Yeah, do whatever you want, Assh*le! You have never been by my side anyway! No one has. I used to pray to a god. There was no god who could save you. Or if there was, he didnt care. Otherwise, he would have had the heart to hear my pleas when I was trapped a hundred years wishing to die.

Did you take your medicine on time? asked a familiar voice as I grumbled up at the sky.

Yes, I took it before I went to sleep.

I dont think you are in your right mind. Maybe drink the medicine once more.

What? There is nothing wrong with me!

A person who shouts at the sky early in the morning as though looking for a fight doesnt look normal to me.

I sighed and took out the vial of medicine from my pocket that I usually stored for emergency seizures. I drank it. My mood sometimes fluctuates because of the withdrawal.

What about sleep? he asked.

Yes, I slept well. How about you? I bet the beds were uncomfortable if you are up so early.

It was uncomfortable.

As expected. Blankets in our house are too heavy and mattresses are so soft that they can make one nauseous. I thought it would be uncomfortable for you. Ill tell them to change it today.

The sky was not lightening. The freak show was over. I could see the sun rising in the horizon painting the sky orange.

I remembered that Mimi would wake up early to prepare breakfast. The meal must taste bland to Kaichen. He had a sweet tooth and the pickiest taste in food. Mimi didnt know about his taste yet. She didnt even know my taste and I had lived here for so long before I left.

She doesnt know me now either. The Dalia she knew was completely different from the person I was now. My perspective and my taste had changed too.

Teacher, what do you want for breakfast? I asked Kaichen as I thought it would be better to prepare it myself. However, Kaichen, sitting at the end of the bench, raised an eyebrow at me.

Are you going to tend to me here too?

I said I would do it forever, didnt I?

Your subordinates are watching.

But Mimi and Angel are not exactly my subordinates

Arent they commoners who work for you?

Lets just say that they are like friends.

I had the title and status of the lord of Acrab, Countess Alshine, but I didnt think of it as that important. I wasnt the type of person to divide people according to their status. Their work was the job they did, it wasnt their identity.

Are you afraid that I will be ignored by people?

I never thought of that.

Dont worry, Im the drunkard Dalia here anyway. There is nothing surprising. When I smiled with a shrug, Kaichen raised an eyebrow.

You werent a drunkard. You were poisoned.

But I did drink alcohol every day, I said. Its also true that I abandoned my people.

Do you regret it? It was a strange question. Kaichen was weird yesterday too, but hes even weirder today. Not knowing what he was thinking made me a little frustrated.

Rather than regretting the past, Im a person who values living in the present while thinking about the future.

Kaichen didnt buy that. His eyebrows rose higher in his forehead.

I sighed. I regret it, but I dont want to waste time thinking about it. I got up from my seat with a smile and stretched.

And now that I have become your disciple, I think the future will be bright. Kaichen rolled his eyes at my sheepish smile. But he did smirk. I laughed. He slowly got up and suddenly walked closer to me.

Kaichen didnt interact with people and didnt like others being in his personal space. The distance between us right now was only about a span of a heartbeat. I was so startled that I almost took a step back. His hand reached out and pulled me closer by my wrist. Compared to his big and warm hands, my wrist looked shrunken and tiny. Courtesy to throwing up more times than I ate.

I admit it. I will not refuse you anymore.

You what?

I dont want to see my student being unhappy, so Ill help you. He then moved his hand and a sparkling golden light appeared on both my wrist. The golden light snaked around my wrist and settled as golden bracelets. My mouth fell open. I looked at the bracelets and realized that they were made from Kaichens pure and concentrated mana. I realized I had been very quiet for a while. I looked up at him.

Kaichen was smiling. It was a genuine smile. He wasnt smirking. He didnt appear cold and indifferent. I could see myself in his eyes. Ahh, I am doomed. The sun illuminated the sky as it rose. My heart felt heavy.

The golden bracelets were so light with almost no weight. The beads were small and sparkly that hung on thin and delicate stems. These bracelets wouldnt be ordinary. They would never get dirty or break. Unless Kaichen broke them himself. It mustnt have been easy to create something so tangible with mana alone. I had a momentary thought of them being shackles but all those intruding thoughts scattered away when I saw him looking at my wrist with bright eyes and a warm smile. I wanted to close my eyes and freeze time.