Chapter 206 - Kinue and Chloe's Love for Nathan
Chloe Evenhart:
“Of course! I would, too… if I could take a certain someone,” Kinue said, a sparkle in her eyes.
Oh, so Kinue also has someone she’s interested in.
I felt proud of her.
"But I'll get my chance soon enough. Pink Chocolate Day is coming, and I can finally make a move…" Kinue continued.
"Pink Chocolate Day? What's that?" I asked, curious.
Kinue glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned in close.
"It's a special day when girls give a treat to a friend... or to someone they like. It’s a city tradition, and it’s coming up soon. Then, on Blue Chocolate Day, it’s their turn to give chocolates."
I had no idea.
"So, who’s the guy you like?" I teased, and Kinue turned bright red.
"If you tell me who you like, I’ll tell you who mine is," she replied, sounding nervous.
"What?!" I exclaimed, blushing.
I’m not ready to reveal this to anyone else… It was incredibly hard just to tell Aunt Katie.
"See! You’re nervous too," she said, laughing.
"Of course! Talking about these things makes me embarrassed," I admitted.
We stared at each other and burst into laughter.
"Alright, I won’t push. How about you just tell me the first letter of the name of the guy you like?" I suggested.
"I’ll do it, but only if we say it together," Kinue replied.
I thought for a moment.
"Let’s say it at the same time,"
"Okay," she agreed.
We looked at each other, taking a deep breath, ready to reveal our secrets.
"The first letter of the name of the guy I like is…"
"N," we both said in unison.
When we looked at each other, our smiles froze. Our mouths hung open for a moment, speechless. Then, our smiles faded as we stared at each other, bewildered.
"The guy you like… what’s he like?" Kinue asked, breaking the silence.
"You first… tell me about yours," I replied, trying to regain some composure.
Kinue blushed, looking down. "He’s really kind and always there for me when I need him," she said softly.
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"So is mine…" I murmured, looking down as well.
"Your turn," she said, her tone filled with anticipation.
"The guy I like is a bit clumsy when it comes to romance and doesn’t realize when someone likes him…" I confessed.
"Mine too…" Kinue sighed.
I swallowed, trying to process everything.
"Your turn…" I managed, struggling to keep calm.
"The guy I like does little things that warm my heart… but he doesn’t realize it," Kinue explained.
"So does mine…" I agreed.
We looked at each other, the confusion clear in our expressions.
"He was my first friend…" I said, feeling a pang of nostalgia.
"So was mine…" Kinue replied, with the same emotion.
Silence fell between us, neither of us sure what to say next.
"Kinue…" I began.
"Chloe…" she replied.
"Could it be that we like the same person…?"
We stared at each other, stunned by the thought.
“Hey, girls! Finally, I made it in time for lunch," Nathan said, sitting down beside us.
"KYA!" we screamed in unison, startled, accidentally flinging our food onto him.
Nathan Evenhart:
“What did I do wrong?” I muttered, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
As soon as I’d sat down at the table with Chloe and Kinue, they’d screamed and thrown food at me. Now, I was stuck cleaning my uniform in the bathroom.
"Serves you right! No one told you to be an idiot!" Cylla’s voice echoed from the floor, her eyes locked on me.
“Still mad about my family’s decision?”
She nodded firmly.
“I thought you understood our plan.”
“You already know who it was. Just let me go! I want to kill everyone involved!” she spat, clearly irritated.
Last weekend, my family and I had gathered to discuss our next steps. Our first option was to pursue diplomacy to gain the kingdom’s permission to eliminate Nikolaus Wolves and the nobles in his faction.
The problem was, at this point, all we had were deductions pointing to Nikolaus Wolves and his faction attempting to orchestrate my death. That wasn’t enough evidence to present a valid accusation to the kingdom. We needed to wait and see what the third assassin would do. If he came after me, our plan was to capture him. He was the only assassin who knew the identity of the client and could provide proof that Nikolaus Wolves was the mastermind. With this evidence, we could gain the kingdom’s authorization to retaliate and eliminate Nikolaus.
In the meantime, we had to bide our time and see if the assassin would make a move. After losing his two partners, he might be more cautious. Regardless, he had two options: come after me to complete the contract or back out, which would mean Nikolaus losing his only shot at eliminating me. After all, we’d found out that only these three assassins on the continent had accepted the contract. They’d spent two years investigating me, planning my assassination for when I arrived at Apsalon.
There was also the possibility that the third assassin would abandon his contract after losing his two partners. In that case, we wouldn’t have direct proof that Nikolaus Wolves was behind the plot against my life.
Either way, Nikolaus Wolves was doomed. We’d either kill him legally, with the kingdom’s permission, or my aunt would handle it, making his death look like an “accident.” He’d trapped himself by publicly presenting himself as a strong ally to our family in the kingdom over the years, giving us a perfect chance to act in secret. Just as no one would suspect him of ordering my assassination, no one would suspect my aunt of killing a powerful ally from a rival faction. In the end, he’d dug his own grave.
If we handled it covertly, however, only Nikolaus Wolves would die, since it’d be suspicious if several nobles suddenly suffered “accidents.” Even then, I’d feel relieved knowing he was gone—it was he who’d wanted me dead from the time I was five years old.
The old Emperor Icarus in me would’ve wreaked havoc just hearing that an insolent mortal dared to consider harming me…
Meanwhile, I looked down at the moody cat glaring up at me, clearly waiting for a response.
“What can I do to improve your mood?” I asked, giving her feline nose a light squeeze.
“I want revenge! I want to go there and kill every one of them right now. I want to devour them alive, watch as they scream in terror and burn!”
I chuckled inwardly at her thoughts.
Where is that wise woman who once gave me advice in that cabin?
I let out another quiet laugh. Confirming that no one was around, I replied calmly, “This matter is out of my control, and you know that. My family has a plan, and I have to follow it. It’s the best way to resolve things. We can’t cause chaos.”
“Then I’ll stay angry,” she huffed.
I continued to ponder my next steps.
I really need to start educating this dragon girl better. We both need to control this bloodthirsty side of ourselves.