* * *
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, dyeing the sky red, thanks to waking up late.
Not even Elliot would come looking at this hour.
Even so, I walked back at a leisurely pace.
We’d made it out of the forest safely, and people had regained their composure.
Still, one thing remained unsolved:
Why was Klen dragged into the forest in the first place?
In the end, we never found out.
I could understand the divine beasts to a degree, but not enough to hold a proper conversation.
Not that the situation allowed for one, and the Elder didn’t just ignore the conversation—he ignored our very presence.
“Hm.”
The lingering questions followed me all the way back to my room.
As I sipped my tea, lost in thought, the door opened without a knock.
Klen had returned.
Linda followed him in, set down his portion on the table, refilled my empty teacup, and quietly left the room.
Klen looked more exhausted than usual.
As soon as the door clicked shut, he dropped onto the sofa without a word.
“Are you alright?”
“I managed to make something up, but… it wasn’t as easy as I thought.”
He let out a long breath and closed his eyes.
He didn’t even twitch a finger, like moving at all was too much trouble.
“I think it was a mistake to say I saw a divine beast. They kept firing questions—what it looked like, if it was really a divine beast, whether it was hostile. Someone even asked if I’d been chosen by it…”
“What did you say?”
My hand trembled around the teacup.
That’s a dangerous idea.
If they start believing Klen is a chosen knight of a divine beast, everything he’s worked to conceal could unravel in an instant.
Even rumors would quickly earn him a swarm of supporters, and talk of him inheriting the title—because he’d been acknowledged by a divine beast—would surely resurface.
Even if he flatly denied it, they probably wouldn’t believe him.
“I said I was just a lost kid messing around where I shouldn’t be, so the divine beast kicked me out.”
“Pfft!”
I nearly choked on my tea to stifle the laugh.
Klen, flailing around, panicking and lost?
That’s just… not an image I could ever picture.
And yet, my mind conjured up the image so clearly I had to commend my imagination.
Now, what do I do with this sense of… affection?
Is “cute” really the right word?
“You, a kid?”
“Well, to them, I must seem awfully young.”
“Haha!”
I couldn’t hold back anymore.
That’s true.
Compared to divine beasts who live thousands of years, we probably look like newborn chicks.
Klen slumped deeper into the sofa, as if trying to merge with it.
“Haa… Anyway, I have to go back tomorrow morning.”
More questions waiting to be asked, I suppose.
I felt sorry for him, but I had a question of my own.
“By the way, Klen.”
“What is it?”
My tone must’ve been more serious than I realized, because he opened his eyes.
The look he gave me was so cold it could’ve frozen the air around us—likely a sign that he intended to take my question seriously.
He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had just been whining on the sofa.
“Did you find something strange at the forest entrance?”
“Hmm.”
He hesitated, tilting his head while still lying down.
It didn’t feel like he was trying to deceive me or dodge the question.
The faint furrow between his brows suggested he was trying to find the right words.
“A stain, maybe?”
“A stain?”
“There was a strange mark on the ground. It felt ominous just looking at it…”
“A spell?!”
“I was dragged away before I could look at it closely, so I can’t say for sure.”
I stood up abruptly.
“Shouldn’t we go back and check?”
If it’s the kind of spell I’ve been looking for, there’s no time to be sitting around.
But Klen, still sprawled across the sofa, only lifted an arm lazily to stop me.
“It’s already gone.”
“What?!”
I froze mid-step, just as I was about to rush over and drag him up.
“I checked as soon as we got back. But it was gone.”
“You checked?”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
He must’ve checked while carrying me back through the forest.
Was it when my eyes were open—or closed? I hadn’t sensed anything unusual.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It had already vanished. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it.”
“…”
I slowly sat back down.
I doubt Klen would imagine something like that.
And if he had, the forest wouldn’t have dragged him in the first place.
If it’s gone, it probably wasn’t a teleportation spell.
Could it have been a trap?
The fact that someone erased it while we were gone is even more suspicious.
“You went to the healer today, didn’t you?”
Just as I was deep in serious speculation, a carefree voice chimed in.
“Ah… yes. How did you know?”
“Well, you’re quite the center of attention these days.”
Then he smiled, lips quirking slightly.
The expression was the same casual grin he wore when acting clueless, but the cold aura surrounding him made it feel completely out of sync.
“They said it was romantic—my body recovering the moment I got back.”
“Pff—!”
Ripples spread through my teacup, and I nearly spat everything out.
How many times has this happened now?
I really should just finish the tea before he says anything else.
I forced myself to swallow and looked at him.
Romantic?
Romantic, he says?
“Maybe I should’ve stayed away a little longer.”
“But isn’t it nice? People say that when it’s a fated bond from the heavens, things just naturally fall into place.”
His low chuckle was full of mischief, completely breaking the heavy mood.
I couldn’t think straight anymore.
My mind felt drained, and my mouth went dry, so I just kept sipping my tea.
Knock knock—
Just as I was finishing the last of it, a soft knock came at the door, and it creaked open.
“You two, it’s about time for dinner—”
Linda stepped in, but her brow furrowed the moment she looked around.
I immediately scanned the room to figure out what we’d done wrong this time.
We weren’t even sitting close like before.
Wait, wasn’t it back then she’d smiled warmly, like her eyes were crinkling?
“Young Master! I told you not to lie down on the sofa like that!”
“Ah…”
So that was the problem.
Klen slowly sat up from the sofa, scratching his head and stretching out.
All the cold, sharp energy he’d had just moments ago was gone without a trace.
“Isn’t it time you stopped calling me ‘Young Master’?”
He pouted like a child.
“Then show some decorum, please. Aren’t you embarrassed in front of Lord Adrian?”
“Isn’t it because it’s in front of my spouse that I can relax?”
“What are you talking about? Look at Lord Adrian—how dignified he is.”
I froze, teacup still in hand.
With both of them staring at me, I couldn’t move.
Should I drink?
If I do, I might choke again…
“Adrian, you can relax around me too.”
Those amber eyes softened as they met mine.
“Lie on the sofa, roll around on the bed, eat bread while lying down—I don’t mind at all.”
“…”
“What are you saying, Young Master?”
Darkness seemed to gather around Linda as she smiled sweetly.
* * *
