Chapter 47: An Awkward Morning
The morning had barely begun, yet somehow it had already become the most awkward one of Regaleon’s life.
The lake was cold... Or at least, it should have been.
The water cascading endlessly from the cliff above carried the chill of mountain springs, mist drifted across the surface of the lake in pale veils, and the breeze that swept through the clearing should have been enough to raise goosebumps on anyone’s skin...
Yet standing there now, Regaleon could have sworn the entire lake had become unbearably warm.
Or perhaps it wasn’t the lake...
Maybe it was simply this... This situation...
The waterfall still roared, the lake rippled softly, and creatures somewhere deep within the Crimson Forest still cried out in strange haunting tones...
But despite all those sounds, the silence between him and Aureleah somehow felt louder.
Neither of them spoke nor did they moved; golden eyes remained fixed stubbornly on the water while silver eyes did the same...
Suddenly, both of them found the surface of the lake to be extraordinarily interesting. Seconds stretched... Then they became minutes...
The silence became suffocating and the duo refused to break it.
For the first time since arriving in the Crimson Forest, Regaleon discovered something terrifying...
Monsters were easier to deal with than this.
Give him another horde of Wights...
Give him the five monstrosities again...
Hell, even give him those cursed Winged Wights...
Just give him anything...
Anything would be preferable to standing waist-deep in a lake while trying to pretend that another person wasn’t standing only a short distance away.
The Forgotten Knight silently curse his luck.
How had this happened?
He had only wanted a bath, that was all.
Just one simple bath after days of blood, sweat, and endless combat.
Yet somehow fate had managed to conspire against him.... And now, he was trapped in what might genuinely become the most embarrassing moment of his life.
Regaleon released a slow breath... Then another...
For a moment, the silence persisted...
Eventually, he gathered enough courage to glance sideways. His gaze landed on Aureleah, and immediately, his thoughts became even more complicated.
For perhaps the first time since meeting her, Aureleah’s expression wasn’t completely unreadable.
A faint blush covered her cheeks; it was subtle, barely noticeable... But impossible to miss once it was seen.
Regaleon stared longer than he should have; not because he meant to, but because the sight genuinely caught him off guard.
Aureleah had always seemed composed, cold, and distant; like a perfectly forged blade covered in frost.
Even when facing death, her expression rarely changed. Even in a situation that would make everyone else panicked, she always maintain that calmness...
Yet now... Now she looked completely different. Like a human... Vulnerable and real.
And somehow, that realization struck him harder than he expected as a strange thought surfaced. It was a very dangerous and unwelcome one.
Aureleah looked... Beautiful.
Then, he reeled back visibly as if he was suddenly struck by a hammer as his eyes widened slightly...
Instantly, he looked away.
What was wrong with him?
The silver-haired Knight practically shook the thought from his head.
No! Absolutely not!
This was not the time. There were already countless problems in the Nether Lands, countless dangers and mysteries, and he was about to let this become another one.
Clearing his throat, Regaleon scratched the back of his head. This action felt strangely childish, yet it was the only thing he could think of doing.
"Aureleah..."
He drawled; his voice sounded odd, almost hesitant. And that made him wince internally...
Wonderful! Now he couldn’t even speak properly.
He swallowed a mouthful of air before pushing forward...
"S-sorry." The word emerged far quieter than he truly intended.
"...I didn’t know you would come here this morning."
As he said these words, his gaze remained fixed somewhere beyond the waterfall; at least anywhere except directly at her.
For several moments, silence reigned over them.
Then finally...
"It’s not your fault."
Her voice sounded calm and collected; almost to the point of indifference... Almost.
Because underneath that familiar calmness, there existed a slight tremor. It was tiny, nearly imperceptible, but it was there, and Regaleon noticed it.
Aureleah looked away before continuing.
"I was the one who is at fault. I should have checked the lake first."
Her tone remained composed. Yet inwardly, she felt anything but that.
Her heart was beating far too quickly and Aureleah disliked it. She disliked losing control of herself, and she especially disliked situations she couldn’t understand.
Another silence followed after that as neither of them knew what to say next.
The conversation should have ended there as it was a perfectly reasonable conclusion. Yet somehow, the awkwardness refused to disappear.
Instead, it lingered stubbornly between them, like a third person standing in the lake.
Regaleon desperately wished for a monster to appear... Because at least then, he would know what to do.
Then suddenly, a realization struck him hard like a lightning bolt.
Right!
He was supposed to leave immediately now, wasn’t he?
What was he still standing here for?
Regaleon mentally cursed himself.
Of course he should leave.
That was the obvious solution... The sensible solution... In fact, it was the only solution.
"Ah..."
Brilliant! What a truly inspiring internal dialogue.
The Forgotten Knight wanted to bury himself underground... No! Underwater.
"Right... Uhm... I’m gonna go now..."
Scratching the back of his neck again, he slowly turned toward the shore.
Each step felt hurried... Almost desperate.
Behind him, Aureleah remained silent.
Thankfully.
Had she said anything else, Regaleon wasn’t entirely certain he would survive the conversation.
Slowly, the shore approached and Regaleon nearly sighed in relief. Like a man who was finally seeing salvation... And freedom.
Then, halfway out of the water, another horrifying realization struck him...
He froze completely... For several agonizing seconds. Then slowly, very slowly... He turned his head just in time to see that Aureleah wasn’t looking.
Relief flooded through him so powerfully that he almost laughed.
Thank Aetherium...
Moving with an efficiency that would impress most military instructors, Regaleon grabbed his folded clothes and dressed faster than he ever did in his life.
Clearly, years of training had practical applications beyond combat...
Moments later, he was fully dressed. He didn’t even bother manifesting his Armour; instead, he turned and left...
Branches rustled... Leaves shifted... And footsteps retreated rapidly...
Then, he vanished into the forest. Fleeing with the urgency of a man escaping certain doom.
Only after several seconds did Aureleah finally turn her head. Through the drifting mist, she caught a final glimpse of his retreating figure before he disappeared between twisted crimson trees.
Then he was truly gone... And silence returned.
Aureleah stared at the place where Regaleon had vanished. Then slowly... She released a breath she didn’t realized she was holding.
One hand rise instinctively to her chest. Her heartbeat was still racing. Fast. Far too fast.
If Regaleon believed she had remained calm throughout the encounter, then he was greatly mistaken.
Outwardly? She looked calm.
Inwardly? It wasn’t even close.
The usually composed assassin closed her eyes briefly...
She could still feel her pulse; still feel the lingering tension within her body, and she hated it.
Not because the feeling was unpleasant, but because it was unfamiliar.
Aureleah had spent most of her life training, surviving... And protecting Sylveris. So there were few things that managed to genuinely unsettle her.
Yet somehow, this simple encounter had accomplished just that.
Why?
She couldn’t answer and that is what bothered her the most...
The memory replayed itself against her will. Golden eyes meeting silver ones; his flustered expression, his awkward apology, and the way he had practically foer afterward.
For some reason, the memory almost made her smile. Almost...
Because the expression never fully formed but it came closer than it had in a very long time.
Aureleah stayed like that for a few moments... Then her gaze sharpened.
The Crimson Forest remained dangerous and survival still came first. Everything else would just have to wait...
Yet even as she told herself that, Aureleah found her thoughts drifting back toward the silver-haired Knight...
Toward his strange sense of responsibility....
Toward the countless moments over the past few days...
Toward the way he always stepped forward when danger appeared...
Instantly, she frowned slightly. Then shook her head.
Enough!
She had spent enough time thinking about this already...
With that, Aureleah pushed the matter aside and swam deeper into the lake.
