Chapter 86: The Hottie
Inside her mansion Kael finally settled himself on one of the sofas placed near the side, the kind that had backing on all sides, and across from him stood another identical one. He leaned into it as though his entire body had been waiting for this small moment of rest, adjusting himself carefully so that his injured hand rested against the upper edge of the sofa in such a way that the pain would not flare up more than it already did. The ache was deep and unpleasant, and he knew very well that it would not vanish until his mana properly replenished, something that would not happen quickly.
In the quiet of that vast hall his mind, as always, began to wander. He placed his healthy palm against his forehead and tilted his gaze toward the magnificent ceiling above, as though the ornate carvings could give him some sort of relief. A sigh escaped his lips, low and tired, and then the thought crept in, one that made him groan at himself.
"Calm down... she will take her time before coming back here, and there is no need for me to act restless. She is bathing, nothing more, and it just so happens that I am within her house. It should not feel strange, yet for me this is the very first time I have ever visited another woman's home. I am used to Seraphina disappearing for her long baths or whatever she pleases, but this is different. I must hold myself together. No wandering thoughts, no foolish impulses. I must not forget that I already have a wife."
The memory of that simple truth struck him harder than he had expected. He had a wife. How could he even allow himself to feel otherwise? That alone was enough to quiet the restless hum inside his chest, and slowly he felt it ease. It was not that difficult in the end, for perhaps he had been worrying over nothing. Time trickled on, stretching itself until it felt almost like eternity, and then, at last, the familiar sound of her voice carried across the hall. Yet this time it was not only the voice but also the sound of her steps, clear and steady, echoing softly on the polished marble floor.
"So, you truly have not moved a single inch since I left. I was rather expecting to find you lingering behind the door of my chambers, but it appears I was mistaken all along." Her words carried a strange blend of sweetness and coldness, as though both could exist in her tone without effort.
Kael turned his gaze toward her, his lips curving faintly as he replied with a calmness that almost seemed mocking, "I was just about to do exactly that, but it seems you finished earlier than I anticipated, so now I have lost my chance. Truly unfortunate."
He spoke lightly, but the thought trailed within him. For all the eternity it had felt like, her return had come quicker than he had ever imagined. In his mind, Seraphina's baths had conditioned him into believing that women would spend an hour, sometimes longer, lost in their endless rituals or whatever. Clearly Arwyn had proven him wrong. A stray thought surfaced, unwilling to be silenced: "Just what do you do for so long in that bath of yours, Seraphina?"
The thought evaporated the very moment his eyes settled fully on Arwyn. He froze. His breath stilled for a heartbeat, and the sight before him struck harder than he wished it would. Her presence alone was startling enough, but her appearance left him stunned beyond measure. A faint warmth touched his cheeks before he could stop it.
Her mint-green hair, still damp from the water, caught the faint light with a soft glow, yet it had been tied once again into her usual ponytail, giving her an air both disciplined and wild. She wore a mermaid-style gown, flowing elegantly, its fabric clinging close to her figure.
On one side the dress parted high enough to reveal the length of her leg... long, slender, and impossibly smooth, the pale white of her skin catching his eyes no matter how much he wished to avert them. The gown itself shimmered in deep shades of green with delicate designs woven across it, graceful and refined, and though it covered her chest modestly, the natural curve of her form was outlined with a clarity that left little to imagination. Her hands were bare, not too long, yet almost ethereal.
It was not merely the dress, nor the skin it revealed, that made him freeze, or perhaps blush a little... but the way it fitted her body so tightly that every line of her figure seemed to declare itself. Her waist narrowed with perfect precision, her torso was lean and flat, her modest bust proportionate to her frame, and altogether she carried the silhouette of an hourglass sculpted by intent.
Kael, despite himself, could not help but admire her… uh… beauty. Of course, it was her beauty. He bit down on the rising thought, but it slipped free anyway. "Now I understand why people call her the hottie. She truly lives up to that title more than I would ever care to admit. Get a grip, you fool. Do not lose yourself just because this lunatic decided to wear something like that. Idiot."
Her hand brushed along her waist as she tilted her chin slightly, her voice lilting with quiet pride. "Too bad indeed. I suppose you were far too occupied with your thoughts, and thus too late to act. What a pity."
Kael cleared his throat and shifted his gaze, forcing himself to look away before his mind could betray him again. "Jokes aside, can you at least explain why you are dressed like this? It hardly seems as though you are about to attend a grand banquet or any celebration." His tone was cool, even, yet touched with a genuine curiosity he could not entirely suppress.
Her expression darkened by a shade, her eyes narrowing as though his words offended her. "Do you mean to suggest you have some problem with it?"
He raised his healthy hand in easy surrender, his gaze steady as he met hers. "Not at all. You may wear whatever pleases you. I only asked because when I first met you, you wore something far less revealing than this. It is only natural that I wonder if there is some particular reason for the change."
Her lips curved into a laugh, light and melodic, yet carrying a sharpness that reminded him of how dangerous she could be. "You do not need to spin your words, Kael. Simply admit it... you were stunned, and your mind went wandering further than you would like. I am beautiful after all, and you know it.
Kael looked at her with an expression devoid of amusement. She seemed very much like him, who called himself handsome, yet the difference was that she was right about herself while he was utterly wrong about himself. Who cared anyway.
But then he had to reply because she looked somehow irritated, "Indeed, I was. Even more than you'd expect. In fact, I was just thinking about something beyond your imagination. Trust me, you really don't want to know about this. So, can we now move forward with our conversation?"
She didn't reply. Instead, she moved, her steps smooth as she approached and lowered herself onto the sofa across from him. He thought himself relieved... until the moment she crossed her legs with deliberate grace, the motion slow, purposeful, and entirely meant to draw attention. Her one leg's clothes parted slightly, revealing the other, which was actually breathtaking in the dim light of the night.
Kael's thoughts clenched instantly. "What in the world is wrong with this woman? Why does she insist on acting like this? How long am I supposed to look away before I lose my patience?"
Indeed, her legs were almost dangerously beautiful... no, not just beautiful; they were truly gorgeous.
His jaw tightened, his mind screaming at him as though it had a life of its own. "Shut up, shut up, just shut the hell up, you worthless mind. Stay calm, you fool. Do not give her the satisfaction."
Meanwhile, Arwyn's expression shifted in a way Kael had not anticipated. The coldness softened, her lips curling into a smile that carried both amusement and a hint of provocation, and she spoke with a tone that carried a noble assurance.
"Since you seem so eager to question my sense of clothing, I shall grant you a small explanation. Outside these walls, in most circumstances, I choose garments that are far less revealing. It is not entirely my own preference, but rather because my dearest friend, Seraphina, despises such attire. She scolded me many times during our days at the Academy, insisting that I dress with more restraint. That is one reason."
Kael's gaze lingered upon her for a moment, his voice steady and even as he asked, "And what is the other reason?"
Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a faint shadow, and her teal-green eyes glimmered with an intensity that carried the weight of her disdain. "The other reason is far simpler. I despise men. I loathe the thought of exposing myself to them in any way. Thus, I refuse to grant them even the smallest satisfaction. Yet this is my home, my sanctuary, where I need not care for the eyes of others, and here I am free to be comfortable in my gowns. In fact, there are nights when I prefer to sleep with nothing at all."
Kael felt the words strike him like a sudden bolt of lightning, though by now he should have expected such reckless bluntness from her. His mind hissed inwardly with disbelief. "This girl truly has no sense of what should be said or when to say it. She declares her hatred of men, yet she sits here flaunting herself before me as though I am not included among them. Does she truly not count me as a man simply because of my height? How dare she! For your information, I can change my height however I wish. Do you hear me, lunatic?"
A smile spread slowly across his face, though the heat beneath it was more fury than amusement. "I see, I see. That is indeed a very noble and convincing reason," he said, his tone cool yet edged with the quiet burn of insult.
She nodded as though satisfied with her own reasoning, and then with a shift of her voice, she asked, "So then, shall we begin your training now?"
Kael inclined his head lightly. "Yes, of course."
Time passed slowly, and she leaned forward with a more serious air, her words now carrying the weight of knowledge. She inquired about the elements he wielded, the healing techniques he already knew, and the extent of his rank.
Kael answered each question calmly, his tone even and his composure steady, while she listened intently, her sharp mind weighing every word. Finally, after hearing it all, she fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Listen carefully, Kael. The reason you have remained at C-Rank for all these years is that your mana core has stabilized at a certain level. It has grown accustomed to that state and is no longer expanding enough to contain more mana. This stagnation occurs because you have not forced yourself to break beyond it, nor have you absorbed the greater currents of mana that would demand expansion. What you must do is simple in essence yet difficult in practice. You must first break through that C-Rank stage, only then can you ascend to B-Rank. In the meantime, I shall also teach you healing techniques that will prove invaluable in days to come."
Kael listened with care, noting the clarity of her knowledge, the confidence with which she spoke. Yet within him stirred the awareness that though she spoke truth in part, she was also mistaken. He had not merely stagnated at C-Rank. Rather, his mana had never shifted, never grown, never diminished, as though frozen in place since the beginning. In a sense, it was less a wall he could break than a curse laid on him. He raised his eyes to her and replied calmly, "I understand, ma'am. How do you wish me to begin?"
For a time she remained silent, then a smirk touched her lips as she answered, "It is very simple. You must focus upon the expansion of your mana core. Yours is a healing mana core, and in healing magic the strength lies not in elaborate spells, but in how much mana you can draw forth to mend and sustain. Of course knowledge of anatomy and spellcraft are vital, but mana is the foundation. I could shatter the stability of your core with magic stones if I so wished, but that is not the path I will give you. I want you to break it yourself."
Kael tilted his head, answering with his usual composure, "I will try my best." His tone was light, though inwardly his conviction remained unchanged. "She speaks of breaking stability, yet she does not realize that I possess no such stability to begin with. She cannot understand what binds me."
Aloud he asked, "So then, what would you have me do?"
Her voice was smooth and commanding. "Sit upon the sofa, cross your legs as in meditation, and focus wholly on the flow of your mana. Then push against it, again and again, until it strains. You must press harder than you believe you can. If your core were of another element, then you would fight, cast, and battle until the strain forced it wider. But with healing, it is not the same, for it is more inward, more restrained. That is why you must force it through focus."
Kael let out a slow breath, his relief almost visible. At least she had not commanded him into some grueling body training, if she had, he would surely have been furious. Instead, this was something he could endure, so he lowered himself into the position she instructed, closing his eyes as he drew his mind into the rhythm of his mana. He focused, he pressed, he pushed. And though he already knew the effort would not bear fruit, still he went through the motions, because at the very least it kept her from pressing further.
After all," he thought with the faintest smirk, "I must survive my wife's wrath by completing this training."
Yet even in his efforts, even as his eyes opened and closed to regain focus, each time they strayed, they always returned unbidden to the long, pale legs crossed elegantly before him. They were, indeed, very mesmerizing.
"They're not," he thought.
---
After a while longer, she continued instructing him, her voice carrying that same persistence as before, yet he did not care in the slightest, and instead let his thoughts drift while the moments passed.
When his eyes finally wandered to the clock, he realized it was already late. To his surprise, the training had already ended.
As he was about to take his leave she suddenly spoke, her tone quieter, almost sincere in a way that did not quite fit the earlier sharpness. "Before you leave, would you like to have dinner with me tonight? It would bring me joy to prepare something for you. You may also take it as a small apology, since I was the one who pushed you into all of this in the first place."
Kael looked at her, a faintly crooked smile appearing as if it was his only natural response. "I am sorry, but not tonight, not today at least. There are reasons I cannot. Yet, if you truly wish to apologize, you may do so later, perhaps in another way."
Her eyes flickered with curiosity, and with almost generous elegance she asked, "And which way would that be?"
He turned slightly, already stepping away as he replied, "I will tell you later. Also, another thing." He bowed lightly, after all, he had learned that one should always bow to someone who had brought even a little happiness. "Thanks for the amazing view. It was truly incredible."
She looked at him with a strange expression. It seemed she had somehow lost her mind or perhaps she was embarrassed. But Kael didn't care at all. Realizing she wouldn't say anything, Kael stood up.
With that, he left her house, and only after he had crossed the gate did he release a deep sigh from within his chest.
"Ah... At last, I feel alive again. It seems the number of women capable of making me blush has grown from four into five. I should be cautious from now on," he thought, amused yet troubled at the same time.
For a brief moment his thoughts tangled. Four women? Had there truly been four who had drawn such reactions from him long ago? And how had he come to be so certain of that number when his memory itself was fractured? He pressed a hand against his temple as if to steady the ache that returned.
"Once again… this headache has stolen so many pieces of my memory. I can sense the fragments still remain, clawing their way back whenever they wish," he muttered inwardly.
He reached the main path, and though his body longed for rest at home, he chose not to return there immediately. He had promised himself in the morning that he would deal Seraphina a certain punishment, and so he decided his delay this evening would serve as that.
"Patience, my darling," he whispered to the absent noblewoman. "I shall return within the hour, or perhaps you may make your dinner yourself."
---
The night in Velhart was alive as always. The air carried the calm beauty of magic lights glowing along the streets, casting a soft brilliance across the lively pathways where people moved here and there.
Kael wandered among them without any intention, since he had no interest in the bustle of the city tonight. Yet as he passed by a narrow shop with its front opened to the street, his eyes caught upon something, and his steps slowed until they carried him closer.
The shop was small, a glass counter set at the front with all manner of handmade accessories displayed within. Most were clearly meant for women, though here and there curious stones were also arranged for display.
He had no thought to purchase anything, but then his gaze fell upon one piece in the middle of the counter that seemed to glow with its own presence, as if it were a queen among common ornaments. It was a silver crescent-moon shaped hairclip, no larger than his palm, and its edges were tipped in a deep blue shade. Within its glass layer rested a small crystal, and inside that crystal bloomed a Snow Gentian flower, pristine and elegant like a queen's crown.
At once it reminded him of Seraphina.
His fingers twitched restlessly by his side, and in that moment his imagination betrayed him. He saw her in his mind wearing it in different ways, once fixed delicately at the middle of her silver hair, another time fastened slightly to the side, and again worn at the back as she turned away with her cold grace. He shook his head quickly as if to cast away those images.
Even though it would suit her, he thought it unworthy. Not because he wished to hoard his coin, but because he believed such a simple ornament would never suit a noblewoman's wardrobe. A sad smile tugged at his lips as he whispered inwardly, "No… she already has countless accessories, and something like this would be far beneath her. If I am to give her a gift, then I should first earn the wealth worthy of her name."
With that he looked at the hairclip one last time, ready to step away, when a raspy voice broke the air.
"Looking for a gift for your lover, young man?"
Kael turned and lowered his gaze, for at first he had seen no one. Then he noticed her: an older woman well into her later years, seated behind the counter with a knowing smile.
"No… only looking," he answered calmly.
She shook her head, her voice warm yet seasoned by time. "Yes, yes, yes. That is what every man says before his hands reach for a gift. Tell me, which one caught your eyes? They are all beautiful in their own way. And do not worry about the quality, for each one was made by my own hands."
Kael glanced from her to the ornaments. He had no experience in such things, yet he could see clearly the labor and devotion that had been poured into them. His finger finally lifted, pointing toward the piece that had already captured his thoughts.
"That silver hairclip in the middle. I want that one."
The woman followed his gesture, and then rubbed her hands together with a brightened expression. "Ah, young man, keen eyes indeed. Few notice that piece, yet it is special, one of my finest crafts."
He stepped closer, and she opened the glass, placing the ornament before him. In the closeness he could see its beauty even more vividly, the Snow Gentian glistening faintly as if a liquid shimmered within the crystal. He narrowed his eyes and asked, calm but curious, "Special, you say? Are you truly certain?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I am sure, very sure indeed," she replied, her tone carrying a curious weight as she lifted the clip into her palm. "Look carefully, young man. Have you noticed anything strange about it?"
Kael studied the hairclip again, scanning each detail, and though he saw nothing unusual at first his eyes kept returning to that glistening liquid beneath the crystal. After a pause he asked,
"This Snow Gentian flower inside the crystal… is it actually a real flower?"
---
(Chapter Ended)