Chapter 11 –
Clink.
Even after the jangling door closed tightly, Reynol didn’t move his gaze from the window where Hestia had disappeared.
Once again, he suppressed the many questions he’d wanted to ask today.
It was part of the contract conditions he was strictly reminded of by his mother when he inherited the position of merchant guild master.
Do not have any curiosity about Hestia. Keep everything about her a secret.
“…I can still endure it for now.”
But how long could he continue to?
A deep shiver passed through Reynol’s blue eyes as he thought of her.
“Um… Master Reynol. That 14-year-old boy, could he possibly be…”
“There’s a chance. But…”
Reynol slowly turned and looked at the employee who had spoken.
“Did you forget the rule that if you work here, you’re to shut your eyes and ears?”
His eyes, beautiful in shape but cold in color, gleamed ominously.
“S-sorry! I was just worried in case it had something to do with the royal family!”
Meeting Reynol’s gaze, the employee bowed deeply, gripping his trembling hands tightly.
“As long as I’m the guild master, nothing stands above Artis Trading Company.”
Reynol gently helped the man to stand and straightened the crumpled collar of his shirt as he added,
“If you want to stay here for a long time, be careful.”
Whether he meant life or employment, the statement was ambiguous.
“Y-yes, understood!”
The employee nodded frantically, his face pale.
Only after that did Reynol give a few pats to the man’s shoulder and leave calmly.
After parting with Baek-ah in the forest near the house, Hestia trudged along, groaning.
“Ugh… This is seriously heavy.”
She dragged a basket full of things, walking for quite a while before finally reaching her home.
“Ugh. I’m dying.”
After setting the basket down at the door, Hestia tapped her tired arms and stretched her back.
She hurriedly grabbed the doorknob, worried she might’ve returned too late—and then she noticed something strange.
The sun had already dipped low, close to setting. Normally, the candles should have been lit by now.
But no light spilled from the house. It was eerily dark, like no one was inside.
…Had he left?
Even if it was just a one-night coincidence, leaving like this?
A strange sense of disappointment and loneliness swept over Hestia.
She had thought that such futile emotions had long burned to ash and vanished in the flames of betrayal and pain she’d endured.
Sigh…
Her sigh echoed in the darkness.
With her eyes tightly shut, Hestia whispered encouragement to herself.
It’s fine. It’s fine, Hestia. You’re used to this. Pull yourself together.
She barely caught herself from falling into that familiar pit.
Hoo!
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes wide and forcefully pulled the door open.
Creeeak—
As expected, the inside of the house was silent and dark. No sign of anyone.
“…What was I expecting.”
Hestia chuckled bitterly at herself and dragged the heavy basket inside.
“What am I supposed to do with all of this?”
Almost everything in the basket had been bought for Theo. She hesitated, overwhelmed, but—
“I should light a candle before it gets any darker.”
Hestia didn’t want to fall deeper into her thoughts, so she quickly began rummaging through the shelf for new candles.
Then—
Creeeak.
The unexpected sound of the door made her heart drop.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively turned around.
“You…”
Then she saw him—and gasped.
She thought he’d left.
She thought he’d vanished.
She’d thought of it as just a passing encounter.
“I was going to take a quick bath, but I’m a little late. Did you have a good trip?”
Creak—
Closing the door behind him, Theo stepped toward her through the darkness. His golden irises gleamed faintly even in the shadows.
“W-wait.”
Hestia quickly stepped back, hiding her face in the dark.
She needed a moment. Just a moment. Her emotions, barely contained, were flooding out uncontrollably.
She didn’t want to show such weakness—didn’t want to be exposed.
Drip.
A droplet fell from somewhere, echoing through the silent house.
“…Are you okay?”
The boy’s voice, neither too high nor low, reached her.
Drip.
The ripple of that small sound jolted Hestia out of her emotions.
As if a missing piece of a puzzle had been found, her sinking heart regained its balance.
“Ah, yeah… I’m fine.”
The first syllable trembled, but Hestia managed to swallow dryly and steady her voice.
Haa… She heard Theo’s quiet sigh, followed by his cautious voice.
“…Can I come closer now?”
But Hestia didn’t reply.
Come closer?
There was only one answer she could give to that question.
Many had approached her with shallow sympathy and curiosity. Far too many.
But there were always two outcomes.
They would either spit on her, calling her a witch, or they would die miserably trying to defend her.
The feeling of waking up alone among their corpses…
So Hestia couldn’t allow herself to say yes.
Biting her lower lip hard, she gave her answer.
“…Stay there. Don’t come closer.”
Shaking off her painful thoughts, she turned back to the shelf.
“It’s too dark… You could get hurt walking around. I’ll light a candle, so just wait a moment.”
Her voice trembled, but she did her best to sound calm.
Whether fortunately or not, Theo neither moved nor spoke.
“Ah, found it.”
Click. Click. Fwoosh.
The flame flickered to life, the candlelight spreading instantly through the room.
In the warm glow, her tangled emotions melted away, and Hestia forced the corners of her mouth upward in a smile as she turned around.
“Where did you go?”
Theo’s golden eyes, unblinking, quietly took her in.
That piercing gaze, whose meaning she couldn’t grasp, made her fingers tremble—and she hid them behind her back.
“…”
Still, Theo said nothing.
Drip.
Again, a droplet fell and echoed.
He roughly brushed his damp hair back and finally spoke.
“…Are you really okay?”
His low, gentle question made Hestia purse her lips tightly.
On a normal day, she might have smiled like an ordinary person, with ordinary worries and pains.
But in front of those eyes, in front of this flickering candlelight, it felt impossible.
To say “I’m fine. I really am. I’m okay.”
She couldn’t bring herself to utter those false words.
After Hestia had left for the village—
That morning, when soft rays of sun trickled in through the window, Theo had been busy.
He needed time to gather his thoughts, to check out the surroundings, and though he didn’t fully trust Hestia yet, he wanted to do what he could to repay her for letting him stay.
Truthfully, the resolve to stay longer had already started to take shape the moment he’d decided.
To protect his people.
To reclaim what was his.
To no longer allow unnecessary sacrifices for his sake.
“I won’t be weak anymore.”
Every word he spoke etched itself into his heart, carrying deep pain and anguish.
So deep that he didn’t even feel the pain of his nails digging into his clenched palms.
“…”
It was time to bury the past and look ahead. No more trying to understand them.
Haa…
A heavy sigh, far too heavy for his age, slipped out.
How much time passed?
As the tangled thoughts gradually unraveled, distant sounds returned to him.
Birds chirping energetically, the early summer breeze, leaves dancing in warm sunlight.
Contrary to his dark thoughts and resolve, the cheerful sounds of nature slowly relaxed his tense body.
“Should I take a look around?”
Where exactly in the mountains was this place?
To find out, Theo stood up from his chair.
Clunk.
The unbalanced chair wobbled noisily.
He’d already gotten used to balancing himself, so it didn’t really bother him—
“…She might sit here.”
Thinking of the cabin’s owner, Theo changed his plan and decided to do some cleaning and repairs first.
Even a quick glance revealed countless things needing attention.
The wobbly chair, the squeaky door hinges, the creaky bed, the leaning shelf, the cracked wall letting in cold air.
He didn’t know how to fix things or in what order—
“But I’ll try.”
Every step from now on would be a learning experience anyway.
He had already resolved to overcome fear of the unknown, so these minor challenges only boosted his confidence.
A soft smile of excitement formed on Theo’s lips.
The clocktower that overlooked the entire village of Silio.
Under the midday shadow, masked figures in black began to gather one by one.
“…He’s not in this village, after all.”
Four pairs of eyes turned toward one person, waiting for a response.
“…”
Cold emerald eyes scanned the busy townspeople below, indifferent.
Then, at the far edge of town, he spotted an odd figure at the stables.
Someone cloaked in a robe, riding a well-built brown horse. The man focused.
“…You all head to the neighboring village.”
The man’s tightly closed mouth opened slowly.
His gaze still fixed on the stables.
“You’re not coming with us, boss?”
A younger masked man tilted his head, questioning the vague order.
“I’ll follow after a final check. Be cautious.”
With that, he leapt down from the clocktower and vanished.
Despite the height and danger, not even a flicker of hesitation or fear was visible in his movements.
