(A/N: Hey guys! If you haven’t already, go back to the previous Chapter. I added an extra scene to it yesterday. Cheers)
The ride back ho was different from when they arrived. The endless shouts and boos had been replaced with cheers and praise, people chanting Lightning Prince over and over again. The roads were cleared and their journey unobstructed.
Zephyrion couldn’t help but peer at the scene through the window. They had wanted his head monts ago, and now they celebrated him. How easy it was to sway people’s hearts.
The mood within the carriage was equally celebratory. Everyone wore wide grins, hurling praise his way.
Fiona spoke about how incredible his speech and subsequent battle had been. When he turned and thanked her, she imdiately looked down, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
Tobias hurled nurous praises, pretending everything had gone exactly as expected and that he had never once been worried. Kaiden imdiately called him out on his nonsense, only to end up glancing away himself a mont later.
Kaiden was the quietest of the group, yet he was also the one who threw the most glances his way. Every ti their eyes t, however, he would quickly look elsewhere.
Zephyrion saw hesitation in his eyes, but there was sothing else there as well. Sothing he hadn’t been able to place yet.
Garrick was the complete opposite. His booming voice seed determined to shake the entire carriage. He smacked Zephyrion’s shoulder nurous tis while loudly declaring how insane he was.
Then he announced that they needed to visit the tavern at the estate to celebrate before abruptly cutting himself off. Then, a look of realization crossed his face.
"...Ah."
He ended up muttering sothing about a deal he had made and how he couldn’t drink for a year. Monts later, he was cursing under his breath and sulking in silence.
Zephyrion watched everything quietly. The adrenaline from the trial had faded, leaving him to deal with everything that had happened.
These people were happy for him. Genuinely. Even Kaiden, despite remaining silent, couldn’t hide the thrill in his eyes.
It wasn’t the first ti Zephyrion had dealt with people he had acquired. He had kept nurous individuals within the Order after all.
They had revered him, but he had never had any trouble keeping his distance from them. They were tools. One should not feel for tools. Especially not gratitude. They had simply fulfilled their purpose. Nothing more.
Yet here he was, holding himself back from offering a genuine thank you to the smiling group.
He wasn’t certain what the trigger for this change was. Was it because they had shown up when he was truly in trouble? Because it had been a long ti since anyone had celebrated his success as though it were their own?
Or...
Her.
Zephyrion lowered his gaze to Lumi, whose head rested against his shoulder. A faint smile was on her lips. Despite the roaring crowd surrounding them, she remained asleep and utterly at peace.
Lumi Ser Sarakhel.
The one who had made him break one of his mother’s rules.
Zephyrion exhaled. He felt exhausted. Not physically, but from these constant emotions.
They arrived at Calderalth shortly afterward. Garrick imdiately slapped him on the back and loudly declared how proud he was before finally departing. Kaiden and Fiona, anwhile, remained with the group.
Eventually, they all returned to the mansion, only to have one of the most awkward celebratory gatherings imaginable.
Tobias had prepared a feast. The scent of food was thick in the air. The feast had successfully baited Lumi into attending and, by extension, dragged Zephyrion along with her.
An awkward silence filled the room. Everyone stared at one another, with only Lumi seemingly entirely unconcerned.
She was wolfing down food at a pace that belied her small fra. Zephyrion imagined she was making up for every al she had missed due to the Sarakhel.
Unfortunately, that left the remaining four seated around the table with absolutely no idea what to talk about.
Eventually, one of Tobias’ increasingly desperate attempts succeeded, and he sohow managed to rope Fiona into a conversation about sothing entirely trivial.
An even more uncomfortable silence settled over the room as Zephyrion and Kaiden locked eyes. Kaiden was the first to break, quickly looking away.
Then, monts later, he drew in a breath, clenched his fists, and forced himself to et Zephyrion’s gaze once more.
"...I’d like to talk to you."
He gestured toward the exit.
Zephyrion nodded.
A mont later, they stood outside the mansion. The small shed at its entrance offered faint shade from the afternoon sun.
Kaiden remained silent for several seconds. His expression shifted repeatedly, as though wrestling with sothing internally. Eventually, he seed to arrive at a decision.
Then he bowed.
"...I want to thank you for your help earlier. The relic you gave helped greatly."
"...It’s fine."
"And..."
Kaiden’s fists tightened.
"I also want to apologize. Even after everything you gave , I still lost in the first round."
Ah. Now Zephyrion understood what the third emotion had been.
Sha.
Kaiden felt he had disappointed him. Truthfully, Zephyrion hadn’t expected such a developnt.
He had never expected Kaiden to win, nor had he expected him to get particularly far. His goal had simply been to make the boy indebted to him and view him favorably.
It seed Kaiden had taken the gift far more seriously than anticipated. Regardless, Kaiden’s greatest trait was his resolve. That resolve needed to be nurtured at every opportunity.
"So... are you going to quit?"
Kaiden froze. The surprise lasted only an instant before his eyes narrowed.
"No." The answer ca imdiately. "I’m not quitting. Ever. One day, I’m going to surpass you and beco the strongest. So don’t get complacent. It’d be embarrassing if I caught up and you didn’t even notice."
Zephyrion smiled and extended a hand.
"I’ll look forward to that."
Kaiden stared at it for a mont before accepting it. Then, slowly, a smile appeared on his face as well.
"...You better."
Monts later, Kaiden returned to the mansion, leaving Zephyrion standing beneath the shed alone.
His gaze lingered on his hand, feeling the warmth of the handshake. A simple thing. aningless. Yet sohow, it wasn’t.
Zephyrion lowered his hand and released a slow breath.
He felt broken.
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