Secrets

"Young master…"

"Hmm?"

"It is time for lunch."

"Umm…"

"Huh~" Brandy sighed yet again.

This was not the first time he had reminded the Red about his schedule. Each time he did so the only response he got were the short 'umms' from the boy.

Aero was fully buried in his reading. Brandy did not dare to disturb him as from his observation, Aero was most relaxed now reading his book. His heartbeat was in a steady rhythm and at its all time low. His breathing was a deep unconsciousness one indicating the 'rest and digest' period of said person.

Since his priority was to provide the Red prince an environment suitable for his recuperation, this kind of relaxed Aero fell under that category.

However, good nutritional foods that were given at appropriate times were also imperative for his recovery. In this dilemma of choosing between the two, he decided to compromise and let Aero have a little more leeway with his lunch timing.

He thought that Aero would eventually get hungry and asked for lunch himself. He could not get more wrong as even after almost an hour had passed the boy was still engrossed in his books.

'Master said that I should just drag him out.'

"Huh~" he sighed again.

'Looks like I don't have any other choice,' Brandy steeled his resolve.

He walked towards Aero and snatched the book the boy was reading.

"Hmm?" Aero was left confused by the sudden turn of events.

"It is time for lunch, young master. Any later than this and Master will come back from his errand and you don't want to prove him right regarding your reading habit. He has such a punchable smug smile."

"Ehh~ I was at a very good part too…" Aero whined.

But Brandy did not buy his begging puppy eyes and dragged Aero away by the cuff like a mother cat carrying her kits.

"No~! Can you at least bring that book to the dining room?" Aero tried to steal as much time as possible to finish the book he was reading.

"Sorry, but every book here is a valuable antic. It is prohibited to take them out of the library where they are exposed to damage without the protection spells of the library," Brandy explained.

"Is that so…" Aero slumped over. He had a defeated look on his face.

On their way out, Aero made eye contact with Clem. He knew that Clem was stealing some glances at him for unknown reasons but Aero took it as a good sign. Maybe Clem was re-evaluating his impression of Aero.

"Why don't you join us for lunch?" Aero asked the green haired boy.

Clem was caught by surprise as he looked towards his left and right. "Are you referring to me?" Clem asked.

"Yes, you. There is nobody else here apart from us, isn't there?"

"A-I… Umm…" the Green stuttered.

"Brandy."

Brandy let go of Aero's cuff. The Red would definitely have his lunch after this since he dared to ask someone to dine with him.

Aero walked towards Clem. The other side did not quiver in fear this time but he still felt nervous nonetheless. He had deemed Aero as non-lethal but the intimidating aura that poured out of Aero's red hair still had him on his guard.

"You haven't had your lunch yet, right?" Aero asked as he looked into Clem's brown eyes.

"Well, I…" but before Clem could finish his answer something beat him to it.

"See! Even your tummy's rumbling," Aero said to the red faced Clem.

Clem felt like crawling into a hole right there and then. He forgot that he did not have his breakfast today. He had made a straight beeline towards the library as soon as he woke up.

"Let's go!"

"W-wait!"

Aero heeded no mind to Clem's plea as he dragged Clem by the hand to the dining room. Brandy, who was watching this from behind, thought that they looked like a pair of brothers, the red one being the older one, leading his younger green siblings.

It was just a moment ago that Aero insisted on continuing his reading session. A moment later, he was the big brother reprimanding his younger siblings to eat on time.

Brandy found this scene quite heartwarming.

As they entered the dining room, the familiar figure who always sat at the head of the table could be seen.

"Almost not on time I see," Master commented.

"The library is so big, I lost my way in there," Aero lied through his teeth.

But who was he kidding? He was trying to lie to a mind reader.

"No comment. Be as it may, at least you come for lunch. Though it must be after Brandy's interference," Master said, not calling Aero's out on his lie. "Hmm, is that little Clem that I see?" Master asked.

Clem was standing right behind Aero like he was asking for protection from something.

"G-good evening, Master," Clem greeted him.

"Hahaha," Master chuckled. "I never thought you would ever come to the Red's side if your aunt did not drag you here. As expected of the big brother," he gave Aero a 'you had done well' nod.

Aero ignored Master's comment and dragged Clem beside him.

The foods were already served but they were still hot like they were fresh out of the kitchen. Maybe some spells were involved here.

It was a heavy meal this time. They must have deemed Aero now capable to digest these complex food.

Without any que both Aero and Master started eating as soon as Aero and Clem were seated.

The only awkward one was Clem. He was eying the two of them warily. He had to admit that the foods were mouthwatering and appetite inducing but they did not resolve the out-of-place feeling he had to endure.

"Aren't you a picky one? Aero said as he personally piled some buns, meat, chicken and other food on Clem's plate.

"Nah! He just wanted to be spoiled," Master said.

"Is that so?" Aero asked in disbelief. "Here, eat your fill then," Aero passed Clem his plate now full with food and patted his head briefly before continuing his own dining.

Clem had no choice but to eat the food served to him. He would come off as rude if he rejected Aero's kindness towards him.

For quite some minutes, the only sound reverberating in the dining room was the clacking of cutleries. Aero was the first one to break the silence.

"Master, did you know anything about Lady Memoria?"

Both Master and Clem stopped eating at the same time. One was waiting for this question while the other one was interested in the answer.

Since Clem was a history nerd, he would not let this chance of gathering new information pass by.

"What do you want to know about her," Master said as if he was confident he could answer every question pointed at him.

"For one, her real name," Aero asked with a serious expression. When he asked Lady Memoria her name, she just brushed it off as not important. Surely she was some historical figure that was famous in her time but Aero could not search for her real achievement without knowing her real name.

"Well, I do know her name," Master said with a nod. "But didn't she say it was not important? Why don't you ask some other question?"

Aero was baffled by the turn of events. He felt like Lady Memoria's real name was some kind of taboo that cannot be spelled out or something seeing that even Master cannot answer his question.

The green haired boy thought differently though.

"You met with Lady Memoria?" Clem asked with his tone higher than normal. "H-h-how? As far as I know she was presumed to be dead and the only legacy left behind by the Saint were this castle and the well-hidden Memoria Tree?"

Master read both of the boys' minds and decided to railed off the taboo topic and indulge in Clem's question.

"Well, she is a Saint after all. Her means were things that ordinary people cannot fathom."

"Are you trying to say that you did not know how she made contact with Aero or these 'means' were undocumented?"

Clem single-minded thought pushed for an answer. Because if it was the latter then maybe he was among the first ones to know the secrets of the Saint.

"It is the second one," Master read Clem's mind and knew what conclusion he had come to.

"Then…"

But before Clem could asked Master the crucial question, Master interjected, "Then, why do you think the secrets were still undocumented in the first place if people like me knows about it?"

Clem was left without words.

'True… why indeed?'

Clem was left searching for answers. Though he read many history books that did not mean that he specialized in reasoning. Most of events he had read in the history books left him with question like 'Why did they decide to do this?' or 'why would they do that?'

Yes, some authors of the book gave their two cents on the matter but that did not fully rationalize the decision they had made given its repercussions seen by the future generation.

The one who answered them was the boy who was apt in finding reasoning in people's feelings.

"The secrets of the Saint are called secrets for reasons. It is either the secret would bring chaos should the masses know about it or they were made to keep it secret in the first place."

Though Aero could not find the reason for a person's feeling all the time, the method he had come to rely on was deductive reasoning. By ruling out certain reasoning compared to the logical response it brings he could come to a few plausible conclusions.

"It is indeed," Master chuckled. "They are secrets after all."

Master smiled at them. He too had made an oath to keep them secrets.