by Geli Cake
"Oh my god, I can't believe it… Our Young Master has a one-sided love…"
"You should have told us sooner."
"We're hurt, Young Master!"
"Stop it."
He frowned and grumbled.
One thing was certain: they hadn't parted on bad terms. At least, Haylan missed Chahyun.
And whether he realized it or not, Haylan, who had always hidden and run away, had taken a step forward. It was the greatest courage he could muster.
Yur had already taken a liking to this city, where the weather was mild and the cats were lazy. She wanted to avoid moving again as much as possible.
'Let's get them to reconcile.'
'How? He's not supposed to know that we followed him here.'
'…I don't know. Let's just try something.'
They exchanged secretive glances and nodded resolutely.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
The people in the building across the street were incredibly nice to me. And it wasn't just me who noticed.
"Did you get another gift? Let's see what it is this time."
"Hey, Ryzen! This kid's going to get married before you."
"…Crazy, at that age, it's just dating."
"He's jealous."
Stop it, please. The more they teased him, the more Ryzen would pick on me.
The guys were making a fuss, saying that the girl from the building across the street definitely liked me, but I didn't think so.
'There really are monsters like that? Then are there talking ogres too?'
'You read that novel, miss?'
'Of course! My mother used to read it to me every night before bed, but she always skipped the third volume, so I was so curious.'
The red-haired woman with freckles seemed to enjoy talking to Ryzen more than me. And instead of talking to me, she just handed me a piece of candy from her pocket.
'Isn't this just treating me like a kid?'
My room was piling up with snacks I didn't even eat. Haylan would like these more than me…
'Ah.'
Thinking about him made me feel dizzy again. I shook my head, trying to dispel thoughts of Haylan.
Just then, the woman from across the street smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
"I'll be going in now. Thanks for carrying my things."
"...?"
I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu and started racking my brain. As she turned to leave after our conversation, I noticed a red ribbon tied in her hair, and I felt like I had seen it somewhere before.
"What's with that dazed look on your face? You're too young for romance, kid. Don't you dare try to get ahead of me…"
"Why are you hitting me?!"
Seriously, is his lack of popularity my fault? Ryzen suddenly went crazy and started picking on me, and the sense of déjà vu quickly faded.
The guys seemed desperate to set me up with the woman from across the street. But she didn't seem interested in me, and neither was I. I told them to stop, so hopefully, they would tone it down starting tomorrow.
"I'm tired…"
I mumbled, collapsing onto my bed, exhausted from being pestered all day.
There are many forms of family in this world. Parents and children, single-parent families, couples without children, and those who live alone without ever getting married.
Which category would I fall into?
I wasn't sure, but I wanted to meet someone I liked, who liked me back, and start a family someday. Having children wasn't something I could control, so I hadn't even considered it.
'But not now.'
I didn't have the time or energy for relationships right now. I vaguely imagined the person who would be by my side in the future.
I get lonely easily, so I wanted to meet someone kind. Since I'm talkative, someone quiet would be a good match.
But it would be even better if they were honest about their feelings, so we wouldn't fight over pointless things. Especially someone with clear likes and dislikes. I absolutely hate anything vague. And since it's a bit off-putting if a person's too serious, they should know how to crack a joke too…
Well, looks didn't matter, right? No, wait. If they were beautiful, that would be a plus…
As I closed my eyes and imagined, I suddenly felt puzzled. The person who came to mind wasn't my ideal type at all.
In the middle of a white snow, someone with brilliant silver hair turned to look at me. He was a child with adorable, chubby cheeks. The boy with lavender eyes smiled faintly and started walking towards me.
One step, two steps… He grew taller with each step closer. The boy, now a full-grown man, stood before me.
"...."
A pale, cold hand pressed against my lips. Even though it was just my imagination, the touch felt incredibly real.
I opened my eyes, and the stained ceiling of my room came into view. The stains on the ceiling looked like someone's face, and I sometimes thought that a ghost was imprinted there.
Even while looking at the most familiar sight to me, I was thinking of him.
Lena.
"Haylan…"
I murmured his name and frowned, feeling strange.
I didn't have many friends my age. It was the same in school, and my current environment was also filled with older men, so I didn't have any friends my age.
That's why I was a bit excited about Lena's existence. He was the only person who knew my secret. Although our relationship was broken because of that secret, I was happy that Lena… liked me.
Unlike with other characters, I didn't try to make a good impression on him, yet Lena saw me in a positive light. So when he confessed his feelings, I was suddenly afraid.
'I was afraid it would fall apart.'
I didn't want to lose Lena. He was one of my few friends. But somehow, I ended up losing both Lena and Haylan.
'Can I go back?'
These days, I have been thinking about Haylan. Not because he was the protagonist, or because I was angry that he had tricked me with the name "Lena."
I wanted to hold his small body in my arms and listen to the crackling fireplace, and I needed someone to explore the mansion with at night, to share my thoughts. I just missed him.
I knew that not all relationships progressed at the same pace. There were feelings that only started to grow after one side confessed.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
A few days later, in the morning…
"Look at this shameless bastard. How dare he show his face here?"
For some reason, Odin had been captured and was being scolded intensely. As soon as he saw me, he sent a desperate plea for help with his eyes, and I roughly understood the situation.
'Seriously, there's a limit to ganging up on someone.'
Odin was alone, and there seemed to be almost ten Red Lions. No wonder he looked pale. Judging by their size alone, the Red Lions had the upper hand, and with the numbers advantage, Odin must be completely drained.
"What are you doing?"
I immediately rushed to the scene and stood beside Odin. The guys looked at me in disbelief.
"We caught him loitering around without a care in the world. By the way, are you taking the side of the bastard who kicked you out?"
"I was kicked out, but it wasn't Odin who did it."
"Then which son of a bitch was it?"
"Stop cursing. You're not thugs… Ah, just! I'll handle it!"
Crazy. Now that I looked, Odin's hands were tied. I tried to untie them, but they were too tight, so I just burned the ropes, and they finally came loose.
"They acted all nice when they took him, but they just used him and threw him away? This is why I hate those Jenette bastards."
Ugh. The guys kept grumbling like nagging in-laws. And they even made up ridiculous stories, saying I'd been staring into space ever since I came back and that I seemed depressed.
Anyway, I rescued Odin from the clutches of these beasts and took him to Mei's shop. Odin finally ran a hand over his face and said,
"This region… doesn't seem to suit me. I hope Christine never reincarnates in the South again…"
"…I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
We awkwardly reconciled. As expected, the reason he came looking for me was related to Haylan.
"I think I'll be leaving the empire for a while. I have some business abroad."
Wow, I've never been abroad, I'm so jealous. When I looked at him with envy, he continued,
"After receiving a letter saying they were moving to Asileth, I lost contact with Joe. I've secured a new blood procurement route, so you can contact them through this."
He handed me a note. I accepted it and asked,
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"I'll assume the request continues as before. Please send the reports to the same address."
Wait, but I don't even know where Haylan is? Even if Asileth was a small city, I didn't know everyone who lived here. Was he telling me to search the entire city? Was he crazy?
Reading my expression, Odin said,
"You'll probably find him faster than I can. I can't keep searching for them here forever."
"That's true, but…"
"So, all you need to do is find Haylan and deliver this to him."
I heard they originally procured blood from the temple. In this world, temples functioned like hospitals, treating serious illnesses. The temples had no rea