Chapter 36
***
Kylan watched the girl's reaction warily. How could he bring a girl he'd never seen before here?
It was just an urge to comfort her, even if it meant selling his misery and offering her happiness.
As he thought about it, young Kylan regretted letting a child from the wrong side of the tracks into his room. But now, if he asked her to leave, tears would fall from those big eyes like a stream again.
Kylan stood in silence as if he were being punished until Euris looked around the room with wide eyes.
"When are you going to get better?"
The girl's first words rippled through the room that had been quiet for a moment. Kylan's head tilted as he stared back.
"What do you mean?"
"When are you going to get well?"
"...."
He hadn't said he was sick, but she could see it in the room. Kylan responded with a bitter, averted gaze.
"They say I broke my mom's womb."
When Kylan didn't answer, Euris began to speak in a low voice.
"But my mom's womb never healed. I never met my siblings because of me. I heard my parents talking about it."
She was crying, and though he didn't understand all of what she was saying, he listened intently.
"I wish you had a disease that could be cured. You brought me here to comfort me now, didn't you? Thank you."
Euris smiled wryly with those words. Dimples dotted the sides of her chubby cheeks. She had a pretty face with round, large green eyes.
‘You're more mature than I thought.’
The two children learned each other's names and played in the room for a while. Until it was almost dusk. They dissected more ripped pillows, built castles out of goose feathers, and threw pills at the window.
It had been a long time since he'd forgotten everything and just played like a kid. Kylan hadn't felt such pure joy in a long time.
It wasn't until they heard Count Either's voice calling out for Euris that they came to their senses. It was then that the two houses grew closer. When Count and Countess Either saw the state of Kylan's room while searching for Euris, they said nothing.
They did, however, persuade Count Hebron to arrange a few occasions for the two children to meet.
From then on. Kylan began to consciously try to overcome his illness. Being interested was such a thing. He fought harder to get healthy for the day he would meet Euris.
It didn't take him years to recognize that what he felt was love. Just....... But he had a premonition. That his life would be a little different from everyone else's.
He couldn't show his crush on Euris easily. After he realized that he liked her, he wanted to get engaged to her. He really wanted to, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
At the very least, he thought he should wait until he got over this mysterious illness. Or at least, he thought he should wait until he was old enough to be responsible for himself.
To his surprise, after the age of fourteen, his illness gradually disappeared. He still had episodes, but they became less and less frequent.
And as he approached adulthood, the symptoms finally disappeared from his life. He still didn’t know why.
***
Kylan puffed on his cigar and read the morning paper impassively. His face showed no sign of yesterday's events. He turned the pages nonchalantly, as if there was nothing new in the paper.
The outdoor table on the ground floor of the inn that doubled as a bar was his favorite spot in the morning. Located in a back alley of the city center, there weren't many passersby in the morning and during the day.
"Hey, Kylan. You want to join me for a drink later tonight?"
A man with a gruff voice and appearance chuckled. His name was Thompson, and he had a gruff personality, but he was also a man of integrity.
The owner of the tavern and inn, he'd helped Kylan settle in well.
Thompson found him curious: He looked like an old nobleman, and he smoked so stiffly.
He didn't seem to want to socialize at all, not because he was dismissive, but because he really didn't seem to care about other people.
Like he would leave at any moment.
He thought maybe he had a heartbreaking story, but it was none of his business.
He'd helped Kylan purely because of the look in his eyes. He wore a perpetually forlorn expression, and for some reason Thompson didn't like the way he looked.
"Not much."
Thompson chuckled at the expected response.
"It's hard to have a drink with a man of your stature."
Muttering to himself, he walked into the store. It wasn't long before he emerged with a large mug of beer in each hand.
He slammed it down on the table where Kylan was sitting. It sent foam flying everywhere.
"If you don't want to drink this later, let's do it now."
With that, Thompson took a long swig from his glass. The foam stuck to his thick beard. Kylan stared at the man's chiseled shoulders as he offered him a beer for the morning.
"Persistent."
Muttering, Kylan took the beer from Thompson. As much as he hated to admit it, the beer at this little bar was actually pretty good.
The two men sat at the table in silence, sipping their beers and lighting cigars. The bar was still deserted in the early morning hours.
"So, where are we going tonight?"
Thompson asked in a blunt tone, as he was usually shooting off somewhere like the wind, and the answer was unexpected.
"Uh, I'm staying in my room today."
"What's up?"
"What?"
"You always leave in the morning and come back in the evening like you were going to die."
Kylan smirked at his comment and muttered, "Yeah, right." There wasn't much else he did when he was out and about, just getting ready to leave for the Lepallon Empire.
He stopped by the bank to exchange some currency, gathered any news articles he might need, and stopped by the government offices to prepare for any formalities.
He also met with the people he needed to before he left for Lepallon. Other than that, he spent most of his time in the library.
He never thought he looked like he was about to die. Maybe that's how he got that look on his face. Kylan thought to himself and flicked his cigar, which was all that was left of its pod, into the ashtray.
"Guess we'll have to eat here tonight."
"Really?"
Thompson's face lit up at Kylan's words. Whenever he had a handsome customer, there was always a crowd of women. It was a huge boost to business when this mystery man stayed at the bar.
Kylan slapped Thompson on the shoulder a couple of times for his inability to control his expression and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"To my room. To catch up on some sleep. See you tonight."
He left with those words and entered the building. There was a half-empty beer mug in the seat he left behind.
"Aww, what a waste......."
Thompson muttered and downed the beer Kylan left behind.
Kylan woke up with a throbbing pain in his head.
He hadn't really meant to, but he'd drifted off after looking at some papers. Unconsciously, he glanced at the bedside table and rolled up one of his scattering cigars.
He stroked his thumb across the half-burnt end and slid it into his palm, along with the lighter that lay beside it.
Without opening his eyes, he held the cigar to his lips, lit it, and blew out a cloud of smoke. His headache seemed to ease a little.
He glanced at his watch and realized it was a little late in the evening. He was hungry. If he went back down to the store, Thompson was going to berate him for being late.
Kylan chuckled to himself as he remembered the gravelly voice. He threw on a rough leather coat and ran a hand through his hair, then opened the door and left the room.
As he slid down the stairs, the familiar din of the tavern grew louder. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"There he is!"
***
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Write a comment
Eve (Wednesday, 07 February 2024 17:20)
Thanks for the new chapter ♡
Luliibunny (Friday, 08 March 2024 19:58)
May he not be the male lead...