Raised in Dungeon

Allen and Felicia, sitting in the kitchen, were bathed in the afternoon light that penetrated through the window behind them.

When Felicia started crying and told Allen that she needed him, the sense of responsibility in Allen's heart overflowed.

Allen then hugged Felicia's body tightly. At that moment, he decided, 'If you need me, then I will protect you as much as I can. One day, if you find out that I was the one who killed Mr. Waldo, I'm willing to die at your hands.'

Felicia somehow felt that Allen's embrace was not only a way for him to calm her crying but also a way to calm his own fears. So Felicia also ran her hands down Allen's back in reply to his hug.

'Poor Allen..' thought someone watching them behind-a crow that had been perched on the window.

'I didn't expect their relationship to be this close. I couldn't bear to see Lady Felicia crying. When I saw those tears, I immediately imagined how she would cry when she knew about Mr. Waldo's death, and then how she would react when she found out that the second person she trusted the most was the murderer.'

A doubt arose in Susan's head, seeing that Allen had already endured too much suffering.

'Even if I find a way to communicate with Allen, I will only increase his burden. I can't ask Allen to help with my problems. I will find my brother myself.'

Susan gave up on asking Allen for help then, but that didn't mean she would abandon him. Susan heard Allen and Margareth talk about the academy, and she decided to go to the academy with Allen. If she went to the academy, there would be a clue on how to make her strong as an animal, strong enough to fight against predators and humans. In addition, she also had to figure out how to communicate; maybe some amnis can make her speak like a human.

In the room, it wasn't just Susan who saw Allen cuddling with Felicia.

There were other people, who couldn't come out because they heard Felicia's voice. One of the maids was in the break room, hiding and trying to pretend not to hear.

But after Felicia's scream, she couldn't resist peeking at them.

Allen must have realized it earlier because the maid was also helping her cook before Felicia came, but since Allen wasn't the type to be bothered by such things, he let it slide.

"Oh my, I saw something extraordinary," the maid muttered while biting her finger. She was the one who witnessed everything, and her heart was racing.

…

The next morning, Rachel walked into Felicia's room with a big smile on her face.

"Good morning, Milady."

Felicia immediately got up from her bed, swiftly making her way towards the chair where she awaited her pampering session. Rachel couldn't help but notice an unusual weariness that had settled upon her. The telltale signs of exhaustion were etched beneath Felicia's eyes, manifested as a faint, shadowy darkness accentuating the presence of eye bags.

Concerned by this sight, Rachel asked, "Lady, I can't help but notice you seem more tired than usual. Have you not had sufficient rest?"

"I had not, unlike you, who seems to have slept very well; I can see that in your radiant face."

"Really? I thought I always looked like this every morning."

That was a lie.

Rachel was indeed a little more excited than usual. Because she knew that Felicia and Allen were on good terms, and not only that, she also knew literally everything that happened between Allen and Felicia in the kitchen.

She heard that from one of the maids who stayed in the kitchen during the incident, and that romance story spread very quickly by word of mouth, which made all the maids in the house know in detail what happened yesterday.

'Now I am confident enough to hand Lady Felicia over to Allen,' Rachel thought.

"How about you, lady? Did anything feel uncomfortable when you fell asleep?"

"A lot! That's the old mattress I slept on for three years, right? Hurry up and get a new one. It's hardened and uncomfortable; the mattress is slightly bumpy; and the netting has holes. Mosquitoes got in and bit me last night," Felicia said, pointing out the many parts of her body that were swollen from mosquito bites.

That was a lie.

The mosquitoes did bite her, but it was because she got out of the mosquito net.

'I can't sleep,' Felicia thought that night. She wandered aimlessly in her room. She would occasionally look out the window and see the moon and the night sky.

And the reason she couldn't sleep was

'Allen,'

While being groomed by Rachel, Felicia recalled what had happened yesterday and realized that everything she had done was embarrassing afterward.

'There's no way I can sleep after what happened yesterday,' thought Felicia, whose face blushed every time she thought of how Allen hugged her and how she hugged him back.

"If you're tired, you might want to eat this soup first for breakfast." Rachel placed Allen's special bowl in front of Felicia.

She placed the steaming bowl in front of Felicia with great care, creating an enticing aroma that instantly awakened her appetite.

Overwhelmed with anticipation, Felicia exclaimed, "This is exactly what I've been longing for!" She indulged in a mouthful of the warm and flavorful soup and couldn't help but express her delight, "It's incredibly comforting and absolutely delicious..." In no time at all, Felicia devoured every last spoonful of the savory broth.

"You've improved at cooking over the past three years, Rachel. At first, I thought it would taste strange because it's like peasant food." The bags under her eyes disappeared, and the sleepiness and fatigue were gone. She felt fit to do her daily activities.

'I wanted to tell the lady that she's been eating Allen's food all this time, but I think she should know about it herself. That way, maybe it could trigger some events.'

"Alright! I'm going to have a longer rehabilitation today. I must get well as soon as possible to compensate for the lost three years."

Rachel picked Felicia up and put her in the wheelchair. Then she took her to the training ground.

As usual, the training ground at 9 morning was filled with off-duty soldiers. Ever since Lady Ayde saw Allen and a soldier fight during Margareth's visit, Ayde had forced the soldiers to train more.

"Good morning! Lady Felicia!" the soldiers shouted simultaneously as Felicia entered the training ground.

Felicia immediately looked to the center of the training room; this time, Allen was talking to her mother, Ayde. She felt a little more relieved that this time Allen didn't run away like before.

'After looking at him again, I realize Allen has really changed. He's a little taller than before, stronger arm, and bigger bodies,' Felicia thought as she reminisced about the time when he embraced her.

Felicia's face immediately turned red like a tomato, "Aaaah I can't stop thinking about yesterday! If someone sees us, they'll think we're doing some nasty things! I already have Mr. Waldo! I can't let people think about me and Allen that way!"

Felicia grabbed her hair and covered her flushed cheeks, "I wonder what Allen will think about yesterday? Probably, he also felt a bit of hassle."

Upon seeing Felicia and Rachel, Allen directed his gaze towards Felicia and greeted her with a slight bow. His expressionless face clearly showed that he was not thinking about yesterday's events as much as Felicia did.

"Well, he's still the same Allen; there's no way he'd be interested in something like that," Felicia said in a disappointed tone.

"Lady?"

"It's nothing! Let's start the rehabilitation."

Three hours passed; Ayde and Michael had already left the training ground.

Felicia, who had been walking for three hours, rested at her tea table with the tea that Rachel had prepared. As she sipped her tea, Allen sat next to her.

"I also want some," Allen asked Rachel.

'Ah yes, he's still the same Allen,' thought Felicia, who remembered that Allen had always been a man of no manners.

In the midst of a rather awkward situation, a profound silence hung in the air, as they chose not to speak but remained silent. Rachel couldn't help but let a smile grace her face as she observed their interaction. It wasn't just Rachel who was captivated by this scene; even the soldiers and maids on the training ground couldn't help but feel their hearts flutter and flowery. Word had quickly spread regarding what transpired between them yesterday, adding an extra layer of intrigue to their current demeanor.

"Umm... about yesterday..." Allen started the conversation.

"Y-yes? About when? I don't feel any IMPORTANT events happened yesterday," Felicia replied with a slightly shaky voice.

"…"

"…"

"I'm sorry. The pain in your leg got worse," Allen chose to ignore that word.

"Oh about that, no problem."

"Then I also want to apologize for running away for the past three days."

"Yes, that's fine."

"Then about yesterday that-"

"Ah never mind! You don't need to apologize anymore! I forgive you for everything you've done!" Felicia said as she hit Allen on the head.

Then she continued, "We're friends, aren't we? Whatever mistakes you've made in the past, I'll forgive you."

To Felicia, it might have been just an embarrassing word, but to Allen, it was like a breath of fresh air as well as a storm.

'I hope you still think so even though you already know the truth,' Allen thought.

Seeing Felicia say that with a flushed face, Allen spontaneously stroked Felicia's head gently.

"Wha-?" Felicia's face blushed again, followed by everyone's shocked faces at the sight of her.

"Thank you," Allen muttered.

Felicia immediately swatted away Allen's hand, "Ha-haah?! What are you doing?! Get away from me; you stink!"

"Eh? Really?"

"Rachel, let's get out of here! We can continue for another two hours in the afternoon!"

"O-okay, milady," Rachel said while holding back her laughter.

Felicia left there, feeling annoyed. "That Allen, he's just like Mr. Waldo. They easily stroked my head as if I were just a little girl!"

However, Allen "Now that I think about it, she was always like that, annoying as always."

Then he sips the tea and realizes something after drinking it, "Ah, I took it wrong. This is Felicia's tea."