"Dad, I think this is partly your fault. You should stop glaring at him every time you think I am not looking."
"Since when do I glare?" Raaz put the right hand on his heart, feigning sincerity.
"You know that I like that boy, otherwise I would have never consented to the marriage."
"Please. Since I was twelve, you glared at everyone who got anywhere near me, no matter if kid, man or elder. You seem to have passed that skill to Lith. Senton said to me multiple times that whenever he is alone with you, he feels like facing a firing squad."
"That's sign of a guilty conscience." Raaz rebutted.
"Mine instead is clear." Lith chimed in. "I have always been frank with him." In fact, it was the barrage of not-so veiled threats that scared his future brother-in-law the most.
"You too, sis? Lil bro doesn't glare, he is only protective!"
No one in the family had the courage to tell Tista that her brother that she considered a hero in her heart, wasn't as perfect as she pictured him, so they happily changed topic.
Lith really enjoyed the meal with his family. Despite she did not have access to the high-quality ingredients like the academy's cooks, his mother's dishes were always the one tasting the best.
Raaz shared with him his plans for expanding the farm. The days when they had barely the money to keep the house standing were long gone. As soon his father finished, the family started with a barrage of questions he was unprepared for.
They wanted to know everything about the academy. How were the Professors, how his schoolmates were behaving, if he was eating well and so on.
Clearly, they had only half believed to Lith's daily reports, and wanted to have clear answers while looking at him in the eyes. It took quite a while to convince them that no one was harassing him and that both the Headmaster and the Professors were good people.
He even had to exaggerate his relationship with the exam's group, making it sound like they were already good friends. Contrary to his expectations, none of his parents seemed happy with such news.
"Lith, I don't think you should be so trusting. You barely know them from three days." Elina said.
"You see, not always people are like they appear. For every good and sincere person you meet, there is always another ready to say everything, just to get what he wants. I'm sorry dear, but it's the truth.
I wanted to hide this as long as I could, but your safety is more important than preserving your innocence. Even in our small village, since Nana took you under her wing, your rise in status has made many of our community proud, but many more envious of your success.
My friends kept me posted about all the gossip, how so many thought you were an arrogant brat at first. Then, once you started your apprenticeship, they started to wish for you to fail, just to feel better about themselves."
Raaz took Elina's hand, holding it tight.
"What your mother is trying to say, is that if even people that we know from years and almost consider as family can be so mean, the more the reason to be wary of strangers. Don't believe blindly in pretty words and kind smiles.
You don't know a person true worth until you really need their help. Always remember what happened to the poor Nana. So, don't try to change or force yourself to be someone else just to please a bunch of snotty kids.
If they really are your friends, they'll accept you for who you are. If not, know that is not your fault. It's just that the world is harsh, true friendship isn't as easy to find like in the bedtime stories I told you when you were little.
A real friend is like a treasure, hard to find, even harder to keep. Life will keep pushing you away, but you must never let go of a real friend."
Lith unconsciously rubbed his thumb on Solus' ring, making her giggle like a little girl.
- "I never expected my father to be so direct." Lith thought, without realizing what it meant to him thinking of the word 'father' without making it sound like an insult.
"I always took him for a simple and honest man, trying his best at a simple and honest job while taking care of his family. Who would have guessed that one day he would make me a speech about being cynic and distrustful?" –
While pondering about life's twisted irony, Lith realized the key element he and Solus had been missing to make true forgemastering work.