### Chapter 68: Grandma’s Illness
“I’m back, it’s me!”
As I pulled back my hood, Uncle Doug froze. The towering, muscled, dark-skinned man dropped his broom and his expression flickered between sheer joy and the panic of a lost child.
Two seconds later, he suddenly slapped his forehead. “L-Little Shay! You’re back! Just great, just great… Wait a moment, I’ll go call Grandma Claire down!”
Before he finished speaking, he hurriedly turned to leave but then suddenly remembered something and turned back with a goofy grin: “Look at me, almost forgot to let you in… In this freezing weather, how could I make the Young Lady stand outside and freeze in her own doorway…”
As he spoke, Uncle Doug returned, tossed aside the fallen broom, and huffed as he fiddled with the heavy door’s latch. “You… you haven’t eaten yet, right? Come on, let’s get you something to eat…”
He led me inside the house, then hurried off to direct the War Chariot to the beast tie-up outside, flailing his arms in what could only be described as a comical yet earnest dance, causing a few Guards behind the carriage to laugh in disbelief.
Once inside, I glanced around and noticed the courtyard felt strangely quiet. Not a soul in sight, not even a guard at the door… I remembered that since Vilo Garden merged, this place had been under the constant watch of the Sword of Kanli warriors… So where were Rect and the others? Off running errands for Her Majesty the Queen?
Not even a Maid left behind?
I found it odd and turned back to catch Uncle Doug waddling back with his awkward duck-like walk, waving to the stopped War Chariot while returning to the house. I casually asked, “Uncle Doug, where are the guards?”
“Guards?”
Uncle Doug paused, thought for a moment, and then realized what I meant. “Oh, you’re asking about Brother Rect and the others… they left for the Royal Palace early this morning. I can’t say for sure, but they told me this morning they wouldn’t have time to teach Ryan and Barry sword practice, so those two are left to battle it out on their own.”
“Practicing swordsmanship?”
As we hurried toward the inner courtyard, I instinctively asked, “Is Barry learning swordplay from Rect?”
“Yep!”
Uncle Doug nodded. “I heard he recently earned some qualification from Kanli’s tests… ever since he got here, that kid’s been working so hard at it. Honestly, for a regular guy like me, keeping up with him is impossible! Sometimes when I see him standing there, he just radiates a different aura…”
“Even Ryan got swept up in it, can’t help but learn alongside… Hey! But that little scamp has no talent! He’s all over the place and can’t handle the grind. He’s miles behind Barry, ha!”
As we walked through the snow-covered garden, I spotted the Little Honey Fruit trees that were being planted. They had grown quite tall, with bare tops almost devoid of leaves, but their branches were full. I guessed by the next spring, they would finally be ready to blossom and bear fruit.
Uncle Doug rambled on ahead, seamlessly shifting the topic from sword practice to the trivialities of Ryan and Barry, eventually mentioning how they had moved to the Royal City alongside Grandma Claire and landed such a nice place, even got respectable jobs in town…
Their jobs were arranged by the Head Maid, not the most eye-catching, but still a million times easier than the backbreaking work they did back in the village. I asked if the Head Maid’s name was Sharman. Uncle Doug thought for a moment and said he didn’t even know her name.
He went on to say that he and Auntie were living in one of the guest rooms on the ground floor, which was spacious and the bed was soft and comfortable. They had never slept on such a nice bed before and could hardly believe they were living a life of plenty, with this beautiful mansion to call home. Even in a big city like the Order Royal City, he felt he could walk with his head held high…
The whole family was thankful to me, grateful for Grandma Claire’s care.
Uncle Doug mentioned that he needed to get Ryan to come over later and thank me properly, saying without that little rascal, he could still be up to no good. I didn’t fully grasp the logic in that, so I chuckled and declined, thanking them for looking after Grandma Claire, then asked why there were no Maids around. Uncle Doug informed me that Grandma Claire wasn’t used to such “detailed” service, so Maids only came during meal times.
I felt Uncle Doug had changed a bit.
In my memory, he was always hot-tempered and straightforward. He loved tales of heroes and idolized the legendary Pope Knights, always wearing his emotions on his sleeve—joy and anger were practically painted on his face. Though not the most knowledgeable, he had a charm that made dealings with him feel refreshingly honest.
But maybe because he’d lost his homeland and was now “living under someone else’s roof,” seeing him again this time, those previous impressions felt a little different.
“Ryan!”
“Ryan—”
Before we even reached the inner side hall, Uncle Doug tilted his head and began calling up to the second floor, starting with Ryan’s name. When he received no reply and was about to call again, Barry suddenly poked his head out from the second-floor terrace. “What’s up, Uncle? Ryan’s in the kitchen smashing herbs!”
As soon as he finished, he caught sight of me behind Uncle Doug and his expression froze for a moment before his face lit up with surprise. “Little Shay!”
“Barry.”
I greeted him with a smile.
The boy’s face flushed red with excitement, his mouth opened and closed a few times as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Then, he dashed away, shouting up to the second floor, “Grandma! Grandma! Little Shay is back—”
“Come on, let’s head inside…”
Uncle Doug shook his head gently, and we stepped inside, taking off our shoes as we entered the hall… or rather, the side hall. The moment we stepped in, the strong scent of medicine hit me. It was somewhat sour and pungent.
The smell wafted in from the kitchen, making me slightly dizzy. Suddenly, I recalled Barry saying Ryan was smashing herbs, so I asked, “What kind of medicine are they making? It smells so strong… Is someone sick?”
“Grandma Claire hasn’t been feeling well lately.”
Uncle Doug replied, calling out toward the kitchen, “Ryan!” He then turned back to me, “The prescription is from a physician in the palace, and it’s mostly those two kids messing with it. I’m not sure what kind of medicine it is… If Little Shay can’t stand the smell, I can go and close the kitchen door?”
But it wasn’t about the smell for me; I furrowed my brow and asked, “What’s wrong with Grandma Claire?”
“Umm, the physician said she… isn’t doing too well…”
“L-Little Shay!”
At that moment, Ryan suddenly burst out of the kitchen, his hair a mess and a pestle in hand. Upon seeing me, he instinctively called my name, then froze as if he didn’t know what to do.
“Where’s Grandma?”
I immediately asked, pulling him out of his stupor.
“She’s on the second floor, she’s been waiting for you for days! Little Shay, you should head up and talk to her. I’ll finish up the medicine and join you in a bit.”
