Chapter 30
As Raylenne got closer, she saw a question mark floating above Aiden’s head. Without saying a word, she grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Although Aiden moved stiffly, he eventually let her take his hand. Raylenne moved his hand around, checking it carefully.
Thankfully, there was no aura visible. This meant there was still some time before Aiden’s power would manifest. However, she still needed to find a way for him to escape as soon as possible. Then, her eyes fell on Aiden’s fingertips. His nails were chipped and broken.
‘There isn’t a single spot that’s unscathed.’
These broken nails must be remnants of the war, now in the process of healing. Raylenne’s gaze softened involuntarily with sympathy. She looked up and found Aiden staring down at her with an unreadable expression.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence hung in the air. Maybe she was the only one feeling this way, her emotions unusually stirred by Aiden today. Normally, she would have snapped, “What are you staring at?” but she couldn’t make a sound now, leaving her no escape from this uncomfortable stillness.
Raylenne slowly tried to retreat back to the wide rock she had been sitting on earlier.
Thunk.
Aiden grabbed her wrist.
“Hmm?”
When she turned around, Aiden was gazing at her intently. His eyes burned with an intensity that made her forget the chilly weather. Her throat felt dry, and as she swallowed, her adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
Aiden leaned in closer to Raylenne. Startled, she couldn’t move. His hair brushed her forehead, and his ash-gray eyes up close looked like tiny universes. His dark pupils, resembling the moon and starlight, glittered brilliantly even in the darkness.
Raylenne realized anew how beautiful Aiden was. His gaunt face, numerous scars, and ragged clothes didn’t matter. This was what the protagonist of the world must look like. For a moment, she was entranced by his eyes. If he were dressed up, no one would be able to look away from him.
While she was lost in these trivial thoughts, Aiden turned his head. His breath brushed her ear.
‘Oh… He came closer because he has something to say.’
She had told him to whisper if he needed to speak, but she had forgotten that in her distraction by his face. Aiden’s faint breath carried a voice so soft it was barely audible.
“Under the moonlight, Lady Raylenne…”
The gentle, low voice and the sound of her racing heartbeat filled her ears.
“You look even more beautiful.”
Aiden’s words were so shocking that Raylenne felt her legs weaken. Heat surged from her neck, making her dizzy. Unable to withstand the heat, Raylenne closed her eyes. She couldn’t muster the courage to look at Aiden.
‘Do Awakeners emit some kind of pheromone under the moonlight that enchants people?’ she wondered.
Raylenne wanted to believe her wildly beating heart was due to the moonlight’s magic. Just then, she heard a patrolman’s voice from afar. She opened her eyes wide and pushed Aiden away. He stepped back obediently.
When she checked her pocket watch, quite a bit of time had already passed. Though Raylenne said nothing, Aiden seemed to understand that their time was up. Like a trained dog, he led the way back to the underground prison. Watching his back, Raylenne tried to calm her uncontrollable heartbeat.
* * *
Clank.
Raylenne fastened the shackle back around Aiden’s ankle. Her eyes wandered to his ankle, noticing that the wounds caused by the shackle were almost healed. Though it had seemed he wouldn’t follow her command to stay within the maximum range, he had indeed obeyed.
Raylenne’s faint smile faded as she straightened up.
“Since I behaved well today, will you take me out again next time?” Aiden asked.
“Yes. As long as you continue to listen like today,” she replied.
Aiden smiled.
“Understood. I’ll look forward to it.”
Raylenne found Aiden’s bright smile unsettling. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had driven so many to death as the Grand Commander in the war.
‘It’s not so much unsettling as it is distracting,’ she corrected herself.
It was dangerous. She had thought it was the magic of the moonlight, but even a glimpse of his face in the darkness seemed to brighten the surroundings. She didn’t know if it was because Aiden was smiling so joyfully or if it was just her feelings, but she hoped it was the former.
Suppressing her confused emotions, Raylenne asked Aiden, “Did you enjoy going outside?”
Aiden paused for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Actually, it wasn’t so much about going outside…”
Wasn’t so much about…?
Raylenne leaned in to hear him better, but Aiden shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“What?”
After piquing her curiosity, he refused to tell her more.
“I felt like you’d scold me if I told you,” he said.
His words only made her more curious, but pressing him further seemed inappropriate, so she reluctantly let it go.
“…Fine. Then I’ll be going now,” Raylenne said, pulling her hood up as she left the underground prison.
It was a restless night.
* * *
Aiden held his breath, listening intently until the sound of Raylenne’s footsteps completely faded away. This was the only way he could bid her farewell from within the confines of his cell. In his heart, he wished he could escort her all the way to her bedside, but the heavy chain around his ankle harshly reminded him of his reality as a prisoner.
The thought of wanting to accompany her was absurd given his situation.
Still, the news he heard today was quite promising.
[“It’s a reward. Didn’t you introduce me to Cashwood? Judging by Cashwood’s confident demeanor, I have high hopes that he will find her.”]
Hearing that he had been helpful made his heart swell with a strange sense of satisfaction. Aiden’s light smile slowly faded as a feeling of disappointment crept in. The fact that there wasn’t even a hint of ulterior motive in her bringing him outside left him feeling a bit deflated.
She was meticulous about repaying any favor she received. Her precise reciprocity dampened his spirits.
‘Even so…’
Even if taking him outside was merely a repayment for introducing her to Cashwood, the experience felt like a dream. Unaware of how his emotions seesawed, Aiden recalled the events of the evening.
The shackle on his foot clicked open. Walking outside with Raylenne, rather than being confined in his cell, excited him more than he had anticipated. For a brief moment, it felt like they were no longer prisoner and warden. Perhaps that was why the breeze felt so pleasant, and the unusually large moon seemed especially beautiful tonight. Watching her long hair flutter in the wind, he felt as if this moment was unreal, like a dream that could vanish beyond the big moon at any moment.
Suddenly, he had a thought.
‘If we had met under different circumstances, not as prisoner and captor…’
Could he have walked this forest path holding her delicate hand?
Raylenne approached him then, and he instinctively flinched when she grabbed his hand. Despite never being startled by any ambush, he found himself surprised by her small, unthreatening gesture. The shock was brief, as he realized she had another purpose, given her studious examination of his hand. He watched her quietly, not particularly curious about her reasons.
Her long eyelashes settled like delicate butterfly wings. Aiden stared at her, feeling as if he had lost his soul to the devil. When their eyes finally met, he felt an impulse to kidnap her and disappear somewhere far away.
She was staring at him intently too, as if lost in her own thoughts. Impulsively, he leaned closer. He wanted to be nearer to her. Using a whisper as an excuse, he took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent that made his head spin. He wished he could stay like this forever, but he knew it was impossible.
Back in his cell, with the shackle re-fastened around his ankle, it felt like waking up from a dream. Yet, the smile remained on his lips.
“Did you enjoy going outside so much?” she asked.
“Actually, it wasn’t so much about going outside…”
Raylenne tilted her head in curiosity. If he told her that he enjoyed briefly escaping the roles of prisoner and captor with her, she would be startled and uncomfortable. He knew his feelings were a burden to her.
“I’m afraid you’ll scold me if I tell you,” Aiden said, suppressing the urge to reveal his true feelings. For now, he was satisfied with today’s dreamlike reward.
Curled up under his blanket, Aiden’s face retained a smile for a long time.
midori
thanks! ayayay aiden, i just feel pity for him! i am looking forward to them meeting again(?) when they are both free