章 9: Village

In the grand hallway near the library, the flicker of Lumiere's flames cast soft shadows as he strode beside Cogsworth. The two were deep in conversation, their voices a mix of concern and bickering.

"Do you think the Prince is alright?" Lumiere asked, glancing at his companion.

"And whose brilliant idea was it to let him leave the castle?" Cogsworth, the pendulum clock, snapped back. "I already expressed my disapproval—it's dangerous out there! But no, you had to insist and even rally the other servants against me!"

Lumiere raised his arms in mock surrender. "And what, pray tell, were we supposed to do? Chain him to his chambers? you know as well as I do that you couldn't have stopped him. The prince is not a child anymore, Cogsworth. Besides, you know as well as I do that he wouldn't have stayed. He's stubborn as a mule."

Cogsworth huffed. "Stubborn or not, it's reckless! What if something happens to him out there? The woods are dangerous—full of beasts and..." He shuddered dramatically. "...unpredictable villagers."

"Ah, Cogsworth, always so grim. The prince has already awaken his bloodline right so you don't need to worry. Maybe he'll even find what he needs out there perhaps even the girl who can break the curse." Lumiere said with a wistful smile.

Cogsworth groaned. "You and your girl this, girl that. Do you think she'll just appear out of thin air?"

"Who knows? Fate works in mysterious ways."

Cogsworth grumbled something incoherent but didn't argue further. Instead, he changed the subject. "Did the Prince at least tell you what his plan was before he left?"

Lumiere shook his head, smirking. "Oh, he has a plan, all right. Though what it is, I've no idea. Perhaps Pensworth knows. The Prince has been practically glued to the library these past few weeks."

With a shared purpose, they entered the library. The room smelled of parchment and ink, a comforting familiarity in the otherwise tense atmosphere. At the center of the room, Pensworth, the enchanted quill, hovered over a piece of parchment, scribbling furiously.

"Pensworth!" Lumiere called, his flames flickering brighter. "A moment of your time, if you will."

The quill paused mid-sentence, tilting upward as if looking at them. "Oh, Father, Sir Lumiere. What brings you here?"

"This flickering wax stick has a question," Cogsworth said with a roll of his clock face.

Lumiere ignored him. "The Prince. Did he tell you anything about what he planned to do outside?"

Pensworth hesitated, its tip tapping thoughtfully against the table. "He mentioned heading to a village nearby—Riverside, I believe it's called."

Lumiere's flames brightened. "Ah-ha! And did he say why? To find a girl, perhaps?"

The quill swirled in the air, almost like it was shrugging. "He did say something about finding answers, but then he added, 'I'll let my future self figure out those problematic things when I get there.'"

Both Cogsworth and Lumiere froze, exchanging identical looks of exasperation.

"That's it?" Cogsworth finally spluttered. "That's the plan?"

"Well, there you have it," Lumiere finally muttered, shaking his head.

Pensworth tilted downward, continuing its work. "If it's any consolation, he did seem... determined."

"More like determined to get himself into trouble." Cogsworth muttered.

"Or perhaps," Lumiere said with a knowing smile, "determined to change his fate. You underestimate him, my friend he's already grown up."

Cogsworth gave Lumiere a sidelong glance but said nothing. Deep down, he hoped Lumiere was right.

Lumiere then turned his attention back to Pensworth. His flames flickered brighter with curiosity.

"And what about you, Pensworth? What are you working on so diligently?"

The quill perked up, spinning slightly in the air. "Oh, this? I'm writing a novel," Pensworth said, a hint of pride in its voice.

Cogsworth stopped mid-grumble, his clock face shifting to one of surprise. "A novel? You?"

"Yes, a novel," Pensworth said, undeterred by Cogsworth's skepticism. "It's inspired by the Prince himself. Adam's experiences... his struggles... his growth. They're the foundation for my story."

Lumiere leaned in, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Inspired by the Prince, you say? Intriguing. And what do you plan to call this masterpiece?"

The quill paused dramatically before responding. "The Prince of Domination."

There was a beat of silence. Lumiere blinked, the flicker of his flames faltering for a moment.

"The Prince of Domination?" Cogsworth repeated, his tone caught somewhere between disbelief and horror.

Pensworth tilted upward, undeterred by their reactions. "Yes. It's fitting, isn't it? He's striving to dominate his curse, his fate, his very self. It's a tale of perseverance!"

Lumiere's grin returned, and he laughed heartily. "Oh, mon cher Pensworth, you never fail to surprise me. And what happens when you finish this umm... literary marvel?"

Pensworth twirled in the air with a flourish. "When I finish volume one, I'll find a way to publish it. Though, of course, that depends on whether I regain my human form."

Cogsworth crossed his arms, gears clicking skeptically. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

Lumiere clapped a candelabra hand against the table, still laughing. "Well, Pensworth, I wish you luck. But perhaps consider a different title? Something less... intimidating?"

Pensworth remained unwavering. "The title stays."

Cogsworth shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Of all the ridiculous things…"

Lumiere smiled, patting Pensworth lightly. "I'll be the first to read it when it's done. Just make sure it has a happy ending, yes?"

Pensworth hummed thoughtfully, returning to its writing. "We'll see, Sir Lumiere. We'll see."

__________

(Adam's POV)

"Alright, Ruby. Lead the way."

I adjusted the hood of my sweater and tightened my grip on the book tucked under my arm.

My gaze flicked to Ruby who's skipping ahead like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Do you know these woods pretty well?" I asked slowly, keeping my tone light

She spun around to face me, walking backward with an easy grin. "Like the back of my hand mister!"

She turned back around and skipped ahead, humming a cheerful tune.

I followed at a steady pace, trying not to trip over her enthusiasm. After a while, she turned to me, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Mister, what's your name? Miss Agathe didn't tell me."

"It's Adam," I said simply.

"Adam, huh?" Her grin widened. "That's such a cool name! It's just like the first human created by the God of Solarus."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "God of Solarus?"

"Uh-huh!" she said, nodding excitedly. "The clerics say that after the world was created by the God's tears, he made a sacred land where the first humans—Adam and Eve—lived."

I smirked, already sensing where this story was going. "And let me guess: Eve eats some forbidden fruit, and they both get kicked out of paradise?"

Ruby blinked, then burst out laughing. "Hehe, no way! That's not what happened at all!"

"Really?" I asked, feigning surprise.

She spun around to face me again, her cloak swirling. "The real story is that an Outer God in the form of a snake tricked Eve, made her pregnant, and she gave birth to dragons. That's where dragons came from—before they went extinct, anyway."

I blinked, stunned into silence. "Haha... Well, that's... something," I muttered, forcing out an awkward laugh. In my head, I couldn't help but think, 'That fucking escalated fast. It went from a fairytale to something out of an NTR plot.'

"What's so funny?" Ruby asked, tilting her head at me.

"Nothing," I said quickly, waving her off. "Your story is just... different from the one I've heard."

"Where'd you hear yours?" she asked, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"Uh... somewhere," I said with an awkward laugh. "Let's keep moving, shall we?"

Ruby shrugged and kept walking, her humming resuming. A moment later, she called over her shoulder, "We're almost at the village, Mister!"

"Adam is fine," I replied, "or you could call me Oppa."

She stopped and turned to me, clearly confused. "Oppa? What's that?"

"It's a word in a uhmm... a different continent. It means 'older brother' or is used to address someone older in a polite way."

Ruby's eyes lit up with amusement. "How old are you, then, Oppa?"

"Eighteen," I replied.

Her laughter bubbled up like a spring as she puffed out her chest proudly. "Ha! You're old, Oppa. I'm only fourteen!" She laughed as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at her energy.

A few more minutes passed, and then we finally reached the edge of the forest. In the distance, a small village came into view.

The village was surrounded by a tall wooden wall, lined with torches that flickered in the dim light. Guards patrolled the perimeter, their weapons glinting faintly. The whole setup looked like they were preparing for an invasion.

The village was surrounded by a thick wooden wall, torches flickering along its perimeter. Every few meters, militias patrolled the area, their weapons at the ready. The scene gave me the impression that they were trying to keep something—or someone—out.

I frowned. "Why does the village look like it's preparing for a siege?"

"Oh, that's because there've been sightings of werewolves in the woods," Ruby said nonchalantly, as if talking about rabbits.

"Werewolves?" I raised an eyebrow. "And you're just wandering out here on your own?"

She puffed out her chest with pride. "I can fend for myself! I'm strong, you know."

"Sure you are," I muttered, though her confidence was oddly reassuring.

We reached the gates, where the militias gave us a cursory glance before waving us through. Inside, the village was bustling with activity.

The streets were narrow but packed with people—some dressed in simple linen, others in leather armor and carrying weapons. Vendors called out from their stalls, hawking everything from vegetables to handmade trinkets. The air buzzed with life, chaotic and vibrant.

Ruby skipped ahead, weaving through the crowd effortlessly. I followed, keeping my distance but staying close enough not to lose her. For someone so young, she seemed entirely at home here, while I felt like an outsider.

________

[A/N: Hi everyone Phoenix here! I just wanted to apologize for not being able to upload a chapter yesterday. I had a research defense at school and was mentally exhausted to even write a single sentence. That's the reason for the delay also I want to clarify that Chapters 2 and 3 are not filler chapters. They hold significant importance to the story.

One more thing: I know there are a lot of questions about the fic, and I'll try to answer some of them but bear in my mind that I will not answer some of them—feel free to ask here in this paragraph.That's all for now, and thank you for understanding!]