"Aron! You are back! Here, have some soup."
Aron looked down at the girl who was hiding in the kitchen, half crouched near the stove, and frowned slightly at her loud ’whisper’. "Mira?Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the banquet? I thought Shiqi’s maid was going to dress you up."
Mira giggled, her eyes bright with mischief as they always were. She shifted the clay pot closer to him and lowered her voice. "She wants to put me in that fancy dress and tie my hair up tight. But I ran away and hid here." She wrinkled her nose. "I would rather eat than let Molly pull and play with my hair."
Aron glanced at her tangled hair and then at the corner where she had clearly tried to make herself invisible. He sighed, then looked down at the clay pot brimming with fragrant soup. Taking it from her hands, he said, "You are still a glutton."
Mira grinned as if he had just paid her a compliment. "Of course," she said proudly. "Food is the best."
Aron shook his head, but the hardness in his expression eased a little. He lifted the pot and took a slow sip, the steam fogging his vision for a moment. The soup was hot and comforting, just the way it always used to be.
"You always hide," he said after a while. "Last time it was the storage room. Now it is the kitchen."
Mira shrugged, unbothered. "At least the kitchen has food," she replied easily. "And it is warmer. So, did you bring me a gift?"
Aron rolled his eyes and took another slow sip as he looked at her, "A gift? Sure sure. I brought you scolding."
Mira blinked. "That’s not a gift."
"It is," he replied. "It’s free and unlimited."
She giggled at that. "Then you should keep it. I already get enough from everyone else."
"And you’re getting more if you don’t get ready. I just came after meeting the master and he is already very angry. If you are late for the banquet or shabby, he will not be happy."
Mira made a face at that," I don’t want to dress up like a doll. I always end up soiling the dress and then Mistress scolds me all day long."
Aron rolls his eyes at that," Then you should be careful."
"You think I am not careful. Even if I am careful, it still happens. Its like the mud is attracted to me. Always following wherever I go...."
As she said this, Aron noticed that even now, the girl was kneeling on the mud floor without a care and laughed hard, forgetting all about the scolding and hurt he had received from the master just now...
Shaking his head, he cupped her face and said," What if I gave you a gift? Will you go then?"
She smiled up at him and hurriedly nodded her head. She loved gifts.
And he fished out a small coin from his pocket," Here. This is the first coin I earned. I’ve been saving it because I think it brings me luck. I will give it to you as your birthday present."
Mira’s eyes widened at that and she quickly grabbed the copper coin, holding it close to her chest," I knew it! You are the best! You even brought me a birthday present!"
Just then, the sound of something dropping on the floor had them both turn around to look. Seeing Shiqi standing there, Mira hurriedly looked up and said," Sister! See what Aron brought me! A lucky copper coin! It is a birthday gift... What did he bring you?"
At that moment, Aron seemed to realise that both Mira and Shiqi had the same birthday. And seeing the hurt in her eyes, he hurriedly stood up and said," Mira. I haven’t had a chance to give Shiqi her birthday present yet."
Both Shiqi and Mira turned to him expectantly then. Mira was eager to see the gift while Shiqi clenched her hands. Did he really bring her a gift?
But as he patted his pockets, Shiqi felt herself deflate. He’d remembered Mira’s birthday but not hers...
However, at the last second, he fished out another coin and held it out to her," Here. This is for you..."
She looked down at the bronze coin in Mira’s hand and the silver coin that he held out to her. "This is for me?"
He nodded. Feeling happy again, she accepted the coin. A single silver coin was worth ten bronze pennies! Didn’t that mean he valued her ten times more than Mira"
Happy, she gave him a big smile before hurriedly taking Mira’s hand in hers saying," You silly girl. Stop pestering Aron and come with me. You need to get ready."
"But sister..."
"No buts! Come on. Lets go."
With a look of aggrieved complaint, Mira was dragged away by Shiqi.
He watched the two girls disappear down the corridor, one pulling and the other half resisting, their voices slowly fading away. The kitchen felt strangely quiet after that. Aron let out a slow breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.
He looked down at the empty clay pot in his hands and gave a small, tired chuckle. "Silly Mira."
Even as he called her silly, he felt a lot lighter than when he had come. The girl was as pure and innocent now as she had been when he first met her. And since then, she never failed to make him smile.
His fingers brushed unconsciously against his pocket, where no coins remained. For some reason, his chest felt both heavy and light at the same time. Mira’s bright smile lingered in his mind, followed closely by the look in Shiqi’s eyes when she thought she had been forgotten. He frowned slightly, the humour fading.
Today, the news Master had shared had definitely made him unhappy. He didn’t want Mira or Shiqi to be presented in front of the Lords and the others. They were both too innocent and fragile to be able to... he shook his head. He had been tasked with protecting them. And he would... protect their innocence.