CH 11

It could be a coincidence. It was a conversation flow that could be easily guessed without knowing the Hwira language.

As Canaren thought so, she was looking at Yulif with anticipation.

Yulif always asked her her questions. ‘Are you okay, are you not sick, have you eaten, do you want to do something, how do you feel?’ She would nod and look into his eyes, and if that didn’t work, she answered with pen and paper, but it was still best if she could answer directly. As she watched him, quietly waiting for an answer, she felt as if he had ignored her words, and her heart became heavy.

There was one more reason why she wanted him to understand Hwira. It was loneliness.

In this spacious palace, she alone was trapped in another world.

Including Deltinus, even the maids looked at her as if she was a decoration over a glass wall. It was too painful to handle it alone. People’s cold views were also largely influenced by Canaren’s growing inability to speak properly.

If there was just one person who could properly listen to her voice.

「Yulif, do you know the language?」

The short amount of time it took for Yulif to open his mouth felt too long for Canaren. It was as if time stood still and did not flow forever.

“I know.”

「Then what I’m saying…」

“I know.”

With a sigh of relief, a hot cry rose from the stomach.

Canaren bit her lower lip. Still, her eyelids were hot. In the end she couldn’t stop her tears from falling.

Transparent glass beads fell on the back of Yulif’s hand.

「I’m sorry. I’m trying not to cry…」

“You can cry.”

「You don’t like when I cry, do you?」

“Why do you think so?”

「Every time I cry, your expression scares me.」

Yulif tried to say something, but ended up tightening his mouth. This time it was Canaren’s turn to wait for his answer.

“My face is like that. So don’t worry about it.”

(TL/N: LMAO)

「I don’t think Yulif knows himself well. Yulif has three facial expressions. A scary face, a normal (stone) face, and a friendly face.」

(TL/N: bwahahaha!)

‘It was miraculous. When she first saw him, he looked very scary, but now he looks very friendly. Is Yulif a kind person, or is he just being kind to her?’

Her voice that suddenly cut in was a little more calm and subdued than in reality.

How could he answer that? Her voice and face came to mind clearly, but he didn’t remember what he said then.

It was a different memory, not an old memory. Maybe he did not want to say anything. He was a coward.

A love he couldn’t keep.

A love he didn’t even know was love.

With deep regrets, he came back to the past as if running away, but she still tells him that he is kind to her.

Yulif exhaled like a sigh.

“I am not a kind person. Just pathetic.”

A light glowed from his hand. As the light soaked in, the swelling in her feet went away and the pain was gone.

Canren’s eyes widened. It was her second time seeing him do this. She was still amazed and she still couldn’t believe it.

“Are there any more sore spots?”

His deep, soft eyes reached Canaren.

Yulif’s description of himself being unkind and pathetic were wrong. He knew how to use great magic, and he was a kind person who was the first to ask if she had any more pain.

Was it because of his eyes? The feeling that had subsided seemed to come back.

Canaren gently pulled her feet that had been caught by him out.

With her treatment done, Yulif let her feet go with ease.

「There is no pain. Thank you.」

“I don’t mind if you want to go out, just don’t go out alone. If you’re frustrated, tell me anytime. I will accompany you.”

「Okay. But Yulif, how did you learn Hwira? Who taught you? How can you speak it?」

Hwira’s accent was unique. It sounded like singing to someone who didn’t know it well. Therefore, it was a difficult language for non-HHwira person to learn.

Canaren, who lived only in the village, did not speak the Hwira language with anyone who was not Hwira. Perhaps it was a Hwira who taught the language to Yulif.

Who then? Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and wonder.

「I only know how to say it simply.」

「Wow! It’s true. Please say more. Anything is fine.」

She felt like she had returned to her hometown when she heard the whirling words after such a long time.

Nostalgia, warmth, a comfortable feeling.

Her mind, which had been hardened by the constant tension of not knowing when or what was going to happen, was released. Thanks to Yulif, she was able to converse with someone.

Canaren even grabbed Yulif’s arm when he stopped talking.

「It’s really okay to say anything.」

Yulif’s eyes had a complicated expression as he looked down at her softly.

It had not been long since she knew Yulif, but it was a look she had never seen during their brief encounters.

Canaren wanted to know the meaning behind his sunken eyes.

Instead of asking what he was thinking, she made eye contact with him. The eyes were more honest than the mouth. It was easy to tell a lie, but it was not easy to force a smile.

Canaren quietly listened to what his eyes said. The sound of his heart, which she didn’t know whose it belonged to, rang.

She found a sadness that loomed behind his gloomy eyes. The sadness was also mixed with a faint tinge of relief. On the one hand, she was greeted with a bright light, as if he had met a loved one.

Canaren was confused. It was not easy to look into other people’s minds.

But she was certain of one thing.

The fact that he was desperately holding on to her. If he didn’t, it was as if she would disappear immediately.

Canaren looked into his eyes and thought it was herself, not him, that had to say something.

「Yulif, I…」

「I will be the first wind that blows from the east towards you.」

As her mind went blank, she completely forgot what she wanted to say to Yulif.

When Canaren looked at Yulif with surprised eyes, he gave her a faint smile.

「That’s what she taught me.」

「Those words… Do you know the meaning?」

「Vaguely. I didn’t hear the exact meaning. That person disappeared.」

「Was she from the Hwira tribe?」

「Yes.」

「You must have been very close with that person.」

What Yulif said was an idiom widely used by the Hwira people.

A sentence containing the meaning and promise to always be with you and protect you.

It was exchanged between close friends, such as family members, lovers, friends, and old colleagues, but the nuance of the phrase was also romantic, so it was generally enjoyed with loved ones.

Canaren understood Yulif’s earnest gaze. Perhaps the person who taught Yulif to Hwira was special to him. Either a lover or a friend.

But why did she disappear and leave Yulif? Curiosity kept popping up.

Looking at Yulif’s dark expression, it was clear that the breakup was not good. So Canaren decided to ask another question.

「Are you helping me because of that person?」

Canaren was the daughter of the chieftain, so she was quite famous in the village. If Yulif had an acquaintance who was one of the Hwira people, it would not be strange if he had heard of Canaren at least once.

It was only now that she understood why Yulif had helped her.

「If I say so will you trust me?」

「Okay, then let’s do this. If Yulif helps me return to my hometown, I’ll help you find that person. I feel uncomfortable because it’s like I am the only one receiving help.」

「…That person?」

「Yes! If you ask my mother or the villagers, we may be able to find her surprisingly easily.」

Yulif didn’t answer. His face darkened even more.

Canaren thought she was mistaken. She didn’t even know how or why they broke up. Maybe he did not want to meet her.

Because she wanted to do something for Yulif, she spoke hastily.

「I’m sorry. I don’t know anything, but I think I said whatever I wanted. Just forget what I said…」

「I want to meet her.」

His voice was so calm that it sounded indifferent. Nevertheless, Canaren felt his sadness as if it was stirring in a corner of her own heart.

Yulif had his head lowered. His expression could not be seen. Canaren thought that perhaps, he might be crying.

「There are still things I couldn’t say.」

「Let me help you. So that Yulif can meet this person who’s dear to you. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell her this time.」

「No. There is no need for that.」

Yulif, who had been kneeling at her feet all this while on one knee, stood up.

He wasn’t crying. He looked at Canaren with his usual blunt but friendly eyes.

「Even if we meet again, it’s something that I can’t say.」

「Then I… What can I do for Yulif?」

Canaren grew a little pale. She had not yet left the Imperial Palace and she had not returned to the village, but she wanted to be very helpful to Yulif. She thought she had found a way to repay him for his help… 

Yulif was the emperor’s younger brother, a duke, and even an excellent wizard, so there was nothing that he lacked. Even if there was, she didn’t have anything that she could fill on her own. As she thought so, she grew more and more depressed.

「I’m not asking you to pay for it.」

「I know, but there is a saying in our village that if you receive kindness, you must pay it back twice.」

「I never thought of it as kindness.」

Canaren’s cheeks began to puff out like a squirrel storing food. Yulif looked at her gently and he  impulsively asked.

「Can you sing me a song?」

「I can sing for you now.」

「Later. I just wanted to ask if you could.」

「Yes. It’s not difficult… Are you really okay with that?」

「It will suffice.」

Canaren tilted her head. She would have sung at least a dozen times to repay the help she received from Yuliff instead of just one song. Since she would be staying with Yulif for a while, he could ask her whenever he wanted. She laughed bashfully.

All of a sudden, the loneliness was gone.