As Time flew by Darian learnt something new everyday day by day his skill and knowledge grew although he could no longer win against Claus in an exchange of blades he would occasionally land a hit or two on Clauses body although a win just seemed out of the grasp of his current body due to its physique but the confidence he gained was unparralleled his face dripped with sweat as he bent his back placing both hands on his knees panting saying to himself it may not be today but one day I will win
The 21st day of the fifth month brought the spring festival a celebration of colour and art artists would flood the streets with all sorts of paintings asking people to buy their art people would paint the roads to resemble all sorts of patterns and flowers games in this festival resulted in water and paint being thrown at people some people painted their own bodies using it to create imprint
art they would colour their own houses and would use this opportunity to clean hence coined spring cleaning and it would only end when the sun goes down thus the the first major day of celebrations ended
On the 3rd day of the 6th month it was lady liedias birthday the halls were filled with decorations as letters from all over were sent from her admirers including a letter from the Queen herself which praised all her accomplishments and a gift of a rare white Pegasus this animals rarity in human owned territory was only surpassed by the phoenix, Dragon and unicorn mostly residing in eleven lands it was worth a fortune so it was a great gift as expected from the Queen herself
At night Amidst the dining Room a long table was erected sitting in the middle was none other then Conrad at his right hand side was lady liedia and on his left was Darian this time Doulos himself sat side by side with Darian and on his side sat Roselle herself and as usual Matilda sat side by side with lady liedia and on her side was old Claus
After a few moments Conrad who had been preparing for this for a significant amount of time immediately stood up the chairs movement causing a commotion as everyone looked over this was a clear signal after that his gaze fixated on everyone who sat around the table his stern glare gaining their attention and captivating their eyes his commanding presence was as if he was a General leading a battalion to war he made a slight hand gesture releasing a few coughs leading everyone into silence
I have known no Greater women in my entire life none more loving none more capable as a mother and as my right hand than the one we celebrate today when I was rising up and dreamed of great things she became my muse my wings to help my dreams sore and allowed me to see the sides of people that I had neglected this castle lies on the foundation of our love and dreams and I hope to continue this journey with you
As Conrad said this he gently stretched out his hand the room was filled in deafening silence only for another hand filled with elegance to reach out grab his ,using it as support to rise up her seat the two locked eyes as lady liedia delivered a line that shook Conrad to his core being with you everyday is the greatest gift I can ask for Conrad blushed his thoughts thinking of pulling her close and delivering a light kiss he tried to delay such thoughts thinking it was improper infront of everyone
But liedia made the first action she moved closer towards his direction so they would be faceing each other wrapping her left arm around his waist placing her right hand on his cheek the couple stared into each others eyes as their noses crossed giving each other a passionate kiss this scene was done in seconds it brought up a feeling of rehearsal but it was not Roselle in her seat let out a gasp lifting both her arms slightly as if attempting to cover up her mouth but she stopped midway thinking oh wait Im not a little girl anymore with Doulos reaction clearly puffing up his chest Claus was surprised because it was rare to see them ingage in anything like this in public at times they just felt like business partners you would forget their married but with such passion Claus wondered why a second child had not been born yet or was not already on the way such a thing was inexcusable
Meanwhile Darian sat upright his eyes wide open he then curled up his head within his arms his embarrassment palpable
On the 12th day of the 8th month it was lord Conrads birthday although Conrad had tried to keep his private life seperate from his work and thus he did not tell his date of birth to the villagers but unfortunately thanks to his popularity such things were leaked causing a parade in his honor although he did not attend it personally due to a summons from the king himself his family attended it as his representatives
During the 16th day of the 10th month the autumn festivals preparations had gone full steam ahead as the day before merchants would sell out material in seconds it was a celebration of the good harvest season and those who had passed the previous half of the previous year and the first 5 months upto the festivals beginning in this case many would go to the graves of the deceased decorating them with all sorts of beautiful flower patterns placing the deceased favorite foods with incense and a portrait placed on the Tomb stones
People would prepare paper bird figurines and lanterns written on the paper figurines were Questions they longed to ask to the dead and things they admired about them when living the paper bird figures all where decorated in different colours and were made to be water proof for a time when they were thrown into the river to float in the river when the moon was at its highest
This day was special it was the only day when the aurora lights would pass through the entire kingdom while the full moon was out at its highest at some angles these two phenomena appearing simultaneously would cause the moon to change colour depending on the angle one looked at it ,it was so celebrated that one must get materials earlier to participate or else it would of been sold out
Some of the paper lanterns were made to float on the water while the most expensive would float up in the air joining the aurora lights the sight caused fish to become wild and burst out of the water fishermen took this advantageous period to catch them it was truly a blessing from the gods
This month was known for a fruit called the red heart it had a dark red outside layer with some thorns portruding outward and a blood red inside with many pure black seeds it fed and grew from blood which had more concentrated mana than water and had a starchy inside that easily broke down once eaten and was Quite sweet in ones mouth and could rejuvenate a persons energy
The edison family held a feast with the provinces local farmers and businessmen as the red heart was used to highlight the flavour of deserts and certain pies and meat stews it was a true délicacy Darian being proactive made friends with the children who were invited showed them across the castle as they ran even playing tag within the maze a place he had memorised by taking multiple attempts in
A few hours later the aurora could be seen Outside alongside the full moon Doulos took a few kids to the top of one of the Towers as they looked on at the magical seen this marked the end of the party Darian who was tired of constant running sat on the railing of the top of one of the towers one leg bent as the other leg hanged down Darian looked to the moon without fear he thought about the legend from a book Conrad had read him that the spirit world and this world connected at such times Sir Conrad explained to Darian that he believed this legend came about because of the unusual colours and the reactions of animals who had already been suspected to see spirits this gave the theory more credince although he held no reservations that this couldn't be real its just that he had personally no such experiences today it is said that messages from the living world could be sent to the spirit world and messages from the spirit realm could also be sent to the living world
On the 31 of the 10th month it was the birthday of Doulos himself out of the 3 major servants both Matilda and Claus had their birthdays on the second month both 23rd and 30th respectively usually servants did not get major celebrations they would be given gifts and depending on the importance of their roles an off day and a small bonus on the month of their births would be given
Darian being the prankster had decided to take it upon himself to give each person a gift personally, for example he would go outside and ask specific maids to clean his room and while cleaning they would find a tailored letter with a gift tailor made for the recipient Darian had Also planned on giving Claus a gift the next year when in training but old Claus was too werry of him ever since he pulled off a win against him so surprising him would be hard as for Matilda forget it the task felt impossible
Doulos himself was not known for celebrating his Birthday infact he tended to lay in his bed on that day he always wore a white linen shirt and for some reason he always had baggy eyes as if he could not sleep as if haunted by spirits of the past when asked about it he would say that his work is his purpose and being forced to take a day off messes him up
But Today Darian had a plan he had noticed something after hearing stories of Doulos attitude for example on that day Doulos would stumble while walking he would become clumsy he was normally always on high alert never making a mistake the perfect butler he believed that today of all days was the only day to truly surprise him others would leave him alone qualifying it as a private matter but him oh no he refused to recognize the boundaries of his arrogant lesser ranked butler it was the least he could do he thought afterall if he let it go it would only inflate his butlers ego making him think he is owed any privacy or he has the right to make others experience his grumpy moans a smirk came upon Darians face as a multi step plan had risen from his own research
On the morning of that day Darian would get up extra early brush his teeth and put on new clothes he Quickly ran outside to execute his plan he didn't mind leaving his bed unfixed that's what maids were for and to him his job was vital to their existence he was saving them infact he should be praised more
The first step was the most simple yet hard to do sneak into Doulos Room each room was designed with a key and an extra spare key being the son of the lord of the castle it only made sense he could get his hands on the spare key and because Dolous was filled with all sorts of eticate after locking the door the proper thing was always to take the key out and place it somewhere else he relied on Doulos traites for this plan of his to work
And just as he thought it did with a gift in hand Darian sneaked into the room tiptoe tiptoe taking one step at a time on the bed a Drunk doulos only had a linen shirt and black pants his hair a mess one, two ,Three! Darian shouted as he launched himself from the ground landing on Doulos Torso butt first a gasp could instantly be heard Dark brown eyes stared at Darian as if an animal was about to rip his prey limb from limb
On Darians hands was a a present wrapped with red wrapping paper the shape of a square Doulos In a fit of rage pushed up his torso Darian used the momentum to roll off the white sheets and bolt for the door leaving only the gift Doulos grit his teeth as he looked down persed his lips and opened it on it was a artist rendering of the same picture in the hallway saying to the best Butler ever a drizzle of tears went down Doulos eyes he tried to wipe them away but they kept coming
He Quickly grabbed the picture and ran out the room he was looking for Darian eventually he got to the stares he ran without looking up normally Dolous would of just used magic to find Darian but their was something about today that made him unable to think properly
Midway as he went down the stares he raised his head infront of him he could see maids holding banners , Claus ,Sir Conrad ,lady liedia Roselle and Darian besides them were a few balloons and cakes , he was stumpt as he tried to not be brought to tears on each of the banners a sentence of gratitude could be seen it was a thank you for all the hardwork he did managing guarding and protecting the castle Doulos put down his head walked down the remaining steps and walked straight for Darian he bent down hugged Darian titley saying thank you he had given him the only family he had ever known in the palm of his hands
On the 25th day of the 12 month it was the winter Festival this celebration was a celebration of the patriachs who protected mankind using power bestowed by Veritas and the embodiment of veritas the lords angel who descended to slay the dragon the stories were wide spread songs were made for it the deeds of patriarchs how noble they were how they led the monsters away and how they planted the seeds allowing men to lead and dominate the post united kingdoms era This day was filled with carols ice skating snowball fighting and many festive foods it was a time for all men to be thankfull for what they had and sacrifices of those who came before similarly paper flying lanterns and a aurora could be seen at night If the autumn festival could be simplified to seeking guidance and Questions from the dead the winter festival was for the Gods many were in their churches praying or sending letters using flying paper lanterns within the capital fireworks would be shot they were so many and so beautiful they could be seen by the provinces around them
In villages were the snow reached ones ankle and filled the top of the roofs children were incurraged to stay inside as their parents told them stories of the monsters in the Dark the patriarchs would fight creatures from the sea of monsters the flying islands attempted to invade the habitations humanity had left
They would talk about the snow Elf's the undead wraiths that burst out the snow using superhuman strength or the wyverns that ruled the mountains fighting against monsters and their deities truly showed how powerful they were
New years arrived it was a true challenge as the birds began their summer migration to honor those who had not made it that year nobody was allowed to talk or sleep unless they were kids to talk or sleep on this day meant a bad omen meaning you would die soon it was truly a day of Quiet and secrecy it was said the Gods would bless those who succeeded in this challenge in the coming year when the final hour had finished and the new year had begun everyone would shout happy new year with a loud roar they would take a paper write their resolution and wishes pray and burn it in a pre made alter
On the 21st day of the third month of the sovereign Darian had turned 4 years old meaning he would begin learning magic