Chapter Eighteen

  The Enigmatic Girl.

  “Aria?” Aelius frowned, gazing at the girl’s face.

  Seeing her, the natural born beauty, as well as his childhood friend, made him sink into a messy black ball of confusion and melancholy.

  She was an enigma for all of his past life. He could never tell if she hated him or loved him. Or felt nothing at all about him.

  In the end, before he could ask her, she disappeared. And the next time they met, she ended her own life.

  But the eyes she looked at him with in her final moments– those were the eyes of tragedy.

  Pursing his lips, Aelius reached forward to gently tuck her hair behind her ear, observing her delicate features.

  She truly is an enigma.

  “Oh, you’re awake?” a voice softly spoke and Aelius glanced to the side.

  Sitting at a desk nearby, wearing a white lab coat, was an older woman giving him a friendly smile. “Really wasn’t sure if you were going to pull through for a while.” She put a finger up to her lips, signally Aelius to be quiet. “Aria’s only been asleep for a few hours. Won’t be kind and let her rest? She’s exhausted. She’s been helping me nurse you for the last four days and barely resting.”

  “Aria did?” Aelius looked down at her in shock. Sitting on her shoulders was a thin blanket to keep her warm– most likely placed there after she had fallen asleep. “W-what? Why would she do that?”

  “What?” Professor Garner momentarily blinked in surprise. “Why wouldn’t she? Aren’t you two childhood sweethearts? I thought it was quite romantic.”

  “R-romantic?” Aelius recoiled at the unexpected description.

  “Yeah. The look in her eyes gazing at you all this time– it’s the look of… oh wow, you really didn’t know? In that case, I won’t spoil it.” The doctor zipped her lips.

  The look of… what? Aelius looked down. What do I not know?

  He recalled the memories of his past life. Aria had many admirers and lackeys, but in truth, all of them were self-proclaimed. Another reason why she was so enigmatic was because she would let nobody at all into her heart. It was as though she wasn’t a living human– as though she could not feel emotion. She gazed upon Aelius with indifference that hurt his fragile teenage heart, but she also looked upon all others in the same manner. That’s how she came to be known as the ice princess.

  “B-but, I mean, for years, she’s treated me like a nuisance. I used to try to even say hi to her and she’d ignore me,” Aelius exasperated.

  “Oh, silly,” the doctor shook her head in disapproval. “Poor girl, enamoured with such a dolt like you,” Professor Garner shrugged. “The trifles of a maiden, truly.”

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  “Alright,” Aelius rolled his eyes. “Then since you’re so familiar with her, care to share?”

  “Hah…” the older woman sighed. “You know of Aria’s fanclub, right?”

  Aelius wrinkled his nose, digging around in his memory. Ah, right. There was such a thing, wasn’t there? A club full of feet-loving, perverted and insecure boys all in love with the scent of Aria, hoping to get with her. They were her self-proclaimed ‘protectors’ but really, they’d just beat the shit out of me whenever I went near Aria.

  “She’s in a terrible position. Her childhood friend is mocked and bullied by everyone in the Kingdom and has no means to protect herself, and she’s even got this group of self-righteous, obsessed teenage boys chasing after her. If she ever talks to you, you get beaten up.”

  Aelius looked down to Aria. No way…

  “Oh dear, what an unpleasant position to be in. She does the only thing she can– pretend to stay away from you. But then, her very own fiancé she tries to protect turns around and hates her.”

  Aelius fell completely silent. There was a time he went through a wave of emotions toward Aria. At first, it was a puppy love. She was his first love.

  After he met Alea and grew stronger, he came to hate Aria. He could never tell what she was thinking and she was never honest with him. It was like something kept catching her tongue. He later found out it was because her family were the ones who poisoned his Core when he was young.

  He knew she wasn’t the one who poisoned him– after all, she was just as young as him. But, she watched him get bullied for being unable to use Magic, while knowing she could’ve told him at any time the truth. And yet she did not.

  Why would she not do that? When he tried to confront her to ask, she disappeared.

  Over time, his anger subsided to a distant melancholy. And then to anguish and grief that he did not know he could feel for her, when she died.

  It turns out that growing up with someone, no matter how distant you become, gives you at least some depth of feelings for them. At least, that was the case for Aelius. Was it the case for Aria?

  He looked at her pale, sleeping face and reached out again to pat her head.

  “Thanks for letting me know.”

  “It’s fine. Aria’s a good little friend of mine, I just didn’t like seeing her suffer so much.”

  Aelius pursed his lips. He always felt sorry for himself– he never stopped to think about if she was suffering or not. Turns out she was.

  And now that he thinks about it, there were times her true feelings were obvious– he was just too young and too dumb to notice. Aria always spoke very little, but her actions were surprisingly loud.

  She’d bring him medicine sometimes when he was injured, but she’d always anxiously look around before approaching him. Aelius thought she was embarrassed so she didn’t want anyone to see her. But no, it was out of worry.

  She helped him pick up his books recently. Aelius thought she did it because she felt some lingering obligation toward him. But no, it was out of… true loyalty? Can Aelius really believe such a thing?

  Turns out everything he thought about her is wrong.

  “Hah…” he clenched his fists. That’s just how enigmatic she is. But now he knows.

  If she keeps her distance because she’s worried about him being bullied, then he’ll show her she no longer needs to do that. That she can proudly stand by his side, talk to him, and finally be honest, instead of having to live like this, hiding her real feelings.

  And then, he’ll patiently ask her this time. He’ll get to the bottom of it.

  Just what is she thinking in that head of hers? He needs to know. He won’t let her die either. He’ll save her too. He’ll save everyone.

  After all, he alone is Chosen Ordained throughout Sacrescha.