Chapter 10

Iskaros Arcutis

Eyolian stood in her thick coat, watching the entrance of Mr. Edric's antique shop, sheltered from the heavy snow. She didn't understand Noah's logic in clearing the snow if the shop wasn't going to open, but she kept her thoughts to herself and entered the door Noah had opened when she knocked a moment ago.

The interior looked even cleaner than it had the day before, the same lovely aromatic scent gently caressed Eyolian's senses. Everything seemed in place, even Noah seemed in place, no different from how he appeared yesterday too. Ice-blue eyes, uncombed but suitable black hair, a symmetrical face, with a modest body build, and the same outfit from yesterday.

Eyolian refocused on Noah standing behind the glass display table, responding to his morning greeting. "Good morning to you as well."

Noah didn't seem too bothered by her delayed response for a minute or so, so Eyolian said nothing about it and jumped to the subject of her visit. "I'm here to find out if you are familiar with the Empire's social protocols."

Noah tilted his head to the side in what appeared to be amusement. - In truth, Eyolian found it amusing too. She didn't really know if Noah had any knowledge of the Empire's social protocols or not. What she found amusing was the timing Mrs. Aileen chose to inquire about such a thing - less than a day before their official attendance. 'Probably looking for an excuse to exclude him? But why insist on his joining the shopping trip yesterday?'

Eyolian didn't think much about it, but she suspected it had something to do with the conversation Mr. Edric and Mrs. Aileen had behind closed doors this morning after breakfast. She felt curious but didn't go far to eavesdrop on her kind benefactors.

Noah's answer came in the form of a rhetorical question. "Strange time to ask, but assuming, what if I weren't?"

Eyolian shrugged indifferently. She didn't really care if he was knowledgeable or not. Her only concern was reporting.

Noah didn't seem to agree with her way of conveying her thoughts, but he said nothing about it. "I am well-versed in the Empire's social protocols. In fact, that was one of the first things I read about."

Eyolian raised an eyebrow at that and asked curiously, "So, at some point, it was in your plan to enter noble circles."

Noah looked away at her question but answered without apparent embarrassment. "I thought those protocols applied to everyone."

Eyolian laughed internally at that while imagining Noah, the one before her, addressing a commoner formally. But she maintained her composure and settled for a sarcastic smile.

Both of them remained standing, watching each other. Eyolian made no move to leave despite getting her answer. Noah also seemed aware of that but didn't ask anything, perhaps as a challenge?

Finally, Eyolian got bored and revealed the real reason for her visit. "Tell me more about the North you spoke of."

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Almost immediately, Noah replied with a refusal. "I can't do that. Is there anything else?"

Eyolian expected as much, so she changed her question. "Did you really pass through the Kingdom of Astrolis to reach the Empire?"

Noah seemed annoyed by the question and answered with the same annoyance, "I am not a liar. If I don't want to tell you something, I won't. Is that all?"

Eyolian didn't push too far in trying to annoy him, she knew her limit. But she would push in less sensitive areas. "You referred to the gemstone on my ring by its real name, 'a piece from the camouflage scorpion’s tail'. Not many people know this, specifically, the high authorities of the Kingdom of Astrolis and those who trade with them in the material are the only ones aware. And I can say you didn't learn this from the Kingdom as it was in a post-war period during your passage, as I assume. So, it makes sense for me to think your knowledge came from somewhere else, perhaps the snowy land?"

Noah said nothing, his usual cold expression unchanged. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a warning. "You are saying more about yourself than you will learn about me."

Eyolian didn't take Noah's warning too seriously, probably thinking he felt threatened. So to ease the tension, she lightly laughed and said dismissively, "Should I be cautious?"

Noah's expression didn't change, but he seemed calmer and more composed. And that reflected in his words. "No, you shouldn't." He paused and continued. "You are right, but not entirely. I learned the name, not from Iskaros - the snowy land as you call it, but on my way from Iskaros to Astrolis."

Eyolian sank into deep thought. Noah's words carried little meaning. The way between the snowy land - Iskaros and Astrolis is just the towering snowy mountain range. Who could be there in those high places? - And not just that, but knowledgeable too. 'No, I am looking at this piece of information from the wrong perspective.'

Eyolian looked again at Noah, who remained watching her coldly. He didn't ask anything about her in return as she expected him to, but he probably learned more about her than she did about him - and he had warned her about that.

Eyolian took a deep breath and decided to leave the matter for now. She had a hunch that Noah put his words to confuse her and push her conclusions away, but she wasn't sure. She also didn't feel he was lying - he seemed too annoyed when Eyolian doubted his words before.

Eyolian smiled slightly and directed her curiosity to another topic. "First time I hear a word like 'Iskaros', what does it mean? And is it the entire place, or just one part?"

Noah seemed more willing to talk about such a topic, as he began his explanation. "Iskaros in the common language means frozen blood. It’s the name of the vast land beyond the snowy mountain range. I referred to it as land because it's neither a kingdom nor an empire as far as I know. And Iskaros isn’t its full name either, just something used by the natives. The full name is, Iskaros Arcutis, which means the frozen blood from the severed wings. - I don't know why it has such a name."

Eyolian found the name interesting, though she didn't understand its meaning... Before she could think of anything else, Noah asked curiously, "Why are you so interested in Iskaros?"

Eyolian felt embarrassed by herself. - She tends to lose herself when she is interested in something. She met Noah’s gaze and answered. "In my upbringing, I used to hear many stories from my mother about the snowy lands and what lies above the frozen clouds. Probably heard about it at some point."

Noah raised an eyebrow while analyzing the new information. Eyolian waited patiently until Noah decided to speak. "On the other side beyond the mountains, they hate those old stories. They are not even supposed to be known or known by you. I believe this is the reason they hate anything beyond the snowy mountains from their perspective."

Curiosity passed through Eyolian's expression, she didn’t succeed in controlling it. "I didn't know that. Why is that?"

Noah answered indifferently. "I don't know, but it's something related to..."

Noah froze. He looked at Eyolian with his usual cold expression as the color gradually faded from his skin. Before Eyolian could react, Noah collapsed heavily to the ground, his head hitting the side of the glass display table.