Camelot was silent for a few seconds.
«So you’ve been sleeping for decades, woke up to a collapsed wall, found Adrian kidnapped, and then got upset about the lack of food and alcohol?»
«Not only that!»
Aphelisa curled her finger.
«Food…»
The second one.
«Alcohol…»
The third.
«No one has told me the latest gossip.»
Camelot covered his face with his palm.
«Amazing.»
«Therefore…« Aphelisa continued, completely calm, «if you want to become my new friend…»
Camelot looked at her cautiously.
«Yes?»
«Every Friday night, you bring me food.»
“Good.”
“And alcohol!”
«Good.»
»And something interesting to talk about…»
«For example?»
Aphelisa smiled.
«…Gossip.»
«Of course.»
She thought about it.
«And preferably not cheap wine.»
Camelot raised an eyebrow.
«It turns out you have high demands.»
«I’ve lived long enough to have a taste.»
The little demon whispered:
«Especially to men.»
Camelot looked at him sharply.
Aphelisa laughed.
«Don’t pay attention.»
«I heard everything…»
«Then consider that you’ve already started to get used to our company.»
Camelot blushed, but tried to keep a straight face.
Aphelisa noticed this and smiled contentedly.
«You’re so funny.«
«Why is that?»
«You blush every time the conversation gets a little more mature.»
«I’m not blushing.»
«Of course.»
She leaned a little closer to him.
«So it’s just a magical glow of the face?»
Camelot turned away.
«Let’s change the subject!»
«Good.»
Aphelisa only thought for a couple of seconds.
«For example, do you already have a sweetheart?»
Camelot almost choked on his breath.
«What?!»
The little demon roared with laughter right on her shoulder.
«Great theme!»
«I told you to change the subject!»
«I changed it.»
«An even more embarrassing one!»
Aphelisa shrugged her shoulders innocently.
«I’m a brownie.
I’m supposed to know who’s meeting who in my house.»
Camelot blushed even more.
«I just met you recently!»
«So the list is still empty?»
«Aphelisa!»
She laughed.
«Okay, okay.
I won’t do it anymore.»
Camelot looked at her with the expression of a man who had already regretted his friendship.
Aphelisa held out her hand to him. This story is hosted at g.com.
«Well, what?
Is that a deal?»
Camelot looked at her palm.
Then at the imp.
Then back to Aphelisa.
«Every Friday?»
«Everyone.»
«Food and alcohol?»
«Absolutely.»
»And no killer chess challenges?»
Aphelisa thought about it.
«It already depends on your behavior.»
«I’ve changed my mind.»
»It’s too late.»
She shook his hand.
«Welcome to my friends list, Camelot Canham.»
At that moment, a system window appeared in front of Camelot’s eyes.
[The hidden condition is fulfilled.
]
[You have established a connection with the guardian of the manor.
]
[Name: Aphelisa ]
[ Status: Brownie of the Canham family ]
[ Link: Aurelius Canham’s Friend]
[Special condition of friendship: Bring food and alcohol every Friday.
]
[Additional condition: Do not annoy the brownie.
]
After all that he had learned, one question was bothering him.
«Aphelisa…»
«…Huh?!»
She had already managed to get comfortable in the armchair, and the little imp was sitting on her shoulder again and lazily running his fingers through her green hair.
«You knew Aurelia better than most.»
The scammer’s smile became softer.
«Probably.»
«Then can you tell me what he really was like?»
Aphelisa looked away.
She was silent for a few seconds.
«How did everyone remember him?»
«No.
What he was like when no one was watching.»
A strange smile appeared on the girl’s face.
«That’s a good question.»
She leaned back in her chair.
«You know, everyone used to consider Aurelius a great artist, a wise man and the head of the Canham family.
And it really was like that.»
«…But?»
«But he was completely different at home.»
The little demon chuckled softly.
«Very harmful.»
«Exactly!» Aphelisa agreed.
Camelot leaned forward, interested.
«How harmful?»
«He loved to make fun of people.»
«Above all?»
«Especially those who took themselves too seriously.»
Aphelisa smiled.
«Once, Arthur was about twelve years old.
He spent hours practicing in front of the mirror, trying to hold his brush properly.
Aurelius came up behind him, looked at him, and said quite seriously: If you’re going to paint with that face, you’d better become a sculptor right away.
»
Camelot laughed.
«And what about Victor?»
«He haven’t talked with father for three days.»
«It looks like him.»
«Aurelius then walked past him with the most innocent face on purpose.»
«And every time I asked if he had seen the great sculptor by chance.»
Camelot laughed again.
«So he really liked to tease.»
«Very much.»
Aphelisa shook her head.
»But he never did it just to humiliate a person.
Aurelius knew how to feel the moment.
If you saw that a person was too tense, you definitely tried to make them laugh.»
She thought for a moment.
«Sometimes in rather strange ways.»
«For example?»
«One day he came to an official reception in expensive clothes, with perfectly styled hair and a serious face.»
«…And?»
«He hid three candies under his cloak and spent the whole evening trying to eat them unnoticed.»
Camelot looked at her in surprise.
«Candy?»
«He loved sweets.»
Aphelisa smiled.
«Especially truffles.»
«Truffles?»
«Yes.
If a box of good chocolate truffles appeared in the house, Aurelius became a completely different person.»
The little demon raised his finger.
«He hid the box from himself once.»
Camelot frowned.
«Why?»
«So that no one eats it.»
«And what happened?»
Aphelisa chuckled.
«Two days later, he forgot where he hid it.»
Camelot laughed.
«And you found it?»
«In a week.»
«Where?»
«In the library.
Between books on ancient magic.»
The little demon added:
«He said later that it was a “strategic protection of sweets.” »
Camelot shook his head.
«I didn’t expect to hear this about Aurelius.»
«Because everyone saw only his greatness.»
Aphelisa looked at him.
«And I saw a man.»
She smiled.
«He could be incredibly smart.
I could spend hours working on one painting.
I could sit over a riddle all night until I found the answer.»
«…But?»
«But then he could put down the brush, take out the truffle and ask me why I was looking at him like I was going to steal his chocolate.»
Camelot smiled.
«And you going to do this?»
«Of course!»
The little demon nodded.
«We both were going to.»
«Is that why he hid them from you?»
«Exactly.»
Camelot laughed.
And suddenly I realized that for the first time I had heard about Aurelia not as a great ancestor of the Canham family.
But as a living person.
A man who loved sweets, joked, sometimes forgot where he hid his own sweets.
And who once picked up two strangers on the street and just gave them a house.
Camelot lowered his gaze.
«Thank you.»
Aphelisa smiled slightly.
«You’re welcome.»