"What is it? I can tell that you want to ask me a question, but you are holding back. Just spill what you want to tell me."
Reina made an irritated expression as she asked Shuu to speak up. He felt intimidated by her eyes and immediately looked away after closing his mouth.
"Ugh, I was not trying to intimidate you… fucking hell—! Why is it so difficult to talk to you? Can you stop being scared of everything?"
Shuu wanted to take offense to those words. He was not scared of everything, but Reina was… just a little too much.
But still, since she had helped him out, she did not seem as bad as before, and Shuu was… able to trust her a little more.
"I-I wanted to ask you a few things about Prince Kaiden. Will you answer me?"
Shuu asked, and Reina paused her book before giving him a look.
"I will… try. But there are things I won't be able to say due to my vows. Still, ask what you want to ask me."
Shuu nodded before he took a deep breath and asked her the first question.
"Do you know why Prince Kaiden chose me? And what does he want from me?"
Reina immediately frowned at those words. She looked a little uncomfortable and wondered how she should answer the question.
After pondering for a while, she finally decided to speak up.
"I am not sure why he chose you and what he wants from you. But I can take a guess. You must have realized by now that Prince Kaiden has someone he holds dear to his heart. All I know is that whatever he does, he does for that person. He must have selected you for the sake of that person as well."
Reina sounded confident, and her words just confirmed what Shuu already knew.
The truth stung quite a bit more than Shuu expected it to, and tears started to build up in his eyes. But he forced them all down.
'What is there to be disappointed about? I already knew that…'
"I see."
His voice sounded a little hoarse but otherwise fine.
"Ah, so you realized that already. Well, it's not like people around you tried to hide it. And Prince Kaiden does not say anything, but he makes it obvious that he has someone he cherishes. Every time we are in the capital, he goes to visit them, and… I am getting off topic. Anyway, the short of it is, don't get your hopes up when it comes to Prince Kaiden. He is no hero, even if he is chosen as one."
Reina warned Shuu once more, and Shuu lost all motivation to ask her more. He just felt exhausted with life and his situation.
So he went to sleep with hopes that the next day would be better.
It was all silent and calm for some time. Shuu's dream was blank as well, where he did not have to think about much.
It felt… nice to not think about it all. His body was flowing through water and being dragged down toward the surface.
'It's nice. I don't have to think much. I wonder how long I can stay here for?'
Shuu opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The silence was comforting…
"Are you trying to run away? I won't let you run away from me. I finally found you…"
Something cold touched Shuu's back, and he shivered. He had a sudden feeling that he should not turn around. If he did, then something bad might happen.
"Where are you going? You have a purpose to fulfill… that's why you are alive…"
The cold feeling snuck up Shuu's arm and toward his shoulder. It crawled up his mouth and reached for his eyes.
'I-I can't see…'
"Sink into the darkness. You already know that this world has rejected you. You no longer have anyone to rely on."
The voice teased, hitting Shuu in all the places where he knew it hurt. But maybe the voice was right. Maybe it was telling the truth, and he could finally give up and sink into it…
A hand touched his arm, and Shuu immediately felt the touch scald him. The coldness around him retreated, and he opened his eyes.
He slowly opened his eyes, only to feel pain and numbness in his wrist. He looked down, only to see a small cut on his arm and hear Reina's loud shout.
"What do you think you are doing? Get away from him—"
"M-Miss Reina, calm down. His blood is necessary to stabilize the blade for now. He will be fine by the end of it all. I promise you—"
"Kaiden, are you just gonna—"
"It's fine. My honey is strong, so he can take it. Besides, I will heal him as soon as this is done."
Shuu slowly opened his eyes, and his attention immediately snapped toward Prince Kaiden's face. The hero was smiling, and his reassuring smile made Shuu feel better as well.
"I am sorry, honey. The sword needs to settle down for a little bit, and we need your blood for that. You are not in too much pain, right?"
Prince Kaiden asked, and Shuu could not reply to him. His mouth felt heavy, and his eyes threatened to drag down.
And just as soon as it all started, it stopped as well, and Shuu could breathe once more. The pain in his arm started to dull down as well.
"You did well, honey. I am sorry for startling you like this, but we needed to settle the blade before it started to rampage. Are you feeling better now?"
Prince Kaiden asked with a smile on his face, and Shuu just nodded.
"I am fine… I think… My head is just spinning a little bit."
Shuu tried to push himself to sit and noticed how some of the village elders were around as well. He had not even noticed their presence until now.
"Tsk, you really are something, kid. I will take my leave now. Make sure you take care of yourself."
Reina told Shuu before she left the room and dragged the elders with her as well.