* * *
“I liked them a lot.”
It was such a simple confession, made with words that even a child would use.
There was no further explanation.
But the emotions that were compressed within those words were anything but light.
I stared blankly at Kaindel.
He was lost in his own creation, reveling in it with a peculiar expression.
His gaze, fixed as if he couldn’t bear to miss even a moment of the image fading in the moonlight, was full of intense longing.
So absorbed was he in the past that he failed to notice anything in the present—like Ruen, who was glaring at him as if he were crazy.
His smile, which had been feigning calmness, slowly twisted into something else.
Kaindel, as if suddenly snapping out of it, smiled brightly and erased all traces of emotion from his face.
“Of course, it’s all in the past.”
“…….”
It was then that I realized the reason for the warning bells that had been ringing in my head.
I understood why watching Kaindel reflect on his past had made my heart feel heavy.
It was because the expression he had when describing his feelings for me was completely different from the one he wore when recalling the fairy.
I had seen what Kaindel’s face looked like when he truly liked something.
It was just a fleeting past, but the unexplainable pressure left me feeling stifled.
The image of the fairy with red lips and a beautiful smile wouldn’t leave my mind.
I couldn’t quite pinpoint why that description bothered me so much.
Just as I was trying to gather my scattered thoughts, Ruen, chewing on a cherry pit, raised an eyebrow. he didn’t seem to understand Kaindel’s nostalgia.
As he fumbled with the now-empty cherry basket, he glanced at me sitting quietly next to Kaindel.
“Enough of the boring talk, Isa.”
“Huh?”
His sudden address left me feeling like my complicated thoughts had been exposed.
My voice cracked slightly as I responded, and I discreetly tried to calm my racing heart, feeling as though I had been caught in the act of a crime.
Ruen snickered at my awkward reply.
“When’s your birthday?”
“Birthday?”
I blinked in confusion at the unexpected change of topic.
It was the first time anyone had asked me about my birthday, and I was caught off guard.
In Luther Village, everyone knew I had no family, so birthdays were never a big deal. I rarely celebrated them—if at all.
Only occasionally, drunk customers would inquire about my birthday, but they’d forget by the next day.
Come to think of it, when was my birthday?
I hadn’t thought about it in so long that I struggled to remember.
It must have been when the weather turned cold, but the exact date was fuzzy.
As I was lost in thought trying to recall, Ruen, misinterpreting my silence, added an explanation.
“Right, no matter how much I look at you, I can’t believe you’ve had your coming-of-age ceremony. Of all the people I’ve seen, not a single one who’s had the ceremony looked like you.”
“What do I look like, then?”
“No, you definitely…”
“That’s because of the sea breeze. I heard that if you’re exposed to it for too long, your skin ages faster.”
Just as Ruen was about to answer in a slow, deliberate tone, Owen suddenly interrupted.
Outraged, he grumbled.
“Did you just call our kids old-looking?”
“I said ‘aging.'”
“Aging, old-looking, what’s the difference?”
“There is a clear difference.”
“I’d love to tear that mouth wide open.”
As the two began another petty argument, I let out a short breath, as if a light bulb had gone off in my head.
I finally remembered my birthday.
“My birthday has already passed. The day Kaindel arrived at the village was actually my birthday.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I never considered it important, so I forgot until just now.”
I nodded at Ruen, whose eyes had gone wide with surprise.
It was a day when the summer heat had begun to subside, and autumn had just started to show its face.
On that cool day, when even the light chill made the tiny hairs on my skin stand up, Kaindel came to Alice’ restaurant.
It was such a remarkable coincidence. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was fate that I liked Kaindel.
As I thought back to that meeting, which now felt like a birthday present, I smiled to myself.
Sehir, who had set aside the map, gave me a puzzled look.
“You don’t think birthdays are important?”
“That day wasn’t my real birthday.”
“So, you have another birthday?”
“No, it’s just that the village people found me on that day, so it naturally became my birthday. No one knows when I was actually born.”
I answered matter-of-factly, and then I noticed the sudden awkwardness in the air.
Did I make a mistake?
Since it wasn’t a particularly sad story for me, I hadn’t considered how others might feel.
I started feeling uneasy, thinking I might have dampened the mood.
I assumed they, who treated death so casually, would take my story in stride as well.
As Sehir awkwardly moved his lips without saying a word, Owen suddenly slapped Ruen on the back. The gesture was light, but the sound was surprisingly loud.
Sure enough, Ruen, who wouldn’t even flinch at a small scratch, grasped the spot where he was hit and let out a pained cry.
“Ah!”
“Apologize. You made him recall a bad memory.”
“I don’t have parents either!”
“And so what?”
“Damn.”
Ruen cursed under his breath and scratched his head.
His sharp eyes, which had been glowing between strands of his messy hair, soon softened.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“My birthday’s in the summer. Not early summer, but mid-summer. The kind of day where you feel like you’ll die from the heat.”
A day in the middle of summer.
I unintentionally etched Ruen’s birthday into my mind, but I couldn’t figure out why she’d bring up his own birthday after asking about mine.
Just as I was about to swallow my doubts, he started walking towards me.
Ruen stood in the shadow cast by the campfire’s glow.
His deep red hair, instead of blending into the night sky, stood out clearly. It was a sight that blended perfectly with the flickering flames.
He stared at me silently for a moment, then let out a sigh for reasons unknown.
“From now on, every year on my birthday, I’ll get a celebration, and on your birthday, I’ll celebrate you. So remember that.”
Ruen smirked and asked, “Got it?” as he looked at me. I stared at his for a moment, my focus drifting in and out.
It wasn’t until my jaw began to ache from holding my chin up that I snapped out of the daze.
So, the reason he told me his birthday…
I finally understood the purpose of his telling me out of the blue while asking about mine.
It was for me.
I sighed, as if something was finally clearing up in my chest.
The moment that realization hit, a smile slowly stretched across my face, reaching my ears.
As the corners of my eyes creased, I held a half-moon smile, dimples pressing into my cheeks.
“Yes, I’ll definitely remember.”
I murmured, making a quiet vow.
Then I watched Ruen walk away as if that was all he had to say.
Suddenly, I found it hard to suppress a laugh.
I just hoped that his promise to celebrate each other’s birthdays every year wasn’t made on a whim.
Thanks to him, I now had a reason to remember a day I’d never found any joy in.
“Kaindel, wake up.”
“Ugh…”
The voice I heard from somewhere slowly pulled me out of my slumber.
I lazily opened my heavy eyelids and glanced around.
That’s when I saw Daniel standing nearby.
With his dark hair, it took me a moment to recognize him.
“Daniel?”
“Oh dear, did I wake you?”
“No, it’s fine. What is it?”
Sensing his discomfort, I asked deliberately, and Daniel’s face immediately showed signs of distress.
He stood there awkwardly, pulling his hand away from shaking Kaindel awake.
“It’s time for us to take watch, so I came to get you.”
“Ah.”
I was aware that everyone took turns standing guard each night.
Since monsters often roamed at night, attacking without warning, we couldn’t afford to be completely defenseless.
I, of course, was exempt from the duty since I didn’t know how to wield any weapons.
It was better for me to get more rest at night and help out when we moved during the day, when I could.
So, tonight must be Kaindel and Daniel’s turn for guard duty.
I glanced at Kaindel, who was sleeping with his head resting on my shoulder.
He must have come over to me while I was dozing off by the fire.
Even though resting on my smaller shoulder couldn’t have been comfortable, Kaindel seemed fine.
“Ugh.”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should wake the peacefully sleeping Kaindel, but I decided to rise carefully instead.
“I’ll take his place.”
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
Kaindel doesn’t deserve him 😡