Chapter 8 Can We Be friends?
Kuhn.
It was a name she had heard many times before.
Chloe pondered the man’s name over and over again, and soon realized where it came from.
It was pronounced exactly the same as the current Emperor’s name.
Given their age, it was unlikely that they were named after the Emperor, but rather a coincidence.
“Nice to meet you, Kuhn. Have a good day.”
Chloe felt awkward calling him by his first name so casually. She felt like she was about to be arrested for insulting the royal family.
“Me too.”
This time it was Kuhn’s turn to greet her. He gave a simple reply and an inauthentic smile.
Chloe wasn’t sure if it was fun to be with someone, or if it was more fun because it was Kuhn. Chloe was having more fun than ever.
Kuhn guided her to just the things she liked. It’s almost as if he knows all of her tastes.
They stopped at a flower garden where flowers were in full bloom, and they went to a pottery workshop to make tiny teacups.
I had always used artisanal products, but never made my own. She couldn’t make them as pretty as they were, but Chloe loved the crooked teacups.
Next, they went to the square to see the clowns in their ridiculous costumes. Chloe was given a balloon flower by the clown.
They played hide-and-seek and treasure hunt with the children in the village who invited us to play.
Time flies when you’re happy. Before they knew it, the sun was slowly setting.
“What shall we have for our last?”
In response to his question, Chloe opened the map.
Among the restaurants labeled as popular, they decided on a sandwich shop.
They ordered the tuna and bacon sandwich that the staff had recommended.
The thick tuna was very flavorful. The skin was lightly seared to give it a rich, oily flavor, and the crunchy veggies were a refreshing end to the bite.
She wasn’t that hungry, and she finished both sandwiches before she knew it.
Normally, Chloe doesn’t like to be full, but she’d filled her up with delicious food, so she was satisfied.
“It’s a freshly baked waffle. Try it with a refreshing scoop of strawberry ice cream.”
Chloe was getting ready to leave. Suddenly, an employee approached her and held out the dessert plate.
The two of them exchanged glances. Apparently, neither of them had ordered dessert.
Soon after, the employee spoke up.
“So… This is a small gift for you both. Please enjoy it.”
“That’s very kind of you. We’ll enjoy it.”
Khun was usually the first to speak, but this time he was silent.
This time, Chloe thanked him with a professional smile.
“Yes, yes, yes! Okay, have a nice day!”
The employee’s face flushed red. He stood frozen in place as the conversation ended, and only after a long pause did he turn and walk away.
Chloe didn’t realize it.
The dessert she’d been given by the staff had been selfless.
That eating a dessert that someone else cares about is unacceptable to some people.
“I’ve been looking for a dessert place, so I think we should take it there.”
The white hand holding the fork was close to the plate.
Kuhn, who had been standing still the whole time, suddenly suggested a change of venue.
“Mmm… This looks pretty good, too.”
“It’s a shame we can’t finish everything here, we don’t have much time left.”
“I thought you said this was supposed to be our last dinner.”
“Dessert is another story.”
Was there anywhere he really wanted to take her?
Doubtful, Chloe eventually agreed to go along with the guide’s wishes.
“Okay, I’ll get up then.”
The two stood up and headed straight for the exit.
After seeing Chloe off, she headed out as well. Kuhn spotted a staff member lingering over the leftover dessert.
Perhaps it was the thick flesh he could smell from a distance, but the employee naturally turned his head toward Kuhn.
The next thing he knew, he was faced with a face that looked ferocious enough to kill a man with ease.
He then smirked. It was the obvious mockery of a predator to its prey.
***
“Cotton candy?”
The two arrived at a dessert truck in the square. The vendor was selling giant cotton candy.
The colorful cotton candy looked like clouds at sunset. And it was so huge, it was bigger than her face.
When she took a bite, the flavor tasted like the material. It was like a toy, a sweet candy that disappeared in her mouth.
She tried rolling it in her mouth in a lump, and then slicing it into balls of yarn.
“Is it good? You seem to like it quite a bit.”
“I like the texture, the flavor, it’s interesting.”
Chloe was confronted with the mysteries of the human body that day. She wondered why her stomach kept filling up.
As she continued to savor, she realized that the cotton candy was over.
“Oh, I was going to take a big bite, but…”
Chloe said, disappointed. She had completely forgotten about the whole bite.
She wanted to savor just one more bite so she wouldn’t have to eat cotton candy again.
But other people’s money shouldn’t be used for more luxuries than necessary.
Chloe was about to leave when she realized that she’d had enough.
“Would you like one more bite, if you’d like a big one?”
The vendor handed Chloe a slightly smaller piece of cotton candy. The colors were much more colorful, iridescent.
“It’s because you have such a beautiful smile, I think I’d actually be grateful for another one! Haha.”
The merchant’s eyes twinkled. His gentle smile and tone of voice were dazzling Chloe.
“That’s very kind of you.”
What she was about to spit out was a kind thank you, a “I don’t know if I should just accept this, but I’ll enjoy it” kind of thing.
But what she got was a short, gruff greeting that sounded a bit like a squeak.
Kuhn had beaten her to the punch before she could take her turn.
Kuhn tossed the fairy tale into the merchant’s hand. He’d forgotten to put on a fake face, and his expression showed his displeasure.
His tone, which had been gentle and slow all day, had changed strangely.
He spoke in a haughty, arrogant tone, the sort of tone one might use to address those he despised.
“Thank you… Thank you…”
A soft voice slipped from her tiny lips. She deliberately took a bite out of the cotton candy to break the awkwardness.
When that didn’t work, she quickly said goodbye and took Khun with her.
Coincidentally, Chloe’s anger, which she had been too afraid to let go of, seemed to dissipate as she took his hand.
They walked the promenade around the clock tower.
As she ate the last of her cotton candy, she stole a sideways glance. To her relief, Kuhn’s expression had returned to normal.
“What was that about earlier?”
Chloe, reading the mood, asked coldly.
At the same time, the pacing stopped.
“Chloe.”
Chloe’s name, unadorned and raw.
“There are no favors in the world for no reason. You do something for a reason, for better or worse.”
At first, she wondered what he was talking about.
After slowly reflecting on his words, Chloe realized that he was referring to the favors had received today.
“If it’s all good, then I guess I have nothing to worry about. There’s a lot of rats in the world.”
… What assholes?
Chloe was mildly surprised to hear such an insult. A sneaky glance at Kuhn revealed that he was as innocent as ever.
“So be careful, you stand out everywhere you go, so it seems wise to be wary of strangers.”
Chloe shook her head in disbelief at the subtle coercion.
‘All favors come for a reason…’
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the words. In fact, she agreed with it.
Her own family and Callis, who was only kind to her at feasts, were good examples.
It was the speaker who was making the claim that confused her.
“And you?”
“…”
“You’re one of the people who did me a favor.”
The mouth that had been rambling on a moment ago stopped.
His eyes flickered, and finally folded into a crescent.
Chloe’s question tickled Kuhn’s mind. A stimulus so strong that it made him forget the language he’d spent decades learning.
She was showing him doubts and curiosities that she hadn’t shown anyone else, and that beautiful realization galvanized him.
“Yes. It’s a favor for a reason. I’m just like them…”
He trailed off, his voice breaking. Just as a gust of wind greeted them both.
He glanced surreptitiously to the side. The woman with her hair tucked behind her ear was more mysterious than anything.
Even the way she turned her head in his direction when she felt his gaze was endearing.
“I’m just as attracted to you as they are, Chloe.”
“Then…”
Then she should be careful, too.
Chloe was about to ask, but then she shut her mouth. The sudden change in his mood gave her the creeps.
His eyes, which had always held a kind gaze, had turned cold. His lake-blue eyes seemed to turn red.
As if he had anticipated her question.
“Can we be friends?”
But only for a moment.
As she asked the question again, Kuhn was back to the person Chloe knew.
“If we’re friends…”
“Like, really close, like we write to each other every once in a while, and we invite each other to spend time at each other’s houses.”
“…”
“Well, it would be a shame to end our friendship just today.”
With his sweet suggestion, he was suddenly in front of Chloe.
So close, so inappropriately close.
