Chapter 9: Big Room

Damien's PoV

I smiled as I heard faint giggles from Shelly's room. Zara had informed me that they were done eating, and I was glad to hear them enjoying themselves. I sighed, then turned to Zara.

"Thanks for taking care of them, Zara. You're a good assistant. I'm glad I have you."

She smiled. "Of course, Sir Damien. I am always here to help you."

I nodded. "So, how's it going with them? Are they settling in well?"

She nodded. "Yes. Lady Shelly is still a little hesitant, but she's coming around. Toren is, well, he's a child. He doesn't care much about any of that stuff."

I laughed. "That's great! I'm glad to hear it. Keep up the good work. I'm gonna go play with them in a bit."

She smiled. "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, Sir Damien. They seem to like you. Especially, Toren. He really enjoys playing with you."

I spun my arms. "And I enjoy playing with him. He's a cool kid. And, Shelly is a great girl, too."

Zara nodded. "Yes, I agree. She's very responsible and caring."

I hummed. "Think she might be a better candidate than me? She seems like she would do a good job as the head of the family. She's a strong, independent woman, after all."

Zara raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously considering giving up your claim to the seat?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. If she's better than me, then why not? It's not like I'm doing this out of some sense of duty or whatever. If she can accomplish my goals better than me, I'm all for it. I don't really want to be the head. It's a lot of responsibility."

Zara shook her head, chuckling. "You're such an oddball, Damien. You're the only one who would even think of giving up their claim to the seat of power. Especially one like this."

I shrugged again. "I don't really care about power. It... cost me a lot when I was younger. I just want to make sure the family doesn't turn into a bunch of tyrants and warmongers. That's all."

She nodded. "Well, if you're serious, I'll start evaluating her as a potential candidate. But, you're still my main priority. So, if you decide you want the seat, I'll be there to support you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Zara! I'm lucky to have you by my side."

She smiled back. "Likewise, Damien. Likewise."

I sighed, looking out the window. "I hope Shelly and Toren can adjust to life here. This place isn't exactly the most normal or welcoming. I'm worried they'll feel uncomfortable and want to leave. I... don't want that to happen."

Zara patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, Damien. I'll make sure they're comfortable. And, if they do decide to leave, I'll try to sway them to stay. But, ultimately, it's their choice. We can't force them to do anything they don't want to."

I nodded. "You're right, Zara. It's why I had you tell them the risks involved with living in this den of vipers. Still, they are safer here than on their own." I smiled. "I'm gonna go play with them, okay? See you later."

Zara chuckled. "Have fun, Sir."

I grinned and walked over to their room. I knocked on the door, and Shelly opened it.

"Oh, hey," she said. "What's up?"

My cheeks warmed. She looked beautiful in her new dress. She had changed out of her dirty clothes and into a blue dress with flowers on it. She also had on some makeup and a necklace. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was breathtaking.

I smiled. "I just wanted to see how you two were doing."

"We're fine, thanks," she said, smiling back. "We were about to go to bed, but you can come in and talk with us if you want."

"Sure," I said, stepping inside. I saw Toren playing with his dinosaur toy on the bed. "Hey, buddy!"

Toren turned and smiled. "Rawr!"

I snickered and roared with him. "Rawr!"

Toren laughed and ran over to me, hugging my leg. "Rawr!"

I laughed and picked him up, spinning him around. "Rawr! Rawr!"

Toren giggled and roared back. "Rawr!"

I stopped and looked at Shelly, who was staring at me with a smile. "What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing. It's just... you two look cute together. Like father and son."

I blushed. I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Dino!" Toren shouted, waving his dinosaur around.

Shelly laughed. "Yeah, sweetie. You love dinosaurs, don't you?"

I smiled. "Dinosaurs are awesome. They were these huge creatures that ruled the world millions of years ago. They were bigger than elephants, and they ate meat and plants. Some of them were so big that they couldn't even move, and others were so small that they could fly."

Toren gasped. "Fly?!"

"Yeah, they had wings and could fly around in the air. They were like birds, but bigger and stronger."

Toren's eyes lit up, and he started flapping his arms. "Fly!"

Shelly laughed. "No, honey, you can't fly. You don't have wings."

I snickered. "Well, technically, you could build a pair of wings, or a jetpack. But, that's probably not a good idea for a seven-year-old."

"Fly!" Toren shouted again, flapping his arms harder. "Fly! Fly!"

Shelly sighed. "Alright, alright. How about we get you a book on dinosaurs tomorrow? Then you can learn all about them."

Toren stopped flapping his arms and smiled. "Okay, Sis."

I looked at the two of them. "I have a great collection of books on dinosaurs in the library."

Shelly's eyes widened. "You have a library here?!"

I grinned. "Yeah. Come on, I'll show you."

I led her and Toren to the end of hallway, on the side closest to my bed chamber. I opened the door and stepped inside. The room was huge, with a high ceiling. There were walls of bookshelves, and a few tables and chairs.

"Wow," Shelly said, looking around. His mouth was basically hanging open.

"Big room!" Toren said, spreading his arms wide open.

I laughed. "Yep. This is my personal library. I have a huge collection of books here."

She looked at me. "Do you actually read all of these books?"

I chuckled. "Well, no. I've been meaning to read them, but I just haven't had the time."

Shelly stared at me. "Then why do you have them? Why not donate them or something?"

I smiled. "Because, I like the aesthetic. It looks cool. And, I'm sure I'll get around to reading them eventually."

She shook her head, smiling. "Pretty sure it would take you centuries to read all of these."

I snickered. "Yeah, I suppose it would. But, maybe if I had someone to read them with, it wouldn't take so long."

Her cheeks reddened. "Um, I'm not really that into reading."

I grinned. "That's okay. We could just hang out and talk. I could tell you about my favorite books, and you could tell me about yours." I eyed Toren. "You too, little buddy."

He blinked. "Dino?"

I laughed and waved. "Right, we came to the library to look at the books about dinosaurs. So, let's do that."

I spent the next hour showing them my collection of dinosaur books. Toren was excited, and Shelly seemed intrigued.

"You're pretty knowledgeable," Shelly said, flipping through a book on dinosaurs. "This is actually pretty interesting."

I grinned. "Thanks. I've always been interested in dinosaurs. It's a shame they're extinct."

"What is extinct?" Toren asked, looking up from a book about Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Extinct means something is gone forever," Shelly explained.

Toren pouted. "No more dino?"

Shelly gulped as her brother's eyes became all watery. This was bad. I needed to come up with something quick, before the waterworks came flowing out.