Chapter 46
Curious what happens next? Read more here
Compliments like that always just felt awkward. Not once had they ever made her truly happy. But somehow, things were different when it came to Samuel Norah.
Whenever she met those green eyes that saw only her, Adrien felt her heart flutter in a way she couldn’t explain. Everything Samuel said seemed to quietly pile up inside her, word by word.
Maybe that was why she could never easily turn him down, no matter what he asked for.
“Alright, then. But is it okay if I just hold your hand? I need to pay for these.”
Adrien held up the stationery she was carrying.
“…Can I ask who you’re writing to?”
It was obvious she’d chosen it carefully—the design was elegant and striking, the kind of thing that would stand out even from afar.
Not noticing the way Samuel’s face suddenly dimmed, Adrien picked out another set of the same stationery.
“This? My former sponsoree.”
“Pardon?”
“There was a girl I used to sponsor. I thought I’d write to her.”
Adrien headed for the register, and Samuel’s gaze wavered uncertainly. After all, Adrien’s sponsoree was standing right next to her.
But sending her a letter? And still thinking she’s just a young girl? He couldn’t make sense of any of it.
“She’s just past twenty. I wonder how she’s getting by, and if she hasn’t settled yet, I might continue supporting her a little longer.”
“…You really don’t know anything about her?”
“No. Haven’t heard from her in ages.”
“You’ve never even met her?”
“In person? Not even in a photograph.”
Adrien gave a soft chuckle as she placed both sets of stationery on the counter, paid for them, and then handed one over to Samuel.
“This is for you, Ensign.”
Samuel, still a bit stunned, blinked down at the stationery in his hands.
“You were about to buy it yourself, right? Go on.”
“I—I could’ve bought it myself.”
“When your superior buys you something, you’re only supposed to say thank you, you know.”
“…”
“Or so I was told by another superior of mine, anyway.”
Adrien grinned, patted Samuel’s chest, and walked out of the store. She turned at the door.
“Heading back to the dorm? Want a ride in my carriage?”
“…N-no, that’s alright.”
“You sure? No need to feel pressured.”
“It’s not that… I have plans.”
“Oh, alright.”
Worried about coming across as pushy, Adrien let it go and left.
Samuel stood there, half in a daze, until the carriage disappeared down the street. He felt completely lost. On the day they’d first imprinted, Adrien had acted like she already knew him.
But she clearly had no idea he was her former sponsoree.
Then… who had she mistaken him for?
‘…Another Guide?’
Back then, Adrien had been in critical condition and needed a Guide. Maybe she’d ordered someone to fetch one, and Samuel had just happened to walk in, so Adrien had taken his guiding, thinking he was someone else…?
Samuel pressed his lips together, feeling as if the ground had cracked beneath his feet. Maybe he’d only gotten so close to his idol because he’d unknowingly stolen someone else’s place.
What would happen if the Commander ever found out?
He couldn’t even imagine her reaction. The truth was, he still didn’t really know her at all.
All he’d seen was her public face, that legendary hero everyone talked about, and the private moments they’d shared in her office.
That was hardly enough to understand a person.
And for some reason, Samuel had a hunch that he should never reveal the truth. Not telling her that he was Sammy Norah, felt like a kind of instinct.
Samuel stayed there for a long while, standing alone in the quiet night.
* * *
Adrien didn’t enjoy going home after work.
Since coming to the capital, she liked it even less. The Brillante townhouse wasn’t comfortable, not least because her mother—who also worked in the capital—would come home every evening.
She sat at her desk in the dim office, spinning her pen in her fingers. The green stationery lay before her, and she was seriously considering what she could possibly say to a twenty-year-old girl.
They weren’t especially close, but she didn’t want things to feel awkward. Adrien tried to come up with the kindest words she could.
‘…Maybe I should write like Samuel does?’
He was gentle, funny, innocent, and sometimes bold. If she could mimic his style, maybe she’d sound less stiff.
Unknowingly smiling, Adrien began to write.
At that moment, the door flew open.
“I knew you’d be here!”
“…Dr. Alex, what is the meaning of this?”
Alex burst in, wild-eyed and beaming, without even knocking. He grabbed Adrien’s wrist in his excitement—she almost threw him across the room.
“The compatibility results are in!”
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.