* * *

Having gained his comrades’ approval, all that remained was Isa’s consent.

And Kaindel was so confident that Isa would agree that he’d wager his entire fortune on it.

After all, Isa liked him—enough to want to stay by his side, not apart.

Though Isa had seemed hesitant when Kaindel first proposed the idea, Kaindel assumed it was simply because he hadn’t had enough time to process it.

So, as long as Isa was given sufficient time to tie up his loose ends in Luther, Kaindel was certain of the answer he would get.

Certain—until he wasn’t.

---

“Isa, are you sure you don’t want to leave?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to… but you know as well as I do. If I come along, I’ll just be a burden.”

“Even if I say it’s fine?”

“It’s not fine for me.”

Isa was frustratingly perceptive.

He considered factors Kaindel deemed unnecessary, deciding on his own to withdraw from the situation.

Even as Kaindel repeatedly reassured him that he wouldn’t be a burden, Isa’s reluctance stemmed from his own insecurities and low self-worth.

Though Isa’s eyes betrayed a desire to follow Kaindel, his words remained stubbornly rational.

This incongruity had turned Kaindel’s earlier triumph of convincing the group into an ongoing struggle—nearly a month, and he still hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted from Isa.

At first, Kaindel thought Isa’s refusal was simply out of fear of the dangers ahead.

So, he promised to protect him throughout their journey, only to face another rejection.

It was only after the second refusal that Kaindel began to grasp Isa’s true concern—he feared he wouldn’t be useful in their mission to subdue the great calamity.

Even though Kaindel had reassured him otherwise.

“Troublesome,” Kaindel muttered, his typically stoic face twisting in irritation as he rubbed his temples.

Replaying his conversations with Isa only deepened his frustration.

Their departure was imminent, yet he had no idea how to sway Isa in time.

Even a small opening would help.

This feeling of helplessness was new to him.

“Does he not like me?”

Kaindel wondered aloud, a hint of doubt creeping into his voice.

If Isa liked him, wouldn’t it be natural for him to want to stay close?

Kaindel reached up to massage his stiff neck.

He himself had always stayed near the pond fairy in the royal palace, unable to bear the thought of parting.

He had never even considered the possibility that Isa might refuse his proposal.

Difficult.

Kaindel let out a hollow laugh. He had never met anyone as difficult to understand as Isa.

Paradoxically, Isa was also one of the easiest people to read—which only made it harder.

It was an ironic truth.

Arriving at the village hall, Kaindel suppressed the self-deprecating aura that lingered on his face and stepped inside.

He had come to check if there was another letter for him before leaving Luther.

His family had sent him a letter shortly after his arrival, so it was possible there was more news.

Sure enough, just as Kaindel had anticipated, the clerk working at the hall retrieved a neatly folded letter bearing the insignia of House Schudelgarten from the archives.

“Here’s your letter!”

“Thank you.”

What could it be this time?

Kaindel accepted the letter with a pleasant smile, inwardly speculating about its contents.

Given that the previous letter had conveyed news of his father’s critical condition, this one might contain an update on his health.

He was about to leave when his gaze fell on a display of white flowers for sale in the hall.

“Are these for sale?” he asked.

“Yes! With the Festival of the Goddess approaching, our village decorates doorways with white flowers. Would you like to buy one?”

“…Sure.”

The clerk’s cheerful explanation prompted Kaindel to hesitate before nodding.

He hadn’t intended to buy flowers but felt a sudden compulsion.

“I’ll take one.”

Why?

Something about the simple white petals reminded him of Isa.

The image of Isa smiling brightly as he wrote, “I saw a flower,” came to mind.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Isa would react if he received the flower.

The clerk quickly wrapped a single bloom in decorative paper and handed it over, assuring Kaindel it would bring joy.

Kaindel smirked faintly, suppressing the urge to scoff.

Of course, it would bring joy.

“Have a good day.”

“You too.”

Kaindel left the hall with the small, carefully wrapped flower.

As he walked toward the Alice Inn, his pace quickened unconsciously.

He wanted to give the flower to Isa as soon as possible.

While walking, he opened the letter from his family, intending to skim through it quickly.

He expected the contents to be routine.

However, the sight of the word ‘Will’ at the top stopped him in his tracks.

---

[…He passed away after months of battling the endemic illness.]

Kaindel tightly clenched the letter as he finished reading. In mere moments, the force of his grip distorted its shape.

Raindrops began falling, and the ink on the letter blurred slowly with the moisture.

“So that’s why they called me here.”

Recalling the contents of the letter, Kaindel twisted his lips into a smirk.

The message from his family bore his father’s final wishes—recognizing him as heir only if he successfully dealt with a major calamity.

It also contained the news that his father had succumbed to a local disease while visiting the fief.

It seemed that while Kaindel had been away, his father had briefly gone down to the estate and contracted the endemic illness there.

The same disease that had claimed his mother a few months ago, when she had gone to the fief for convalescence in spring.

“What does his death have to do with me?”

Kaindel dropped the letter as if discarding something unclean.

The veins on the back of his hand stood out from the force he exerted.

His cracked voice resonated with a cold tone, laced with suppressed anger and disdain.

“To me…”

He never even treated me like a son.

Kaindel bit out each word bitterly, but his voice trailed off toward the end.

Slowly, he wiped away the raindrops that clung to his lashes.

Even in death, his father’s obsession with making him the family’s heir was repugnant.

An heir to a debt-ridden family?

It was a position he never wanted.

Blood ties that continued to bind him even beyond death left him with a hollow, empty feeling.

‘I love you, Kaindel.’

The restless noise in his chest was interrupted by a soft voice echoing in the distance.

Love.

A word so unremarkable back then, but now it struck deep within him.

Why did it resonate this much…?

He was on the brink of reaching an answer when another voice pulled him back to the present.

“Kaindel.”

“…Isa.”

Isa’s voice overlapped with the one from his past.

“What are you doing here, soaking in the rain like this?”

Kaindel snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward the sound.

There, under an umbrella, stood Isa, looking at him with concern.

The storm clouds overhead dimmed the light in Isa’s translucent silver eyes, and Kaindel found it unfortunate.

The moment their eyes met, Isa rushed over.

Standing on tiptoe, he held the umbrella over Kaindel.

This thoughtful gesture drew an involuntary smile from Kaindel.

Even the light reprimand in Isa’s gaze was infused with such kindness.

What was he supposed to do with someone like this?

“Nothing, just… felt cool.”

“What if you catch a cold?”

“I never have.”

“What? Don’t joke around. No one’s never caught a cold.”

“I’m serious.”

Kaindel playfully tapped the bridge of Isa’s nose as he replied.

Judging by Isa’s slightly flushed face, he had probably searched all over to find him.

“You came to fetch me?”

“Yeah, you said you didn’t have an umbrella.”

“You’re too kind, Isa.”

If only you were cunning instead, maybe I wouldn’t feel so tethered to you.

Kaindel dropped his hand from Isa’s face, murmuring to himself.

Isa’s unrelenting kindness was a blessing and a burden, especially on turbulent days like this.

Would you still like me if you knew what they call me in the capital?

If you saw my true self?

If you understood the thoughts I have when I look at you?

…But you’re kind.

You’d still like me, wouldn’t you?

“Isa, you like flowers, right?”

Kaindel brushed aside the questions that swirled in his mind and presented the flower he had bought at the village hall.

The once-vibrant bloom had wilted slightly from the rain.

* * *