Chapter 36 Jediel
That night, Killion saw the child again in a dream.
He knew it was a dream, but he was still glad to see her again.
The child took the candy from Killion’s hand and exclaimed in a bubbly voice.
“Thank you!”
And then he scurried off to his parents. He wished he could have made more eye contact and talked to him… He felt a pang of regret.
He was looking at the back of the child’s head as He tried to calm his nerves.
The child whipped around and looked back at Killion, then mouthed the words.
‘It was good to see you, my brother.’
Despite the distance, Killion understood the words, even though they were mere mouth movements with no voice.
Suddenly, the child had changed into his brother’s form. It was him.
“Aaron! Aaron! Aaron!”
Killion started to run after him, shouting his brother’s name, but it was too late.
The child was gone. Not just the child, but everything around him had vanished.
Left alone in the void, Killion stood there and kept repeating his brother’s name.
“Brother… Aaron…!”
***
“Haahhh!”
Killion woke up with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
He wanted to see his brother so badly, he felt like he was going crazy with longing.
Finally, a silent sob escaped from his lowered head. He pounded his chest and cried.
***
The eastern wing of the palace contained the offices of the administrators. Kilion’s office was located on the top floor.
Late in the afternoon, a cloaked man stood before Killion. Killion barked out instructions with his eyes, and the masked man reported immediately.
“The dark navy blue with yellow trim uniform you mentioned belongs to the Kindergarten of the Imperial Normal Academy, age four and a half.”
“…”
“There is a blond, blue-eyed boy in that class, his name is Jediel, and he currently lives with his great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and mother.”
“Jediel…”
Killion said the child’s name quietly. It was a new name, but somehow it felt familiar.
Killion jumped to his feet.
“I must go and see him now.”
“What? Oh, that’s…”
Killion’s sudden reaction startled the masked man, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke calmly.
“Kindergarten ends at five o’clock. The child’s mother works at the nearby Matap Institute and usually picks her up between ten and fifteen minutes later.”
“I see.”
That meant Killion would only be able to see the child between five and ten minutes, which was more than enough time, Killion thought.
As he was about to walk away, the masked man spoke again.
“The…”
“What?”
“I think it would be best if you didn’t reveal your identity when you go, so why don’t you wear something plain rather than something flashy.”
“Okay.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.”
“Okay.”
The cloaked man used a teleportation scroll and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Following the man’s advice, Killion changed into his training uniform and exited the Oval Office, just in time to run into his aide Windler.
“Your Excellency, why are you in your training uniform? Are you going to be training again?”
A faint look of boredom crossed the aide’s face. Killion brushed past Windler and said.
“It’s my personal schedule, so don’t bother with it. If you’re done with yours, I suggest you retire early.”
The corners of Windler’s mouth twitched at the mention of early retirement, and without further question or debate, he bowed low to Killion.
Killion leapt to his horse and headed for the kindergarten.
He knew he had plenty of time before five o’clock, but he was in a hurry.
His heart was pounding in his chest at the thought of seeing that child again, and he couldn’t calm down.
Soon, Kilion arrived in front of the kindergarten and dismounted. As he stood still and stared at the entrance to the kindergarten, people’s eyes kept turning to him.
Even though he wore plain training clothes instead of fancy clothes, his tall height, muscular body, and handsome face made him stand out from the crowd.
‘What is this…’
As he endured the stare, Killion felt a sudden pang of self-doubt, and for a moment considered turning back.
“What am I going to do when I see him again?” he asked himself.
He asked himself, but no answer came to mind.
In fact, he might not even remember me, since we had only seen each other briefly yesterday.
Haaahh, Killion let out a long sigh and ran a hand down his face.
‘This is crazy, I should probably just turn back.’
He turned to leave.
As soon as the bell rang for five o’clock, there was a roar of whoops and hollers as the children rushed out of the building.
They were playing in the garden, supervised by their teachers, waiting for their parents.
‘Uh! Over there…!’
It wasn’t hard to find Jediel. The face he had seen in his dream last night was easily recognizable.
Killion’s gaze locked on the child, but he couldn’t bring himself to approach him. His courage was completely gone.
‘I think we should wait until her mum gets here first, he will be scared of a strange adult approaching him when he is alone.’
Not wanting to frighten the child, Killion decided to stand still and wait for his mum to arrive and then go and greet her. It would be much more natural.
***
Veronia was walking quickly towards kindergarten. Someone suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw Onyx.
“Onyx, what’s going on?”
“There’s the Duke of Drea in front of the kindergarten.”
“What? What do you mean, why would the Duke of Drea… how…?”
Veronia’s face crumpled in shock.
“He was asked to find the child this morning, describing Jediel description.”
“Oh…”
So Killion had asked the Information Guild for the child’s whereabouts.
But why on earth would he want to find a child he’d only glimpsed briefly? It made no sense to Veronia.
Jediel had been strange last night, too. Suddenly talking about his father, and then suddenly mentioning a handsome man he’d met in the market!
Could it be a blood attraction between two rich men? It was ridiculous.
Onyx said, trying to calm her down.
“I’ll go get Jediel, you go back home first.”
“It’s …?”
In her dazed state, Veronia didn’t quite understand Onyx’s words. It wasn’t until Onyx explained again that she nodded.
Onyx’s eyes suddenly sharpened as she watched Veronia turn and walk away.
She had always been a confident woman, but this was strange.
‘You’re so vulnerable at the sight of the Duke of Drea. Why?’
His eyes flashed with interest.
***
“Huh? Where’s Mum?”
Jediel asked, looking grim as he spotted Onyx.
“Mum’s working late today.”
“What’s a night shift?”
“It’s when you work late and hard, because you have to earn money.”
“Oh…”
The child’s frown deepened. Onyx said in a pointed tone.
“But Jediel , you look disappointed that it’s me and not your mum?”
“Aaah…!”
Jediel scratched his head apologetically, realizing that he hadn’t done any facial expression management at all.
“I’m sorry, Mr Onyx.”
“…”
“I like you, but I like my mum a lot more.”
“What?”
Onyx was dumbfounded at Jediel’s serious reaction to something he’d just said.
“I can’t help it, can I? I’m her son.”
“Phew. Okay, okay, okay, little guy!”
Onyx couldn’t help but giggle, amazed that a child who was only four years old could talk so well.
“Well, shall we go, then?”
“Yes.”
They were about to start walking, hand in hand, when a man stepped in front of them.
It was Killion.
Onyx turned his sharp gaze to Killion and asked.
“What? Is there something you need?”
But Jediel, who recognized Killion’s face, greeted him first.
“Huh? It’s you from yesterday! You’re Mr Candy, right? You’re the handsome one!”
The child’s bright smile and greeting took Killion off guard for a moment. Onyx did the same.
‘What’s wrong with this kid?’
Jediel was not a very sociable child, and was often shy with strangers.
But this kid who was so friendly to Killion after seeing him briefly yesterday was strange, Onyx thought.
Killion forced a smile and opened his mouth.
“Ah… You remembered me. How are you?”
“Hi.”
It was cute, the way it bobbed its head vigorously in greeting. A sharp voice shot out at Killion, who stared at the child blankly.
“And what is it?”
“Mister, did you come to see me?”
Once again, it was Jediel who responded first to Onyx’s question.
The sight of the child’s beaming face brought tears to Killion’s eyes. It was a strange thing indeed.
“I just… happened to be passing through, but it’s good to see you again.”
Killion barely moved his lips to form a stuttering lie.
“It’s nice to see you, too! My name is Jediel, by the way. What’s yours?”
“My name is Killion.”
“Killion… That’s a cool name! See you later!”
Jediel waved his hand in Killion’s direction. Slightly disoriented, Killion waved back.
‘What an idiot.’
It was a frequent thought these days.
Still, he had no regrets. He was even glad he to wait instead of turning back.
‘We’ll have to meet again. I’d like to see you again.’
Killion took his hand and watched him walk away.
“Jediel…”
He tried to say the kid’s name out loud. This kid he’d met yesterday felt so special.
‘…Because he looks like my brother Aaron.’
That’s a good enough reason, he thought, and he let it go.
There are times in life when you need to rationalize, Killion thought, and this was one of them.
