Under Control

"Mom, Dad, Theron and I are going to the bathroom," Charlize asked for permission as she stood up, gently holding Theron's hand.

"Alright, take care, you two. Rian, please go with them." Allyza smiled as she placed peeled fruits from the lunchbox in front of them.

"Yes, My Lady," Rian replied.

"Let's go, sister." Theron said with urgency.

"Yes, yes, let's go." Charlize chuckled and nodded. The two of them walked hand in hand as Rian followed behind them.

Due to their earlier tiredness and their bodies being still frail, Charlize and Theron had taken a quick nap on the picnic blanket. Ironically, it was one of the best naps they had, the meadow offering a moment of peace and fresh air.

"Tyron, have you seen Elias? He said he'd be back soon." Allyza's worried tone resurfaced as they found themselves alone.

She looked around, noticing that Elias and his family weren't in their usual spot. Only the maids were there, standing in place.

Tyron shook his head, scanning the area as well. "No, I haven't. Maybe he's with Caspian and Serese?"

Allyza's worry deepened. "But they're not in their spot either. We agreed to go home by 6 in the afternoon, and it's already 5. This isn't what we agreed upon."

Tyron glanced at the watch on his wrist, trying to reassure her. "Their maids are still here. Let's wait for a few minutes, okay? Maybe they just roamed around to show Elias something."

Allyza reluctantly nodded, but her anxiety didn't subside. She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Elias or his relatives. "I hope you're right, Tyron. I don't want anything to happen to him."

As they waited, Allyza's worry grew with every passing minute. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. After a minute that felt like an hour, she turned to Tyron again, her voice filled with urgency.

"Can we just ask the maids for the meantime? I'm really worried, my dear. It's getting late too." Allyza asked in an almost pleading voice.

Tyron nodded, understanding Allyza's worry since he had also grown concerned. It wasn't often that Allyza voiced her worries out loud.

"Let's ask the maids where Caspian and Serese are then," he uttered in an assuring tone. He smiled and stood up, offering his hand to Allyza to help her get up.

Relieved, Allyza nodded, accepting Tyron's hand. With Charlize and Theron still away, they approached one of the maids, who was only standing on the side as if guarding the picnic area.

"Excuse me," Allyza began, trying to keep her voice steady.

"My Lady," the maid quickly bowed, recognizing that the woman who approached her was a noblewoman by the clothes she was wearing.

"Have you seen Lord Caspian and Lady Serese?"

The maid looked up, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, my lady, but the Lord and the Lady already went back to the estate an hour ago with the Young Master," the maid answered respectfully, fearing she might be rude.

Allyza's heart sank, her eyes widening. "Did they say when they're coming back? Or why did they go there?"

The maid shook her head again. "No, my lady. They didn't mention anything. I fear that the Lord and the Lady would stay at the estate now since the Young Master is with them."

Allyza exchanged a worried glance with Tyron. "This is not what we agreed upon. We need to bring back Elias," she exclaimed, now slightly panicking. "Something doesn't feel right."

Tyron firmly nodded. They quickly excused themselves before returning to their picnic location. Despite their growing worry, they maintained their composure and instructed the maids to pack up immediately.

As they waited for Charlize and Theron to come back, Tyron talked to Maximus, who was guarding them at the side. He carefully instructed him to gather all the knights and wait for his next instruction at the estate.

"I will do that immediately, My Lord," Maximus replied in a monotonous voice. He immediately rode his horse and set off to the estate to carry out Tyron's instructions.

As the maids hurriedly gathered their belongings, packing it up in a tidy manner, Charlize and Theron returned with Rian.

"Mom, Dad, what's wrong?" Charlize immediately noticed her parents' worried expressions.

"What's happening here?" Theron, whose brain was still half-asleep, suddenly became alert. He looked around and saw that everyone was moving, while his parents looked like they were in trouble.

"My dear, Elias is currently with his family... We are not sure if they're heading back to the Viscount's estate, but that was what their maids told us. For the meantime, can we go home now?" Allyza knelt down to Theron and Charlize's level; her voice calm, trying to show that there wasn't a problem.

"Oh? Elias is not coming home with us, Mother?" Charlize pouted, stating back what she understand with Allyza's words.

Allyza forced a smile before nodding. "I think so, my dear. But don't worry, alright? We're already talking to his family about it."

"Oh, okay." Charlize replied before nodding. "Let's go home then, Mom. I'm already sleepy. Will Elias come back tomorrow?"

"I'm still not sure…" Allyza breather out, caressing Charlize's face before standing up. "Go with your maid now, my dear. I'll just talk to your brother, okay?"

"Okay, Mother." Charlize gladly obliged.

"Let's go home now, Theron?" When Charlize left, Allyza then faced Theron, who had been silent the whole time Charlize was talking.

Hearing his name, Theron stared directly into his mother's eyes. A smile slowly rose to his lips as he took a step forward.

'Pft- How come my plan was perfect? Are they that predictable.' He shook his head, finding it funny.

Theron wasn't even worried since he knew that Elias's family wouldn't do anything bad to Elias for a few days or weeks. Instead, he expects them to pamper and give everything to Elias so they could take his trust.

As long as Elias still had his gift with him, they had all the time in the world. Theron was certain that Elias wouldn't take it off.

"Mother, don't worry. I've got everything under control." Theron uttered, eyeing Allyza innocently.

"What do you mean?" Allyza's forehead creased, hearing the confidence in Theron's voice. Did Theron do something without informing them?

"You'll know soon, Mother. Let's go home first," Theron said with a big smile on his face. He spoke as if he wasn't a four-year-old child.

Though it was fascinating, it was also somewhat scary. For a child to be so confident like this, what could he have possibly done?