Chapter 206: Questioning
The old village head remained kneeling on the cold stone floor. His head was bowed low. The words "My Lord" echoed in the sudden, deafening silence of the inn.
Riku and the girls froze. They all turned to stare at the twelve-year-old boy standing beside them.
Caelus’s confident smirk was gone. It was replaced by a look of wide-eyed, exaggerated confusion.
"My Lord?" he asked, his voice full of a child’s innocence. "Old man, I think you are mistaken. I am just a boy."
He looked down at the kneeling man. His expression was one of pity. But his eyes, for a single, fleeting moment, flashed with a sharp, cold warning.
Riku caught it. So did Sherry.
The village head looked up. He saw the look in Caelus’s eyes. He flinched. The look of reverent awe on his face was instantly replaced by one of panicked understanding.
He scrambled to his feet, bowing repeatedly. "My apologies! My apologies!" he stammered, his face flushed with embarrassment. "These old eyes... they are not what they used to be. You... you have a striking resemblance to someone I knew, a long time ago. A noble boy. Forgive an old man’s foolishness."
Riku and Sherry exchanged a silent, skeptical look. They knew a lie when they heard one. But they also knew this was not the time to press the issue.
The village head, desperate to move past the awkward moment, gestured towards the hearth. "But where are my manners? You are travelers, and you look weary from the road. Please. Come in. Share our fire and our food."
He led them to a long, sturdy wooden table near the fire. He brought them bowls of thick, hearty stew and mugs of hot, spiced cider.
The old man settled into a chair opposite them. His composure had returned. He was once again the calm, weary leader of a remote village.