Chapter 235
Her laughter lingered in his ears—an oddly ticklish sensation.
Since the alleyway incident, Kazhan had begun visiting Ysaris unprompted. Though he had no particular reason, she’d sigh in exasperation at his silent staring and serve him tea anyway.
Despite how it might look—a male and female student meeting so frequently—no scandal arose. Ysaris was student council president, and she had no shortage of visitors beyond Kazhan.
Rumors had long swirled that the princess sought to recruit her own retinue. A fallen noble like Cain Jenut, with no connections but exceptional swordsmanship, made for an ideal candidate.
Even as the two maintained their friendship, whispers followed, Jenut has finally opened his heart. He’ll become her knight.
Ysaris studied him, then smiled softly.
Her answer, free of lies or excuses, was startlingly pure. Kazhan stared at this princess who treated him as an equal under the name of friendship.
She dragged him everywhere, piling new experiences onto him. Despite her student council duties, she made time for him—under the pretext of needing an escort she could trust over the royal knights.
On the first night of the new year, after escaping a banquet, a tipsy Ysaris teased Kazhan for turning twenty—then downed goblets of wine until she collapsed. A rare lapse for someone with such weak tolerance.
By spring, she celebrated his birthday—something no one had done since his arrival in Pyrein—gifting him a masterfully crafted sword for his hip.
To Kazhan, Ysaris remained an enigma. No matter how closely he observed her, he found no flaw in her humanity.
Well—unless he counted her occasional clumsiness, or the way she sighed dramatically in front of him, or her lapses in decorum. Like the time she shrieked after he lifted her into a tree she’d been marveling at.
If anything, such things only made her more…
With each passing day, Kazhan unraveled new truths through Ysaris. Words he’d never understood or felt now took shape.
Cute. Pretty. Graceful. Radiant. Precious. Lovely.
Beloved.
All converging before a single name—Ysaris Chernian.
How could they not? She was the one who’d taught them to him.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.