As Cid continued to walk towards where his friend lived, he continued potential conversations in his head.

  ‘Don’t worry, boy.’ His stepfather might say, ‘I’ll get those two people back for you, then we can bring it back to as it once was!’

  Crossing a road, Cid suddenly stopped at the end and turned…Whatever he was thinking then just blew away like wind…

  Sighing, he raised his eyebrows and waved with his hand.

  Seeing the little figure come out and sheepishly smile at him, he waved his arm again.

  If you’re coming, then come!

  Waiting for the pretty Princess to cross the road, he began to walk straight away. “You are up early, Your Highness.”

  “Hey! What happened to Ethan! I’m Ethan!”

  Cid didn’t have time to py around, “Ethan, you are up early today.”

  “Better!”

  Cid took her hand and brought her away from someone who was transporting goods.

  Continuing on, he released her hand, only for her to hold it again.

  “Princess…” Cid said, stopping and looking at her.

  “Obviously I need your help…” She looked around, clearly not wanting to look at him and he couldn’t help but feel that for a little while he might be blessed.

  “Let’s go! Oh…Where are we going?”

  Cid started walking again and was ever so distracted with the hand holding onto his.

  It wasn’t the first time…No…

  Dammit!

  “Oh, I know where we are going!”

  Cid smiled, hearing Bethany’s happiness.

  It was what she wanted to do the day before!

  Leading the way to his friend’s pce of residence, Cid continued to make sure that the pretty Princess did not step in puddles, unless she wanted to, and did not get in the path of other people.

  Really, it never used to be so hard to walk through the street with her!

  Now, he was worried all the time!

  Cid could only sigh in his heart…Telling it not to care so much.

  After quite a number of minutes, Cid finally came to house that was well situated and well attained. It wasn’t a rich mansion, like that of his stepfather’s, but it was not poor.

  Cid already knew that Benjamin would not be there. They had their own business to worry about, so he would most likely be taking up the st lot of orders from people for when they leave in less than two weeks’ time.

  Knocking on the door, Cid looked at Bethany and pulled their hands up.

  Seeing her blush, Cid held in a smile and finally his hand was loose.

  Looking away, already distracted enough as it is, it was only a second after that he saw Pauletta opening the door.

  “Cid, my dear. Come in, come in!”

  “Auntie!” Cid stated, a normal thing in such a circumstance.

  She wasn’t his Auntie, but she was more than ‘Pauletta’.

  “Auntie!” Bethany had seemed to be behind Cid, always hiding…

  “Princess!” Pauletta went to bow but Bethany stopped her.

  “Quick!” Princess Bethany stated, pushing her inside.

  Cid then suddenly saw a hand coming out to him and was pulled inside the door by his colr.

  Being pulled in like that, Cid was surprised and grabbed onto Bethany’s waist to support both of them.

  Without rational thought, Cid stared at the pretty Princess, unable to process anything else but how close they were and how pretty she was…She really was a natural beauty, he couldn’t find any makeup on her face at all…

  Seeing her blush once again, Cid took a breath and quickly let her go.

  Turning, trying to get his brain to work, he saw Pauletta and blinked…Right!

  “Where is Uncle?”

  Pauletta smiled at him, “He said that he was going to your father’s shop today, someone came over yesterday evening…I’m not quite sure what is happening, but I have faith that Ben will do the best he can!”

  Cid shook his head, “It is not that I don’t have faith in Uncle, Auntie. Be assured that you two are great to me and I know it and am grateful. I was just here to shut the shop down.”

  “What!” Pauletta stated.

  Cid sighed and scratched his head, “I don’t want people there that aren’t my own, so I’m shutting it down.”

  Pauletta frowned and then mumbled, “Is that what happened?”

  Watching her widen her eyes, then look back at him, she said, “Those damned people! It was them wasn’t it! If it’s not the father, it was the little brat of a son that man has got!”

  “It doesn’t matter, Auntie. Since Ben is there, I will go there myself and make sure the process is complete.”

  “Oh…Well, take our carriage…” Pauletta stated, clearly unhappy.

  As much as Cid preferred to not accept more help from Pauletta, he held his pride and nodded to her. He knew the time wasn’t now to make things harder for himself!

  Cid knew that she always wanted the best for him and always tried to say so, but he couldn’t stay longer if he was to catch his uncle while he was at the shop. “I have to go, Auntie. Forgive Ben if he is home te.”

  “Of course, my dear, of course! You do what you feel is best! I’ll…I’ll look after the Princess!”

  “But I want to go with Cid!”

  Cid looked at the Princess and smiled, “You can stay here, Ethan!”

  “No, wait!”

  But Cid ran out, quickly getting onto the carriage, waiting for Pauletta to finish telling someone where to take him.

  In no time, the Princess ran out and started running towards him and Cid looked at her sternly, “Princess, you must stay here!”

  Cid melted at her pouting look and nearly gave in then and there.

  “But I want to go with you.”

  My dear, help me say no to you!

  Instead of saying no to the Princess, Cid turned to the driver and said, “Go!”

  Looking back, Cid sighed, seeing the pretty Princess angry and putting her hands across her chest.

  “My dear Princess, he has business. As a woman you need to understand this side of a man!”

  “I don’t want to!”

  Pauletta took the Princess’s hand and smiled, “If you are keen on marrying that young man, my dear, then you must accept that sometimes he would prefer to do some things on his own.”

  The Princess swallowed and looked away, “But…”

  “My dear, if you crowd him too much, he will only step away…You remember what I said? That he may not have you in his mind because he has so much other things to think about?”

  “Yes, but…”

  Pauletta put her other hand over the Princess, “Well, I think he does have you in mind, so you are one step further ahead.”

  “Wha…Really!?” The Princess grabbed onto Pauletta’s hand with her other one and gave her a dazzling smile.

  “Did he not just stare at you then, Your Highness? I saw it with my own eyes!” Pauletta smiled back.

  For so long this Princess had been head over heels in love with Cid…It was almost sad!

  “Really, you really believe that he sees me now? Not just as a friend?”

  Pauletta nodded, but then stopped and firmly stared at her, “Remember though, Cid needs to find his way. Let him…”

  “I know…He needs to break away from that family!”

  Pauletta nodded, looking towards the carriage, that was now nearly out of eyesight. “We all want this for him. The faster the better but…He is so stubborn, just like his father!”

  Yes, Pauletta and Benjamin had wanted to help him more, much more, but Cid no longer wants any more help.

  “I know how stubborn he is, Auntie!”

  “Mmm, I believe you do, Princess…I believe you do!”

  The two women looked out, holding each other’s hands, both filled with worry and a certain impatience.

  ***

  Cid walked into his father’s bcksmithing shop and choose not to let himself think of the past.

  He knew these walls, the stones, the metal, how hot…

  There was no time for that…

  Looking around, he saw that Benjamin wasn’t here.

  I must have just missed him, Cid thought.

  Then, looking at the two guys sitting together with their hands folded, Cid took in a deep breath before letting his anger show…

  They weren’t bcksmith’s…They were loyal subordinates, more like servants of Steven…

  Having used to serving Steven, it seems their new job was to take over this establishment…

  Trying to come up with a stupid look on his face, Cid could hardly contain it!

  “Who…Are you?”

  They walked up to him and saw them smirk, “We are your new boss!”

  The other stated, “You know us! Did you forget?”

  Cid did not forget!

  Steven had never touched him, but these two have…

  And just as he thought that, Cid felt pain in his stomach…

  Ok…He thought this might have been easier…

  His initial thoughts were to come here, shut the business down, dismiss these two and be gone again…Then go back and pretend that he thought he did what…

  A punch came across his face and Cid fell to the side, and even though he had his hands and knees helping him, he still hit his head on the side of an anvil.

  Hearing ughter, Cid couldn’t even open his eyes.

  His head hurt so much!

  “That’s enough, we can’t kill him.”

  Hearing footsteps walking away, Cid heard silence afterwards and put a hand to his head.

  He was bleeding…

  Getting into a sitting position on the floor, Cid couldn’t believe that even as an owner of a shop, he would still get beaten up.

  With such a huge headache, Cid tried to focus on bandaging his wound, but he felt like it took forever to do.

  “Here!”

  Something fell before him, and Cid was surprised to see the two men had come back…

  He thought they wouldn’t…

  …His head hurt so much that he didn’t even know what they had thrown down to him on the floor!