Chapter 15
At the sight of him quickly approaching, Lynette flinched in surprise and straightened her posture. She could see Sillian clench his teeth.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing.”
She put a slight distance between herself and Sillian, bowing her head. Her mind was in complete disarray.
The man standing beside her clearly knew the other was an Imperial Prince, yet he only lowered his head slightly, feigning ignorance.
“Is he someone you know?”
Euphen glanced briefly at Sillian as he asked. Lynette parted her lips, then shook her head.
“N-no, I don’t know him.”
“Lynette.”
“Are you a guard? Step back.”
Sillian seemed as if he had something to say, his lips parting slightly, but then he firmly closed them again. Without another word, he quietly stepped back.
Seeing that, Euphen lightly wrapped his arm around Lynette’s shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
“Your Highness the Imperial Prince.”
When Lynette twisted slightly in an attempt to free herself, the large hand on her tightened.
Following Euphen’s lead, she stole a glance over her shoulder. The man stood there, his red eyes fixed intently on her.
A chilling sensation pierced her from head to toe in an instant.
A Guide… did he say Guide?
She turned the word over in her mind.
If she were to be paired with Sillian, she would have to be a Guide. The power he had shown was undeniably that of an Esper. She hadn’t seen much magic before, but she at least knew that mages had all sorts of restrictions when using their spells.
But me, a Guide? In my previous life… I never awakened.
Her head throbbed. She even felt resentment toward Sillian.
Why had he suddenly appeared to throw her into such confusion?
“Did that man make you uncomfortable in some way?”
Since she had kept her mouth shut, Euphen asked with concern. Snapping out of her thoughts, Lynette gave a small shake of her head.
“No. It’s nothing.”
He tilted his head slightly, trying to meet her gaze.
The moment she saw those blue eyes, Lynette quickly lowered her own. A short laugh escaped Euphen.
“Still finding me difficult to approach, I see.”
“Well, you are His Highness the Imperial Prince.”
“I didn’t think I’d made myself that unapproachable.”
“It would be better if you didn’t get too close with a mere temporary Guide.”
She was a little surprised at how smoothly the lie left her lips.
But pushing away a man who took step after step into her guard as though it were nothing was far more difficult than she had imagined.
“Ah, is this because I haven’t been escorting you properly?”
Euphen gave a mischievous smile, then bowed his head slightly in the proper manner and held out his hand.
Looking at this faultlessly perfect gesture, she could almost believe she belonged at his side. Even knowing it was all an illusion, Euphen’s harmless kind of torment, she still forgot for a moment.
With a bitter smile, Lynette lightly placed her hand in his. Pain began to seep in through their joined hands.
“Shall we, Miss Lynette?”
“Just call me Lynette. That’s more than enough.”
Even the touch alone was torment. But the fact that she was only glad for it made her feel pathetic.
Wearing a pleasant smile, Euphen began speaking lightly, how he was growing more used to using his ability, how he would cherish her as his Guide, how he wished she would open her heart to him a little more, and so on.
As she gave appropriate responses, Lynette’s thoughts wandered elsewhere.
A Guide.
Esper and Guide.
The two were destined pairs, yet not exactly equal. When an ability was used, the backlash was carried by the Esper alone.
The Guide suffered no penalty at all. That was why a Guide could live on without ever meeting their Esper, but an Esper could not live without a Guide.
Moreover, in most cases, Espers awakened far earlier than Guides, sometimes within hours, sometimes after months or even years.
In Euphen’s case as well, his awakening and Eshar’s had not aligned at all. That was why he had needed a temporary Guide right away to ease the pain.
They either can’t bear it and take their own life, or they endure the agony until the moment their Guide appears.
An Esper wouldn’t die without a Guide, but the pain was enough to make them wish for death.
Whether they endured in the hope of someday meeting their Guide, or gave up entirely, was up to them. It was well known that Espers who had suffered long tended to become obsessed with their Guides.
It was inevitable. After writhing in unending pain, how could one not cling to the person who could heal everything?
In that sense, Lynette could fully understand why Euphen treated her so well.
Before her regression, she had certainly never awakened as a Guide. She had even researched countless materials out of curiosity about the awakening process.
They said one would have an unforgettable dream, but she had no memory of ever having such a vivid dream.
Even if Sillian is right, I didn’t awaken before. Why?
If a Guide never meets their Esper, would they simply never awaken?
She prided herself on knowing more about Espers and Guides than most, but she had never considered such a case.
If, truly, she was a Guide…
If Sillian, as an Esper, was suffering right now…
That man doesn’t even have a temporary Guide.
Then had he simply been enduring all of the pain, and enduring still?
She recalled his face, not showing much outward sign of it.
Even with such a composed expression, he had still tried to reach her somehow. It might not have been unbearable pain, but he was clearly uncomfortable to some degree.
The moment she realized she had been thinking about Sillian, Lynette squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.