Chapter 10- Loyalty

Elion was rubbing the bridge of his nose while his wives held a worried visage after they heard the report from their son.

Inside the room, it was a grave atmosphere since they never expected in their wildest dream that the child who had never killed something in his life before would not only hunt a boar but also operate on it seamlessly.

Along the way, the things Victor added about Carl's unwavering attitude and sober expression throughout the assessment only elevated their worries.

"Is he sick…" Anastasia could only come up with the single possibility that was causing so many changes in their little Carl.

"But the doctors said that he was physically and mentally fine…all the tests came normal even after repetitive examinations," Victoria responded, however, she herself was now considering having Carl go through another examination, just to be on the safer side.

Elion suddenly raised his eyes and pressed the button on his desk.

"Dear?" Victoria asked, but the Patriarch remained silent until a maid entered the room.

Raising his eyes, the man said, "Call Caleb and Cecily."

The maid lowered her head and wordlessly left.

*****

Carlisle was with Shelly at the moment as both of them sat on the porch that gave the view of the back garden and enjoyed some fruits.

"How is your training going?" Carl asked as he took the sliced apple she handed to him.

Shelly smilingly responded, "It's going well, young master. The teachers are quite patient and don't give me much difficult tasks."

Carlisle raised his brows as he noticed her hardened callouses and her slightly sunken cheeks.

She definitely is going through rigorous training and her body is transforming at a rapid pace.

However, since she chose to hide the suffering from him, he also didn't find it necessary to mention it.

"Do you need something from me? As in a gift for your hard work?"

Shelly was taken aback by that offer. Her golden eyes turned round as she innocently asked, "Didn't you already give me the reward by forgiving my parents? How can I ask you for more?"

Carlisle leaned forward, his red eyes aligned to hers as he asked, "Are you really sure you don't want to know anything? Maybe about one of your family members from whom you got separated?"

When she heard the words 'family member' and 'separated', her mind went blank for a moment.

How does he…

****

Caleb and Cecily were excessively nervous when they approached the Patriarch's office.

In those few seconds, their feet brought them to their destination, the couple had already gone through several possibilities behind this unexpected summoning.

Did Shelly offend the young master in any way?

Does young master Carlisle not like their presence in the mansion?

Were they getting fired? Worse, executed?

However, none of those thoughts stopped them from reaching the office before Caleb knocked twice and called out,

"It's us sir-"

Before he could have finished, a heavy voice came from the inside, "Come in."

They glanced at each other before Caleb took a deep breath and opened the door.

Cecily stepped just after him and the two servants stood before the family of four with their heads lowered and their hands joined in front of them.

Elion got up from his seat and instantly asked, "Whatever happened that night when you took Carl away, I want to know it all. So start from the beginning and don't miss a single detail."

The couple was taken aback by the sudden request.

Knowing how much they love the young master, it was really surprising that they wanted to hear about the night when he was taken away from them.

Victoria noticed their nervousness and hesitation, and that's why she soothingly added, "Don't stress about it, and just tell us. I promise you, you and your family won't get hurt because of this." 

Cable took a strong gulp before he began,

"That night we..."

*****

"How do you know about her?!" Shelly couldn't believe her ears.

In the past, she hid from everyone, including her parents...how does the young master know about it?

Carlisle didn't show any reaction even though the other party was being rude—well, he didn't really mind since the information would surely shock anyone.

Shelly kept her past a secret since she feared that once her parents heard about it, they might disown her. 

Well, she had that thought initially when she couldn't trust them completely. However, even after years, when she trusts them blindly, she can't bring herself to reveal what happened back where she used to live. 

And now, out of nowhere, a completely unrelated person—Carlisle, says that he knows about her past. 

Well, yeah, pretty shocking.

"H-How do you know about Eve..." She asked, her voice shaky.

Carlisle sighed, "I won't reveal the source of my information, but you can rest assured; there is no one other than me who knows everything that happened with you two sisters."

Naturally, the one who read the novel knows Shelly—one of the heroines' back story.

Why was he disclosing it to her? Well, there are several reasons. But the first one was loyalty.

He wants this person loyal to him since Shelly is too useful to become just a fawning love interest of the protagonist.

In a way, Carlisle was snatching Shelly from her possible future romance. But who cares? He was doing all this for his survival. 

While Carlisle was thinking all this, Shelly remained frozen at her spot, with her head slightly leaning down and her fists clenched.

It took some time, before she finally asked in a barely audible tone, "Is it true....i-is my sister really alive...?"

Carlisle hummed as he got up before approaching the girl, "There definitely is a possibility. And I, the second son of the Ravenshade family, have the authority and resources to find her and rescue her."

Stopping just before the little girl, he leaned toward her ear, before whispering, "But what can you give me in return."

With tears in her eyes and blood dripping from her lower lip, she looked at Carlisle with a fiery look before declaring,

"If you save my sister, I will offer you anything you desire. Even if it's not within my reach, I will somehow bring it for you, or die trying. And that's a promise."

*******

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Add the book to your collection.