From the moment I laid eyes on those two, I knew there was something different about them. It did not take long for me to make a judgment. The wariness in their eyes was obvious, and their heavy packs looked as if everything they owned had been stuffed inside. They said they came looking for work, but they seemed for all the world like they were running from something.

In the few moments I had to assess them, I noticed how my surveillance cords, the strings that hung from my ceiling, circled tightly and leaned slightly towards the siblings. Ah, so there was something. Although it may have appeared I was listening to these two speak, at the same time I was studying them closely. I could see it then: the glow of their mana concentrated in their cores; a tremendous amount, more than I had ever seen in my sixty-three years of living, although there was more in the girl than the boy. I did not let them see my surprise.

Even in their voices I could hear their apprehension, try as they might to appear composed. Their life story sounded solid, and there was no reason for me to doubt it. But a couple of country bumpkins from the Ottorea Region would not possess so much mana. I would even say they weren't commoners at all. If I had to guess, I would say these kids came from a higher class, or were escapees from a magic academy, although I'm not sure why they would need to run away from that.

But what business was it of mine? I was used to dealing with people who didn't want to be seen at my shop. I could keep their secret, even if I didn't know what it was. At the very least I could offer them shelter until they went on their way.

Plans changed almost as soon as I arrived home that day. My wife, Frieda, had just returned from a dress shop. She was busy showing me her new dress when I happened to mention the pair staying at the inn.

"Such young children!" she lamented. "Alone, too?"

"They're not that young," I corrected her. "They look about fifteen or sixteen."

"That's still young! Could you imagine Glen at that age wandering about in a strange city by himself, or even Luther?"

Glen is are our son, and Luther his son. Glen had been a fiercely independent teenager, and Luther showed similar traits. They could've easily made it on their own. I saw nothing wrong with kids that age lighting out on their own to make something of themselves.

"They would have no problem," I said, referring to our son and grandson. "And those kids at the inn, they look like they got enough gumption to make it." Although I was sure they were frightened to do so. What had compelled them to do it, anyway? Again, it was none of my business. They would likely be gone a few days.

"You can't just let them go," said Frieda. "You should let them stay. They'll need a roof over their heads!"

"They don't seem intent on staying—"

"We have that old apartment above the shop. Rent it to them!" Her eyes popped wide and she grinned. "Let them work at the shop, too!"

I blew a deep, long sigh. This was typical of Frieda. I shouldn't have told her about those kids. For as long as we'd been married, she'd been known as Mother Bear. She was a constant mother figure to all the children in the neighborhood, whether those kids had mothers already or not. If she'd had it her way, she would've adopted every child in the closest orphanage. We always had children in or around our home, sometimes kids I'd never seen before in my life, and I never knew where they came from. Glen was social like his mother, so I supposed it worked out for the both of them. Being an only child, he liked feeling as though he had brothers and sisters.

I should've known what I was in for when I told her about the those two at the inn. I shrugged noncommittally. "I suppose I could ask if they'd want to work there. I could also rent the apartment to them as well."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! When can I meet them?"

"Ah... Really, we ought to give them a little space first. They don't seem very eager to socialize."

At my words, Frieda reined in her excitement. "I see. Well, maybe I can meet them eventually. If there's anything they need—anything at all—tell me and I'll do it for them. I'll clean their room, fix their beds, make them din—"

"I get it, I get it." She didn't even know them, and yet she was ready to mother them. I love Frieda, but sometimes she baffles me.

So, it was because of Frieda that I offered those siblings—Daniel and Nellie, was it?—jobs at my bookshop. I suppose it was a good idea in the end. It had been a while since I had an employee there. Although I don't have a problem running the shop alone, having someone to talk to and make the days a little less boring would've been nice, so I was pleased when Daniel and Nellie accepted my offer. The many questions they asked told me how wary they really were. A smart couple of youngsters, they were. Just the right type to work in the shop.

I never regretted my decision, even when one afternoon two strange men and a woman appeared at the front counter. I was busy stacking a small set of books for a customer I was expecting when I heard the bell ring over the door. I thought my customer had come early, but was surprised to see two tall, robust men flanking a slender woman with dark red hair tied back in a braid. Somewhat alarmed, I looked up at the surveillance cords to see some of them twirling lazily, and others had come to a standstill. These people had very little mana, not enough to be a threat.

"Can I help you folks?" I asked. I did not think they came to find books.

"I am Detective Ivelisse Cormier," said the woman. She had an accent, and I presumed she was from another country. She was dressed well in a jacket and what might've been a split riding skirt. "I have come here on an investigation."

I glanced at the men behind her. They wore uniforms, and I was shocked to see a patch with a familiar symbol on one of them. "What sort of investigation?" I asked casually, although I was very leery now.

"I am looking for two teenagers, twins to be exact, a boy and a girl. They would be seventeen years old now."

"What do they look like?"

"We don't know yet."

My laughter startled them, and I think it offended one of her escorts. "You don't even know what they look like? How am I supposed to help you with that?"

She never lost a beat. "We are sweeping the city to find them, regardless. If you have any information, we would be glad to hear it."

Sweeping the city? They must be desperate enough that they'd bother with a little shop like mine. "I have none." I nodded at the man with the patch. "I don't know why you're looking for them, but I would've thought His Majesty would have better things to do than chase down some brats."

He scowled at me. "That information is confidential."

"In other words, it's not something a commoner like myself needs to know?" I held back more laughter because I could see this man—an imperial knight—did not have much patience for me. The informal way I spoke to him grated on his nerves, obviously. Apparently, this was a serious matter, serious enough that the emperor himself hired a detective and sent two knights with her. What in the world did these kids do to get the imperial family on their tails?

"Are there any others here whom we might speak to?" asked the detective. She was very persistent.

Daniel and Nellie were in the back room handling some books that had just come in from one of my connections. I smiled at the three in front of me. "No. I work alone here."

They stared at me with thinly veiled suspicion. They should've been grateful I was the one speaking with them. If Frieda were there, she would've told them to go off themselves. There was no way she would've let them speak with Daniel and Nellie.

The detective and the knights left without further questions. I wondered why they didn't ask to search my shop. The local police could not search without a legal reason, but the imperial family often tended to do as they pleased, or so I'd heard.

It was only a few minutes after they'd left that Nellie came to the front with a few wrapped books in her hands. "Mr. Elmus' books are ready," she said. "Daniel has Mr. Newton's and Ms. Tassen's almost done. One of the books needed the spine put back together, though."

"Good, good," I said. "You two are working very hard today. Thank you."

She smiled at me, set her books down on the counter, and promptly returned to the back room. I watched her go, curious now. The detective had described, in a very basic way, Daniel and Nellie. I knew almost nothing of their background except what little they'd told me. They had come to me out of the blue, both of them carrying large amounts of mana, alone and looking to settle in Aramore, an easy place to hide. Daniel is older than Nellie, but what was the difference between twins and siblings who were only one year apart? Can one really tell?

It was the first time I had asked myself if I had gotten into something I shouldn't have. The imperial family, the most powerful people in the world, were looking for a pair of twins. Woe to anyone who might get in their way. But who could say those twins were working in my shop? I had no proof that Daniel and Nellie were the ones the imperial family sought, but it was hard to ignore the clues.

They both came to the front and deposited their stacks. They seemed in good spirits, and I didn't dare tell them about the detective and her knights. I decided it would be good for me to keep them in the back room for the next few days in case the detective showed up again. I absolutely did not want that woman to see them. What would she do if she did? Would she drag them away for questioning? Daniel and Nellie had been nothing but hard, honest workers, kind and courteous to everyone they encountered. They always kept to themselves and never caused trouble. The imperial family would have no reason to pursue them.

I may roll my eyes at Frieda's Mother Bear role, but I could be a protective Father Bear, too.