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IT was just after Ray and I had gone our separate ways after returning to the castle. I was walking down a deserted hallway—and there he was. Kirion.
“Miss Mayna!” he called as he approached, a bright smile on his lips.
After that conversation with Ray, I couldn’t help but reflexively take a step back. Then it occurred to me: why am I taking Ray’s side against Kirion? Sure, he had an air of mystery that made it difficult to fully trust him...but Ray was hardly worth my trust either, considering he’d named me his Bondmate only to change his mind a few days later.
They were both equally confusing in behavior. For that matter, it was possible Ray was badmouthing Kirion purely to ruin his reputation. But ever since I arrived in Vaxwald, my opinion of Ray had slowly changed. His softer side was peeking through again, reminiscent of those days in Myulan, and it was hard to imagine the fleeting smiles and tenderhearted concern was all one big act.
“Miss Mayna? What’s wrong?” Kirion asked, still smiling.
“N-Nothing.”
“...Did Sir Ray say something about me?”
It felt as though he’d read my mind, and I flinched. At this, Kirion smirked and turned his gaze to the windows.
“I thought I saw him looking over at me from the training field. And then I saw him start talking to you.”
“You were watching us?”
“I happened to catch sight of the training field while I was walking down the hall. And with you back so soon, I’m guessing the session wrapped up a bit earlier than usual. Was there a problem?” he asked, innocently tilting his head. To me, it genuinely seemed as though he had no idea...but I kept my guard up nonetheless. How could he have seen us talking, but not the commotion?
“What were you doing in this part of the castle, Kirion?”
“Like I said, I was just passing through. I’m not barred from this wing of the castle, am I? I was just looking for a friend of mine—one of the servants.”
“Okay then, why didn’t you come to observe the knights’ training? At the time you told us you weren’t interested, but the way I see you, you’ve always been the type to tag along out of pure curiosity.”
“Sure, maybe that’s how you see me. But I’m a Dragonkin, and to me, turning into a dragon is an ordinary part of life. I’m not enthralled by it like you Myulan folk. So knight training has nothing of interest to me.”
Just then, an idea struck me.
“Right, you can turn into a dragon! Well, let’s see it, then!”
“What, right here?”
“Sure! There’s plenty of space here in this corridor. Besides, no one else is around.” Time to find out if Kirion’s really a Dragonkin. I grinned smugly. “You can transform, can’t you?”
Kirion hesitated...then sighed. “All right. I’ll do it.”
“What?” I blinked in surprise. “You will?”
“Here I go, okay? Back up a bit.”
Concentrating hard, Kirion closed his eyes and put both hands over his face. Then his knees buckled and he pitched forward—and in the next moment when he straightened up, he was undeniably a dragon. His scales were jet-black, and as with his humanoid form, he was on the smaller side.
“Happy now?”
“Y-Yeah... Thank you...” I muttered awkwardly. All in all, I felt pretty stupid for suspecting him.
After Kirion had shifted back, he pouted. “I just know Sir Ray’s trying to turn you against me. What exactly did he say? That I’m lying about my race?”
“I’m sorry for doubting you, but”—I looked directly into his eyes—“I just don’t fully trust you yet.”
“How can you say that when you’re wearing my gift?” he asked, a sorrowful expression on his face as he touched my whiteshell accessory.
“Because I’m pretty sure it was Ray who gave this to me, not you,” I stated without hesitation. “I could tell from the look in his eyes when he first saw me wearing it. Besides, you’d never leave someone a gift outside their door. You’d march right up to them and hand it over face to face.”
“Once again, that’s just your view of me. Besides, at no point has Sir Ray ever said the gift was from him—but I have. Why won’t you just believe me?”
“Well...because...Ray was the only one in the store with me when I first saw it...” I mumbled uncertainly. I had other reasons, of course, but they were less concrete and thus harder to express.
“Miss Mayna, please... You’re breaking my heart...” Kirion whispered, his brow furrowed. By all accounts, he looked sincerely crestfallen. “Don’t act like you trust Sir Ray over me. He led you to believe you were his Bondmate, then changed his mind about you on a whim, remember?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“I would never do that.” He moved close and pulled me into his arms. “Can’t you see how crazy I am about you?”
“Let go of me, Kirion.”
“I don’t want to.” As I tried to pull away, his arms tightened around me. “I could make you so happy if you would just let me. I’ll buy you as many hair ornaments as you like. All the other women will be jealous of how much I spoil you. I’ll cherish you, Miss Mayna. All you have to do is love me back.”
He loosened his grip, and I stepped back slightly—but then he cupped my cheek and leaned in like he was going to kiss me.
“We’re Bondmates. It’s destiny.”
But before our lips could meet, I quickly put my hand over his mouth.
“What is a Bondmate to you?” I questioned.
He frowned as though he didn’t see the point of the question.
“A Bondmate is much like a soulmate, right? You find yourself drawn to them without really knowing why. A feeling so powerful, ‘love at first sight’ doesn’t begin to cover it. They consume your every waking thought, and you yearn to spend the rest of your life at their side. Their personality is a perfect match for yours, and so you get along perfectly.”
“Yes, and? I don’t need you to explain the concept to me, Miss Mayna. I already feel that way about you. I want to be with you always.”
He reached out and took my hand...but I pulled it away.
“I get the sense that you’re very self-centered, Kirion. But according to what I’ve been told, having a Bondmate isn’t about selfish desires. You see, Mona has a Bondmate too, and she was telling me all about it.”
Being Bondmates isn’t about flirting all the time. The love you have for your Bondmate runs deeper than that. You always want to put their happiness first, no matter what...and as long as they’re happy, then your own happiness doesn’t matter.
Frustrated, I stared at the floor. “I don’t get it... Why does Ray’s behavior feel more ‘loving’ than my supposed Bondmate’s?”
Not only that, but I was dying to run off and go find him—right this second, if such a thing were possible. I wanted him to hold me, not Kirion.
“Miss Mayna...”
His voice sounded weak and forlorn. But when I looked up, for the briefest of moments, his expression didn’t quite seem to match—and then a split second later, he was back to making puppy-dog eyes at me.
“I don’t know what Mona told you, but are you sure she’s actually found her Bondmate? Because the love between real Bondmates—”
“Kirion!”
At the sudden voice, I looked over and spotted Sari rushing down the hall toward us. At first she looked happy to see him, but then she saw me, and instantly her expression soured like milk in the sun.
“What are you two doing together?” she asked, fixing me with an accusatory glare.
Her open hostility aside, I was quite glad she had turned up.
“Nothing, really,” I answered. And with Kirion now in Sari’s capable hands, I hurried off down the hall.
At one point I shot a glance over my shoulder just to be safe, but neither of them had decided to give chase.