Chapter 15: The Solar Fire Knight and His One
ZANTO had asked me to fill in on guard duty, and so there I was in uniform during summer break. He’d also called upon a few members of the royal guard, since Marlena and the crown prince were expected to turn up. I monitored the courtyard—a hotspot for rendezvous—from the shadows, making sure not to accidentally disturb anyone.
I was patrolling the area when a girl with wavy, light brown hair came into view. I knew she was Bern the second I laid eyes on her. I didn’t know why she looked the way she did. I didn’t know what she was doing at Zanto’s estate.
But I did know that no matter the color of her hair or eyes, I could never forget her face. I watched as she let herself be dragged off like some innocent little kid, obviously unaware of what was coming next.
The man was notorious for making quick work of his prey, and Bern was the perfect target. I rushed after them only to see him having his way with her. Furious, I charged to her rescue and was rewarded with a relieved smile.
Even underneath the makeup I could recognize the charming bridge of her nose, her thin, cold lips that nonetheless produced oddly warm smiles. The sight of her hair in a half-updo like she’d worn the first time we met set something off inside me. I felt the air in my lungs expand as a flame lit within my chest.
What if I touch her? Her cool skin would soothe this burning heat. No, that’s just an excuse. What you really want is to touch the woman of your dreams.
I couldn’t touch her at the academy, couldn’t even whisper sweet nothings to her, till graduation day. I thought that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t count if I played along with her act.
“The one.”
She turned away. I put my hand to her cheek, slowly slid it down. The nape of her neck, normally buried under her uniform, could finally breathe. Her collarbone was like limestone: luminescent, dewy, chilly to the touch. Oh, how I had longed for that moment.
I snatched at her ribbon when she tried to escape, hoping it’d give her an excuse to stay. “Run, and it’ll come loose,” I said, before she shoved me back full force.
The ribbon unraveled, making a complete mess of her hair. She didn’t care. She just ran. My heart ached at the undeniable fear in her eyes. I couldn’t touch her; she wouldn’t let me. She’d…rejected me.
I’m not her one. The realization drove me to the verge of tears.
I wound her ribbon around my fingers, giving it a quick kiss. No one can know this happened, not even Bern.
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BERN returned to the dorm once summer vacation ended. “Did you have guard duty during the break?” she hesitantly inquired, likely worried that I had caught on to her.
“Zanto asked me to fill in once. How do you know?” I said, feigning ignorance.
“Just a rumor I heard.”
“That reminds me. I came across this woman. Slender body, beautiful posture, dignified air, cute smile. Ticked of all my boxes.”
Bern’s eyes widened. “The ‘one’?”
“Yeah, or so I thought, until I found out she…”
“She?”
“She was one of Zanto’s clay dolls.” I shrugged my shoulders.
Bern’s answering sigh of relief pained me. I didn’t want her to feel relieved, though I didn’t want her to be scared of me either. If she were, we wouldn’t be able to live in the same room. I knew she’d leave me one day, so I’d hidden the truth. I wanted us to stay together for longer. If not as lovers, then as friends.
“Sounds rough,” she said.
“You can say that again. Just when I thought I’d found her.”
“I’m sure you’ll find another one eventually,” Bern reassured me, a smile on her face.
No woman can compare to you. I grasped the ribbon coiled inside my pocket. “Wouldn’t be ‘the one’ if there were multiple, now would it?” I laughed, sealing away my feelings.