NOVEL NEXT #20
#20
After giving such an order to the knight outside, Jersian gestured with his chin towards Kain Starchis, who was still standing in the middle of the room, and said:
“While we wait, let’s sit for a moment.”
He pointed to the table and sofa set up in the corner. As expected of a young master of a noble family, he seemed very accustomed to giving orders to those around him.
For Kain, standing for even a week would have been possible, but he followed Jersian’s suggestion.
As they sat on the plush sofa, Kain could now face Jersian’s sharp features directly.
“I heard you didn’t eat any of the meals brought to you so far.”
Red eyes scanned Kain from head to toe. He hadn’t become haggard or lost weight over the past few days. Kain, with his seemingly indifferent eyes, said:
“Are you worried about me?”
“…Worried? It’s just curiosity.”
Isn’t curiosity and worry pretty much the same thing? Kain shrugged his shoulders lightly and then answered:
“It’s not that I didn’t touch them at all. I did check the contents of the plates the first few times. But it wasn’t the kind I could eat, so after that, I didn’t even bring them in.”
“Is that so? Not the kind you could eat. Peter reported to me confidently that he would take care of it. I didn’t know we’ve been serving our guest completely wrong all this time.”
Peter must have been the knight commander from yesterday. It wasn’t entirely wrong as the meals were mostly vegetable-based. At least there was no meat, thanks to that.
“The sauces or spices on top were too strong for my taste. Well, it’s fine to skip meals for a few days, so I was just being picky.”
An elf being picky. It wasn’t a very fitting combination of words. Jersian narrowed his eyes and said, “Hmm.”
In fact, what he wanted to talk about with this elf wasn’t his useless food preferences. From the moment he met this elf kneeling and looking up at him that night, there was something he had been curious about.
“Do elves usually comply with their destined partners? Like you?”
“Hm?”
Kain tilted his head while keeping his back straight on the sofa. His snow-white hair spread out like a curtain. Comparing an elf’s hair to a curtain would probably be quite a criticizable metaphor for those who revere these mysterious beings.
“I mean, do you just follow what the Galia tree or whatever decides? You must have your own preferences. What if you don’t like your partner?”
“Ah, the case of not liking them.”
Hmm, Kain rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, his face unchanged. Rather than finding it difficult, he needed a little time to answer such a novel idea.
“That’s… a pure question.”
“…”
A wrinkle formed between Jersian’s brows.
‘Pure’, no one had ever given Jersian such an evaluation. He had subtly expressed that he didn’t like that, so he expected to see a slightly sad or upset face, but Kain Starchis still had an expressionless face.
He looked straight at Jersian and continued:
“There’s no case of not liking one’s partner. Destined partners are inevitably drawn to each other. The name engraved by the Galia tree is just a token for confirmation.”
“…”
The boy sitting comfortably with his chin resting on the armrest of the sofa glared at Kain. His pomegranate-red eyes were full of discontent.
“…That might be natural for you, but I don’t understand it at all. So you’re saying you accept that we’re destined partners just because my name is on your body?”
It was a logical question. However, that logic was only applicable to humans. Not to Kain Starchis.
“Hmm, I don’t think ‘accept’ is an appropriate word for destined partners.”
“Then?”
“Destined partners don’t need to accept each other. They just ‘feel’ that they are destined for each other.”
“…”
Does that make sense? Just feeling that they’re destined for each other. Listening to this elf’s explanation seems to make it even more ambiguous.
It might be a condition that doesn’t apply to humans. The sharpness in Jersian’s eyes softened. Hmm, the curiosity that had briefly risen about the elves’ concept of destiny immediately disappeared.
“So what are you feeling now? That I’m your destined partner.”
Kain’s gaze moved to Jersian’s face, casually resting his chin on the armrest of the sofa. Jersian’s eyes were sparkling as if there was an answer he wanted to hear.
With that expression, it finally showed that the partner in front of him was a boy several times younger than himself. It was like the face of a child just before receiving praise or a gift. …I wonder if I made such expressions when I was about fifteen.
“What am I feeling? I just explained it to you.”
But Kain Starchis didn’t give Jersian the answer he wanted.
“I’m feeling the intuition that you’re my destined partner.”
To Kain, this was the obvious answer.
Jersian opened his mouth with a frustrated look.
“…So what kind of emotion is that, ah nevermind.”
Then he frowned and closed his mouth that he had just opened.
It was because he felt like he was the one clinging to this idea of destined partners that he didn’t really believe in.
If Kain Starchis had simply answered “I fell in love at first sight” in a cliché manner, he would have immediately understood this whole situation. If that had been the case, Jersian’s next decision would have been easy.
Jersian let out a short, mocking laugh.
“…”
If he had answered like that, he would probably have driven him out of this place. From the beginning, Jersian had no intention of keeping that elf by his side and watching over him. He had only acquiesced to the unknown power that prevented him from being cut by a sword and the strong opposition of the knights.
In fact, there’s nothing more absurd than hearing someone say they feel emotions for someone they’ve barely even seen. That’s why he preferred the plain word “intuition” that Kain had used earlier, rather than hearing flowery words about falling in love or being in love.
Jersian leaned deeply into the sofa, facing Kain opposite him.
“For your information, I don’t feel any emotion when I see you. Not even that ‘intuition’ you mentioned.”
“I see. But that’s just because you haven’t received the revelation from the Galia tree yet.”
Jersian snorted briefly and replied curtly:
“…Or maybe I’ll never receive the revelation.”
It was out of a desire to throw cold water on the other party who seemed confident that he would fall for them.
Then Kain Starchis moved his gaze to meet Jersian’s red eyes directly. Like his straight back that seemed it would never bend, Kain’s gaze was filled with faith.
“Jersian, there’s no need to be impatient at all.”
It felt like he might be consumed by the elf’s clear emerald eyes.
“I’ll wait for you until you receive the revelation.”
“…”
Impatient? That’s nonsense.
But the moment he met the elf’s eyes, he felt as if he was being sucked into his lime-green eyes. Jersian’s red eyes distorted.
“…”
Silence fell between them for a moment. Kain had simply said all he wanted to say, and Jersian was overwhelmed by Kain’s confidence.
After a while, Jersian came to his senses, frowned, and barely opened his mouth.
“…In front of others, call me Lord Jersian. And change that awkward informal speech to proper honorifics.”
“Ah.”
Kain Starchis nodded briefly and said:
“I will do so. I forgot again as I’m not used to it.”
For the elf who was willing to do anything Jersian wanted, such a request was as easy as breathing.
That’s when it happened.
Knock knock.
There was a knock at the door.
“Lord Jersian.”
It was Nathan.
“…”
Jersian, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Kain Starchis, sighed as if he had no choice and turned his gaze to the door.
“Did you bring her?”
It was a short sentence, loud enough for the person outside the room to hear.
But it took a while before an answer was heard.
“Th-that…”
Nathan’s flustered voice echoed from outside the door.
“H-Helen wasn’t scheduled to work today. When I checked with the head servant, they said she had submitted her resignation yesterday and left the mansion.”
It was unexpected news.
At the knight’s voice, the gazes of the two facing each other collided in mid-air.
Things are getting interesting.
A strange light flickered in Jersian’s eyes.