads that the climate is ripe for revenge and dirty tricks."

Ethan sighed, unhappy with his answer, but decided to send it anyway. He tapped the tip of his quill twice on the paper, making his message disappear, and remembered that he had forgotten to explain the gesture to Mia. So that's what he hastened to do by grabbing the sheet bound to her own and writing a few words.

He smiled as an answer took shape on the paper a few seconds later.

"You could have said that earlier."

"I forgot, I'm not perfect, you know." he wrote in response, suspecting that she was going to jump at the chance to insult him.

"You're right, that's even one of the last words I would use to describe you."

"Haha."

He deserved that.

"I'm going to eat in the infirmary and stay there for the rest of the day, you don't have to worry about me today. Tomorrow at 9:30 in front of the infirmary, okay?"

"OK."

After checking that no new messages had appeared from Mia or his mother, he put away his correspondence and stretched, relieved. He was nervous to wait for his parent's answer but preferred to concentrate on the appeasement that the goodwill shown by the young human gave him.

It hadn't gone so badly after all. They had even been able to exchange a few sentences in a cordial and friendly tone, in an atmosphere a little more relaxed than their previous confrontations. If their relationship continued to evolve positively, maybe he wouldn't have to die.

She has a big mouth but I don't think she's capable of letting someone die...

And he hoped to be right since deep down he didn't want to die any more than she did.

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