Mathilda, who had followed behind him, paused just a step back, her hand lightly hovering near his shoulder as she took in the situation "…Young master," she said quietly, "Perhaps you should go to your room first."
Liam barely heard her.
Standing in the middle of the main hall were his father, Richard, his mother, Veronica, and an unfamiliar woman alongside a boy who looked around his age. His parents were locked in a heated argument, their voices echoing sharply through the usually composed estate, while the woman stood awkwardly off to the side, one hand resting protectively on the boy's shoulder as she tried to comfort him.
The atmosphere felt suffocating, and staying there made it hard to breathe.
Liam had never seen his parents argue like this before. Sure, they had had their troubles and would sometimes raise their voices at each other, but it had never escalated to this extent.
His father was normally calm, almost impossible to provoke in front of others, while his mother carried herself with an elegance and arrogance that was usually impossible to break. But now, both of them looked furious.
"No, Richard, what exactly did you expect me to say?" Veronica's voice cut through the hall, sharp enough to make even the nearby servants flinch slightly and lower their already lowered heads even further. "That I should simply accept this?"
Richard's jaw tightened. "Keep your voice down."
"Oh, now you care about appearances?"
The woman beside them lowered her gaze slightly at that, clearly uncomfortable being there at all. The boy next to her looked even worse. He stood stiffly in place, trying very hard not to draw attention to himself despite being at the very centre of the problem.
Liam was a smart kid. He did not need to think too hard for the pieces to start falling into place.
Please, Liam pleaded silently in his mind. Please not this.
Today had already been far too stressful, even if he could not fully remember why. He was exhausted physically and mentally, and all he wanted right now was to sleep and rest.
Instead, he was standing in the middle of what looked like the beginning of a family disaster.
His gaze slowly drifted toward Richard, and unfortunately, that was all the confirmation he needed.
"Okay…" Liam let his reply to Mathilda's question trail off, and that was enough for everyone to notice his arrival.
Richard was the first to finally look at him. "Liam…" he said in shock, before quickly composing himself. "You're back already."
Liam forced himself to straighten despite everything, he quickly composed himself and gave a bow that almost sent him tumbling forward. Fortunately, he caught his balance at the last second and held the posture properly this time.
"Father, Mother," he said respectfully. "It's nice to see that you have returned from your trip. I hope all went well."
Veronica's lips twitched at that last sentence. It was obvious things had not gone well at all, but this son of hers… with his sharp tongue, it was going to get him in trouble one day.
Richard cleared his throat.
"We'll discuss your awakening later," he said, his eyes flicking briefly toward the woman and the boy before returning to Liam. "For now, you should go to your room and rest."
"Yes, Father, but if I may ask, who are these people?" Liam asked, his tone no longer as politely as it was before.
He did not bother softening the question, from the woman's timid posture and the plain, slightly shabby quality of her clothing, he could tell at a glance that they were not nobles. They looked like commoners, people of little to no importance to him and his family.
The woman's head lowered slightly at that, her expression tightening. The boy standing beside her looked even worse. He stayed very still, his fingers curling into the fabric at his side, as though he was trying to make himself smaller.
"They are nobody, dear. You should go and rest, you look so exhausted." Veronica's brows furrowed as she moved closer, her attention shifting away from the others entirely as she took in Liam's drained expression. "Oh, my baby…"
"Come on," she said more softly now. "Let's get you upstairs. You've had enough for today."
"Come on," she said more softly now. "Let's get you upstairs. You've had enough for today."
Veronica reached out and gently took his hand. "You can go home early for today, Mathilda," she said, dismissing her with a wave of her hand.
"Yes, Madam."
Mathilda offered Liam one last encouraging smile before turning to leave.
Liam watched her go for a moment, the comfort of her presence fading the instant she stepped away. Veronica kept hold of his hand as she began to guide him forward, but her grip was firmer now and less reassuring. Liam followed at first without resistance, too tired to argue and too confused to fully resist, letting his steps fall into hers as she led him across the hall.
"You should not worry about adult matters," she said calmly, though the calm felt fake. "You have had a long day, Liam."
Liam exhaled softly through his nose, more out of frustration than fatigue now. "You know I am going to find out eventually what is going on," he said quietly, his voice smaller than he intended but steady enough. "So why do not you just tell me now."
"You are ten, Liam," she said, as though choosing each word carefully. "This is not something you need to be involved in."
"I think," he said after a moment, "I am already involved."
"You are exhausted," she said, her tone quieter now. "You have had an overwhelming day, and you are not thinking clearly."
"Go upstairs," she said. "Sleep. We will speak later."
Liam wanted to argue, but the truth was that he did feel exhausted. His head still ached faintly. He hated that she was using that against him, and he hated even more that she was right enough for it to matter.
Before he could say anything else, Veronica turned to the nearest servant and gave a brief, clipped instruction. Then she looked back at Liam.
"Good boy." His mother smiled and gave his cheek a hard squeeze, earning a small whine from him as he weakly tried to swat her hand away. Unfortunately, he was simply too slow for her.
Veronica looked far too pleased with herself for someone who had just turned his entire day upside down. Liam narrowed his eyes at her in the most serious way he could manage, which was not especially serious at all, considering how sleepy he still was.
"Mother," he muttered, rubbing at his cheek, "that hurts."
"And yet you survived," she replied lightly, as though that settled the matter. "Now shoo."
***
Liam woke up groggily to the sound of someone calling for him.
"Young master… young master, wake up. It is time for dinner already, and Madam sent me to wake you."
His eyes opened slowly, heavy with sleep, and for a few seconds he did not move at all. The ceiling above him was dim, painted in soft evening shadows, and his body felt like it had been wrapped in weights while he slept.
Liam blinked once, then again, his mind dragging itself back from the deep fog of sleep. The nap had not been short. His body could tell that much. His thoughts, however, were still half stuck somewhere between waking and dreaming.
"…Dinner?" he echoed weakly. At that, his stomach growled, reminding him rather rudely that he had not eaten all day.
"Yes, young master," the servant's voice replied from beside his bed. "Madam insisted you be woken. She said you must not skip meals again."
Liam let out a tired breath and rubbed at one eye with the heel of his hand. Now that he was properly awake, the hunger made itself known in a very unpleasant way, sharp enough to push the remaining sleep from his mind. He sat up slowly, his hair sticking up in every direction, and glanced towards his bedside where the servant still stood waiting patiently.
"Alright," he muttered, still sounding half asleep. "I am coming."
The servant bowed slightly and stepped aside to give him space, while Liam swung his legs off the bed and stood. His body still felt heavy from the afternoon's sleep, but at least the dizziness had mostly faded now.
He paused for a moment, just long enough to properly gather himself. With a small, tired huff, he smoothed down the front of his clothes, silently scolding himself for not changing before sleeping. Then he ran his hands through his long hair, trying to make it at least somewhat presentable in the limited time he had.
It did not help much, but it was better than nothing.
"Good enough," he muttered under his breath.