___Lord William Blackwood's POV___
I walked out of the alley and went straight to my carriage, my intervention had drawn more attention than expected. The boy walked out, still clinging to the corpse like a precious gem.
He squinted as soon as he stepped out of the alley; he must have spent so much time in the darkness and needed time for his eyes to adjust to the light. Once he regained his sight, he became aware of the glances, but strangely, this child didn't seem to care.
This wasn't confidence, it was indifference but the extreme kind.
He was barely 5' 10'', and I couldn't see much of his facial features because he was covered in dirt. However, his green eyes had a gleam to them that made him fascinating to look at.
"Come on, lad." I waved however his attention was elsewhere
It wasn't the expensive carriage behind me but the two spirit-bred horses. They were large, well-muscled horses with faint glowing patterns on their coats. These beasts were faster than regular horses and had stronger endurance. They could sense danger and resist minor magical attacks. But was only used by nobles.
I could understand the reason for his shock. Spirit-bred horses weren't common in this part of the kingdom. They were only abundant in my territory; the Blackwood's Thicket.
Derek's gaze shifted from the spirit-bred horses to my guards. He seemed more impressed by their mounts. However, even his excitement seemed shallow, like every other emotion he expressed.
He never fully smiles or frowns. Or maybe I'm just overthinking things
Opening my carriage door I gestured for him to enter. He seemed to hesitate and glance at the corpse in his hand but I shrugged and gestured for him to get in.
I knew trying to separate him from that body would be much more difficult than stealing a dragon egg. By the way, I just experienced loss recently so I understood the feeling.
Sometimes it's hard to accept the people we love are gone and are never coming back.
Anyways, Derek nodded and approached but froze half a step into the carriage. I wasn't sure if it was because the seats were made of enchanted silk, which was always warm and comfy, or the windows were tinted, or the miniature floating lantern, but It took him a second to absorb the scenery.
I watched him gently place his sister in a sitting position before taking a seat beside her. Once he settled in I walked in and sat opposite him, legs crossed.
"Hiyaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
A crack of the whip accompanied the coachman's cry, and the carriage rolled forward. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between Derek and the girl.
"Is she your sister?" I asked
And he simply nodded.
"What happened?"
"My parents were killed by the Lord of the land. No one would take us in... she died of starvation. I did too..." He muttered the last part and glanced at me to see if I heard but I showed no reaction.
Instead, I calmly nodded and looked out the window, watching the smoke rise from factory buildings and darkening the sky. Only now did I realize how noisy this town was.
"The Ashford family has made so many enemies over the years..." I nodded. "My House will support you if you wish to pursue your vengeance in the future." He calmly offered but he wasn't buying it.
For someone who looked fifteen, this boy had a pair of suspicious eyes that would make you think he doubted everything from the onset. I couldn't help but wonder what he must have gone through to make him distrust people so much.
"What do you want in return?" He asked bluntly.
I was going to respond but the stench from the corpse in this little space was suffocating. I pulled out a cigarette pack and a lighter, pulled out a stick, and lit it up before taking a deep drag and blowing out a plume of smoke.
The thick smell of the smoke quelled the suffocating stench from the corpse.
"I want you to become a member of my small family," I answered with a shrug and he nodded as if he expected the answer.
I watched his expressions change to a thoughtful one and his eyes turned distant as he glanced out the window. The cuts, bruises, and dirt were nothing in comparison to the coldness of his eyes.
'This boy is dead inside.' I concluded.
Those were the eyes of soldiers on the frontline. I couldn't help but ask what he had experienced in this town that made him this way.
The rest of the journey back to my territory was long, taking nearly ten hours. By the time we entered Blackwood's Thicket, it was late but it was still a relief from the deafening noises that made up Lord Ashford's territory.
Emberfield revenue came from its steel weapon factories so he couldn't blame them. If it weren't for the abundance of fire-type cultivation materials, I wouldn't spend hours traveling to that noisy town.
We soon neared my estate's outer grounds. It was surrounded by enchanted stone walls about 7.6 meters high and 2.4 meters thick, topped with watchtowers manned by archers.
Derek leaned on the window, enjoying the scenery with a faint excitement in his eyes.
"In here you have nothing to fear. I prefer to keep security close to home, so I built my guard barracks within the walls of my home with about 70 trained guards," I explained, hoping to break the ten-hour silence between us, but he shrugged my words aside like it didn't matter.
Riding past the barracks and further down the paved path, he watched the beast pen in the distance and numerous buildings where the guards lived with the same look in his eyes.
"Your home is big."
That was all I got from him for having a home the size of a small fortress. I sighed and took it as a compliment.
'He will open up with time, it's just a phase.' I said to myself, but deep down, I doubted that would happen.
Anyways, the Blackwood family home was like a small village just filled with soldiers and one very wealthy family. Barons were the lowest of nobles but the difference between their lives and that of peasants was like the difference between heaven and earth!
The main manor was a three-story mansion and there were a dozen maids in uniform lined up in the cold night. Derek glared at the maids from the window with a dull look as the carriage rolled to a stop.
This time he didn't wait for me to offer and hopped out of the carriage with his sister in his hands. I stepped out only to see him walking ahead confidently like he didn't have a day-old body in his hands.
"Is he clueless or does he expect people to welcome him with that?" I facepalmed.
With hurried steps, I caught up to him. As soon as we got close enough they bowed at a precise 90-degree angle and chorused;
"Welcome back Lord Blackwood..."
And the awkward pause followed as they looked at Derek and then the corpse in his hands.
Bam!
A maid collapsed with a soft thud while others covered their lips in horror. Only my butler, Andrew stayed calm and indifferent at the sight—he had seen worse during my youthful days.
"I will have them preserve your sister's corpse at my family mortuary. We can pick a date when to bury her tomorrow." I offered politely, scared he may decline the offer and insist on keeping that corpse in his room.
Derek frowned at first, reluctant to part with Lucy. But after some thought he nodded and let one of my knights gently take her away
"Good lad." I smiled.
I had expected some resistance when it came to his sister, but It seems this body is much more thoughtful and mature than I expected.
"Come on lad, welcome to your new home."