I was so embarrassed that my mind went blank and couldn’t react. I’m glad I didn’t take off my underwear, was my last thought.
Thankfully, I had very long hair. It ca up to my hips. Besides, my back was turned to him, so he must not have seen much. And anyway, I had done the sa last ti when I had opened his room door without knocking, and I had seen him half-naked. We were even in that regard. I turned to look over my shoulder at him, who was still frozen in shock at the door.
“Um, Teacher?”
He didn’t respond.
“Don’t you think you should close the door after you and leave at this point?”
Kaichen turned his face away, red to the roots. I thought I wouldn’t know even if he blushed because of his bronze complexion. But I was wrong. Maybe he felt so embarrassed that his blush pierced beyond the color of his skin.
I am the one who was seen naked so why is he the one who is so embarrassed? I could see him very flustered like I had never seen him before. He tried to not spill the water in the basin he carried.
“You don’t even know how to lock the door?!” he shot back.
“There was no lock…”
I could see his jaw clenching. Kaichen, annoyed, almost threw the basin down randomly on the floor, slamd the door after him and left.
I stood there awkwardly. I slowly approached the basin on the floor. There was a towel draped on the side. It seed he had intended to take care of today. Was he worried about ? “Pfft,” I scoffed.
He had co to my room because he was worried. Seeing standing naked would have shocked him so much. His embarrassed and flustered appearance was burned into my mind. I had never seen Kaichen like that before. I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
“What is this? Why are you acting so cute?” If I hadn’t been exhausted from nightmares, I would definitely have laughed a lot.
I had lived alone for a hundred years where nothing mattered. I had even forgotten to knock on doors before entering. But I had never expected Kaichen, who had given a scolding for doing so, opening my door without knocking. Maybe it was because he had been nursing and treating for the past ten days and going back and forth between the rooms had beco a habit. Habits can be scary. However, I felt thankful because now I didn’t feel as depressed.
I couldn’t forget his blushing face. I laughed as I took my bath. After I was clean and warm, I made my way downstairs. It was already lunchti. I coughed to declare my presence as I ca across Kaichen sitting at the kitchen table with a serious face. He flinched. He must have been very deep in his thoughts. Trying not to laugh out loud, I sat across from him.
“Teacher, did you co to take care of earlier?”
“No.”
“You ca to put a towel on , right?”
“I told you that’s not true.”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed about it.”
“Aren’t you the one who is supposed to be embarrassed?”
“Really? Why is that?”
“That’s because…!” He caught himself and stopped. It seems he couldn’t say it. He was really embarrassed about the current situation, it seed. I smiled a little. I suddenly rembered he always used honorifics with .
“Teacher, why do you use honorifics with ?”
“It’s to be polite. You are of noble birth.”
“But you are my teacher, so there is no need for that. Besides, you are an invaluable mage who works in the Magic Tower! You received the surna of Tenebre. You don’t need to use honorifics towards .” He looked at , eyebrows twitching. I wondered if I had offended him again.
I realized that perhaps it’s to do with Dalia’s childhood. They had definitely t before. I wondered what had happened then to make a man so bound. I also felt upset that I couldn’t rember what, supposedly, had been my childhood.
“Teacher, even if I’m a noble, I’m your disciple now. So, you can speak comfortably.”
“I can’t do that because you are not my official disciple.”
“Even if it’s not official, you’re still teaching , right? Besides, the magic tower’s Tenebre are equal to a Marquis or a Duke. I am just a Countess.”
He was quiet.
“In any case, there is no reason for teacher to use honorifics with .”
Kaichen stared at with a disapproving look and sighed briefly. “Is it a problem if I speak politely? It has nothing to do with you.”
“I hate to be addressed like that. I don’t feel like I deserve it,” I said, “You always address as Countess, or ‘you’, but when I was sick, you always called Dalia. I was comfortable with that.”
“I’ve never done that. You must be mistaken.” He lied so blatantly. I titled my head to look at him.
“I have a very good mory. I know I was not in a very good condition, didn’t know reality from imagination but I clearly recall you calling by my na.” I looked at him. “You called by my na yesterday too. I hope you can keep calling by my na.”
“What do you think, Teacher?” I asked. Kaichen seed to be now comfortable with the title of ‘Teacher’. He didn’t protest. Maybe he was always comfortable with calling by my na but was forcing himself to be polite. In the original novel, I rembered that Kaichen was so cold and standoffish that he often ca across as aloof and arrogant, as befit his status as an archmage.
Reviews
All reviews (0)