Though our visit had only lasted a week, I felt like I had learned more than I expected.
Marcus had been the biggest surprise.
When I first met him, I honestly thought he was going to be some cold, intimidating military commander who barely smiled. Instead, beneath that overwhelming presence was someone who genuinely cared about his family. He loved teaching, was incredibly patient whenever I had questions, and despite his serious demeanor, had a surprisingly dry sense of humor.
His wife, Elara, had been just as unexpected.
She had taken an immediate interest in my tuxedo, not because of the enchantments, but because of its design. Apparently, fashion was one of her biggest hobbies. More than once she had sat down with me and sketched ideas for improving the cut of the jacket, suggesting different lapel styles, subtle embroidery, and even ways to hide the enchanted seams more elegantly.
I never thought I'd spend an afternoon discussing clothing design with Marcus's wife...
Yet somehow, I had actually enjoyed it.
Then there were Elise and Adrian.
At first, I wasn't sure how to feel around them.
They were only six years old.
Mentally...
Well, I was still an adult from another world trapped in a younger body.
It made conversations feel a little strange at first.
But as the days passed, that awkwardness slowly disappeared.
Elise was quiet and observant, always watching carefully before she spoke. She asked simple but surprisingly sharp questions about the workshop, the tools, and the strange things I was building.
Adrian, on the other hand, had enough energy for three people.
If he wasn't asking me how something worked, he was trying to convince me to build it. By the end of the week, he had already requested a flying carriage, a sword that shot lightning, boots that let him run on walls, and armor that could turn invisible.
I had politely declined... all of them.
Mostly.
Before I realized it, the week had flown by.
The carriage stood waiting outside the estate, servants loading the last of our luggage while the horses pawed impatiently at the stone road.
Elara embraced my mother, Celest, before turning to me with a warm smile.
"You'll visit again, won't you?"
I smiled back.
"I'd like that."
She gently adjusted the collar of my tuxedo one last time before stepping back with a satisfied nod.
"There."
"Much better."
Marcus let out a quiet sigh.
"I thought we agreed the collar was fine."
"It was."
Elara smiled sweetly.
"Now it's perfect."
Marcus wisely chose not to argue.
Elise stepped forward and offered me her small hand.
"I hope we meet again soon."
I shook it.
"So do I."
Adrian skipped every bit of formality and pulled me into a hug instead.
"When you invent something else, you have to show me first!"
I laughed.
"I'll see what I can do."
"No promises?"
"...No promises."
"I'll take it!"
My father, Luka, chuckled as everyone climbed into the carriage.
"Ready?"
I took one last look at Whitehold.
The towering walls.
The bustling fortress-city.
The workshop where I had completed my first real invention.
And the family who, in only a week's time, had somehow begun to feel like my own.
"Yeah," I said with a small smile.
"I'm ready."
As the carriage rolled through the gates of Whitehold and onto the northern road, I watched the fortress slowly disappear into the distance.
Our visit was over.