Thank you so much for the Kofi, Summer-162.
Elshnain squinted her eyes before stepping out of the cabin. It seemed to be close to noon, as the sunlight was quite intense.
“What about your luggage?” Killian asked.
“Well, that’s everything.”
Killian casually lifted the large bag that she had been holding with both hands and placed it behind the carriage.
Other than that bag, there was nothing else she needed to bring with her.
Phew, did it go well? Elshnain thought to herself as she quietly observed Killian, who was turning around, while gripping the old carriage with her hand
She could see his broad shoulders and upright posture.
.
.
‘Do you really not remember me?’ he asked, back in the cabin when she had just regained consciousness.
His voice was filled with suspicion instead of shock.
‘Hmm, I just woke up one day, and I was living in this place. My memories from before then are blurry. Who are you?’
At the end of her performance, Killian told her that they were long-time friends and that he would take her to his mansion.
It was just as Elshnain had anticipated.
No matter how much Killian despised her, he wouldn’t be able to harm a woman who had lost her memories.
Plus, he needed her.
He needed her alive, and with her memories intact.
Only then would he be able to find Arwen.
So, once they returned to his house, he would do everything he could to restore her memories.
.
.
Was it too much to have said that I drained my vessel’s magic due to the valley’s water drying up?
Surely, he won’t resort to torture when he discovers it’s a lie, Elshnain shuddered.
Let’s just move on for now.
More importantly, since Elshnain was so focused on her memory loss act when they were facing each other in the cabin, she didn’t even notice that he was all grown-up now.
Perhaps due to his tough upbringing, his personality was already blunt in the past, but in terms of appearance, he was just a cute kid with pretty eyelashes and rosy cheeks, emitting an aura of youthful masculinity that had yet to fully blossom.
However, Killian, who was a teenager the last time they saw each other, had now become a fully grown man.
“Elshnain.”
“Yes?”
“Hold this,” Killian said after turning around and reaching his hand out to her. It was an offer to escort her inside the carriage.
Even his hands seem bigger now.
The hand he extended looked larger and firmer than the one in her memories.
And when she slightly looked up at him, the face she saw had become unbelievably handsome too. The delicate atmosphere of a kind prince he used to have, was no longer there. Elshnain suddenly thought that now, he was really the male lead of this novel.
The main story officially started a year ago.
The twelve years they spent together was merely his past, which was described in just one line in the novel. But the present him was the true male lead.
“Have you changed your mind? Do you want to stay in the cabin instead?” Killian’s voice echoed.
“Huh?” Elshnain asked, confused.
She must have been dazed for a while by the feeling of unfamiliarity rising in her chest because Killian was standing there awkwardly with his hand still outstretched.
“Ah, no, no. I was just wondering if things like this happened often in the past.” She hurriedly answered.
“If what happened?”
“Holding hands like this while getting on the carriage, “ she explained as she grabbed his hand before getting on the wagon.
she knew such thing never happened between them, but…
“Yes, it happened all the time,” Killian murmured softly and followed her onto the carriage. Then, he sat down opposite her, immediately closing his eyes as if he didn’t want to look in her direction.
Eh? It used to happen all the time?
Did she miss something?
But she soon realized what he meant.
Killian had become famous as the Holy Empire’s protector so, he must have also become accustomed to the ways of nobles.
He probably meant that he often offered his hand to anyone getting on their carriages, like a perfect gentleman.
He even offered it to a traitor like me out of habit. Elshnain gazed out the window, thinking that he had really grown up.
‘This time… I have no intention of repeating the same mistakes, Elshnain.’
Those were the words Killian muttered while staring at her before stepping out of the cabin. He was probably saying that he wouldn’t be fooled twice by her.
However, she planned to deceive him once more.
***
Since Killian came alone on a black horse, he had to rent a carriage for their journey from a nearby city.
The coachman was very curious about the guests who were going all the way to the islands from the outskirts of the forest, but he held his tongue when he saw the gigantic black horse passing in front of him. Thanks to that, the journey remained quiet.
The only problem was that the silence was too heavy for comfort.
I’m suffocating; even Elshnain who wasn’t a talkative person, felt as if cobwebs were settling in her mouth.
Therefore, it took quite a bit of courage for her to utter this one sentence:
“Flower shop! Cough, cough! Cou…could we stop by a flower shop for a moment, Killian?”
“What? Why a flower shop?” he asked.
Do I really need to tell you why? She complained in her head.
Elshnain smiled and looked away awkwardly, “There’s something I really need to buy.”
“You should be able to get plenty at the mansion. What kind of flower do you need? Just tell me, and I’ll make sure to get it for you.”
Ugh!
“But I need it right now,” she persisted.
“…….”
Instead of answering, Killian stared at her intensely. There was something piercing about that gaze.
Is he afraid I might run away?
To Killian, she was both the object of his hatred and a criminal who must not be let off the hook. Even though he seemed calm in front of her, this was a fact that should never be forgotten.
But since I supposedly lost my memories, there’s no way I could have known that.
So, she shamelessly decided to go shopping. Blinking her eyes, she waited for his response with an innocent face.
“Alright. Let’s stop by one, but I don’t know any flower shop around here,” He finally accepted.
Phew, thank God.
“Let’s just ask the driver to find us the nearest one” she swiftly proposed.
It would have been stranger if he, the guardian of the Holy Empire, knew the location of mere flower shops.
“As you wish.” Killian nodded, conveying his agreement.
Elshnain then poked her head out of the window without even trying to hide her wide smile, and her wavy, sky-blue hair fluttered softly in the wind.
She then grabbed a handful of her locks, shouting, “Sir! Could you please stop by any flower shop on the way?”
“Yes, yes! I understand miss.”
The coachman’s startled voice was heard, and Elshnain immediately guessed why he was so surprised.
Considering Killian’s noble appearance, it was natural for him to assume that she was also of noble status, but the thing is, no noble lady would call him ‘Sir’ or show any respect to a commoner like him.
Elshnain quickly glanced at Killian, only to find him with his eyes closed as if he wasn’t interested in whatever was going on.
Come to think of it, Killian had never physically touched her during the rare moment she was in human form. Since Elshnain was not a human being in the first place, she had no need to adhere to their customs, so their twelve years of relationship had an unspoken agreement where physical contact in her human form was not part of their interactions.
However, now that she planned to keep this form for a while, maybe she should pay more attention to that.
“I read in a book about something called etiquette. Do I look like I also forgot about the rules? Should I learn again?” Elshnain asked Killian.
“Etiquette?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
His closed eyes slowly opened. His eyelashes, which had been facing downward, were raised and his clear red eyes focused on her with a hint of curiosity.
‘What kind of etiquette did you even have?’ That’s exactly what was written in his gaze.
“I guess you did lose your memory. To think that you would forget about the etiquette you never even learned.”
Damn, the look in Killian’s eyes, as his sarcastic answer fell, was so cold that if Elshnain were a dog she would have already run away with her tail between her legs by now.
However, she, who still remembered the chubby cheeks from his childhood, easily passed the trial.
“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to work hard. You shouldn’t be harmed by my ignorance, Killian.”
She forced a smile, trying to suppress the trembling at the corners of her mouth.
Upon seeing this, Killian tilted his head, then crossed his arms before saying, “Can’t you just go back to your spirit form? Surely, you haven’t forgotten that you’re a spirit, have you?”
Elshnain wanted to believe he had no intention to mock her as he said all this, but the sarcasm in his tone was too present.
Plus, she knew him too well.
“Ahem, I didn’t forget about my true nature. It’s just that a chunk of my memories got completely erased. However, um…. I can’t go back to being a spirit.”
She thought it was best to put this information out there first.
“You can’t go back?”
“No.”
Killian’s red eyes widened at her words, and he seemed really taken aback as he said, “Why not?”
“Well, umm… I don’t really know why either. Did I really forget about my existence like you said? Haha.”
Although she was forcing herself to laugh, Elshnain had a bitter feeling in her heart because she truly wanted to return to her spirit form. Then, she would be able to move around as she pleased without being noticed.
But she couldn’t do that anymore.
She didn’t have much time left and would soon disappear because she exhausted her vessel’s magic. The power she poured into her human form after everything else she did, made it impossible for her to return to being a spirit again.
My connection with Ellime, the spirit world, is severed, Elshnain lamented.
Anyway, since she had to live as a human from now on, she felt like she needed to learn etiquette, even if it’s a little bit.
I have to blend in properly until I save both Killian and Arwen.
She reminded herself of her goal.
To save them I need to stick close to Killian, just like Arwen did in the original storyline.
And she also had to resolve the upcoming incidents as they were in the original work. The most important one right now was the ‘Aeterna Week’ that will occur this winter. It was still a long way off, but something big would happen then.
Hmm, and the second most important thing to do was to revive Arwen.
It required the ‘Flower of Life’ that usually blossom by drinking dew drops on the plateau. It’s an item that could be find if she followed the original story perfectly.
As the name suggested, it’s a legendary flower rumored to have the power to raise the dead. And since she couldn’t resuscitate the heroine with the Dragon Lord’s alchemy, this was the only option left. If she stayed right next to Killian, it would be naturally found.
“Well, we’ve arrived at the flower shop,” the coachman announced.
“Ah yes!” Elshnain, who had been quietly reflecting on her plan, suddenly raised her head.
And she instantly met Killian’s eyes staring at her.
“What is it?” She asked.
“…..”
But their eye contact was brief, and he coldly turned his gaze towards the outside without answering.
What’s was this for? Is he telling me to quietly go and not even think about escaping?
Elshnain awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“I’ll be right back,” she said with a smile before hooping out of the carriage.
The place where they stopped at was a typical-looking flower shop that could be found anywhere.
And there, she filled her arms with also commonly seen flowers.
However, there was a reason why she asked to stop by a florist.
It was because at this point in time, in the original story, an incident would take place at the mansion where Killian was staying; the one they were heading to.
A demon had infiltrated the Haunbert Family House.
PS: For some reason I can’t upload the Kofi link on this chapter. But if you want to buy me a Kofi for more chapters, you can still find the link in the previous chapters😊.
