She looked completely shocked.

And so was I!

Luman, you had a fiancée?!

“Really? Then what about Ren?”

Coco asked with a look like she genuinely couldn’t make sense of it.

“Why are you dragging me into this?”

Luman glanced at me.

Why is he making that face...?

It was cold. Severe. The exact same face he’d worn when he first came to the shack and solemnly read out the king’s letter.

Did I do something wrong?

“Fine. You heard him, right? Pass it along exactly like that.”

“Yes, my lady!”

The maid nodded and scampered off.

“Luman, then... are you leaving?”

If he leaves, will it be hard to ever see ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) him again?

Yeah. It probably will.

Coco’s face turned awkward.

“I’ll go bring your medicine.”

Then she left the room.

Luman didn’t answer. He just kept staring at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face??”

“You’ll be fine.”

“With what?”

Luman let out a quiet little laugh. The smile drawn so neatly across that smooth face was handsome.

But why did it look sad?

“Did something happen?”

“No.”

“Um, congratulations. I didn’t know you were engaged.”

“Right.”

“Mm. What am I supposed to do if I don’t have a gift?”

Do I still have any money left over from buying my brother’s leather shoes? I started calculating busily in my head. Oh! If I do it right, maybe... something like a bracelet... maybe I could give that as a gift.

But would he even like it?

He’s about to get a mountain of gold coins as a reward anyway... He’d probably think it was cheap. He might even refuse it. Just because you offer something doesn’t mean someone has to take it. It might only end up being annoying.

Then again, I couldn’t even pass along the gift I bought for my brother, so what was I even...

“What are you thinking about now? You don’t need anything like that.”

“Yeah. I figured.”

I grumbled, but honestly, I felt a little hurt.

So he doesn’t need my gift, huh.

That stings.

No, I didn’t even have the money to get one!

“Really, all Ren needs is his brother.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

Why is my brother coming up here out of nowhere? I tilted my head.

To me, what Luman said was obvious. I only need my brother. Even if my brother doesn’t understand me! Because we’re family! That’s what family is. Coco said family isn’t like that, but to me it is. I hope Coco gets a good family someday too. And Luman too, of course! I hope his fiancée is a good person. Well, obviously she is, right? As long as she’s not the type like that woman from our village with the orc arms! Luman will definitely meet a good person. He’s an amazing Hero too, just like my brother! Ahem.

“I mean it when I say congratulations.”

“I know. Hoo.”

Luman let out a long breath, then tugged up the corner of his mouth.

It was the teasing smile I knew best on him.

“What the hell am I even trying to say to a kid. Tch.”

He muttered the rest under his breath. I couldn’t hear it, but if he didn’t say it for me to hear, I don’t need to ask, right?

“When are you going? To your fiancée, I mean. Are you going right away?”

That must be why you already asked them to prepare the horses.

Ah...! So that’s why you wanted the crystal orb too. Because you’re leaving.

Thinking of it that way made me feel a little disappointed.

‘No! Wait, why the hell am I disappointed!?’

All of a sudden, I remembered Luman asking me all those things about myself by the campfire. Back then I pushed him away, thinking there was no reason for him to act all familiar with someone he’d be parting with soon anyway.

So it felt ridiculous that I was disappointed now. If Luman knew I felt like this, he’d probably laugh at me!

In the end, everyone parts ways eventually anyway!

And I’m going to part from everyone forever someday, including my brother. If I let my heart hurt over a tiny goodbye like this, what am I supposed to do then?

Ugh. Don’t think about it anymore. Pretending to smooth down my hair, I pressed hard against my scalp.

“Ren. If something difficult comes up, contact me.”

“Contact you, Luman?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

I asked sulkily.

I literally just decided that once we part, I’m going to think of you as dead! You don’t think about dead people. You bury them in your heart once and forget them!

“Hah. That’s a little hurtful, Ren. Do you know how much I’ve looked after you?”

“I-I never asked you to look after me!”

I mean, that is true, but still!

He gave me good snacks too! Macarons, marshmallows! He brought me my brother’s cloak...! More than anything, he saved my life.

Ah.

The thought hit me late, and suddenly I felt embarrassed.

My face burned hot. I should’ve thanked him a hundred times over, and instead I kept talking back and snapping at him again. Maybe those old men in the village were right after all. Maybe I really am rude as hell. Maybe I’ve even dragged mud across my brother’s name before.

“Are you running a fever again? You really... I need to call the physician.”

“No! It’s not that!”

“Ren. Stop being stubborn.”

Luman said it sternly, just like my brother would.

No, that’s not it, I’m telling you!!

I grabbed Luman by the arm.

If I miss my chance to say something, that’s it. It’s over. So I hurried to open my mouth before the moment slipped away.

“I-it’s not that... I never said thank you. For saving me, for rescuing me... I never said th-thank you, and that’s just... really embarrassing!! It’s shameless!”

“......”

“Um...”

Huh?!

Luman’s face turned bright red too.

So it really did bother him after all! If it were me, it would’ve bothered me too... From those memories I still couldn’t fully bring back, I remembered Luman covered in blood.

Those hot, trembling hands holding onto me tightly so I wouldn’t fall.

That hard chest supporting my body.

No.

I bit my lip. Then I let go of the hand that had grabbed him.

This won’t do. I have to thank him properly!

Look, there are even veins standing out in his neck. Luman looked like he was holding something back.

Why am I like this?

I hate myself. Hate it!

But I don’t want to dwell on those dark memories for long.

I took a deep breath, then bowed from where I sat, bending forward so deeply it was almost a fold.

“Thank you! Luman! Thank you for saving me!”

“Kuh...”

Huh?

What, is he...?

“Kuh... khh...”

Is he laughing?

“...I’m being serious, so why are you laughing?!”

I shouted at him, mortified!

What am I embarrassed about?!

Everything! I was just embarrassed about all of it! Damn it!

Wait, then was your face getting red because you were holding back laughter?! Am I really that funny!?

“Is my face that funny?!”

“Hahaha!”

The second I shouted angrily, Luman grabbed his stomach and laughed. He laughed so hard his whole body shook, even his hair bouncing with it. He laughed for a long while, then wiped tears from his eyes and shook his head. Then all of a sudden, he turned serious.

“No, Ren. You’re...”

“I’m what. Done laughing?”

I started touching my face for no reason. Luman caught my hand where it brushed my cheek and shook his head. In those narrowed golden eyes, I could see myself reflected there, wearing a blank, stupid expression.

“You’re pretty. Very.”

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“Huh. Lante said so too, remember? Or are you saying Lante was lying now? Hm?”

Luman tilted his head in that infuriating way. His blond hair, burned dry and faded so pale it looked almost white, swayed softly. It was so washed-out it nearly looked silver, or platinum. The strands fell out of place.

Maybe he felt me staring, because Luman touched his own hair.

“Lu-Luman, are you pretty too?”

“What?”

Khh... pfft!

Luman made some weird sound and started laughing again.

No, that doesn’t mean you need to laugh that hard...

Wasn’t that basically you shoving your face at me asking for a compliment?!

“Ahem.”

I gave a useless little cough, embarrassed.

“Are your wounds okay?”

There were still bloodstains on the bandages wrapped tight around his chest. Luman flicked his gaze down at his own chest, then poked it with a finger.

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Ugh. It hurts me just looking at it, so could you not poke it like that?”

“It’s my body, so why does it hurt you? Don’t tell me you like me that much.”

“Wh-what kind of stupid thing is that to say!!”

I shook my head wildly. In the end, Luman couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing again!

Luman is seriously weird. Today especially, it felt like all he had to do was look at my face to start laughing.

But honestly, that face smiling so freely looked way too good.

Yeah! Go ahead and laugh all you want!

Once we part, who knows when I’ll ever see you again.

Tch. My mouth tastes bitter.

“Haah. Ren.”

After laughing for a long time, Luman called my name. Then he just stared at me without saying anything. Eyes even brighter than gold peeked out beneath his golden lashes as he looked at me carefully.

No, why are you looking at me like that?

His expression was too serious for me to ask that in my usual blunt way, so all I did was twitch my lips.

“I’ll teach you how to use the crystal orb.”

What the hell, you dragged that out like you were about to say something important.

Is this important too?

Luman’s face was still serious. He took out the crystal orb and explained this and that. When it activated, the orb gave off a faint yellow glow. For a second, a jagged flicker sparked through it. I thought it was about to crack!

This thing isn’t hard to use at all!

I could see Luman’s face in the crystal orb he was holding, and my face in the one I had!

“Wow! You can see faces in it!?”

“Good job.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m pretty good with tools.”

I grinned and turned the crystal orb this way and that. Luman just watched me, like he was curious whether I was doing it right. It seemed like the orb crackled a little, but I didn’t say anything because I figured Coco might feel embarrassed about it. Ahem. Kind of mature of me, right?

“Yeah.”

Luman let out a small laugh and reached out to pat my head. I flinched at the hand coming toward me, but since I thought he’d be leaving soon, I didn’t want to avoid it, so I stayed still.

But the hand that had almost touched my hair pulled back.

‘Why? Weren’t you going to pat me?’

I stared blankly at him, and Luman, looking a little awkward, lightly touched my slightly too-long hair.

What the hell is that! That’s not a pat, but it’s not not a pat either!

“Luman.”

“Yeah.”

Just pat me properly already! The feeling’s stuck in my hair and it’s making me itchy!

I kept staring at Luman, who looked like he’d frozen up like a broken machine, and then my brother Temar came in.

“Brother!”

My brother’s gaze brushed over me. Our eyes met, and I broke into a huge smile—

but cruelly, his eyes were already fixed on Luman.

Brother, wasn’t that way too fast for you to look away...?

“The knights said they recovered the bodies. I need to contact His Highness.”