Deal

"Uncle... You're such an asshole..." I unconsciously blurted out.

For a few seconds, Uncle Jack widened his eyes but quickly regained his composure as a weak smile appeared on his face. "Well, coming from you, that was unexpected…" He chuckled.

"... You're the one who told me to drop the act."

"Indeed, but I didn't expect you to become so straightforward." He nodded with a grin. He marked a pause before continuing. "So, how about it? It's not a bad deal, right?"

Uhm… I'm pretty sure there is more behind all this. My uncle is definitely plotting something. Still, he is right. Even if he is indeed plotting something, it is still a good opportunity for me and I should take it. However, if I do join my brother in the Arcane Academy, that means I'll have to leave mother alone here, right? I know it's only six months, but a lot can happen in six months. And I definitely don't trust my uncle, my aunt even less. I do trust Ivy, but Ivy doesn't have the power to protect her if something were to happen. Besides, she is technically under contract with my uncle. So it means that there is absolutely no one I can trust in this mansion. I can't leave my mother alone in the middle of the enemy's territory.

My uncle probably guessed what was making me hesitate as he immediately spoke up.

"If you're worrying about Azariah, it's unnecessary. We won't touch her while you're not here; you have my word. So you can go with an easy conscience."

I stared coldly at him, narrowing my eyes. "Am I supposed to trust your word?"

"Well, that hurts my pride a little. I'm a man of my word, you know?" Uncle Jack said with a wry smile. "But since you're also a mage, let's make things easier. If you don't trust my words, we'll just have to make an [Oath]. I will swear that neither I nor my sister will touch even one of her hairs. Is it fine, this way?"

I shook my head. "Not enough."

My uncle raised a single eyebrow, furrowing his forehead, clearly not understanding.

"You're a cunning person, uncle. You could still hire some third party to harm her without breaking the oath," I explained.

He let out a loud sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't you think you're being paranoid? I understand your point, but what else do you expect me to do? An [Oath] only guarantees the oath taker's own honesty and integrity. It does nothing about third parties. And it's not like I could force every single person out there to join the [Oath], right?"

I know I'm probably overdoing it. If my uncle had any intention to harm my mother, he probably wouldn't go as far as making an [Oath]. Besides, so far, he never touched her. I don't think I have to worry about my aunt either; she did have her lesson twelve years ago after all. Still, I can't fully trust them.

Circumstances changed. Now that I know someone is targeting the family, it's even more risky to let my mother alone with them. If my uncle and my aunt's mana core were damaged without them noticing, then there might be an insider. Besides, if there is someone able to use soul magic against those two, then they aren't to be taken lightly.

In that case…

"Yoko and Harri," I spoke. "Allow them to stay here while I'm not here."

Realizing my intention, my uncle widened his eyes, while Aunt Nora's expression distorted in concern. After regaining his composure, Uncle Jack curled his lips into a grin.

"So you're going to have your 'friends' watching over her while you're not here? You sure don't do things in half. Well, I can't say that I am pleased in having this eccentric couple staying here, but fine. It's only six months after all. I do have a lot to earn after that."

Hearing his approval, Aunt Nora clenched her teeth, clearly displeased. Ever since she met them, she didn't bother to hide her hate for them. I can't blame her. Not a lot of people would be able to handle them, especially not after being humiliated by Yoko like this. On the other hand, Aunt Nora hates pretty much everyone, so I doubt it would have made any difference if Yoko hadn't mocked her.

"Auntie," I called her out. Startled, her discontent quickly melted away as she returned to her nervous state, looking at me with her eyes full of apprehension. "Even if you don't like her, try not to provoke Yoko. I'm saying this for your own good."

She did not answer. Well, she has been warned. Whatever happens next, it is on her. Carefully observing my behavior toward Aunt Nora, Uncle Jack stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking up.

"There is one question I want to ask, Lynett." He said. "I've been wondering for a while, but were you responsible for what happened to my sister, twelve years ago?"

I blinked several times at him, and then I turned my gaze on Aunt Nora once again. "You didn't tell him?"

"B-Because you said it was supposed to stay a secret…" She muttered with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Well, at this point, it's meaningless to hide it any longer, you know? He already knows pretty much everything."

Uncle Jack sighed, lifting one hand to his forehead. "So it was really you… What did you do to her?"

"Just a little magic trick." I simply said, shrugging. "It'd be a pain to tell you about that night, so just ask your sister. I'm sure she'll be pleased to recount to you every single detail of our playtime."

Without saying anything, my uncle stared at me with a serious expression. After a while, he finally broke the silence as a forced smile played on his lips. "Were you always this haughty? And to think I thought you were an obedient child… You sure played your cards close to your chest. How old were you then? Two? To be able to use magic at such a young age… You're a real monster, aren't you?"

… I don't want to hear that from you, uncle. Between your sister who enjoys tormenting people both physically and mentally, and you, who knows all about it but lets her do as she pleases, I'm not sure I'm the real monster here.

"Since you know about it now, you better not do anything behind my back." I said, my expression unwavering.

"Of course not. I told you: I'm a man of my word." He answered with a wry smile. "So, what is it exactly that you're hiding? No matter how much I think about it, I just can't seem to find a good explanation. Just who are you exactly?"

How ironic. Twelve years ago, his sister asked me exactly the same thing. I guess I'll just have to answer the same way?

"You don't need to know. For you, I'm just Lynett, a fourteen-year-old girl, perfectly normal." I responded with an innocent smile. "You said one question, I already answered it."

Uncle Jack let out a small chortle. "Indeed. But you were becoming so talkative I thought you might as well spill everything. You can't blame me for trying, right?"

He leaned on his backrest and intertwined his fingers. Returning to his usual poker-face, he stared at me with cold eyes. "So, do we have a deal?"

Uhm… There is definitely more in this story than he tells me, and he is probably plotting something. Otherwise, there is just no way that he would propose such an offer to me. No matter how much I think about this, he has more to lose than he has to win. My mind is telling me to refuse, warning me of probable future troubles, but if I were to follow my guts…

"Fine, deal."