At his doorstep, Ritchie hesitated, unable to knock. He pulled out his key but paused again before finally rapping on the door.
Rapid footsteps echoed inside, and the door flew open.
Seeing his mother's anxious, red-rimmed eyes, Ritchie's throat tightened.
"Son, what happened? Why were you gone so long? I checked with the inquiry office every day, and they just said you were on a mission. What mission? You're not a soldier!" His mother's words spilled out in a rush.
Her familiar nagging warmed Ritchie's heart. "I'm fine, Mom. Just went out with the knights. No danger at all."
She looked him up and down, noting he seemed thinner but unharmed. Her face hardened as she voiced a long-held resolve. "I'm not letting you go back to the knight camp. Tomorrow— no, now, I'm seeing your principal to get you reassigned."
"Mom…" Ritchie protested. "Haven't I been through enough? I never told you this, but back at the temporary infirmary, some people tried to make trouble. They threatened to inject me with tainted blood. If I hadn't shouted and alerted the wounded soldiers, I might not be here."
His half-true story shocked her into silence. After a moment, she covered her face, sobbing, "It's all my fault."
"It's fine now, isn't it?" Ritchie softened, realizing he'd gone too far. "Where's safer than the knight camp? I get enough food there, and I'm still growing. You always said I need nutrition. Plus, no one dares mess with me there."
Aunt Grace, standing nearby, sensed the tension and stepped in. "Come on, let's be happy. Your son's back safe! Sister, you should send word to his father, let him know Ritchie's okay. He's probably a wreck in the army, and you don't want him distracted. It could be dangerous."
Her words were both a reminder and a way out. Ritchie's mother slapped her thigh and stood. "Right, I'll do that first. Then I'll get some food for a proper celebration tonight."
"No need, Mom," Ritchie said quickly, knowing their tight finances. But then an idea struck—his wages. "Actually, go ahead and buy what you want. The army gave me a bonus for this mission, and I'll get a monthly salary from now on."
"No way!" His mother's eyes widened, more curious about the numbers than anything else. "How much? What's the bonus? And your monthly pay?"
Ritchie was speechless at how fast she'd shifted gears. He'd planned to be honest, but her eagerness, tinged with a bit of greed and vanity, made him hold back. "The bonus is about two or three hundred crowns, and I'll get ten crowns a month."
"Not bad! Your father worked ten years to earn that much."
Hearing this, Ritchie's first thought was that he'd said too much. Too late to backtrack now. He'd never bothered to ask how much his dad earned monthly.
On second thought, he realized his mom had it rough. Supporting a family of three on his dad's meager wages, while ensuring Ritchie didn't look too shabby among classmates, was no small feat. No wonder she wanted to show off a little now that they had some money. Hard times had clearly worn her down.
Then he thought of Isabella, who had it even harder, raising younger siblings with no income.
"I'm heading out to school for a bit," Ritchie said, remembering it had been ages since he'd been there.
He dashed out. The school wasn't far from home.
Along the way, Ritchie sensed a shift in the air. The atmosphere was tense. Many roads were blocked, lined with uniformed soldiers. These were military-only routes.
These were wartime emergency passages, as Master Diana had once explained, set up to ensure army supplies during conflict.
Their presence meant war was close.
A checkpoint stood at the end of his street, red-and-white barriers lowered. A crowd waited silently for the half-hourly clearance. Ritchie ducked under the barrier. The soldiers didn't stop him since his squad's bright red uniform was unmistakable. By regulation, they should've saluted, but they pretended not to see him.
About a kilometer later, a squad of military police stopped him. They were polite, though, his red uniform marked him as a knight or knight-in-training, a sergeant by birth, outranking regular ones.
Ritchie always carried his ID, which didn't list his role, so even his mom wouldn't suspect anything if she saw it.
Cleared, he moved on, but the tension in the air grew heavier. Normally, someone like him could roam the city without ID checks.
At the school, the gates were locked, sandbags piled at the entrance. It would be sealed for a while.
Ritchie stood there, dumbfounded, until he realized he could just ask Isabella.
He knew her place well. As he approached, he heard kids shouting and roughhousing inside, mixed with Isabella's scolding.
Ritchie had a key. He let himself in, closed the door, and crossed the kitchen.
No one expected him, but seeing Ritchie, the kids and Isabella lit up with excitement.
"Big brother!"
"You're finally here! Did you bring food?"
"We missed you! Can you take us out to play?"
The youngest toddled to Ritchie's feet, demanding to be picked up.
"It's been over a month. I thought something happened to you," Isabella said, her voice a mix of joy and relief.
"I'm fine. Where's safer than the knight camp?" Ritchie reassured her, then got to the point. "Why's the school closed? Is it staying that way?"
Isabella realized he was out of the loop. "I've been worrying about that. A few days ago, we got notice that this area's about to become a battlefield. Some civilians have to evacuate. The whole school's moving to the rear."
Ritchie's breath caught. His mom, Aunt Grace, and Katherine hadn't mentioned this. Either they didn't know, or they weren't planning to leave.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"First to Morena, then split up to other cities," Isabella said. "Whatever happens, I want to stay with you."
Isabella's words warmed Ritchie's heart, but he hesitated. He knew he couldn't leave.
"I want to be with you too, but it's complicated. Have you talked to anyone else?" Ritchie asked.
"Caroline said I should go with them," Isabella replied.
"Her family or the Rose Society?" Ritchie asked. Caroline was their class president and one of the two leaders of the Rose Society.
Isabella's face flushed. She knew the boys called their group the Rose Society. Her cheeks paled just as quickly. Once, she'd had pride, but now… Thankfully, Ritchie hadn't spread rumors, and the thugs harassing her had mysteriously vanished. Otherwise, her reputation would be ruined.
Even so, she felt inferior around the other members.
"Don't worry," Ritchie said, sensing her thoughts. "I brought some money. It'll help you get by for a while."
Isabella stepped back, shaking her head. "No, no. Without those thugs, the rationed food is enough."
Ritchie didn't buy it. He knew how meager rations were. His family of four still struggled, and his mom often bought extra food on the black market.
"Take it," Ritchie sighed. "It's all I can do to help."