A month passed like a gentle breeze through the Noble House grounds.
The summer heat mellowed into cool evenings, and routine had finally settled after the chaos. Lancelot, now returned from his brief honeymoon phase with Merlin, stood in the Sandy courtyard, drenched in sweat. His muscles burned from morning drills with Captain Percival.
Across from him, Raphael and Jack sparred in tandem. Their strikes were sharp, rhythmic. Captain Percival barked orders like a war general possessed, always pushing, never satisfied.
Yet Lancelot's eyes wandered.
Beyond the training field, past the stone columns and rose hedges, in the distant garden, he spotted Joshua and Rowdy in the grass, sparring in tight, clean movements. No swords. Just fists and footwork.
On the nearby marble garden bench, Eric lounged sideways with a book on his chest, Emelia handed out pastries from a small tray, and Sam clapped excitedly whenever Rowdy landed a hit.
They looked like a little family.
Lancelot frowned slightly.
Later That Night – Lancelot and Merlin's Room
The candlelight flickered across the polished wooden furniture. Merlin sat cross-legged on the bed, braiding her still-damp hair after a bath, while Lancelot sat at a small table, scribbling a training schedule for the next week. Their door was slightly ajar, the night breeze wafting in gently.
Footsteps padded down the hallway. Familiar ones.
Joshua.
Merlin looked up at the sound, then called out with a grin, "Joshua! Is that you?"
The footsteps stopped. Then reversed. A moment later, Joshua leaned into their doorway, mid-bite on a shiny red apple.
"Uh… You rang?"
Lancelot lit up. "Come in. Stop creeping in the hallway like a guilty thief."
Joshua shrugged and walked in, glancing around. "Nice room. Smells like lavender and smug happiness."
Merlin threw a pillow at him. "It's called 'married bliss,' you peasant."
Joshua caught it mid-air and flopped into the chair opposite Lancelot at the table. "Guess being the legendary knight and the magical girl of doom pays off."
Lancelot chuckled. "We'll get you a scented candle and a wife someday too."
Joshua rolled his eyes, but smiled.
Then Lancelot leaned forward, serious now. "Hey… I've been meaning to ask. Why haven't you been training with us? With me? With Captain Percival?"
The air shifted. Merlin sat up straighter.
Joshua took a slow bite of his apple before answering, not looking at them. "The last time I trained with Jack and Raphael... it wasn't training. It turned into a death match."
Lancelot narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Joshua nodded. "They pushed. I pushed back. It got out of control. If Captain Percival hadn't stepped in…" He trailed off.
Merlin stood from the bed, her arms crossed. "What happened exactly?"
"They kept calling me things, monster, freak, mutt," Joshua said flatly. "They didn't say most out loud, but you could see it in their eyes. Julia, Jessica… they all look at me like I'm a bomb about to go off."
Lancelot's fists clenched. "I'll deal with them."
"No." Joshua's voice was firm. "Getting angry at them won't help. They already don't trust me. If you go charging in, it'll make things worse. It'll just confirm their fears, that you're siding with a threat."
Lancelot gritted his teeth. "You're not a threat, Joshua."
"I know that," he said softly. "But they don't."
Merlin moved closer, sitting beside him. "Isn't it lonely? Being treated like… like you don't belong?"
For a moment, Joshua didn't answer. Then he looked up, and his smile was gentle, real.
"No," he said. "Because I've got Rowdy. We train together every day. I've got Eric, who talks too much and a bit to gay sometimes. I've got Sam, who has a weird relationship with Rowdy calling him James. And Emelia, she brings me tea like I'm a noble or something, she always treat me nice."
He looked at Merlin. "I've got the best sister in the world."
She blinked, eyes glassy.
"And the best brother-in-law I could ask for," he added, looking at Lancelot. "You're still my best friend, you know. Even if you're a little uptight and sleep in silk sheets."
Lancelot gave a half-smile. "They're imported. Don't judge luxury."
Joshua stood, brushing off his pants.
"I'm okay. I really am," he said, glancing at them both. "And I'll earn their trust one day. Not through arguments or force... but through showing them who I really am."
Merlin stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "You already have nothing to prove to us, Joshua."
Lancelot joined the hug awkwardly. "This is... very emotional for a hallway ambush."
Joshua pulled back. "You guys are soft now. Marriage has made you weak."
"Get out," Merlin said, throwing the same pillow again.
Joshua caught it, grinning. "Alright, alright. I've got somewhere to be anyway."
"Where?" Lancelot asked.
Joshua winked. "I have to be someone's guinea pig."
"...Huh, that doesn't sound like a mutual agreement ?" Lancelot asked, baffled.
"Don't worry it is," Joshua replied, walking backward through the doorway. "And tell Captain Percival I'm still training. I'm just not training with psychos anymore."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Merlin leaned on Lancelot's shoulder.
"He's growing," she whispered.
"Yeah," Lancelot replied, proud and aching all at once. "And somehow... he's doing it without Blanchette and without breaking."
Joshua strolled down the moonlit hallway, whistling a familiar tune. The night breeze from the stained-glass windows whispered across his arms. He passed a mirror and caught his reflection, tired eyes, bruised knuckles, but a calm smile.
He stopped at a strange iron door marked with a glittery sticker that read...
"ERIC'S LAIR OF SCIENCE, GLITTER, AND CRIMINAL FASHION – ENTER IF YOU DARE"
Joshua knocked.
A beat.
Then the door swung open with a theatrical hiss, revealing Eric in full regalia... bright pink lipstick, shimmering blue eyeshadow, a tight black corset dress with lace frills, and red gloves that reached his elbows. He held a bubbling test tube in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other.
"Darling," Eric crooned, striking a pose. "You're late. My lab rat, my canvas, my bruised and brooding masterpiece."
Joshua raised an eyebrow. "You look like a human librarian in heat."
Eric gasped dramatically. "And you look like regret in baggy pants. Come in, beastie."
Joshua chuckled and stepped inside.
Eric's lab was a mix of chaos and chaos. Glowing flasks, scattered books, dried herbs hanging from strings, and a pink couch made of... was that velvet? Probably. Definitely velvet.
Joshua sat on the examination bench without instruction.
Eric sauntered over, setting down his test tube and pulling on a pair of sparkly goggles. "Alright, shirt off, muscles on display, and try not to cry."
"You get more dramatic every week," Joshua muttered, pulling off his shirt.
"I feed on reactions," Eric purred, adjusting a needle. "Now hold still. This won't hurt unless I miss."
Joshua sighed. "Please don't miss."
Eric gave him an innocent smile and jabbed the syringe in his neck.
Joshua twitched. "Ow, hey! What is that?!"
"Anti-vampiric inflammatory booster, plus a dash of fairy wine and cocoa extract."
"…Why cocoa?"
Eric shrugged. "Tastes better."
As the potion worked through his veins, Joshua leaned back, muscles tensing as a strange warm tingle ran across his chest.
Eric observed with rapt attention, scribbling notes and making, as always, unsettlingly... suggestive facial expressions.
"You're making the face again," Joshua deadpanned.
"I can't help it," Eric moaned. "Your veins pulse like forbidden fruit. Your shoulders flex like betrayal and longing."
"Focus."
"I am focused. Just… artistically."
After a few minutes, Eric pulled back with a sigh of satisfaction and patted Joshua on the cheek.
"You're done. And surprisingly alive. My record remains flawless."
Joshua flexed his arm, rolled his shoulder. "Feels better. You're creepy, but competent."
Eric beamed. "High praise!"
He then reached into a drawer and handed Joshua a sealed envelope.
"Your payment."
Joshua blinked and opened it.
Inside was another old photo, this one of a five-year-old Blanchette, wearing oversized knight boots and a cape, swinging a wooden sword at a training dummy. Her cheeks were puffy, her eyes determined.
Joshua's entire face lit up. "She's so small... and angry! Look at her! She's threatening the dummy like it owes her money."
Eric chuckled. "Blanchette was born ready to commit homicide."
Joshua grinned like a dork, folding the picture carefully and placing it in his pouch. "Thanks, Eric."
"Anytime. For you, my monster prince? Anything."
They shared a small laugh, until Eric suddenly leaned against the bench, expression softening.
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Eric played with the ends of his glove. "It's about Rowdy. He's been… off lately. Keeps sighing and looking at Sam like she's a painting he can't touch."
Joshua nodded. "She still sees him as James, huh?"
"Exactly. She keeps calling him James. Talks about 'how James would've loved this' or 'James hated carrots,' and Rowdy just… smiles through it. But you can see it breaks him."
Joshua's eyes dimmed with quiet understanding. "He's trying to be someone real to her, not just a ghost."
Eric looked toward the window. "I think he's afraid she'll never see him."
Joshua patted Eric's arm. "He just needs to show her who he is. Not James. Not a replacement. Just Rowdy."
Later That Night – Joshua and Rowdy's Room
The room was simple, two twin beds with thick wool blankets, a small desk, a trunk of training gear, and a faint scent of cinnamon from Rowdy's endless stash of spice cookies.
Rowdy lay on his side, one arm under the pillow, eyes half-closed. His hair was messy, shirt wrinkled.
Joshua entered quietly, tossed his tunic onto the chair, and flopped into bed shirtless.
The silence stretched for a moment.
Then...
"You awake?" Joshua asked.
Rowdy groaned. "No. This is my ghost speaking. Go away."
Joshua smirked. "You sound cranky. That means you're still human, I mean still Vampire."
Rowdy turned to face him. "What do you want, furball?"
"I was just thinking… are you happy? You and Sam?"
Rowdy didn't answer right away.
"…No."
Joshua turned his head on the pillow. "Why not?"
"She doesn't see me. Not really. To her, I'm still James. I laugh like him, walk like him, I look like him. She says it without thinking. But every time… I feel like I'm a shadow. And it hurts."
Joshua's voice softened. "Maybe she just needs to see you. Not James. You."
"I don't know how to show her."
"Take her on a date."
Rowdy blinked. "What?"
"A date," Joshua repeated. "Show her something new. Something James never did. Let her see how you laugh, how you think. How you're more than what's left behind."
Rowdy stared at the ceiling. "Where would I even take her?"
Joshua smiled. "The Human District. It's loud, messy, but alive. There's music, food, lights. No nobles. No memories. Just you and her."
Rowdy was quiet, then let out a small chuckle. "You're weirdly good at this advice stuff."
"I hang out with Eric alot. I hear more romance monologues than is healthy."
Rowdy rolled over, facing him. "You think she'll say yes?"
Joshua grinned. "If she says no, we throw her a tea party until she caves."
Rowdy laughed. "You're on."
They lay in silence again, comfortable this time.
"…Thanks, Josh," Rowdy said quietly.
Joshua smiled at the ceiling. "That's what roommates are for."
And slowly, the night embraced them both, two misfits finding peace under a shared roof, a shared bond, and the quiet hope that maybe, just maybe, tomorrow would bring something better.