Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 25
It was a phrase he’d repeated more times than he could count since last night. Despite that, Kaiden found himself compelled to repeat it once more.
“Purple.”
Although the agreement between Master Calskronin and the Captain of the Guard was only for February, Ortebaek spared no effort in his support. A desk for Master Calskronin was set up on one side of the antechamber, decorated like a makeshift office.
And atop the desk lay a solitary purple ribbon.
Kaiden, sinking deep into the chair, gazed intently at the purple ribbon. “Trinity in all-black, and purple…”
The delicate ribbon glimmered with a sunlit sheen, radiating a captivating gleam. Hints of Trinity, elusive yet palpable, swirled around the ribbon like a wisp. As Kaiden stared at the ribbon, seeking traces of Trinity, he heard a knock at the door.
“Master Calskronin.”
“Yes.”
“This is the lady I told you about earlier.”
“Let her in.”
At Kaiden’s nod of approval, a familiar face peeked out from behind the guard’s back. The guard opened the door wide, stepping out of the way. The woman timidly squeezed her way into the temporary office.
“Hello.” She bowed her head politely in greeting. With a seemingly clumsy motion, her platinum hair fell down her face.
Kaiden glanced at the remnants left by the strands and gestured to the guard. After a moment of silence, the guard stepped aside. They were left alone in the silence of the antechamber.
The woman, wearing a hesitant smile, said, “So, you’re Master Calskronin. I finally know the name of my rescuer.”
What’s the big deal with the name?
Kaiden cut off the woman’s words. “What brings you all the way here?”
At Kaiden’s chilling question, the woman’s purple eyes flickered nervously. Her eyes scanned their surroundings. Had she been entrapped again like yesterday? The thugs had been confined to the detention center all night, so who else?
Kaiden’s voice was as sharp as thorns. “Why have you come to find me?”
“Oh, that…” The woman, about to say something, hesitated.
Her amethyst eyes glanced at the desk. Trinity’s papers hadn’t arrived, and only a purple ribbon lay on the cluttered desk.
Kaiden met the woman’s gaze and asked again. “I asked why you’ve come. Have you felt any threat to your safety?”
“Oh.” Upon the repeated inquiry, the woman let out a small sigh, tightly clutching the handle of her bag. “Not at all.”
Kaiden narrowed his eyes. “Then why?”
“Thanks to your help yesterday, I could get away from those smelly, no, those nasty thugs. But come to think of it, I didn’t properly thank you.”
Only now did Kaiden tear his gaze from the woman. If it wasn’t in danger, that was a good thing.
With a nonchalant, business-like tone, Kaiden said, “No, I did what I was supposed to do.”
“However, it was a big help to me, and I really wanted to express my gratitude.”
“I didn’t ask for thanks. It’s okay, you can leave now.”
Sensing herself being dismissed, the woman urgently spoke up. “So, I wanted to repay you in a small way by bringing some food.”
“Food?” Kaiden raised his eyebrows in surprise.
As their eyes met, the woman offered a bashful smile and timidly approached the desk.
Kaiden’s thick eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. He warned her not to smile so easily at just anyone. Carelessly forgetting the advice he had thoughtfully offered, the woman smiled gently.
Tsk, tsk.
Kaiden clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Seizing the moment, she strode over and set her bag on the desk. “As a humble commoner with nothing to offer, I can’t provide anything expensive.”
Opening the bag shaped like a head, she began gingerly taking out dishes. “I made this with gratitude.”
In the midst of worrying about her awkward smile, Kaiden missed his chance to refuse. A sense of defeat crept into Kaiden’s expression as he realized his mistake. Despite the conflict in his mind, food lay spread out on the desk. Perplexed, Kaiden surveyed the woman and realized something.
This woman… She can’t even cook.
As each lid was lifted, revealing suspicious-looking dishes, doubts arose whether these were indeed meant for human consumption. It was a bizarre assortment of ingredients that didn’t seem to belong together. He wasn’t sure whether she intended to express gratitude or attempt an assassination.
“I’ve been up since dawn today preparing this food. I hope it suits your taste.” She continued to offer the dishes hastily.
Kaiden sighed, glancing at her hands. The clumsy cooking, the struggle with heavy food – it felt overwhelmingly burdensome.
“I don’t need this kind of thing; it’s something that should be…” Kaiden couldn’t finish his sentence, unable to refuse her.
As Kaiden stared at the woman’s hands, his expression gradually hardened. A sharp glint appeared in his deep green eyes.
“Forgive my lack of skill, at least for the sake of my intentions.” As she reached for the lid of the last dish, the woman’s breath caught in her throat.
“Goodness,” the woman stammered, her purple eyes fluttering.
“Oh, why are you… why?”
The woman looked at her hands—or rather, Kaiden’s hands—with a horrified expression. Her hand, scurrying about like a squirrel, was crushed by his much larger hand, with even the slightest trace of her small skin impossible to discern.
“Pl-please let go.”
Kaiden glared as if he might crush or consume the woman’s hand that he held firmly. Though the woman exerted all her strength to escape, his grip remained unyielding.
“You can’t touch me without my permission like this, even if you are a duke’s son.” As her voice, a mix of fear and pleading, echoed, and the door to the inner chamber seemed to rattle.
Glancing towards the door with a furrowed brow, Kaiden muttered, “Miss.”
Kaiden twisted the woman’s captured hand, revealing what was concealed beneath her palm. A purple ribbon peeked out from between the small fists.
“The one touching without permission is you.”
