"I'm suspicious of you."
"…Me?"
"From the very start," she said, voice firm now. "The way you talk, the way you smiled like you were trying too hard to be friendly—it always felt fake. I don't know about others, but I noticed. Even when you came to return that earring… I clearly heard Zuzu recognize me immediately and say something bad about it, but you acted like you didn't catch any of it." Daita opened his mouth, but Astra kept going.
"Then after that what you said about your friend. Claiming he had memory issues calling it a mental condition. I don't know why, but that didn't sit right with me. It sounded like an excuse."
Daita tilted his head slightly, but said nothing.
"And I don't know why, but I think you knew I gave you the wrong address. You didn't fall for it—instead, you came back under the excuse of returning the earring. And somehow, you managed to manipulate Arisu into leading you to the right one herself. I didn't have a choice but to act along."
"After that, I couldn't help but notice how you kept trying to talk to Arisu while we walked, being a little too friendly for someone who was supposedly a stranger. At the time, I didn't understand why, but when I thought more clearly it looked like you were trying to get some information out of her."
Daita blinked again, quietly impressed as he kept listening to her speak, she was laying out every detail without missing a beat, who hadn't missed a single detail and said exactly everything he did.
"And you showing up at the same place I was staying?" Astra raised a brow. "Maybe a coincidence, but I've doubted that since the beginning. Don't think I didn't doubt you back at the medicine shop….at the table. You were talking about Arisu's grandfather, didn't you?, and when Arisu said the same thing, my doubt turned out to be true. I think you were doing all that to impress her grandfather." Her expression hardened seeing Daita's smirk growing larger.
She took a breath and grabbed her sleeves, "To get to know you better, I asked you to join us for a drink but that turned into a disaster. Still, one thing's clear now…. you lied. You said you had no spiritual powers, pretended to be a harmless traveler, but clearly… you're not." She stared him down, voice steady. "I don't want to keep walking beside someone I don't know. So tell me, Daita….what are your real intentions?"
She paused.
"And who exactly are you?"
Daita didn't say a word, but the faint smirk tugging at his lips said everything. He was clearly impressed and just a little stunned. His eyes flickered with something unreadable, sharp and curious, as he kept silently watching her.
Then, without a word, he leaned in and took a step forward.
Astra instinctively backed off.
But Daita didn't stop. His steps were slow, deliberate, and confident, closing the distance between them until Astra felt her back bump into the cold bark of a tree. Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by his sudden shift. There was something different in the way he was looking at her now something that didn't match any of his previous moods. It was intense, unreadable, and made her breath hitch just a little.
"What are you—"
"How impressive," Daita murmured, his voice low but clear. "And it wasn't a lie when my instincts told me you were interesting. But still…" His eyes flicked across her face. "I was sure you were just some dumb girl who'd believe anything if someone said it with enough confidence. Noisy, reckless, always reacting before thinking."
His smirk deepened.
"Which.." he tilted his head slightly, "…isn't a lie, by the way. You are trouble."
Astra glared at him, anger flaring in her chest. But Daita went on, his tone growing more amused and yet strangely serious.
"Trouble to me… because every woman I saw fell into my trap. But none ever pretended to fall. And only three have truly observed me the way you did. Yet not one of them ignored everything while noticing every single thing I did. That's not something a fool could pull off."
Astra huffed, her voice defiant. "See? You said it yourself I'm not a fool. Just because I pretend to be dumb doesn't mean I am!"
Daita let out a low chuckles as he leaned in just slightly, that unreadable glint sharpening in his eyes, amused yet quietly calculating. "Of course you're not. I underestimated you," he admitted, his voice smooth. "Your brain is a little more sharper than it needs to be."
Astra narrowed her eyes, unsure if it was a compliment or another sly insult. But before she could respond, Daita leaned in, his voice dropping into a whisper by her ear.
"Don't take it the wrong way… but you caught my interest from the very start," he murmured. "The way others talked about you and the way you acted made me curious. I kept wondering what kind of thoughts run through that reckless mind of yours."
He leaned back just a little, just enough to meet her eyes again.
"But I think those people missed something," he added softly. "They never noticed how sharp your mind really is."
"Others can say whatever they want. They don't know me since birth…" Then, she muttered under her breath, "…..But could you back off a little? I can't breathe properly here."
Daita immediately stepped back, giving her space, but his eyes never left her face. Astra noticed, and with a slight scowl said, "Stop staring at me like that. You're reminding me of someone."
She froze mid-sentence, her expression shifting as something hit her—a memory surfacing suddenly, sharp and vivid.
Daita frowned, noticing the sudden change in her tone. "Who?"
Astra's eyes widened. It hasn't been that long and she had almost forgotten. Then the name slipped from her lips in a breathless whisper.
"…Kriya."
Daita tilted his head, not catching it. "What? Can't speak louder now? That's rich coming from someone who as I saw doesn't know what a quiet voice is."
The jab snapped her out of it. She shook the memory from her head and glared at him, back to her usual fire.
"Why should I tell you? I won't. And anyway, you haven't answered me yet."
Daita smirked, clicking his tongue with an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. You were right. I was trying to impress Grandpa Renshou. And yes, this mission too….it's all connected."
Astra blinked, folding her arms as she scoffed. "Seriously? What are you trying to win his favor or a spot in the family?"
Daita let out a soft chuckle, clearly amused. He leaned slightly to the side, resting a hand on his hip. "What do you think? Come on, use that sharp brain of yours again… let's see if you can guess this too."
Astra narrowed her eyes at him, her mind racing for answers. "Hmm… I think you've got your eyes on my friend Arisu. That's why you're doing all this trying to get close to her through her grandfather. Am I right? The way you approached her and kept looking at her makes it obvious."
Daita choked on air, caught off guard, and coughed once, trying hard not to burst into laughter. He cleared his throat with exaggerated effort. "Arisu is a… very pretty woman."
Astra's glare intensified instantly.
"But," Daita continued quickly, "she doesn't quite match my type. Yes, she's sweet, kind, soft-spoken looked like the gentle, graceful kind. But after last night's little outburst… yeah, no. I saw a whole different, chaotic side of her."
He gave a light shrug. "So to answer your question—no. I don't have my eyes on your friend."
Astra let out a breath of relief, relaxing her shoulders. But she wasn't done. She pointed a finger straight at him. "Then… why do you need to impress her grandfather? It's not like you two know each other. You're supposed to be a complete stranger. Or wait don't tell me… are you lying?"
Daita gave the laziest shrug imaginable. "I don't know. I forgot."
Astra gawked. "Huh?! How can you just forget something like that?!" Her voice rose in disbelief. "Yes, you're lying! What exactly are you here for, Daita?!"
Daita sighed as Astra kept pressing him with question after question. To shut her up, he raised his hand to flick her forehead again—but just as he reached out, Astra bent down swiftly, and his finger smacked the tree behind her instead.
She looked up, scowling. "Don't even try it. I remember what you did last time." Her eyes narrowed. "My suspicions are only getting stronger. And I'm not stopping until you answer my questions. So talk."
Daita let out a long exhale, and to her surprise, slowly knelt down in front of her,
"I'm here," he said at last, "to convince Grandpa Renshou to return to the Imperial Capital—to be there for the Crown Prince's birthday ceremony."
Astra blinked, frown still firm. "Then why all this drama? What's the point of going so far just to give him a flower? Can't you just… ask him directly?"
Daita's gaze dropped. His voice was quieter this time. "I did. It's… not that simple. For some reason, he left the palace years ago. And now he refuses to return. He's cut off ties with everyone—nobles, royals…even with Crown prince" He paused. "…Even me."
Astra stared at him, a flicker of surprise breaking through her suspicion. But her frown only deepened as she processed his words.
"Wait… 'even me'? What do you mean by that?" Her eyes widened. "Hold on—are you saying you're a noble or royal?"
Daita quickly shook his head. "No, no—I'm not a royal. I'm just a palace guard. That's all. I used to be close with Grandpa Renshou back when my parents worked in the palace. I'm only here because the Crown Prince gave me this mission. And I have to complete it—no matter what. If I fail, I lose my job. And since it's a matter tied to the palace and the prince, I had to keep my identity quiet."
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Astra stood up, eyeing him sharply as he rose to his feet beside her.
Daita nodded without hesitation. "Every word."
Astra stared at him for a moment, then slowly tilted her head. "So that means… you're from the capital?"
"Yeah. Born and raised."
"Liar," she muttered under her breath.
"Huh?" Daita leaned slightly closer.
"You said you'd never had that wine from the capital before," she snapped, crossing her arms. "And then just sat there watching us struggle with that strong taste like it was a show."
Daita cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes shifting. "Alright, that part… I was just having a little fun."
Astra rolled her eyes as he straightened up, brushing off his clothes.
"Anyway," Daita continued, voice a bit more serious, "we don't have time to waste. We need to finish this fast and head back by tomorrow. I've only got two days left to return to the capital—before the Second Bloom and I have to make Grandpa agree too."
Astra tapped her chin, still giving him a long, suspicious look. Daita waited silently, his expression somewhere between sheepish and impatient. After a pause, she finally sighed. "Alright. Since you decided to come clean about your identity and your mission… and considering my condition's been met…" She pointed at him. "I'll agree…."
Daita grinned. "Perfect. Let's get going."