Led by the guard captain, Ser Mezzo, Felly, and Ada with Cutter went up the stairs.

  The floor was entirely a finished hardwood with a wraparound balcony above the foyer that led into a couple hallways that they passed. On the opposite side were two sets of double doors and above where the front door would be there was another set of double doors.

  There were more decorations: a table with a statue and a couple more gaudy vases.

  I’m definitely breaking every vase in this house when I can.

  The walls were made of wood. Cutter observed the paintings on the walls of more men and women with shaggy hair.

  I really am doomed.

  Well, I guess if I can’t change it, it’s one less thing to worry about.

  Cutter put his future fashion woes aside and looked around curiously, as he did Mezzo saw his interest.

  “little Master, This second floor is where your bedroom is, just down that hall.”

  He pointed to the hall they passed at the top of the stairs.

  “Madame Felly and my room are also on this floor across from yours. Madame Ada and her teacher Doctor Meltaria are living in the guest rooms as well. Aside from us, only select servants are even allowed on the second floor.”

  “Ser Mezzo, you’re giving a tour to a baby, you know,” Ada giggled.

  “It’s never too early for education Madame Ada.”

  Oh jeez, this guy’s a total fuddy duddy.

  Better charm him now, before he becomes a hardass later.

  Mezzo looked down at Cutter who gave his best smile.

  It seemed to work but Mezzo held it together.

  Although, he seemed a bit more enthusiastic now.

  “Besides, he seems to be interested enough.”

  They walked on the wraparound balcony as Mezzo pointed out the dining and meeting halls behind the double doors on the other side and then they got to the double doors that were above the front door.

  “And this is the balcony, little Master. I hope you like the view.”

  Mezzo unbolted and pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

  There was bright light. Sunlight!

  Cutter squinted. It was so bright as a warm wind flowed over him.

  As the group stepped out onto the balcony, even though Cutter couldn’t see, he could feel it.

  Sunlight!

  His heart started to flutter.

  When was the last time I felt like this?

  I really am a child…

  As he got used to the light, he managed to open his eyes to get a better view of his surroundings.

  He was on a grey stone balcony with a parapet.

  There was a small table that looked like it was made of a deep blue crystal. On the far side of the table there was an ornate high chair and a couple chairs to the side as well as a chair on the opposite side.

  There was a maid and a butler waiting to the side and when the group arrived they place two platters with crystal covers on the table. Then, they stood to the side and waited quietly once again.

  He had seen these two in the foyer. The maid had pink hair and was taller than the man who had blue hair.

  Cutter didn’t know their names, yet. Which he thought was a shame.

  He wanted to put names to faces from all the gossip he heard.

  They headed to the table; Mezzo took up the seat across from the high seat and Ada and Felly went to the far side with Cutter.

  Ada and Mezzo stood next to their chairs waiting for Felly to seat Cutter.

  Because the parapet was too high, at least for him, he couldn’t get a good view of the manor’s surroundings.

  So, as Felly lifted him up out of the seat, he reached a hand towards the parapet and made a “bah” sound.

  Felly smiled, the red in her red-brown hair shining under the sun.

  “Do you want to see little Master? One moment you two, please.”

  “Of course.” Mezzo replied and Ada just laughed.

  Felly turned with Cutter upright in her arms to show him the scenery.

  “little Master, this is the Bozerman estate.”

  Cutter scowled.

  Bozerman?

  Whatever. I’m definitely changing the name of this place.

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  The scowl didn’t last long though.

  Cutter had been to many places and seen scenes of splendor that were much more grand, but in this moment the view in front of him felt like the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  Maybe I’ve been cooped up a bit too long.

  But this is amazing!

  In the distance he saw rolling hills covered in long grass. The grass was a darker hue of green mixed with blue. There were some large lizard-like creatures curled up and sleeping all throughout.

  To the left of the hills he could see a river that led into a lake that was a few miles away from the manor. The sun made it sparkle like a giant, flat blue gem.

  There was a white line that ran through some of the hills all the way up to the manor. On closer inspection Cutter was able to see that it was a road.

  It looked like it was made of marble coming all the way to the front of the manor into a horseshoe driveway.

  In the middle of which was a fountain but instead of shooting water up into the air, it shot bubbles.

  The bubbles were all different shapes and colors. They would gather about twenty feet in the air into a larger rainbow-colored bubble and once it was a certain size, the water would crash back into the fountain and start again.

  Cutter saw flower fields surrounded by white picket fences on both sides of the road just past the driveway.

  He noticed some guards patrolling which made him a little curious as to why they would be patrolling a flower field.

  He got a closer look and he squeaked out an “eh” sound in his excitement and confusion. Then, he continued to stare.

  “Oh do you like the flowers little Master? Those are Bozerman flowers, they’re what the manor is named after,” Felly said as she pointed to the flowers.

  Bozerman? Bullshit!

  Those are Star Tart Tri-Lilies!

  Who or what the hell is a Bozerman?

  He cast away those thoughts and observed the flowers.

  They had a long green stem that reached a bit short of four feet then the stem split into three of which three deep, ocean blue lilies sat making them look like triangle-ish shaped stars.

  They were beautiful but that wasn’t the only appeal they had.

  At the end of each lily growing from the pistil in the middle a cherry-like berry would grow. Instead of being red, it would be a glowing, neon orange. They were mana fruits called Star Tart Berries.

  Hence, Cutter’s excitement!

  Although he couldn’t see them too well, he could see workers in the flower fields with baskets which he could see the neon orange glow.

  As he looked at the orange glow he could almost taste them from the balcony.

  A memory stirred.

  ==========================

  “Check this out,” Cutter said.

  He was in his “hunky” body wearing a full set of plate armor minus the helmet. Above the plate was a blue and yellow tabard with a crest of a creature that looked like a lion with a bear’s body.

  He leaned down and touched a patch of grass. The dirt in the ground rose up into a rectangle shape, forming a bench.

  Cutter grinned as he patted the grass on the top of his new dirt bench.

  “Nice right?”

  “Nice my ass,” a playful feminine voice said.

  Walking up to the dirt bench was a young woman. She had dirty blonde hair with a pixie cut and emerald green eyes. Her eyes were sharp and she had a playful smile on her thin lips.

  “If you don’t put this back to normal before we leave, I’ll have your head!” She raised her fist in mock anger.

  Cutter bowed his head down in mock reproach, like he was a kid who had gotten caught doing something bad.

  “I apologize, your Highness. Not a blade of grass shall be misplaced, to this I humbly swear,” he replied.

  Cutter started walking to a patch of blue tri-lilies next to the grass as the young woman sat down while giggling.

  “I thought I told you to call me by my name when we’re alone,” she said.

  Then, she laid down on the grass topped bench with her arm covering her eyes as she soaked up the sun.

  “How can I call you anything when I don’t have a head Your Hiney-ess?”

  He had his back to her as he started picking the neon orange berries from the flowers.

  The young woman laughed and raised her arm to look at Cutter.

  “You’re the ass!” She shot back and put her arm back over her eyes.

  “Rude.”

  Cutter continued finding berries.

  “How can you like star tart berries? Is something wrong with your taste buds?”

  Cutter picked another berry and seemed satisfied and started walking back to the bench.

  “Because they’re good and maybe you’re the one who has weird taste buds.”

  He then popped one of the little neon orange berries in his mouth.

  “And they’re called Starties. Or that’s what my dad calls them.”

  “Well, if my Royal Father finds out you’re pilfering his garden, you’re going to lose your head, for real.”

  Cutter stood in front of the dirt bench looking down while popping another berry in his mouth.

  “Well lucky for me I only have the one head and it’s reserved. So he’ll have to wait til I grow a second one.”

  The young woman laughed.

  “Okay now move your hiney-ess, I want to sit down too.” Cutter said.

  The young woman didn’t move a muscle, just laying with her arm covering her eyes.

  “No way, this spot’s mine… and I don’t share with berry thieves.”

  “Rude.”

  They both laughed.

  ==========================

  The baby Cutter sighed.

  The older I get the more I sigh. Memories are so annoying.

  He looked again toward the orange glow of the berries below.

  But… Starties!

  At this point he was drooling and ready for a meal, lucky for him, Felly obliged.

  He was sat down in his overly decorated high chair and bibbed.

  The maid and butler who had been waiting quietly, came over with platters and started serving lunch. They brought out plates and bowls one by one and put them in front of the group.

  Cutter stared at the plate with a grilled steak cooked to perfection and covered in a brown sauce. Next to the steak was another plate with a medley of fried vegetables and next to that was a plate of salad.

  As Cutter looked at the food while salivating, he only had one question in his mind.

  Why the hell is that in front of Mezzo and not me?

  He looked down at what was set in front of him.

  There were about twenty tiny bowls, each one with a tiny spoon.

  Inside one bowl was a brown mush, inside another was a red mush, and inside another there was a yellow mush.

  They had mush of every color of the rainbow.

  Cutter was flabbergasted before he finally realized what was going on.

  Shit…

  I don’t have teeth!

  His excitement deflated like a leaking balloon.

  “Alright little Master, this is yummy food. Open your mouth.”

  Felly had taken one of the little spoons, scooped up some mush, and put it in front of Cutter’s mouth.

  He watched as Mezzo cut into his steak as a little bit of blood leaked out and Cutter couldn’t help but think of how unfair life is.

  He opened his mouth and, obliging Felly, let the mush enter his mouth.

  It was a mildly sweet fruit.

  Maybe a pear of some kind?

  Cutter looked at Mezzo taking a bite of his steak and accepted his fate.

  It’s still better than boobie milk.

  With that thought he cast off any negative thoughts at Felly changed to a different bowl and had him try another. Then, lunch continued in that fashion.

  Cutter tried all the mushes of the rainbow, which included meats, fruits, and vegetables, one teeny tiny spoonful at a time.

  This is more like a taste test than lunch. Seems like they’re trying to gauge my preferences.

  Am I being spoiled?

  Mezzo and Ada had finished eating at this point and were simply chatting away until Felly was on the last bowl.

  “Are you really going to try feeding that to him?” Ada looked over and asked.

  “Your teacher said it would help with his growth. So yes.” Felly replied.

  “You should at least put some sugar in it.”

  “Nonsense. I’m not filling him up with sugar before nap time!”

  Felly brought the bowl closer. Cutter could see a bright orange-ish yellow mush and his eyes went wide.

  Could it be?

  Starties!

  “He’s going to hate it.” Ada said.

  “He’s not been fussy yet. I’m sure it’ll be fine. If not, we’ll put sugar in next time.”

  Felly fed the spoonful to Cutter. His face instantly started to pucker up and tears started coming out of his eyes.

  “I told you he’d hate it, although that face is so cute!” Ada laughed.

  “Oh dear,” Felly said as she started to feel a little bad.

  Cutter couldn’t hear them. The only thing on his mind right now was one word: bliss!

  The sourness of a lemon and a lime combined, the tanginess of a tangerine, and the zest of an orange all put together without any acidicness.

  It’s like all my trials and tribulations so far have been worth it!

  As the sourness started to subside Cutter let out the happiest laugh he had during this life, even clapping his hands together.

  It was so loud and sudden it startled everyone at the table but they soon joined in the laughter.

  “I guess he did like it after all.” Felly said as she gave a smug side eye to Ada who stuck her tongue out.

  Cutter felt like he was on cloud nine and even the thought of his conversation with The Voice couldn’t bring him down.

  But, he had forgotten something very important:

  When one tribulation ends, another one begins.

  As the group was starting to head back into the mansion and Cutter was ready for a nap, a maid came in with a letter that she handed to Felly.

  After looking through it, Felly sighed.

  “The 7th Little Master is coming for a visit,” she said unhappily.

  Cutter’s face immediately scrunched up more than when he’d eaten the Starties but this time into a scowl.

  Shit!