Chapter 1630 Curiosity [1]

Chapter 1630 Curiosity [1]

"Hey!"

August's voice echoed through the quiet streets.

"Hey, wait up!"

Melania reacted to it. There was no way she couldn't considering how obvious he was. However, in the darkness, the first thing she registered was an unknown shadow approaching her rapidly, so she naturally took a defensive stance.

She was holding a bag of groceries, but she'd already prepared to drop it if things got ugly.

"Woah, relax! Remember me?"

August slowed down and let her eyes adjust so she could see him.

"You are...the boy from before?" Melania said, somewhat relaxing but keeping her guard up.

They didn't know each other. There were loads of things August could do to her right now that she wouldn't want, especially if he really was a hidden noble.

"That's right. My name is August. We met at the testing facility earli–."

"What do you want?"

Melania cut him off and got straight to the point. She was too close to home to allow any random man to take up her time.

Nothing could be allowed to go awry.

'Why is she wary?'

August understood mostly, but he didn't understand why she'd instantly assume that he was trying to do something nefarious.

'It must have something to do with her own experience.'

Her life was different from his, so they reacted to things differently.

He would probably be curious first and wary later, but Melania suppressed her curiosity and stayed cautious of everything around her.

"Um, well, I don't know how to say this without embarrassing myself, but...I'm lost. Would you mind pointing me towards the city?"

August was frank. Obviously, she didn't want to entertain him, so he was fine with just getting directions and leaving.

Melania looked him up and down.

His clothes were dirty since he'd been sitting around on the unpaved rock that was the roads in this area. He had dark circles under his eyes, whether from worry or tiredness.

He really didn't look the same as he did when they first met, though his demeanor didn't change at all.

"Before that, how did you even get over here?"

Disregarding her first instinct, Melania asked about his situation.

"I don't really know? I was just walking, then I smelled something so I came this way, and then I kept walking, and somehow I ended up here."

"Somehow?"

"Yeah, somehow."

"Just shut up and follow me."

Melania sounded like she didn't want to deal with this at all, but...

She was the one who brought him, wasn't she?

He asked for directions to the city, but she chose to show kindness instead.

'She has it in her, but her circumstances don't allow her to be kind, huh?'

August read it almost immediately.

'Is this the norm around here?'

He was forced to wonder as he accepted Melania's terms and followed her into the house.

Immediately, he was blessed with warmth.

It was quite cold outside. Arulion's climate was varied and ever-changing. It had six seasons, and currently, it was the equivalent of winter in this sector of the kingdom.

August was more resistant to cold than other dragons, who were already more resistant to cold than other races. It was one of the many benefits of an Azure Dragon lineage.

Still, the warmth was much appreciated. The instant he entered the house, he felt like he'd been healed.

"Sit over there."

Melania's voice drew August's attention. She used her head to motion over to a small chair, one of only a few in the house.

Aside from the warmth, there really wasn't much.

A kitchen, a table where four people could sit, another small chair and a worn center table that constituted the "living room," and a stone staircase leading to the second floor.

August didn't comment on it, instead opting to just do as he was told.

Melania went to the kitchen with her groceries and started putting them away.

"I'll set up some blankets for you, so you can sleep where you are right now. No matter what, the upstairs area is off-limits. If you even think about it, I'll kill you."

She still hadn't looked at him more than a few times. Melania was putting in effort to make sure this was just a random act of kindness, not something he should take for granted.

And August accepted those sentiments.

He didn't plan to impose on her for longer than he needed to, and her...family circumstances had nothing to do with him.

'I can't help but be curious, though.'

Melania's attitude towards the upstairs area was far sharper than anything else she'd said.

'Her motivation...could it be?'

August looked at the ceiling, but he didn't think too hard about it.

In the end, if Melania didn't want to share her life, he wasn't going to press about it.

He was just thankful that she decided to show him kindness.

And for that, he had to reciprocate in kind.