* * *
“Thank you.”
Kaindel spoke as he followed Alice’s gesture.
Given his earlier hostility, he had worried Alice might refuse to tell him Isa’s whereabouts, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
That way… is it the clearing?
Digging through his hazy memory, Kaindel tried to recall where that back door led.
If he was right, Isa was likely in the clearing, teaching the children.
A faint smile crossed Kaindel’s lips at the thought—it wasn’t hard to picture.
Isa, who once had to rely on him to learn how to read, was now the one teaching children wherever he went.
But was it because it had been so long?
Even knowing Isa was just beyond that door, Kaindel found himself unable to take a step forward.
It felt as if an invisible force was holding him back.
He couldn’t pinpoint the reason for his hesitation.
Was it fear of being rejected?
Or was he simply unsure how to face Isa again?
As his silent hesitation dragged on, Alice, who had been watching him with clear disapproval, suddenly nudged his shoulder—pushing him toward the door.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Ah, my apologies. I’ll go now.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Snapping out of his daze at Alice’s remark, Kaindel let out a small, self-deprecating smile.
He had wasted time unnecessarily.
He had come all this way to see Isa—there was no avoiding it.
So why was he hesitating?
His heart pounded anxiously, but he chose to ignore it.
Kaindel stepped forward, placing his hand on the doorknob.
He took a short, deep breath.
It’s okay if I get rejected.
Even if Isa had spent this time sorting out his thoughts and had come to an unfavorable conclusion about him—it was okay.
Click.
The door opened, and a cold breeze swept in.
Kaindel turned his gaze as the wind brushed against his cheek.
There, in the center of the clearing, he spotted Isa sitting on a tree stump, speaking with a child.
I thought there’d be more children… just one?
Seeing that Isa was only with a single child, Kaindel took a step forward.
It was a relief.
He would have felt guilty interrupting Isa if he had been surrounded by many children.
One step. Two steps…
As he drew closer, their voices became clearer.
The child sitting on Isa’s lap giggled, seemingly pleased with the warmth.
The child’s short brown hair swayed with every movement.
“Teacher, you look just like a fairy!”
“A fairy?”
“Yeah! Like the one from the story you read to us yesterday! With two wings and snow-white hair… A really pretty fairy!”
“Haha, do I look like a fairy? But my hair isn’t white—it’s gray.”
“But still, you look just like one!”
“Is that a compliment? Thank you. That makes me really happy today.”
The child fiddled with Isa’s hand, murmuring shyly, as if to express just how sincere those words were.
Then, gripping Isa’s fingers tightly before letting go, the child beamed.
Isa, watching the child with amusement, let out a chuckle.
Taking in the faint scent of milk coming from the child, his long lashes curved into a gentle arc, his expression warm and soft.
A fairy, huh?
Kaindel nearly laughed at the familiar title.
For someone so young, the child had an eye for things.
Suppressing his amusement, Kaindel leaned against a nearby tree, deciding to watch from a distance.
He didn’t want to intrude on the peaceful moment between Isa and the child.
Meanwhile, the child, tilting their head up to look at Isa, swung their legs excitedly.
“Teacher, even if your hair is gray, you’re really pretty!”
“Am I? It doesn’t look strange?”
“Not at all! Actually… it reminds me of a star!”
“A star? That’s the first time someone has said that.”
“Yeah! That’s why you shine at night!”
The child giggled, covering their mouth as if sharing a great secret.
Isa finally burst into laughter, gently smoothing down the child’s tousled hair.
“Stars shine brightest in the dark sky.”
At that moment, Kaindel froze.
It felt as if all his senses had been stripped away, his body paralyzed.
His ears buzzed, and Isa’s voice faded in and out.
It was just a simple statement—yet it awakened a long-buried memory.
“The stars shine the brightest in the dark sky.”
A voice from the past resurfaced.
A fairy had once spoken those exact words.
Back then, that fairy’s expression had been calm—almost as if they were swallowing their own pain.
But now, Isa’s expression was filled with warmth, his smile gentle.
Still, aside from that difference… it was eerily similar.
Wait.
Kaindel’s eyes slowly traveled up and down, scanning Isa’s features.
Soft gray hair.
Eyes like a starlit sky.
Skin as pale as porcelain.
Delicate bone structure.
A sharp nose.
Rosy cheeks and lips.
A slender frame, a tapered waist.
Kaindel looked and looked again.
“…….”
Then, his gaze fixed on Isa’s lips.
They were red—so red they stood out vividly against his pale skin.
Those lips, always curved into a faint smile, were tantalizingly familiar.
He had seen them countless times when they were lovers.
But… this familiarity stirred something else.
Something deeper.
As if, once upon a time…
He had spent his days chasing after only those lips.
Only those lips…
…No way.
Realization struck Kaindel like lightning.
He clenched his fists tightly.
“Thank you for listening to my worries today.”
“Don’t mention it. I hope things go well with Sophia.”
“Yes! I’ll confess to her today!”
“Good luck.”
Kaindel had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even noticed their conversation ending.
It was Isa who spotted him first.
Having just sent the child off with a wave, Isa turned toward the edge of the clearing.
His eyes widened in surprise.
“…Kaindel?”
“…….”
“When did you get here? No, wait—how did you get here? I thought you were still busy.”
“…….”
The flicker of shock in Isa’s gaze gradually softened—turning into something else.
Something close to warmth.
Isa rose from his seat and approached Kaindel.
As he drew closer, a faintly sweet, indescribable scent tickled Kaindel’s nose—it was Isa’s scent.
Kaindel quietly gazed down at Isa, who had stopped in front of him, before running a hand over his face. He knew it was a pointless thought.
If what he suspected were true, Isa wouldn’t have remained silent all this time.
He would have spoken up at some point.
After all, Isa knew better than anyone how desperately Kaindel had searched for that person.
“Isa, by any chance…”
“Yeah?”
“By any chance…”
Even so, it wasn’t an impossibility.
Kaindel murmured, his voice slightly cracked.
His unfocused eyes flickered between Isa and the distant past, picturing someone long gone.
He hoped the two wouldn’t overlap.
Or… was he hoping they would?
“…When you disappeared.”
“When I disappeared? When?”
“Before the Great Calamity was subdued.”
“Ah, that’s right. But why are you bringing that up now?”
“That time…”
He hoped he was wrong.
Kaindel let out a bitter chuckle, stumbling over his words.
“Did you meet me back then?”
He silently begged for Isa to say no.
* * *
