Chapter 18 –
“You think the personal details of a Lashvalen agent would just come out of anyone’s mouth that easily?”
“You said she’s your friend. I’m asking you to speak as a friend.”
“Oh? In that case, wouldn’t you have to be my friend first before I can say anything?”
At that, Ludekias shut his mouth and looked straight ahead again, arms crossed.
“Do you hate the idea of being friends with me that much? Or are you just not that curious?”
“Both.”
“Then why are you so curious about Mirea?”
Rivielo tilted her head slightly and smiled slyly.
“Can’t I be curious?”
“If someone possibly among the most dangerous people in the world is interested in my friend, maybe I should be worried. Why the sudden interest?”
Ludekias inwardly echoed her words. Yeah, why? Why am I curious? I’ve got enough of my own problems—why worry about someone else? But he soon answered himself: So what if I’m curious? Humans are naturally curious creatures. It’s normal.
Besides, Mirea did tell him to be curious about her. If the person in question is practically encouraging it, then what’s the harm?
“Because standing here with you is awkward and boring?”
Ludekias answered, and Rivielo chuckled quietly and shook her head.
“Find out for yourself. Mirea’s an easy read.”
Ludekias frowned at that answer, clearly not satisfied. Just then, the office door burst open with dramatic force.
“Hey! You’re coming to my house. It’s settled. Let’s go!”
Mirea came running out into the hall and pointed between Ludekias and Rivielo.
“So, did you two introduce yourselves already?”
“I did, but she didn’t respond.”
“That’s petty…”
Mirea looked at Ludekias with an expression of mild disappointment. He suddenly felt wronged.
“I get it, you each have your reasons, but can you not argue in front of me?”
Mirea let out a heavy sigh. Ludekias stayed silent. Rivielo just replied with a quiet smile.
“Wait, your house?”
“Isn’t that the one Sephiros mentioned?”
Both Rivielo and Ludekias expressed confusion at the change in destination.
“You mean the house you live in?”
Didn’t she just say earlier that she was kicked out of her old place?
“Yeah, my house. I mean, my original house. It’s actually quite nice, and no one’s living there right now, so it’s spacious enough for both of us. Sephiros gave his okay too. Honestly, it’s more comfortable for me than that mansion he arranged.”
For the first time during her conversation with Ludekias, Rivielo’s expression changed dramatically—her eyes widened. She instinctively stepped in between them and grabbed Mirea’s shoulders.
“You were just saying you didn’t want to go back. Are you really going?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? Is there some reason I can’t go back to my own home?”
Mirea tried to avoid Rivielo’s eyes. But Rivielo seemed to catch on and glanced disapprovingly at Ludekias before gripping Mirea’s shoulders tighter.
“You’re not seriously—”
“What are you even imagining to say ‘seriously’ like that?”
“You said you didn’t want to be alone and now you’re bringing Ludekias?”
“Yeah! That’s probably what you’re thinking, and you’re right! So what? Is there a problem?”
“It’s not that there’s a problem—just… why him? There’s me, or even Lord Sephiros or Paulo—”
“And what’s wrong with him? Why can’t it be him? Sephiros approved it.”
Faced with Mirea’s firm tone, Rivielo sighed deeply.
“Will you be okay? This is all so sudden.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m going somewhere dangerous.”
Mirea laughed dramatically. Rivielo looked like she had a lot more to say, but she just took Mirea’s hands and spoke with concern.
“Okay then. If anything happens, call me right away—I’ll come running.”
“What am I, your lover? I said I’ll be fine. I’ll accept the thought though—thank you.”
Mirea gently nudged Rivielo aside, who was still blocking Ludekias.
“Anyway, you’ll be staying at my place, like I said. Sephiros told me to let you rest and sort things out for a few days. He seemed to have said everything he needed to say, and he’s not really the type to give dramatic farewells. He stops caring the moment the conversation ends. Do you still have something left to tell him? If not, let’s go.”
At that, Ludekias glanced over her shoulder toward Sephiros’ office door.
“Right now?”
“Well… I haven’t been home in a while, so I need to check the condition and restock anything that’s missing. And you don’t exactly have anywhere else to stay, do you? Unless you’d rather have another cup of tea with Sephiros.”
Ludekias quickly shook his head.
“And you didn’t even bring any personal belongings, right?”
Mirea grinned and waved a small white checkbook-like item in front of him.
“I got Sephiros to write me a blank check for anything you need. So if there’s anything you want, just say it. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and go on a nice shopping spree.”
While Mirea was clearly thrilled, Ludekias looked rather indifferent. Only Rivielo raised a skeptical voice.
“The Chairman gave you that willingly?”
“He had no choice! This guy doesn’t even have a change of clothes! Feeding and clothing someone costs money, and if he dragged you here, the least he can do is pay up, right?”
Mirea shot Ludekias a teasing look as if the answer was obvious.
“I mean, he did say if I overspend it’s coming out of my paycheck. But I’ll only buy what we need. Just the essentials. Real. Essentials.”
She hummed happily.
“Rivi, if you’re free, wanna come with us?”
Rivielo shook her head lightly. Her platinum-blonde hair shimmered with the motion.
“I’ve seen enough. And I’d just be in the way, wouldn’t I?”
“Seen enough?”
Rivielo winked one eye at Ludekias as he questioned her and gave a serene smile.
“It was nice meeting you. Let’s meet again sometime.”
And with that, Rivielo waved goodbye and walked off. Mirea awkwardly added,
“Okay… um, I’ll be back in a sec. I’m gonna swing by my locker and grab the keys. And maybe fix my hair while I’m at it—it’s a mess from not drying it properly.”
She ran her fingers through her still-damp hair as she walked off. Ludekias followed, grumbling.
“Come to think of it, why do you keep calling me ‘hey, hey’ like that?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, what’s with the way you address me? Never mind the casual speech.”
Mirea blinked, confused, and twirled her damp hair with a finger as she answered,
“Uh… well, you started speaking informally first, okay? If you want polite speech, maybe you should try being polite first. Or do you want royal treatment? But you’re royalty from another country—it’s got nothing to do with us. I’m not your subject. Honestly, I don’t even know what to call you. You don’t like being called by your real name. So I tried to avoid that and ended up just calling you ‘hey.’ So what do you want me to call you?”
That made the crease in Ludekias’ brow relax. It was oddly touching that she remembered his sharp warning about his name.
“…Right.”
“And I can’t call you ‘Black Wings’ either. Just being here means you’re either Sephiros’ right hand or a classified secret. If I go around calling you ‘Black Wings,’ it’s a huge security risk. Same problem if I use your real name.”
Without thinking too much, Ludekias replied,
“Call me Aris again. Aris Kleinshed.”
“You’re still using that alias? You sure?”
“It’s fine. Hardly anyone knows it anyway.”
“Wait… hold on. Did you say your last name is ‘Kleinshed’?”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t that mean…”
“Yup. It means exactly what you think it does.”
“Who takes on a last name that literally means ‘the one who stole Klein’?!”
Mirea stared at him like he was out of his mind, but Aris just replied shamelessly.
“Klein was originally a duchy, and technically, I was meant to inherit it. So it’s not a lie.”
Then Aris—no, Ludekias—smiled lightly and gave a formal bow.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Aris Kleinshed. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mirea Janeaster. I hope we can put the past behind us and get along from now on.”
Mirea laughed brightly, then mirrored his bow.
“Sure, I’ll accept your apology. Let’s get along.”
Just then, the clouds that had been covering the sun drifted away, and sunlight streamed through the window. It wasn’t much, but Aris thought it was a fittingly dramatic moment. In that light, her olive-colored eyes shimmered like rippling water.
Perhaps that’s why his heart skipped a beat, as he stared at a face that held not even a speck of hostility toward him.
Mirea left Aris standing at the front gate, saying she’d be back shortly. As he waited, he blankly watched the people passing by—soldiers in Lashvalen uniforms and local civilians all bustling about. After drifting through so many desolate places, the crowded street felt strange and unfamiliar. At the same time, he was a little anxious—worried someone might recognize him.
But just as the boredom began to settle in, a loud horn blasted in his ears. He turned his head to see Mirea riding up on a motorcycle with a sidecar, her hair barely tamed and tied back.
“Hey, get on!”
She tossed a helmet and goggles to Aris. She donned her own, then started the engine with a sputtering roar.
“My house isn’t far, but it’s not quite walkable. We could take the tram, but wouldn’t it be nicer if it’s just the two of us?”
As soon as Aris sat in the sidecar, the bike sped up in an instant. They passed the bustling main street, turned down a narrow road, and soon the ocean came into view—the same sea he had seen from Sephiros’ office.
