Joshua sat stiffly in the cold metal chair at the center of Eric's chaotic laboratory. The room smelled of burning herbs, copper, and something that reminded him of wet ink and motor oil. Around him, strange machines hissed with steam and buzzed with unstable magic. Eric, flamboyant as ever, danced between tables, scribbling notes and adjusting flasks like a conductor leading a manic orchestra.
Joshua eyed the shattered doorway. "So… about your door. Is it gonna stay like that?"
Eric didn't even look up from his scribbles. "Don't worry, sweetheart. There's a maintenance guy who fixes everything in the Noble House. He's a literal artist, door will be good as new in a few seconds."
Joshua raised an eyebrow. (One guy fixes everything? And I've never seen him? No wonder. Probably always busy cleaning up after these lunatics. Poor guy.)
Eric suddenly stopped working, walked to a cupboard, and pulled something out before sauntering toward Joshua with a gleam in his eye.
"Darling," he said with a glimmer of mischief, "would you consider being my guinea pig? I've got soooo many tests I want to run on you, and I'll give you something in return. Something… priceless."
Joshua's entire body tensed. "Do I look insane to you? There's nothing you could give me that's worth being your guinea pig."
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Eric smirked, opening a thick, leather-bound book and pulling out a small object. "What if I told you… I captured a moment in time?"
Joshua gave him a skeptical look. "It's a book. Who cares about a book? And what's that in your hand?"
Eric practically sparkled with pride. "It's a photo, my sweet. I invented it. A captured image of the past. And this book? A photo album. That monstrosity over there is my camera. It requires the magic of a noble witch to power it, but..."
Joshua groaned. "You're losing me. Just show me the picture already."
Chuckling, Eric handed it over. Joshua stared and his eyes softened instantly.
"Awwww… she's so cute." He smiled wide, completely captivated. "Is this… Blanchette? When she was a kid?" The picture showed a six-year-old Blanchette in a white dress, holding a single rose, her eyes bright and gentle.
"Can I have this?" he asked, practically pleading.
Eric grinned like a cat with a mouse. (Hehehe… works every time.) "Only if you become my personal guinea pig and visit my lab each night. That photo? Your payment for tonight. And I have even cuter ones~."
Joshua paused, then pocketed the photo carefully. (I need to collect them all… no matter what torture I have to endure.) "Alright. Let's begin."
Later that evening, in the Kaizer dining room, Jack, Jessica, Raphael, and Julia sat sipping tea and picking at treats.
Julia frowned. "Did you see how monstrous Joshua was?"
Jessica nodded silently, eyes flicking to Jack as she sipped her tea.
Raphael added, "He can't be trusted. Now the entire house knows it. Even the king."
Jack leaned forward slightly. "Yeah… that's true."
Jessica's disappointed glance didn't go unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Joshua exited Eric's lab. The stars twinkled outside the windows as he walked down the hallway, holding the photo of young Blanchette with a small smile.
"That wasn't too bad," he muttered. "He just took my blood and… inspected me while making those weird faces."
As he reached the main corridor, the noble residents of Kaizer House turned to stare. Whispers swirled around him like cold mist.
Monster… unstable… dangerous…
Joshua tucked the photo into his pocket and kept walking, eyes lowered. Ahead, he saw Jack, Jessica, Raphael, and Julia talking in the hallway.
"Hey, gu..." Joshua began, lifting his gaze.
They all stared at him, cold, guarded, suspicious. The same way the others had.
Joshua looked down again and walked past them silently.
Once he was gone, Raphael scoffed. "Damn monster. I'm going to bed. Night."
"Me too," Julia said softly and walked off.
"Goodnight," Jack and Jessica said together.
Jessica lingered. "I don't like Joshua either, but… didn't you grow up together? Weren't you best friends?"
Jack looked away. "We were. But that changed. I don't trust him anymore. You saw what he did. He's unstable. And… I still haven't forgiven him."
Jessica nodded slowly. "Okay. I won't bring it up again. Goodnight." She left.
"Goodnight," Jack replied quietly, then turned to his room.
Outside, Joshua sat alone in the garden... their garden. Where he used to talk with Blanchette. His hand held the photo gently.
"Even they think I'm a monster…" he whispered to the stars.
A breeze stirred his hair, and the night began to chill.
"It's getting cold. I should head in."
He returned to the shared bedroom. Jack and Raphael stopped talking the moment he entered, and their eyes followed his every move with silent judgment.
Joshua sat on his bed, but the weight of their glares pushed down on him like stones. Without a word, he stood, gathered his belongings, clothes, armor, and sword and left.
"Good riddance," Raphael said.
"Yeah," Jack muttered.
Joshua found himself once again in the garden, shivering slightly under the moonlight, his bag clutched tightly. His eyes gazed upward, sadness written across his face.
Then, someone sat beside him.
He turned. It was Rowdy.
"Hey," Rowdy said casually, glancing at the bag. "Why do you look like you just got kicked out of your own room?"
Joshua sighed. "Because I did. Jack and Raphael think I'm a monster. They don't want me there."
Rowdy snorted. "Screw those assholes. You can sleep in my room. There's space."
Without hesitation, Joshua stood, and the two walked through the quiet halls to Rowdy's room. It was warm and spacious, the walls lined with dark wood and soft light.
Rowdy handed him blankets and a pillow. "Here."
"Thanks."
Joshua made a bed on the floor while Rowdy climbed into his own. In the silence, Joshua finally felt something ease in his chest, a place to rest, without judgment.
As they lay in the soft glow of the moonlight leaking through the window, Joshua whispered to himself...
"Maybe not everyone thinks I'm a monster."