For the next few minutes, Kazuya kept patting her head. He didn"t reply to her question, making her silently frustrated. It isn"t fair! But then again, there must be something more to it. Otherwise, he would have said something right? More to what he said about not being able to live without her? Honestly, Lyn didn"t know what to think when Kazuya said such things. How can he be so foolishly honest with her? Isn"t he worried that she would get put off by his words? Is he that confident that she would remain with him no matter what?Lyn watched as he happily ate the sandwich. She saw crumbs stuck to the edge of his mouth. "A clumsy eater," she thought. Lyn reached out and brushed her fingers across the corner of her lips, wiping the crumbs away. Kazuya smiled sheepishly, "Thanks, Lyn."
"Your welcome."
The two of them ate the rest of the meal in silence. Lyn didn"t know what else to say to him. Strange enough, they used to have non stop things to talk about. From the moment they met, such awkward silence was rare for her.
Kazuya suddenly stood up, "Lyn, stay here for a bit. I need to meet with Rhy"s group."
So, that"s why he was distracted.
Lyn nodded.
She extended her hand out to return the cloak. But Kazuya pushed it back, "Keep it. I won"t be gone long."
"Okay."
Kazuya gently kissed her forehead before heading off in the other direction. Lyn picked up the basket and made it disappear with magic. It seems like she will have to save the picnic in the middle of hunting for another day. Still, Lyn recalled how a few moments ago. Kazuya looked very happy when he was eating that sandwich. Who would have thought she would feel such thrill seeing somebody eat her food. It seems like she is quite a simple person, after all.
Lyn looked at her surroundings. n.o.body is around, it seems. It should be okay, shouldn"t it? It won"t do any harm. She took a deep breath before Lyn pulled her sword out of the sheath. After a few seconds, she struck several blows on the large rock before it fell apart.
"Ah," Lyn nodded to herself. It seems like if she focuses intently, it doesn"t take long to do that combination. Then maybe if she completely empties her mind out. Lyn closed her eyes. Dispell everything, focus on the movement and rhythm...
There --
Lyn quickly s.h.i.+fted her feet back, and with two blows, did a similar thing to the rock beside it.
"Excellent skills, as expected."
She turned to the source of the voice and saw a man with shoulder-length blonde hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a light-colored jacket with fur at the sleeves over a black collared s.h.i.+rt. He wore a fur-lined cape or a jacket with fur at the collar and edges.
Ah? Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Quite some time had pa.s.sed since she last saw this person.
"h.e.l.lo."
"Allen?!!" Lyn exclaimed.
"I was surprised too. I came here on an errand. But I didn"t think you"d be here inspecting the area alongside the others. Also. I thought I"d have a tour of the area now, but since I"m laying low, let me come along with you."
"Right."
She doesn"t know what to say to him. After all the last time they met she broke down like that. Like Kazuya said, she really is acting selfishly, and from now onwards, it looks like that won"t change, and yet, she doesn"t want to be consumed in that darkness anymore.
Her thoughts broke off when Allem pulled out a cloak from his belongings, a fur cloak that matched his.
"Instead of continuing to wear that battered cloak with sentimental value. Please prioritize your health and wear this on top."
The coldness she felt since she left Kazuya"s side vanished, replaced with a familiar warmth, "How warm," Lyn mumbled. Kazuya only left a few moments ago. But, she felt so cold. Kazuya"s cloak made her feel warm. However, she still felt a chill. Now with the extra one, Lyn no longer felt the cold.
"I shall certainly hope so. That"s made from the best materials, after all."
"No, that"s not what I meant. You always speak of possessions with sentimental value as being foolish. But you kept this for me all this time, thank you, Allen." This cloak is the one she received from him when they first snuck off to town, not too long after their engagement banquet.
Allen seemed embarra.s.sed, yet he reached over and patted her hair, "You are welcome."
"Lyn, hey, I met up with Rhys, and he said--" Kazuya, who was approaching them, paused. "Prince Allen."
Allen nodded, "You"re here too."
"Were hunting," Lyn explained when she saw small sparks form between them. Why do these two act so childishly whenever they meet? She sighed, "You won"t tell me to go back, right?"
"There is no need. Do you mind if I join you?"
"Ah," Lyn glanced over at Kazuya. "Is that okay?"
Surprisingly Kazuya grabbed hold of her wrist, "Sorry, but she is staying with me today."
Uh? He"s actually refusing? They don"t have much of the dungeon left to clear. Wouldn"t it be easier if Allen came along? However, Lyn didn"t get a chance to say anything as Allen spoke up.
"Are you afraid?"
Kazuya"s gaze dimmed, "Afraid? Why would I? Lyn won"t go to you now even if you beg."
"I see, then why not test that with a little dual?"
Wait, wait, wait? Lyn couldn"t process the current events. Why was it turning out like this? Or rather, what"s with Allen. He has inspections going on too. It"s not like him to act this way either. As she thought, there is something wrong with Kazuya. Normally, Kazuya would just walk away from everything.
"Wait, you two. Don"t do this," she managed to say at last.
There is no reason for them to get into a random fight here of all places. What if it attracts the attention of other people hunting here? Both Kazuya and Allen are very high profile. People know who they are. As for her, since her ident.i.ty will be revealed soon. It"s far too dangerous.
Lyn tugged on Kazuya"s cloak. She looks at him with pleading eyes.
"Lyn, he is the one who started it."
Lyn nodded, "I know, but don"t, okay?"
It took some convincing, but Kazuya nodded. He pulled out his messenger crystal that was glowing brightly. Allen turned to her. He wore a complicated look on his face. "You stopped my brashness."
"It"s unlike you," Lyn nodded. She wanted to inquire if something was wrong. However, she knew that this was not the time for it.
"So, you are fond of him."
"Mmm, I never said anything about hating him after all."
That"s right, even if she was born as a monster. Such feelings as hatred is even more foreign to her. No matter how much she is hurt or stepped upon, no matter how much they mock her or discriminate, those feelings aren"t inside her. But instead, different feelings appear, such ugly feelings that she can"t describe using words.