I was stunned.
Her face was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Brown eyes that held a mysterious depth. Blonde hair that caught the sunlight like spun gold. Features so refined they seemed painted by a master artist.
Her figure wasn't curvy like mother's. Her breasts weren't large and heavy like aunt's.
She wore a decent, simple dress. Cotton tunic and leggings. Like any village girl you'd pass on the street.
But she was perfect in her own way.
My lusty side stirred for a moment. The gooner within me wanted to appreciate every inch of her modest beauty.
But then the shattered scenes from moments before flooded back.
That golden knight. Those effortless kills. The way he dissolved into particles of light.
Her summon.
I grabbed her hands without thinking.
"That summon of yours was so cool!"
She froze.
Looked down at where my fingers wrapped around hers. Then back up at my face.
Her expression was... stunned. Like this was the first time anyone had ever held her hand.
A light blush crept across her cheeks.
Then she slowly, carefully, removed my grip.
"Where did you get him from?"
I was too excited to notice her discomfort.
"And how long did it take you to bond with him? To summon him for the first time?"
Her expression cooled. Became distant.
"I can't tell you where I got him."
Suspicion flickered in my mind. But before I could dwell on it, she continued.
"But for the second part..."
She paused.
"It took me almost four struggling months to summon him for the first time."
'Four months?!'
"Four months sounds long, but that was due to his stubbornness."
She glanced at the sky where Ashen had dissolved.
"Otherwise, it takes an average of one month to make them bow. If you've already synchronized with the summon beforehand."
My mind was racing.
"So do you have more? More summons?"
She nodded.
That was it.
I needed this girl.
My hands shot out. Grabbed hers again. Desperate.
"Please teach me the principles, miss!"
[ Freya del Astrea POV ]
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
I stared at his hands wrapped around mine. Again.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted my butler. Hidden in the treeline. Watching.
His posture was tense. Ready to strike. Eyes asking for permission.
Permission to kill this boy.
I gave a small gesture. A subtle wave of my fingers.
'Go away.'
He hesitated. Then melted back into the shadows.
I turned to the boy. Retrieved my hands from his grip. Again.
"I don't have time for these things."
I turned. Started walking away.
"Wait!"
His hand grabbed mine.
I stopped.
Stared at where his fingers locked around my wrist.
Something burned inside me.
'How dare he.'
'How dare he have the audacity to touch me.'
'Again and again.'
'Does he have any idea who I am?'
He must have seen my gaze. Felt how uncomfortable I was. Because he instantly let go.
"Sorry, miss. I didn't mean to..."
He stepped back. Rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"But I'm in a very desperate situation. I need to learn how to call my summon."
"And why would I help?" My voice was cold.
"There's no gain for me."
I turned to leave again. But something made me pause.
The determination in his eyes.
He was injured. One ear still bleeding. From his unfocused gaze, I could tell he was still suffering the aftermath of that blow. The pain. The dizziness. The ringing that probably hadn't stopped.
Yet he stood there. Refusing to give up.
"Gain?" His voice rose.
"I literally saved you from those bandits!"
Annoyance flared in my chest. 'Is he serious right now?'
'He's acting as if I owe him something.'
'How dare he see this as an exchange.'
'How dare he think his pathetic intervention meant anything.'
But then his expression shifted.
"Umm..."
He rubbed the back of his head again. Looked away. "Actually... you didn't need it."
His voice dropped.
"I didn't help at all. I was... useless."
That word. The way he said it.
'Useless.'
There was pain behind it. Old pain. Like he had called himself that word many times before.
"But if you want anything in return, name it."
He straightened. Tried to look confident despite swaying on his feet.
"I'm the son of the Baron... I mean, Baroness Helena Van Astrea who rules these lands."
'Baroness?'
Confusion flickered through me.
'Didn't Baron Cassius Van Astrea rule this domain?'
I must have been mistaken. Or perhaps something had changed recently. Either way, this boy was from my clan. My bloodline. A distant relative of the Astrea family.
"Help me summon my first."
His eyes met mine. Pleading now. Not demanding.
"And I will grant you anything you desire."
I almost laughed.
Inwardly, of course.
First, I would have been pissed at him for thinking he helped me.
Then, for thinking he could give me anything. As if he were superior. As if a backwater baron's son could offer something to someone like me.
But my perspective of him had changed.
He had shifted. From demanding to pleading. From arrogant to humble.
That vulnerability.
That desperation.
I didn't know why, but my heart told me to help him.
Even when it was dangerous for me to roam around in the open like this. Even when every moment I spent here increased the risk of discovery.
If my mother found out I had been attacked by lowborn bandits...
Even though they hadn't known my identity. Even though I had handled the situation easily.
She would be furious.
And if I stayed here longer? Helped this stranger?
It would only make things worse.
But still.
"I don't need anything in return." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"I will teach you everything I can."
His eyes widened.
"For the next five hours only. Then I will leave."
His face transformed. Those injured, tired eyes suddenly glistened with hope.
"That will be enough!" He nodded eagerly.
"I'll try my best to learn. And even if I don't get it in five hours, with your techniques, I can practice on my own afterward."
Then he paused. Thought for a moment.
"But... you're giving this for free? When you said you don't see any gain?"
"On second thought..."
I looked at him. At his bloody ear. His swaying stance. His stubborn determination.
"I realized you gave more than you think."
He looked confused.
"Back when you jumped in to protect me..."
I hesitated.
This was difficult to admit.
"To be honest, I would have been seriously hurt."
I hissed internally at my own words. At the failure they represented.
I had let my guard down. Had been careless. Had left myself vulnerable.
"If you hadn't acted with that stupid courage of yours..."
I met his eyes.
"I would have been in a bad situation. Before I could even summon Ashen."
His expression flickered. Processing.
"I don't know where you got that ridiculous bravery."
I almost smiled. Almost.
"But I will say it saved me. So in exchange, I will train you."
Joy flooded his face.
But I also noticed the blood. Still dripping down his neck. Pooling at his collar.
I pulled out my handkerchief. Clean white silk.
"For your first step..."
I gestured. "Come closer."
He obeyed immediately. Like a well-trained dog.
I reached up. Pressed the cloth against his wound. Cleaned the blood from his neck and jaw.
Then I placed his hand over the handkerchief.
"Hold it tight against your ear."
He did as instructed.
"I don't want you dying before my harsh training even begins."