CH 103

How Far?

“Are you a noble?”

Kyrie quickly scanned Nataniel. Shorts that commoners rarely wear, knee socks, and shiny shoes made of horse skin. It could not be said that he was not a noble.

“He is the young master in my family.”

Fortunately, the station attendant was not suspicious. Instead, he became more cautious.

“It’s narrow and dirty for you to ride.….”

At that time, Nathaniel smiled and looked up at Kyrie.

[As expected, you’d better arrange a clean carriage, noona. How long can I wait.]

“What?”

What’s wrong with him? 

As soon as the station attendant said yes, and was about to leave, Kyrie barely caught him.

“No! Don’t go! Wait a minute, young master. You know we shouldn’t stand out from others, right?”

[Really?]

Nathaniel tilted his head abominably. Then, his cheeks blushed to a rosy color and smiled.

[What do you mean? My noona told me to follow. You said you’d take me to a nice place that only opens at night, right? What should I do there?]

“What?”

[If I close my eyes, will noona do everything for me? I’m not scared of wearing blindfolds anymore.]

“Wait, Nataniel!”

“…Excuse me, but can we talk separately?”

The station attendant looked up at Kyrie with hate and began to rummage for something under the desk. Kyrie hurriedly shouted.

“It’s a misunderstanding! Don’t joke around and say it properly, Nataniel! When did I do that?”

Nathaniel covered his mouth with his fluffy hands and looked scared.

[Are you lying? You told me that I would feel very good.…. It’s going to be fantastic, it’s going to be the first time…….]

The station attendant finally rang the bell. She saw a security guard approaching the station. Kyrie quickly dangles Nataniel and runs out of history.

“I’ll be back in a moment and talk with you!”

After arriving at the back of the station, Kyrie immediately roared.

“Nathaniel!”

[Did you like it, noona?]

This whole situation was a pain in the neck. Kyrie took a deep breath.

“What were you thinking?”

[Isn’t it too fast to finish the trip? You don’t know how to enjoy music]

“Am I in the world to enjoy the music?”

[You’ll definitely die in front of your desk, after living like that.]

“Oh, wow. That’s why you chose the person, who would be the slowest to pick up on things, to go find  the kidnapper!”

Nathaniel smiled innocently.

[That’s not it. It’s a bit boring.]

It’s amazing. It’s amazing! Kyrie trembled with her fist clenched. Nathaniel shrugged, as he looked at trembling Kyrie

[So you’re telling me to go against your great-grandfather’s mood.]

He had struggled to make a name for himself in history.

***

While passing several cities, Nathaniel observed Kyrie without killing anyone.

Kyrie Buchanan.

He rolled the name of the person in his mouth who could no longer be thrown away or killed.  On the way to Sel Arellano, she didn’t smile as brightly as when she received the jacaranda flower. But she would sometimes giggle playfully, like when she first met and exchanged her jokes.

Observing every move she made, he saw things he had not noticed before.

When Kyrie smiled properly, a small wrinkle appeared on the corner of her eye.  When she pretended to laugh, her eyes were thin and not bent, so it had its own dignity.  Come to think of it, there was nothing ugly.  Could it be that there were fairies among Buchanan’s ancestors?

She sometimes rubbed her eyes like a child because her eyelashes went into her eyes.  She yawned like a rabbit when she thought no one was watching her, and each time he saw her white teeth and rosy tongue briefly appear and disappear. When she gets embarrassed, her expression becomes colder, and she has a habit of stopping at times and looking at a distant place.  It was all things that could not be known from the report.

The more he knew, the more he felt like an ancient labyrinth in the end of the world and at the end of the labyrinth, there is probably that smile.

That smile. That led him in. (Labyrinth)

That smile that he had only seen once, but it made his mind dizzy.  In an instant, time stopped, and the area around Kyrie was full of life as if it had been painted with rainbow colors. That smile made him wonder if the reason for the sunlight and the sky was to highlight Kyrie’s pale purple color.

Isn’t that a little unfair, Nathaniel thought.

If there is such a thing, shouldn’t you have told me that there is? 

He thought that he had already overcome her, but it turns out that she just sympathized with him. He thought that now he knew everything, but now he discovered that there is more behind it. He thought that he had already driven her to a dead end, but out of nowhere she laughed and ran away while he was still surprised. 

It was unfair.

Hecouldn’t tell if the flowers were the problem, the spring was the problem, or the location was the problem. Anyway, it was the first smile he had ever seen. Unfortunately, she had never shown him such a smile so far. Besides, she said that it wasn’t ‘a smile that came out because of happiness.’ 

(T/N- Literal meaning: A smile that came out because she doesn’t know what to do.’)

Recalling those words again, Nathaniel crossed his arms.

This is also unfair.

If he offered to give her Elsus, he thought she would show that ‘reluctant’ look, but she ended up being disgusted with a thorny attitude.  That’s also unfair.  Nathaniel clicked his tongue softly.

“Nathaniel?”

Just then, Kyrie returned to the room. Sel Arellano was right in front of her, and Nathaniel had insisted on staying at a luxury inn for today. It was because Kyrie, who had trouble sleeping, was asleep like a sick chicken during the day.

“Shouldn’t we have two rooms?”

Kyrie, wearing a shawl over linen pajamas that covered her shins, approached with a calm voice. Of course, it was also Nathaniel’s strong insistence on purchasing it during the day.  His cotton candy was so insignificant, small and fragile that her skin was red from wearing some rough cotton clothes.

[I can’t sleep anyway.]

“I think it’s similar to setting up your own tableware even if you don’t eat it.”

Nathaniel tilted his head, leaning against the desk in the room.  Maybe she means she doesn’t want to be together. But Kyrie had never kicked him out of the room.

[Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on you.]

“I didn’t mean that.”

Kyrie laughed slowly. She walked a little further and sat across the bed opposite.  She then sweeped the bedding with her palm, as she carefully opened her mouth.

“It’s Arellano soon.”

[Yes.]

Kyrie pressed her lips.  Her words leaked out with a sigh.

“I thought you were little……I thought you had changed, am I wrong?”

Nathaniel lowered his eyes, as if he knew how much concern was contained in that insignificant word.  Like Kyrie Buchanan, who is pathetically sympathetic.

If it was him, he wouldn’t ask like that.  He never reaches out to anyone who has bit him.  But it was also Kyrie Buchanan.

Fortunately, Nathaniel soon became convinced of how to handle Kyrie. She was surprisingly strong against the strong and weak against the weak. And she was not deceived by his appearance, no matter how clever and cunning he was.  To put it simply, she seemed to have the sixth sense of recognising the identity of things.

As soon as Nathaniel talked about someone’s death, Kyrie hardened her face coldly and stared at him with endlessly veiled purple eyes.  It was the stare of indifference that chilled his spine to the point that he wondered why he felt it now.

However, if there was a person next to her, an irrelevant third party, and even if Nathaniel was being moderately generous to them, Kyrie would not even think of letting him stay.

When he confronts her, she will argue face to face, but if he comes out softly, she always backs down.

So now he can’t help but think about it.

How far will you accept me if I withdraw?

[Well. I don’t know.]

Nathaniel crossed his arms and lifted his chin in a slightly more arrogant attitude. He did make eye contact.

[As you know, it’s hard for me to get mixed up among humans.]

“You said it before. If that’s the case, I’ll help.”

Kyrie said so seriously.  Nathaniel covered his mouth with his hand so as not to laugh and turned his head. Fortunately, the darkness of the night did a good job.

[Humans are too weak. If I move even a little, they will die, so if I pay attention to them, they might get a mental breakdown, right?]

Should I believe her?

[Especially when it comes to touching people.]

That won’t happen.

[Sometimes they explode even with a slight touch.]

That’s none of my business.

Kyrie’s eyes widened once.

“…….Shall we practice then?”

Nathaniel lowered his hand and lifted his head to look at the ceiling.

Kyrie Buchanan. To be so naive

But he took a chance.

[You might get hurt.]

I’d better tell her like this.   

Unsurprisingly, Kyrie resolutely lit her eyes.

“I’m fine. Sooner or later, if I meet MarryAnne, I might be able to receive treatment.”

She was getting a little worried.  How has no one hit Kyrie in the back until now?  Nathaniel was hesitant on purpose, regardless of his heartfelt grieving.

[Kyrie. I…….]

“Really! It’s really ok.  Rather, I feel fortunate to be able to atone for it even like this.”

Kyrie got up from her bed. She walked slowly and stood a few steps away from Nathaniel.  It was just in front of the window where the moonlight was pouring in.

It’s better not to answer here. 

Nathaniel lifted his head and looked at Kyrie, sullenly.

After taking one deep breath, Kyrie quietly pulled her shawl. Under the dim moonlight, the shawl fluttered and fell to the floor.

At that moment, Nathaniel regretted it a little. It didn’t seem like it would end as a joke.

The moonlight fell obliquely on Kyrie’s right cheek, wearing only an ivory-colored thin linen dress. In an instant, the night he was in control of was dominated by Kirier.

“Should I put my hands first?”