Side Story 1: Unaccustomed
Chapter 2
The way she spoke, the way she looked at him, it was as if she were appraising a piece of art. Her friend chimed in,
“Right? I saw him earlier when he came in. He’s not a face you see often in Gemin, is he?”
“Well… that’s true. Should we go for him tonight?”
“Where does that confidence come from?”
“Hahaha…! I don’t know where it comes from, but maybe seeing all these fishy-smelling men around here is making me feel a little desperate.”
Could you imagine it?
Woo Acrea, reduced to a mere snack for strangers, being openly objectified?
And it wasn’t just those two women either. And it wasn’t just happening in this restaurant.
Always.
It was always like this.
Woo’s handsome features drew attention wherever he went.
He was exceptionally good-looking, even in Lohn, where “splendor” was the norm. He was used to being the center of attention, he had lived his life that way. So this was all familiar to him.
And it was also familiar to me, watching this unfold.
“….”
But that didn’t mean I was indifferent to this tiresomely familiar scene.
“Come here, Sue.”
I held my breath as he gently took my hand and led me to an empty table. He pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down. We ordered a simple chicken stew. When the food arrived, I took a spoonful and put it in my mouth. It was delicious.
“It’s good.”
“Yes, it is.”
The warmth of the stew spread through my body, and the suffocating feeling in my chest subsided.
“Master Woo.”
“Yes?”
“We should start early tomorrow, right? I want to look around this area and visit the guild headquarters.”
He was surprisingly perceptive. No, not surprisingly, he was openly perceptive. He knew all the gazes directed at him, he knew what the people around him were thinking.
So I did as he wanted. If he was okay with it, I was okay with it.
“Yes, but tomorrow…”
“That man, he has a girlfriend.”
At that moment, Woo started to say something, but I couldn’t hear him. All I could hear were the voices of the two women who had been staring at him earlier.
“Huh? Isn’t that his sister?”
“Sister? …Ah, you’re right. They don’t really look alike, though.”
“Hmm, they don’t really look like lovers.”
My mouth went dry.
They don’t really look like lovers?
Why?
‘Then are we lovers?’
I couldn’t answer the question I had asked myself. I licked my lips, staring at the still-hot stew.
I wasn’t confident myself. I wasn’t sure if I could confidently walk up to those women who were gossiping about us and say, “Yes, we are.”
“…So it might be a little difficult… Sue? Are you listening?”
“Ah, yes! I’ll do that!”
I nodded without even hearing what he had said. I would regret not asking him to repeat himself later.
***
We, who were used to being the center of attention, had overlooked one thing: this wasn’t Lohn, where ladies and gentlemen gathered. This was a place where people would do anything to get ahead.
Just like now.
“Ahh…!”
We had finished our meal and were going up the stairs. A woman, her red hair as striking as mine, was coming down from the opposite direction.
She had deliberately twisted her ankle. I had to admire her audacity, her willingness to fall down the stairs just to get the attention of a man she was interested in.
Woo, unable to just let her fall, caught her and asked gently,
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes…”
The woman, half-embraced by him, blushed shyly. It was ridiculous, but I found it rather cute. She was a cute woman.
“Ah, I… I… thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re alright.”
The woman bowed repeatedly.
“I… I want to repay you. You saved my life.”
Seriously.
It was a classic, clichéd scene. I chuckled inwardly, feeling a mix of amusement and bitterness. Even “Sue,” in her younger days, wouldn’t have done something like this.
…No, wait.
She might have. “Sue” in her younger days was capable of anything.
“It’s okay, it’s enough for me that you’re safe, my lady. Have a good night.”
Woo, oblivious to her intentions, or perhaps pretending to be, smiled and walked past her. It was just a minor annoyance, he was used to this.
The woman didn’t go down the stairs, she just watched us as we continued to climb.
“…Hehe.”
“…?”
I heard a strange chuckle behind me. I thought it was just my imagination, but I turned around and met the red-haired woman’s gaze.
She was definitely smirking at me. I could sense a strange confidence and amusement in her smile, maybe even a hint of mockery.
‘Ah, whatever.’
I clicked my tongue quietly. Sadly, even this was too familiar.
***
We passed the woman and reached the third floor, stopping in front of my room. I tried to sound cheerful as I said goodbye to Woo,
“See you tomorrow.”
“….”
But Woo just stood there, silent, like a statue. He would usually say goodbye and go back to his room.
I tilted my head, and he awkwardly covered his mouth with his hand, his fingers fidgeting.
“Do you have something to say?”
He finally spoke at my question.
“I wanted to have some tea with you in your room.”
“Ah…”
He was acting so flustered over something like that?
But strangely, the air suddenly became awkward after he said that.
I couldn’t think of anything to say either, and I just stood there, speechless.
I glanced out the hallway window, and it was dark outside. It was a very dark night. I could hear the noise from the tavern downstairs, but the third-floor hallway was eerily quiet.
“…Maybe I shouldn’t have slept so late.”
“…I guess so.”
Woo chuckled at my half-joking, half-serious words. I was relieved to feel the tense atmosphere ease.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Ah, Master Woo.”
I hurriedly grabbed his sleeve as he was about to leave. Woo’s eyes widened in surprise, but he just stood there, waiting for me to speak.
But my mind was a tangled mess, like a ball of yarn that had been haphazardly unraveled. *Why had I stopped him? Why?* I even resented myself.
“Sue…”
Ah, this wasn’t working.
It was too dark to come up with a plausible excuse.
I let go of his sleeve and smiled, as if nothing had happened.
“About the tea… Let’s have it tomorrow. There’s probably a merchant guild that specializes in tea leaves. We can buy some there.”
Woo smiled brightly.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
And he was smiling a smile I had never seen him smile in Lohn, so I couldn’t help but smile too.
“Then good night.”
“Yes, you too, Sue.”
I watched him disappear into the darkness and then entered my room.
“Sigh.”
The moment the door closed, I let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto the bed. The rock-hard mattress didn’t welcome me, it just bruised my ribs.
The room, without a single lantern lit, was as dark as the hallway. My eyes, adjusted to the darkness, stared at the cobwebbed corner of the ceiling, and then I turned away.
“….”
I clenched and unclenched my right hand, which was lying limply on the blanket. My empty palm appeared and disappeared from view. It was the hand that had grabbed Woo’s sleeve.
‘What did I want to say to him?’
I tossed and turned in bed.
Six months.
It wasn’t a short time for people to build a relationship. But it seemed like it didn’t apply to us.
“…Us.”
Us.
I savored the word, which felt both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.
Sue Byron and Woo Acrea.
That was “us” now.
‘Hmm, they don’t really look like lovers.’
We had heard that more than once. But we had never denied it.
Then what kind of relationship did we have?
Before even discussing the issue of romance, I thought we had a good relationship, as humans. One way or another, we had become quite close since our days in Lohn. And we had learned a lot about each other during the six months we had spent traveling together.
For example, Woo had a sweet tooth. Cakes, cookies. He drank any kind of tea, but he preferred it with sugar. But that didn’t mean he disliked bitter flavors. He had lived his life suppressing his own preferences, so there was nothing he disliked.
He also enjoyed reading. The only thing he had brought with him when he had disobeyed Reeves and followed me was a book. I had heard it was a book his brother had often read to him when he was young. It was a surprisingly dense book for a children’s book, but…
…In other words, he liked books, and he liked his brother. So much that he couldn’t leave the book behind, even if he had to abandon everything else.
‘And he must… like me enough to leave his brother.’
I sat up abruptly, realizing that.
Yes, he liked me.
He had given up everything and followed me.
I had to repay him.
“…Sigh.”
My chest tightened at the thought. I had been thinking about this every day, and it was only after much deliberation that I would finally fall asleep. It was a chronic disease.
Woo hadn’t asked for anything from me during the six months we had traveled together. He didn’t expect anything, and he wasn’t disappointed by anything.
So the trip had been comfortable. He carried my luggage, found inns for us, suggested our next destination, played along with my jokes, and took care of Rem. The trip, which I had thought would be arduous, had been surprisingly easy.
Yes, he was “convenient.”
But was he okay with that?
‘Was he okay with being a convenient person?’
I couldn’t sleep, even after I had finished preparing for bed, so I went to the window. I forced it open, and the window frame slammed against the wall with a loud bang. I winced, hoping I hadn’t disturbed anyone.
I calmed my pounding heart and leaned out the window. There was a tall, old tree behind the inn, its leaves rustling in the breeze.
The fresh air cleared my head.
…Come to think of it, I had left Rem, who was cloaked in invisibility, behind the inn. He was probably resting somewhere nearby.
Had he recovered? Should I call him?
“Rem… Ah.”
I looked down, searching for Rem, and my eyes met a man’s, who was leaning against the tree. Even in the darkness, his sharp eyes were fixed on me.
‘How long had he been watching me?’
I was the one who looked away first.