In a room that is in complete darkness, heavy curtains stop the sunlight from getting in.
Someone shifted in the bed.
The violet colored bedding, complimented her purple colored hair. When she opened her eyes, they were pink in color.
A slight frown on her beautiful face.
"It seems that father has a visitor. I have never heard of his heartbeat before or his breathing."
She yawned before pulling the rope beside the bed.
But as she did, her movements stopped, her eyes widened and her head snapped to the side.
"This..."
"Are you awake miss?" a servant came in.
"Help me get ready. I need to meet my father," she urgently said to the servant pushing her blanket aside.
The servant was confused but did as she asked.
'How is that possible? How did he disappear?'
This has never happened with her before.
While one servant helped her dress up, another pulled up the heavy curtains allowing the sunlight to come in.
She closed her eyes in response, as the sun was too glaring.
This lady has frighteningly pale skin with bags under her eyes. It felt like she embodied the definition of a vampire in those fairytale books.
"Faster," she urged her servants.
After listening to his age, Reuben was honestly in shock despite hearing about it already. It is still different to hear from others and to hear it from the person himself.
'Still young...' Reuben sighed.
An injured core at such a young age but looking normal as if nothing was wrong.
"Tell me, I heard you have not answered my knights when they questioned you. Why is that?"
Richard blinked his eyes while looking at Reuben.
And Reuben felt like he would have a headache with this person.
With a sigh he tried to understand what Richard was trying to convey.
He frowned when he thought of something, "Could it be that... you think of their words as nonsense?"
He is the duke but he is actually trying to guess the thoughts of an eighteen year old youth. Even his butler on the side are shock at the patience he's showing this person. If it was anyone else, he would have flipped the table already.
Richard blinked again, "Yes, sir."
The butler almost tripped even though he was just standing. Even Reuben almost fell from his chair.
"I don't find it in me to waste my energy in answering their stupid questions," finally Richard actually gave a long answer, if you can call that one long.
"You just called the wolf knights stupid right in front of their master. You do realize that, don't you?" Reuben asked him.
Richard's eyes shifted, "I apologize for my rudeness."
Reuben ended up holding on to his head. This person is even more complicated than politics.
"Let's leave that to that," he relented.
He was actually shocked that he is tolerating this person but if this person could really help his daughter then he is willing to tolerate him even farther.
He looked at the butler to leave them.
Upon watching the door close, he turned serious.
"I heard that you can disappear not in sight but in hearing..."
Richard did remember that he was once talking with Julian about what he can do with his ability.
Though he still has no idea as to what he is supposed to do here. It seems that it will be about this skill he had.
To be honest, he practiced this skill in order to support the rest, especially in wars that they were sent to other than beast subjugation.
He can go toe to toe with sound ability users who were focused in assassination, the same work that he spoke of with Kyle.
He had met a whole load of great assassins and with Kyle's talent he can tell that he would become a great one as well.
He allowed the water to envelope his whole body, from head to toe and even the inside. He knew how capable sound ability users are as an assassin that he even willed his ability to spread all over him from inside out.
Reuben almost stood up from his sit.
Richard is still standing right in front of him. He can tell because he can see him clearly but he can't hear anything.
As sound ability users, a renowned one at that, they take pride in being able to hear the breath and heartbeat of the people around them.
But for him not to hear anything from Richard while he is being right here in front of him. This is unprecedented.
"How are you able to do that?"
Richard released the ability and thought hard on how to answer it.
He also has a frown on his face.
He simply manipulated his water ability back then. Wanting to fight against those assassins by playing their own game. And by the time he realizes it, he can even control it to the point of allowing his heartbeat not to be heard.
This actually showed that Richard was indeed a gifted and talented ability user.
Seeing his reaction, Reuben understood that Richard is a bit clueless on how he will explain it.
'Sometimes talented people are also irritating,' Reuben actually thought.
But before he could speak more the door suddenly opened.
Reuben frowned at the interruption until he saw who it was that came in.
"What are you doing here?"
Richard turned to see a pale looking woman in her late teens or early thirties.
She has waist length wavy purple hair, the same color as Reuben's hair but her eyes are pink just like that of Kyle.
But what caught his attention more was the fact that she looked so pale and the heavy bags under her eyes.
"Who is he?" she asked instead of answering Reuben.
Reuben sighed, for her to suddenly barge in here means Richard had caught her attention.
"Who is he, father?" she repeated.
"Well, this is Richard, an adventurer from the group Astral. He will be your guard for a year."
Reuben looked at Richard, just like before he had an indifferent look on his face.
"And this is my daughter Florence Longhurst, your work in this place is to protect her."
Richard could not understand what he meant by it. With all of these people surrounding her, why would he need to protect her in this place.
He tilted his head to the side.
"How about we all take a seat?" Reuben felt like having a headache.
After sitting down, he started telling him what he needed to know about his work.
"What we need is someone who can protect my daughter without her being disturbed by you."
Richard silently listened.
While Florence continued watching him.
"My daughter has the most sensitive ear in the whole kingdom, probably even the whole land. She can hear the breathing and heartbeat of each person. Whether near or far."
Richard nodded his head, he understood why he asked to see his skill in concealing his own sound.
But once again furrowed his brows a bit. Can't she just stop hearing then? They can do that, with enough control.
And somehow, Reuben was able to understand what he was thinking.
"She did it before, that's how she was able to rest all this time. But then, an assassination attempt became almost successful and she almost lost her life."
Assassination attempts are always around when it comes to nobles especially to those who have the prestige and power.
While he and the knights are away for beast subjugation, an assassination attempt almost got her daughter when she was still ten. Her brother who was 8 was able to save her despite his young age. That is how they know that his son was a talented young man.
But that incident did not only bring about such a fruitful outcome but instead brought upon dread on his only daughter.
Florence ended up unable to cut off what she was hearing, as sensitive as she was, cutting it off was the only way for her to stop listening and getting a proper rest.
And now, it has been 9 years since then. She was barely sleeping from time to time, even collapsing due to it.
They had tried looking for someone who can control their breathing but no one can control their heartbeat.
At this moment, for a few hours she can control what she can hear all over her room. But that is too short to call a rest.
And she would start hyperventilating when she tried to make it longer since she was remembering the time when she was almost assassinated.
Putting someone to guard her inside the room was the first option but she could hear their breathing and heartbeat, she still couldn't sleep.
So, Richard's skill was what he had been looking for, for his daughter.
"I need you to stay inside the room with that skill. That way she can stop listening longer and will have the chance to sleep longer."
Richard finally looked at Florence, she continued looking at him but she had a slight frown on her face.
"For now, why don't you give it a try?" Reuben looked at Florence.
"First and foremost..."