Bloomed to Wither

Chapter 10

—–CROW—– 

Kata tore her gaze away from the large apple slice.

Instead of offering her the piece, Xenon was gripping the fork as if he were about to stab the apple to death.

*Why are you like this?* Kata blinked.  Was it in the same vein as *Why are you like that?*

Now that she looked at him, Xenon seemed angry.

“It was a spar where you were even using Aura.  You could have lost your head. How could you throw yourself at him like that, prepared to die, without knowing how Sir Soram would react?”

“It was certainly… dangerous.  But if Sir Soram had followed the rules, I wouldn’t have been seriously injured.”

“As if.”

Xenon scoffed. He continued, as if he had been holding back for a while, “And what’s with that Embodiment? Who in their right mind holds their breath during a fight?”

“Sir Simon even yawns.  Losing focus during a fight can also be fatal.  And Sir Richard, too-“

“Don’t be stupid. They’re different from you.  They’re Second Awakened.”

Kata quietly closed her mouth.

*Does he still dislike me?*  It was difficult to reconcile the sweetness of the apple remaining in her mouth with the coldness of his voice.

“…….”

She felt strangely discouraged.  Not because she felt Xenon’s point was valid, but because his tone towards her was too cold.

She said dejectedly, “Can I eat the rest of the apple?”

Xenon frowned, but soon offered her the apple on the fork.

*Crunch, crunch.* The last piece was, as expected, sweet and delicious.

Kata placed the fork on the plate and pulled the soft blanket over herself.

“Thanks, Xenon. But I’m really okay.”

“You were having a nightmare earlier.”

Kata paused.

“You were calling for Hetashi when you were having a nightmare, and you’re still looking for that maid.”

Xenon deliberately avoided eye contact with Kata. His grip on the paring knife tightened.

“You, back then.  After you returned to your territory…”

He inhaled, then stared at the worn edge of the blanket, as if unsure what to say.

In the silent infirmary, Kata patiently waited for him to continue.

Just as Xenon was about to open his mouth again, the door suddenly burst open.

“What, she’s fine?”

The unexpected visitor was none other than Simon, holding a basket decorated with fruits and flowers in one hand.

“I came to visit. Oh, and this is my newly appointed squire.”

Behind Simon stood Perinem, frowning deeply.

Simon cheerfully patted his back.

“My squire position just happened to be vacant.  And my proud cousin here begged me to let him serve me… well, blood is thicker than water.”

“Stop it.”

Perinem, frowning as he shook off Simon’s arm, sneered when he made eye contact with Kata.

“Looks like you got beaten up pretty badly in the spar?”

“…….”

“Now you understand, don’t you? No matter how strong a First Awakened is, a Second Awakened is on a different level.”

Kata laughed awkwardly.

“Hey, Perinem.  You’re aware that you’re also a First Awakened, right?”

“Of course.  I just hope you realize that the world is wide and there are many skilled individuals out there.”

Seeing his smug face, she was somehow reminded of Terion when he was younger.

After losing repeatedly to Kata, her younger brother had wanted to see her being defeated by their swordsmanship instructor.

“Please put my sister in her place!”

Remembering that made her chuckle softly.

Perhaps interpreting it as ridicule, Perinem’s face hardened.

Meanwhile, Simon cheerfully pulled up a chair.

“Mind if I sit down?”

“You’re already sitting.”

“Yes, but I’m asking for permission, even if it’s late.”

“…….”

***

“You should have heard the Vice-Commander yelling his head off.”

Simon munched on a strawberry.

“Sir Soram has been suspended for a month and confined for three days.”

“Excuse me?”

“Injuries happen often when hot-blooded knights fight, but a spar between a senior and a rookie with a significant skill gap is different.  Did you think he’d get away without any disciplinary action?”

“…Yes.”

“Oh dear, it seems you have no trust in the Knights Order at all.”

As the plate emptied, Xenon neatly placed the strawberry tops he had cut with the paring knife onto it.

Meanwhile, Simon rummaged through the basket and pulled out a purple-skinned fruit.

“Oh, a Chioya. You’ve heard of it, right, Xenon?  Will you peel this with your artistic skills?”

The knife, which had been steadily peeling fruit, stopped.

Xenon glanced at Kata, who was sitting awkwardly, and said in a blunt tone, “Donovan can’t eat Chioya.”

“How do you know?”

“…She stayed at our estate for three years for recuperation.  She collapsed after eating a sauce with Chioya juice.”

“For three years?”

Simon turned his head to look at Kata.

“For what reason?”

Kata swallowed the strawberry in her mouth.

“…I had nightmares for a long time. My father thought it was because I was always staying inside the mansion.  So he asked Count Corer, whom he was acquainted with, to send me to the south, where the weather is nice, for recuperation.”

“Nightmares?”

Perinem interjected.

“Nightmares? Just nightmares?”

A thick layer of mockery coated his bright face.

“What a rotten mind. The Count must have been an excessively doting father out of necessity.  Or maybe the opposite.”

His lips, marked with a faint scar, moved subtly.

“He might have just sent her away because he didn’t want to see her.  Sending his daughter to live in a foreign land for three years just because of nightmares.”

Kata’s heart skipped a beat.

When their eyes met, Perinem smiled.

“Did I hit a nerve?”

Kata’s face hardened, unlike her usual self.

Perinem, perhaps seeking revenge for the duel, didn’t avert his gaze.

A fierce exchange took place in the air, through their gazes alone. Kata, glaring coldly at him, slowly reached out her hand.

The only thing nearby that could be used as a weapon was the paring knife Xenon was holding, but Perinem stiffened slightly.

Fortunately, he had a wooden sword strapped to his uniform.  And his cousin was someone who could turn even a fork into a weapon, a reliable person in any case.

Kata, moving to the edge of the bed, snatched something.

It was a ripe strawberry.

“…….”

Perinem stared dumbfoundedly as Kata munched on the strawberry.

Judging by her expression, it seemed she wanted to chew on Perinem instead of the strawberry.

Simon exclaimed in admiration, “Wise. You’ve realized that you need sugar to talk to Perinem.”

“Yes.”

“Sometimes my head spins when I talk to him.”

He turned his head and tossed the Chioya to Perinem.  The fruit, larger than an apple, was heavy and firm.

“Perinem, as your superior, I order you.  Eat that and shut your mouth.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you just smiled with that handsome face of yours?”

“…….”

“Why, do you want to challenge me to a duel too?”

Despite the harmless joke, Perinem’s face contorted.

Just as he was about to say something, a heavy bell rang out.

Xenon placed the paring knife on the plate.

“It seems I need to go, training is about to start.”

“Right. Time flies.”

Xenon nodded and glanced at Kata before leaving the infirmary. The door closed behind him without a second thought.

Kata turned her gaze to the dried juice on the plate.  She found it amusing that Xenon, who couldn’t even offer a kind word, had diligently peeled fruit for her.

Looking at the firmly closed door, she felt a surge of excitement. She had long forgotten the pain.

For years, Xenon had always been that kind of existence to her.

—–CROW—– 

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