The distance between the gate and the castle was neither near nor far. After a few minutes, they finally arrived at the castle. If seen from afar, this castle was not too big, but the castle’s size was already somewhat more than normal when it was up close. From the color of the bricks in the walls and the many mosses and wild plants sticking to the walls, it was like it had been abandoned for a long time. It was very inversely proportional to the surrounding landscape. It’s like a haunted castle set in a dreamland.

When Alice saw this, she was scared and immediately hid behind her father, holding her father’s clothes. Then Bastian and his family entered; the interior in this house was vast; there was a staircase in the middle of the room, leading to the second floor. The stairs were divided into two directions, each leading to a different side of the castle. The interior was done in colors that reminded you of a vampire castle.

The staircase had a red carpet, and there was a large chandelier at the stairs’ intersection.

On the first floor, you could see two rooms on the right side and two more rooms on another side. The room size was quite small when viewed from the door. Bastian and his family began to enter each room; they only found a medium-sized bed, sufficient for two people, and a medium-sized wardrobe.

After they checked all the rooms, Bastian and his family gathered in front of the stairs again.

Noel nodded and began to speak, “On the first floor in front of the staircase, there are four rooms for a maid or butler. At the back of the staircase is a dining room that includes a kitchen, a storage room, and last is a small-sized bathroom.”

After hearing Noel’s words, Bastian and his family then headed to the back of the stairs. There, they saw a long dining table in the middle of the room and  a kitchen in the corner of the room. The room had a huge glass window, which was near the dining table. A vast meadow could be seen through the glass window, meaning people eating could also enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Noel then started explaining some of the kitchen utensils already available; she also explained why this castle’s exterior was not cleaned. After a few minutes resting and inspecting the dining room, they headed to the second floor.

“On the second floor, there are three sides. There are only three rooms on the left side, one a larger bedroom, and the rest is a medium bedroom. On the right side, there are two rooms, a library room, and a large bathroom. On the middle side, there is a door leading to the balcony. “

Bastian and his family chose the left side first and headed to the room with the largest size.

The room looked very dirty and was full of dust; a spider web could be seen in every corner of the room. There was also a huge bed in the middle with poles that rise on each side, which served as curtains. There was also a carpet lying under the bed with the same color and design as the stairs’ carpet. A large chandelier was on the top of the bed, just like the one on the stairs.

There was a glass window closed by a curtain and a chair beside the window on the bed’s right side. Also, a huge wardrobe made of wood, with a small glass attache to the wardrobe’s door.

Seeing this, Alice’s eyes glimmered, and a smile appeared on her face.” Father, Mother, can this be my room?” Her tone was pitiful as she held both of her parents’ hands.

Hearing his daughter’s question, Bastian frowned. “Are you not scared of a ghost?”

“Yes, my love, this room is too big for you now; wait until you grow up. Mother will find better rooms for you.”

  After being silent for so long, Alice tilted her head and asked, ” Can’t I sleep with my little brother?”

Both of her parents were surprised to hear this; they could only laugh and replied, “No, sweetie, what happens if your brother brings a girl to his room in the future?”

Alice pouted, snapping, “Why can’t we just sleep together?”

Hearing this, Alice’s parents started laughing again; even Noel, who had been silent, also chuckled.

“Ah, you’re still a child; wait until you grow up; mother will explain it.

“For now, you can choose another room; this room will be your mom and dad’s,” Leona replied while looking at Alice’s eyes.”

“Listen to your mother, sweetie.”

“Yes, Mom, yes, Dad.” Alice could only obey because she knew how serious her mother was.”

-After a few hours-

They’d all finished checking the rooms in the castle one by one and were now gathering in the dining room.

“Give my thanks to Grandmaster Weston, who has given us an expensive and nice house.

“And also thanks to Ms. Noel, who escorted us safely and explained many things,” Bastian said sincerely; he and his family also bowed to express their deepest thanks.

When Noel heard this, her face flushed, and she also lowered her head while muttering, “It’s-no-t-hi-ing.

“If that’s the case, we’ll get back on duty.” With that, Noel immediately left without waiting for an answer. The guard that Noel brought was confused and immediately followed his supervisor.

When Bastian and his family saw Noel’s behavior, they only chuckled. Alice even laughed, indicating she mocked Noel as a shy person who acted firmly and fiercely.

After Noel and her guard left, Bastian’s family finished checking all the house rooms again; Bastian then contacted his crew and ordered them to move all their belongings to this castle.

-In the afternoon-

Many of Bastian’s crew came with things, and Bastian’s house became busy, making the guards that were guarding the gate screaming to check the identity of Bastian’s crew.

The reason they needed a lot of stuff was that only a few servants could stay at Bastian’s house while the rest had to stay on the ship to trade goods. Each of Bastian’s family had chosen a maid or butler a long time ago; the first was Alice. She chose a chef who often made ice cream while Leona and Bastian already had their own choices. Bastian also did not forget to give his crew the duty to keep sending goods to each kingdom.

-At night-

All the items had been put into the house, and the distribution of tasks for the rest of Bastian’s crew and guards had also been completed. Bastian was now sitting at the library’s work table; he could see the night clouds and beautiful moonlight shining on his yard.

Suddenly, Bastian saw some shadows near the meadow; at that moment, he immediately unsheathed his sword and got ready in the battle position. But then he felt a hand hugging him from behind.

“Calm down, honey, I have checked those people. It looks like that person is the Grandmaster’s subordinate.”

“You just surprised me. And why are you so sure?” His hand remained on the sword, and his eyes kept looking at the meadow. He was still traumatized by the previous incident when he’d been attacked while being caught off guard.

“According to my estimates, the Grandmaster also doesn’t fully trust us as newcomers either.”

After a moment of silence, Bastian released his grip and sheathed his sword as he turned to look at Leona. “That makes sense; it’s also impossible for a suspicious person to get past the security at the border.”

Bastian then hugged Leona while walking to the door together. “We’d better rest. Tomorrow will be a tiring day,” Bastian said while kissing Leona on the forehead.

Leona’s cheeks turned red as she planted her face into Bastian’s back.. “Stupid,” Leona replied with a sullen tone, but she smiled.