Chapter 40: 40 Departure.

“Huuf, that was delicious!”.

Iris exhaled as her cheek loosened, recalling the fluffy and creamy eggs Jin had presented earlier. She coughed the cup and brought it to her mouth, trying to cleanse her mouth, but it still stubbornly remained.

“I’m glad I cooked it for you”.

The splash of flowing water and clattering plate filled the wash bin as Jin wiped the last plate clean. He then put off the apron and approached the table, sitting beside Iris.

Jin glanced at her figure; his lips loosened at her loosened expression. He brought his glass to swallow the sweet taste that stuck in his tongue.

“Such a shame that Nina misses your home cook”. Iris leaned closer while grabbing the steamed cup near her chest.

“Well, I can cook it for you guys later.” Jin smiled, then brought the tea to swallow his quickening heartbeat as their bodies leaned closer.

“That…”. Iris paused before her lips broke in a giggle, “Fufu, I can’t wait. You promise?”.

“Of course… Ah?!”.

Iris tilted her head to the side, sensing the pause that changed the boy’s demeanour. Her brows knitted together as she put the cup on the table.

Whether she realized it or not, Iris leaned further, letting her fragrant flowery scent assault Jin’s nostrils, spiking his heart rate and making his face blush. Jin coughed lightly while scratching his cheeks before replying.

“Tomorrow, my family and I will be leaving for the capital”.

Iris froze, the warmth in her expression faded. She reeled back and then leaned on the chair while murmuring. “I see,” she said.

Silence hung between them, her fingers clutching tightly against the skirt as an uneasy weight pressed on her chest. Iris wanted to say something, anything, but words caught in her throat.

“Why quiet all of a sudden?”.

“N-Nothing, what was your agenda there?”. Iris bit her lips while her fingers tightly grasped her skirt.

“Hmm, my father told me to enjoy the festival to celebrate the new year and probably to debut at the party held by the kingdom. After that, I will return…”. Jin calmly sipped the tea in his glass, his cheek twitching from letting the mildly bitter taste seep in.

“I-is that so!? I see. So, it was like that!”.

Iris’ body stiffened, her brows ceased, and her damp mood switched into a bright filter; it appeared on her smile. She exhaled before downing the lukewarm tea in one go, then lifted her gaze to meet Jin, who was choked by her sudden closeness in their distance.

“Can I see you tomorrow?”.

*****

Mornings in the winter are tough for most people, but the Midnight family is rather buzzing with activity. Servants busy with their assignment walking around the mansion, gardeners who enjoy the breath of morning dew seeped into their lungs, tending to the gardens and yard with thick coats.

Guards warmly switched their shifts while exchanging laughter. A carriage stood in front of the mansion with its horses snorting, exhaling white mist with twitching muscles, itching to travel around the wild.

“Jin, have you forgotten anything?”. Marina walked away from the mansion, holding a pack of clothes before storing them inside her Magic item.

“Yeah, I’m good, Mother”. Jin glanced at his front toward the hovering translucent panel that showed the list of the things he carried within the sub-dimension.

[Item Box: A sub-dimension place that can store objects. It has a function of stoppage time that can make anything look fresh as the time it is stored. Capacity: Unlimited]

‘This is one hell of a skill!’ he said, breaking into a grin. Witnessing the item he carried was probably too much for standard. Yesterday, after returning from Iris’s home, Jin splurged some of his money to buy some ingredients and spices just to satisfy his curiosity about cooking.

“Good then, where’s your father?”.

“I’m here!”.

Ryan walked off from the mansion, followed by Irena. In her hands, she held several pieces of black robes, equipment to hide their identity, for Ryan and Marina are well-known people in the Kingdom.

“Thank you, Irena. Please take care of the house. I already called your husband, and he will arrive tomorrow at best.”

“Understood my lord”.

He took the robes from Irena’s hand and downed one before giving the other two to Marina and Jin.

The two put on their robes, the soft fur coiled around the neck protecting them from the winter cold that seeped into their bones. Jin clenched the leather to cover his whole body before turning to his parents.

“Father, Mother, can I wait at the gate? There is someone I planned to meet”.

“Sure, go ahead!”. Ryan nods and starts to prepare with other things he might forget.

“…” On the other hand, Marina knitted her brows and placed her finger on her lips, thinking of a certain person who came to mind.

Jin brushed off his parents’ thoughts as he strode off. Under the chilled weather, he exhaled a white mist while putting his palm inside his pockets and clenching it tight.

When he arrived near the gates, he spotted a girl with a golden ponytail fluttered by the wind. The world was dyed in vibrant color as he saw the myriad particles dancing around her, and a green entity circling around her, dismissing the cold that would freeze her body.

“Young master!”. The guard who saw Jin hurriedly opened the gate with a creaking noise.

“Thank you”.

Jin stepped from his father’s mansion and approached the girl with a smile that melted the ice in his heart.

“Good morning, Iris”.

Iris turned and broke into a sunny smile. “Good morning, Jin.” She hopped and approached Jin from a distance.

He tightened his facial muscles, sensing the numbing woman scent that filtered through his nose. Jin inhaled a bit of cold air to clear out his disturbing mind.

“How was Nina’s condition?”.

“Well, I’m not so sure. I heard Irena is the one who will help with her practice.”

“I see; I’m truly thankful for the offer”.

Last night, when Jin and Iris walked together to Ryan’s mansion, Nina herself popped out and proclaimed that she would be going to work in the state. Sure, she was welcomed, for the mansion itself needed some helping hand, especially when it came to Jin’s needs.

Usually, Irena tends to Jin’s needs, but she is overworked. Not only acting as a head maid, but she is also a personal maid for Marina and helps some administration Ryan had to check and sign.

The other servants also agreed because they knew how short-staffed the place was. Bringing new blood that would give the place a sun with her cheerful atmosphere, the girl was welcomed well by the place.

“I heard it was Nina herself who volunteered, but are you sure, Iris?”. Jin turned to Iris.

“What is it?”. She lifted her gaze with an adorable tilt.

“Aren’t you going to be lonely at home?”.

“Well, it was a lie if I said I wouldn’t, but” Iris paused as she stared at the mansion. Nina is stubborn in some places, so it was not my place to stop her choice. Besides, it was not like I wouldn’t get to see her for a long time. When it was time for her to break from work, Nina and I would spend the days having fun”.

Iris’ lips loosened as her smile bloomed like a spring. It was soft and warm, like the gentle touch of the first sunlight that chased the cold away. She turned to the side and met Jin before flashing her gentle smile.

Jin’s body temperature rose. He could hear his heart beating so loud that it could burst his eardrums. His lips were quivering, warmth spreading across his cheeks.

“Iris!”.

Suddenly, his hand moved by itself, grabbing Iris’s hand, which was jolted by the situation.

Her emerald eyes sucked his soul, whispering sweet words that rang in his ears. He pulled the girl closer and gulped his saliva while tightly interlocking their fingers.

“Iris, I…”.

“Jin, it’s time we depart!”.

A wailing box and whining of the horses echoed within the place. It shattered the pink atmosphere between Jin and Iris, who were at such a close distance.

Both of them bolted and distanced themselves from each other, rubbing each other’s hands that earlier touched, with a faint blush on their cheeks. The lingering warm, connected breath and heart still rang beside their ears.

Ryan, who peered from the carriage through the door, raised his eyebrows to witness the restless behaviour of the two. He alternated his gaze before slapping his face, regret dawning upon him.

“…I-Iris, I’ll be going. See you later.” Jin stammered, his face still flushed pink, but he managed to say his pieces.

Iris’s body stiffened as she clutched her chest tight. She could feel her heart thumping so wild that she worried it might burst out. “Y-yeah, see you later, Jin.”

The two stood in silence while observing each other’s faces; a second passed before they simultaneously burst into laughter.

“Pfft, by then, Iris. I will bring you some souvenirs”.

“Mm, I will be waiting”. Iris murmured, exhaling softly as she watched Jin turn his back from her.

Unconsciously, she reached upon her chest, her fingers clenching on the fabric tight, as something stirred deep inside. A quiet ache that whispers to her to act.

“Wait, Jin!”. Iris’ voice cut through the morning air. She stepped forward, her movement steady.

Jin stopped in his tracks and turned around to see her face closing in. Before he could react a soft warmth peck landed on his cheek. His body went rigid.

Slowly, as realization dawned on him, his trembling finger traced the ligering warmth on his cheek.

“I-Iris, t-this…”.

Iris covered her lips. Her face was steaming hot before it poofed out like a boiled octopus. Her gaze was swimming, but when she stared ahead, looking at the surprised boy, Iris opened her mouth in a faint whisper. “I’ll wait for your arrival,” she said.

Her body flashed with a green aura before it disappeared like the wind, untraceable and undetected. Jin exhaled hard while still lingering on the earlier event. ‘Man, I never knew a girl’s lips could be so addictive!’.

He shook his head, trying to dismiss his puberty, and when he turned around, he saw his father grin meaningfully while letting his thumbs up.

“Son, I never knew you were into older ones”.

“It wasn’t like that!”.

However, on top of the fluttering feeling he felt, Jin’s chest tightened as his face scrunched. He lightly tapped his chest area, hinting at him that some bad premonition would happened. But, it was only fleeting fragments, grief, remorse and void gnawing at his mind. ‘…What is this feeling?’.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep