Obsessed to Hate Him Chapter 4: Facade

KIAN

Fred trudges out from inside, his posture upright and face blank. "I have prepared a room for you, mister," Fred states, his formal voice at odds with his bland expression.

"H-Huh?" Lain's trance breaks as Fred interrupts our staring competition. "O-Oh, thank you."

"May I escort him to his room, commander?" Fred asks , blatantly ignoring Lain's thanks.

"Yes, you may." I acknowledge with a light nod, "Show him his room and you can leave afterward."

The sun is hanging low at the eastern horizon, casting a golden ray, indicating that it is about to go down for the day and that the moon is about to make its silver appearance again. I do not need Fred anymore for tonight. So I will let him retire for the day.

"Yes, commander." Fred acknowledges with a tight, humble nod before turning to Lain, "Please follow . May I show you your room, mister?"

Lain nods, "Yes." Then, he glances in my direction briefly. Uncertainty, anxiety, and worry are swimming in his erald eyes, which are very familiar to for so unfathomable reasons.

I know these eyes way too well but I can't rember whose eyes they are. My mory is hazy and dusty.

Fred starts to lead Lain inside the fortress where I live alone. In the day, the fortress is bustling with people, but at night, it is as empty as the desert. So wandering shadows and I are the only things that occupy the place after the moon cos up.

As I watch Lain's retreating back, I can't shake off those pale green eyes from my mind. The look in them is unsettling and very suspicious. At least this is what I can decipher with my 6 years of experience as the commander of the imperial army of Oblivara and 13 years of experience as a soldier.

***

The night has fallen. And night in this fortress ans silence and stillness. Not even a single soul dares to intercept this eerily silent environnt. But well I figured there is always a first for everything.

"Why did you make stay with you?" After a long tensed silence—that I was definitely not intending to break—Lain speaks up, his tone uncertain and voice low.

I have my fair share of doubt that 'Lain' is not the individual's actual na because the way he stuttered while spelling it... it wasn't very convincing. It is fabricated.

"You can be an enemy sent from the other kingdoms or be a traitor. I cannot let you roam free." I cut through the stake on my plate and push it inside my mouth with asured coolness and nonchalance, "But as I have no evidence to prove my theory, I have no right to give out any decision for you. But I cannot let you roam free as well. So, the best option for is to keep you under my watch and arrest you the mont I find sothing fishy."

Lain doesn't really look all that happy with my conclusion. Or well, he is looking utterly pissed. But he doesn't voice it. Wise decision, I'd say because I am not ready to listen to the whines of so nobodies. Lain burns a hole through before nodding quietly.

For so reason, I feel there is sothing more than annoyance in his aura. There is sothing else... hostility. And it is so strong that even after suppression, I can strongly feel it. The sensation sends waves of chills down my spine. And to specify myself, it is not fear. But thrill. This man—Lain— or whatever his na is, he has a strong grudge against . So strong that, he'd love to make so ever-loving dagger holes through my body.

But it doesn't make wary around him or make not admire how beautiful the man is. If it does anything, then, it only fuels the inhuman beast inside to make this little rabbit squirm and play with it until it begs to kill it. And when it does, I will take my precious ti to kill it slowly.

Lain is disappointingly quiet for the next few minutes and well, this is not how he is going to entertain . So I will just start the conversation myself, "You said, you are a wielder. What kind of magic do you wield?" I cut through another piece of bread but don't keep my eyes off him, following his every movent and expression. Too bad, this individual is indeed very good at masking his expression and very good at deceiving others. It's pretty obvious if you have eagle-like eyes like .

"I-I?" Lain stumbles upon his words, his mask slipping for a bare mont and I get to see how he is actually feeling. Anxious and wary. Then it's back again and 'Lain' is back, "Wind." He replies curtly, "Though is not anything special. More like it is below average. I can't quite use it all that much. Guess my mana power is very weak."

Though the mana I am sensing from him is telling that he is not lying, my gut is telling otherwise. Even if not whole then half. And I chose to believe in my guts. There is no logic behind this but, I do not need logic to believe in myself. Even if it's stupid. Who cares?

"That must be tough," I say sorrily, and if soone with good instincts hears, then will never say that it's sorry but will say pity. "So how co you are surviving as an adventurer? Are you under any guild or do you have any specialty aside from your magic?"

"I am not under any guild. I don't have the money to register myself as an adventurer there and nobody would take as a mage there as I don't have any magnificent magic power." Lain says calmly, his blade has stopped slicing through his food. He is thinking. "I do have so polished knife and sword skills. But they are inferior to the professional swordsn."

Lain's green eyes et mine calmly. There is no hint of nervousness and anxiousness in them. I think I should take so lessons from Lain on how to lie. Because this guys do that thing so well that if I weren't '' then he would have deceived successfully. Too bad that it is . But I need to comnd how well he does it. He doesn't give away a single piece of information that I can track him down with.

Handling him is going to be tough.

"I see." But I am not one of those who give up quickly, "So you don't have any identification docunts on you, do you?"

"No." Lain shakes his head, "You have to stay sowhere long enough to get that. And unfortunately, I don't have a place I have stayed for more than two weeks."

Lain is dancing on my palm but I can't quite grasp him. He is slipping away the mont I make a move. Just as I thought, dealing with this guy can be harder than I am anticipating. He is trained and is good at what he is doing.

Could it be that he is an assassin?

We will know soon enough.

"I figured that much." I smile at him, my smile not reaching my eyes which remain as cold as ice, "This is why I will have you to follow around while I am on duty from tomorrow on, no matter the ti and situation. And once you co out innocent. I will release you."

There is a saying that you should know your friends well but you should know your enemies better. And I am doing just that. With the hostility Lain has against , whatever he can be, friend is none of them. It is almost like, whether I will kill him or he will kill . Good. Because the clearer the idea of 'what the hell are we are' the better.

"Is that important, commander?" Lain doesn't even bother to hide the frown curling his lips as his green eyes clash with my blue ones, "For to stay by your side?"

"Even if it is not, I do not wish to get any complaints from you, Wielder." My smile doesn't falter even for the least as I hold his gaze, "I do whatever I like to do. I hope you will adapt to this soon enough. Even if you don't—"

"It doesn't matter." Lain cuts off, "Because here, your word is the law."

"Indeed." My smile widens for friction, "And also, I don't like people cutting off."

"My apologies." Lain doesn't sound sorry at all, not that I mind anyway.

***

I can clearly see the reluctance, the annoyance, the disdain, the displeasure, and whatnot on Lain's face as he and I walk down the bustling streets of Oblivarae. I had Lain wear sothing decent to at least be qualified to stand beside . And well, he is—I think—on a different level of being 'qualified'. He is like a prince. Pretty, petite but good at what he does.

There are tis when my eyes linger on Lain for a mont longer than they should. There is sothing about his presence that pulls in. He is like a distant lody that I know but I can't quite place a finger to.

"So what are we going to do today?" Lain asks, his mask not quite hiding just how much he hates this.

"Investigate a murder," I answer happily.