Chapter 63: Much More Alike Than They Thought (I)
The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains surrounding the city.
The orange tones of dusk painted the sky while a light breeze made the park’s tree leaves dance.
Most people had already returned home.
The children had stopped playing.
The birds were beginning to return to their nests.
The place had become strangely quiet.
Kael and Seraphina remained seated on a wooden bench facing the lake.
After walking for almost the entire afternoon, neither was in a hurry to get up.
It was pleasant.
Surprisingly pleasant.
Kael stretched his legs and let out a long sigh.
"I think going out was a good idea after all."
Seraphina nodded slowly.
"Yes.
Even though the manual was terrible."
Kael let out a small laugh.
"Poor Luna.
She worked so hard."
"I know."
"We’ll have to thank her...
But never follow one of her romantic plans again."
Seraphina smiled.
"I agree."
They fell silent again.
It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.
It was the kind that only appears when two people no longer feel the need to speak just to fill the void.
Kael watched the wind gently move Seraphina’s blue hair.
Then he remembered something.
"Hey..."
She turned her head slightly.
"Yes?"
"I’ve always been curious about something."
"About what?"
"I’ve never seen your summon."
Seraphina remained thoughtful for a few seconds.
"That’s true.
You’ve never seen it."
Kael nodded.
"You always use ice magic.
But I’ve never seen your creature appear."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"That’s because it usually doesn’t come out."
"Is it shy?"
"No.
It hates heat."
Kael blinked.
"...What?"
"My summon is an Ancestral Winter Spirit.
It’s merged with my magic since I made the contract.
As long as I’m fine...
He is too."
Kael listened attentively.
It was the first time Seraphina had spoken so openly about something so personal.
"So...
Where is he normally?"
She answered with absolute naturalness.
"Inside the refrigerator in my room."
Kael took exactly ten seconds to react.
One.
Two.
Three...
He looked at her.
Then at the lake.
Back at her.
"..."
"Your summon lives... inside your refrigerator?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
Seraphina looked at him curiously.
"What’s wrong?"
Kael ended up letting out a small laugh.
"That makes sense."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Does it?"
"No.
But with you, I’ve learned that questioning these things never helps."
Seraphina also let out a small laugh.
"That’s a good conclusion."
Kael shook his head.
"Now I understand why everyone says your dormitory looks like a freezer."
"It’s so he’s comfortable."
"And he never tries to leave?"
"Only during winter.
He says the rest of the year the world is too hot."
Kael laughed again.
"I think I’m starting to sympathize with him."
Seraphina smiled again.
Every time it became more natural.
It no longer looked like that carefully controlled expression she showed to others.
It was much smaller.
But also much more sincere.
Kael noticed.
And, without knowing why...
He liked seeing her like that.
---
Silence returned for a few seconds.
This time, Kael spoke first.
"You know?
I always thought you had a perfect life."
Seraphina looked at him, surprised.
"Perfect?"
"You’re strong.
Smart.
You come from an important family.
Everyone respects you.
You always seemed...
She searched for the right word.
"...unreachable."
She remained quiet for a few moments.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"It wasn’t like that."
Kael rested both arms on his knees.
"I guess none of us really knows about each other’s lives."
Seraphina looked away toward the lake.
"I guess."
Kael smiled with a hint of melancholy.
"My father was a carpenter.
He didn’t earn much.
But he always smiled."
Remembering still produced a small knot in his chest.
"He used to say that as long as Luna and I could laugh...
Everything else could be fixed."
Seraphina listened in silence.
"When he died...
Everything changed."
Kael lowered his gaze.
"I was ten.
Luna was barely seven."
His voice remained calm.
But it was clear those memories still weighed heavily.
"My mother did everything she could for a while.
She worked.
Came home tired.
Tried to take care of us.
Until one day..."
He sighed.
"She met a fairly wealthy merchant."
Seraphina could already imagine how that story ended.
"He told her he could give her a better life.
No worries.
No poverty.
No more struggling."
Kael smiled sadly.
"There was only one condition.
We weren’t part of that new life."
The wind blew again.
"So one day...
She just left.
There was no big goodbye.
No explanation.
Just a letter.
And silence."
Seraphina felt a small ache in her chest.
He had never told it that way before.
Kael kept looking at the water.
"For a long time, I thought she’d come back.
Luna did too.
Every time someone knocked on the door...
She’d run, thinking it was Mom."
He paused.
"It never was."
Seraphina slowly lowered her head.
Kael let out a small bitter laugh.
"So I started working.
Whatever I could find.
Carrying boxes.
Cleaning.
Delivering packages.
Helping in workshops."
"I just wanted Luna to keep smiling."
He smiled with genuine affection when thinking of his sister.
"And somehow...
She did.
I never understood how.
She always found a way to smile.
Even when there wasn’t enough food.
Even when she was tired.
Even when she knew I was barely sleeping."
Kael looked up slightly.
"I think she was the one who was really giving me strength."
Seraphina watched him with a mixture of admiration and sadness.
Now she understood many things.
Why Kael never spent money unnecessarily.
Why he always tried to solve everything alone.
Why every decision he made started with thinking about Luna.
It had never been out of habit.
It had been out of necessity.
For years.
---
Seraphina remained silent for a long moment.
Then she spoke very slowly.
"My mother died when I was little."
Kael immediately turned toward her.
It was the first time he had heard her mention her family.
"I’m sorry."
She shook her head gently.
"I barely remember her.
Just some images.
A song.
Her voice.
And..."
She smiled nostalgically.
"Her perfume."
Kael stayed silent.
"My father...
He was completely different before.
At least, that’s what the old servants say.
He smiled a lot.
He loved cooking with her.
And he always found time to play."
Her eyes began to glisten just a little.
"But when she died...
That man disappeared."
She took a deep breath.
"Since then, only the head of the Vale family remained.
Not my father.
A man who only talked about training.
About making me stronger.
About not making mistakes.
About not being weak.
Because..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"He said that if I was weak...
I’d die just like Mom."
Kael felt his heart tighten.
Now he understood why Seraphina had grown up believing she had to be perfect.
Why she trained so much.
Why she almost never smiled.
It wasn’t pride.
It was fear.
Fear of disappointing the only family she had left.
And fear...
Of ending up like her mother.
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