Chapter 20: Date
There wasn’t a cloud in the blue sky overhead. Ruri’s presence had brought along a mass of spirits, allowing the royal capital to experience an unprecedented streak of fine weather. Not only that, but Kotaro and Rin, the supreme-level wind and water spirit respectively, brought docile waters, calm climates, and suitable winds to move sailboats. They were invaluable assets to the port city since it hinged on the good graces of the weather to survive. Thanks to that, the popularity of the royal capital’s Beloved went through the roof.
The fair-weathered capital was literally the perfect place for a date.
Ruri, excitement running high despite it being so early in the morning, stood before her mirror. She was in the middle of doing her final check on the outfit Euclase had bought her during a shopping trip—a dark blue one-piece dress with a lace floral pattern, a popular style among the people of the capital. With her preparations all set, Ruri went to Jade’s office to tell him she would be stepping out.
“How do I look? Does anything strike you as odd from a male point of view?”
“No, you look absolutely adorable. That outfit looks great on you,” Jade answered.
Ruri was pleased with his compliment, oblivious to the dangerous-looking glint in his eyes as he said it.
Behind Jade stood Euclase, Claus, and his aides, all looking as if they wanted to speak up.
“Okay, I’ll be off now!” declared Ruri as she left for her date. For the sake of convenience, she was letting Rin and Kotaro stay behind and castle-sit.
The diner where Ruri had met Jet was in a neighboring town, but they were meeting up in the royal capital today since it was a date. The royal capital of the Nation of the Dragon King was also a stopover for other nations. Because of that, it had a wide variety of things for sale. Ruri had never had a chance to casually look around the capital before, so regardless of whether or not she had a date, she was ready and raring to go spend her wages from the diner.
Ruri headed to where they were supposed to meet, but it seemed she arrived earlier than planned. However, it wasn’t long before Jet came walking up. He arrived with a smile, out of consideration for Ruri, but his expression looked a tad stiff—or it could have been Ruri’s imagination playing tricks on her. In spite of the tension, Ruri approached him with a sweet smile.
“Afternoon. I see you’ve changed it up from usual. Your outfit is adorable,” said Jet.
“Oh, thank you.”
“S-So, about the date...”
“Something the matter?”
Jet looked about as pale as a ghost, his expression somewhat nervous. “Sorry, Ruri, but I’m going home for the day. Forget I ever confessed to you.”
“Huh?”
“If you had such a scary partner, then you should’ve just turned me down in the first place. See you later.”
“Huh? Where are you going?!”
After bringing an end to an issue only he knew of, Jet ran off as if something, or someone, was chasing after him. Ruri reached out to stop him but ended up fruitlessly swiping at air.
“Huh... Huh?” Ruri was left all by herself, standing alone in the middle of the meet-up spot, dumbfounded by the extreme turn of events.
(What? What?! What just happened? Wait, wait, I have to calm down! Deep breath.) Ruri inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly—to no avail. She was just as confused as ever.
Jet was the one who’d invited her out—the same person who just said something incomprehensible and walked off. (Huh? Does that mean I just got dumped...? But why?!)
Confused and alone, Ruri wandered the streets of the royal capital aimlessly, deciding that was better than going right back to the castle. After all, she left in such a joyous mood that going straight back would feel more than a little pathetic.
(I don’t get it... Why did he dump me? Did I do something?!) Ruri asked herself. While it was possible she could have done something unintentionally to Jet, she didn’t have a clue what that could be. (I’ll try talking it over with Euclase-san.) Euclase was probably just the person to explain what had happened.
Ruri decided to switch gears, hoping to use this information for the next time. (Thinking over something I don’t know isn’t going to do me any good, after all. Yeah, might as well forget about the bad and see the sights. Sounds like a plan.)
It could be said that Ruri’s ability to change gears on a dime was because she was so naturally bold. In actuality, she only said yes to this date because of impulse, mood, and panic. While she was acquainted with Jet, she didn’t know much about him. So it could also be said that she didn’t have enough affection for him in the first place to feel down about this.
Ruri proceeded to look around the various shops the royal capital had to offer, but she occasionally felt like someone was watching her. When she scanned around her, her eyes met with those of a man clad in all black.
The suspiciously dressed stranger definitely looked familiar. (Hey... That’s the person I ran into when I was being chased by those thugs!) Unprepared to run into this man yet again, Ruri became frightened. (I’ve got to run!) She remembered that when she ran into those thugs before, that man had said he was looking for her. Although she was wearing her brown wig right now, there was a chance he’d recognize her face.
She subtly turned around and then quickly walked through the crowd, slipping between people. She walked for a little while, making turns in random directions where possible, and then checked behind her. She saw the man following behind her, unperturbed. This sent Ruri into a frenzy. (Grk, is he trailing me?!) She suddenly picked up the pace. However, she couldn’t create much distance between them, perhaps because of the difference in the length of their legs.
She walked for a while more, but the man remained behind her. At this point, Ruri was convinced she was being trailed, but she had no idea why he was chasing her. The man was keeping a certain distance away, possibly because he was in public, but Ruri had set her resolve anyway. She intentionally went down an empty alleyway, pulling out the same odor-emitting ball she’d used on the street thugs.
Ruri turned around. “Take this, you perverted stalker!” she shouted, ready to throw the ball right at the man tailing her.
“W-Wait, Ruri! It’s me!” the man said in a panicked tone, taking the cloth off of his face.
Out from the wraps came a familiar face, one which made Ruri pause, eyes wide.
“Jade-sama?!”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?” Ruri questioned, shocked.
Jade seemed to have difficulty answering. “I was trying to check... I mean, I was walking. Just a little stroll. I need to check the lives of the people, as their king, so I sometimes take walks around town.”
“I think that’s commendable, but why are you in that suspicious outfit? It’s so sketchy.”
“These clothes have a light magic seal on them. If I went into town normally, I’d end up naturally intimidating those around me. I need to go incognito so as to not expose myself.”
For Jade, the strongest of the dragonkin, that was most likely a measure he needed to take to walk around town in secret. Nevertheless, Ruri wondered if he could do it in a slightly better way than that.
Since he was dressed just like the suspicious man she ran into before, Ruri asked, “So, Jade-sama, does that mean you saw me before I first went to the castle?”
“Yes. I wanted to talk more, but you ran away at full speed,” Jade said with a wry smile, admitting it was indeed him.
“Well, I think anyone would be cautious if they met a suspicious person in an empty back-alley like that. In fact, even just now, I was afraid because you were following me.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Wait, don’t tell me you came to peek in on my date?”
“I would never!” Jade replied, his slight lack of composure suspicious. As soon as Ruri focused her eyes on him, he blatantly changed the subject. “Anyway, what became of your would-be date?”
“Urk.” It was Ruri’s turn to be shaken. Jade’s question stabbed her deeply, and the air grew thick around her. “He went back home, for reasons I don’t fully comprehend. And he was the one who invited me! How does that make sense?!” Ruri said, venting her rage—albeit too little, too late.
As Ruri fumed with anger, Jade gave her a couple of light pats on the back as if to calm her down. “So did you have any plans after this, Ruri?”
“Well, I did, but not anymore,” she replied, seeing as how she was supposed to be on a date with Jet right now.
“I see. Well, why don’t we go around the capital together?”
Ruri had no other plans. She had intended to take in the sights of the royal capital to begin with, and since another person would probably make for a more fun experience, Ruri nodded her head in consent.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Ruri strolled around town together with Jade. She had never been with him outside of the castle walls, so it felt a little peculiar.
They came upon the royal capital’s commercial district, a district close to the port and home to a variety of foreign and domestic goods. There, a bevy of shops and stalls all packed together lined the roads. Merchants called out to advertise their wares, and shoppers walked around in full force—the whole area was bustling with activity. Since it was at its most crowded in the afternoon, it was difficult to walk through without bumping into someone along the way. Jade grabbed Ruri’s hand without a moment’s hesitation—possibly to prevent them from getting separated.
“There are quite a lot of shops here, aren’t there?” Ruri asked.
“Yes, many merchant ships come to the royal capital from other nations, so there is a great variety. Since people come to buy those imported goods, this district is always packed. However, the more people visit, the more problems occur. Which is why seeing them occur as they happen is key.”
“Do you come to town often, Jade-sama?”
“When I have a free moment from my duties, yes.”
Ruri suddenly remembered the incident with the thugs. “That reminds me. I ran into the two men who chased after me before. They said that they’d reformed, and they thanked a generous benefactor who set them both up with work. I assume you’re that benefactor, Jade-sama?”
Jade suddenly smiled, pleased. “Ah, yes,” he started, but his eyes turned a little stern. “So, Ruri, what are your plans from now on?”
“Plans?”
“You’re in this nation at the moment, but since you’re not really a resident, you needn’t be bound to the Nation of the Dragon King. If you decide to go to any other nation, then I’ll negotiate something with the people there. So, what do you want to do, Ruri?”
Ruri quickly replied without a second guess. “If you and the others say it’s okay for me to stay, I would like to stay in the Nation of the Dragon King—in the castle.” At first, she’d planned on going back to Chelsie’s house once she educated herself a bit in the royal capital, but when she came back to the castle from Chelsie’s before, she felt as if she had come “home.” Somewhere down the line, the castle had become Ruri’s home. If she could, she wanted to remain right where she was.
Jade clearly looked relieved upon hearing Ruri’s answer and chortled to himself.
“You were the one who asked, Jade-sama.”
“I had no choice. I did say I wouldn’t limit your range of activities when we first met, so I can’t say ‘don’t go.’ And by principle, I wouldn’t be able to limit a Beloved’s actions anyway. I’m sure the Beast King has been having a tough time thanks to that...”
“There is a Beloved in the Nation of the Beast King, correct? What are they like?”
Despite the innocuous nature of the question, Jade didn’t answer right away, which caused Ruri to peer into his face. Based on his expression, he seemed hesitant to say anything. But after a short pause, he finally spoke up. “...You’ll see them sooner or later if they’re in the Nation of the Dragon King.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“That aside, I had been brainstorming how to stop you if you decided to leave, so I’m relieved that the need for that is over.”
“Brainstorming what exactly?”
“Well, let’s see... I thought of preparing all sorts of sweets you like and clothes and jewels popular with girls, but you could get those things even outside our nation. In the end, I came to the conclusion that perhaps leaving it up to Chelsie would’ve been the best option.”
“Makes sense considering Chelsie-san has been sort of my caretaker in this world. I think I would find it hard to leave if Chelsie-san asked me not to. Oh, but if I were to get married, I would have to leave the castle, yes? Once that happens, I would need to search for a home somewhere in the capital.”
“You needn’t worry about that.”
Ruri wondered why she “needn’t worry,” but it wasn’t as if she was getting married right away. She figured she would think about it after she found a partner, so she kept her question to herself.
Ruri proceeded to explore all the shops around town with Jade. That was when a certain shop caught her eye. It was a jewelry shop, but one that made their products by processing dragonkin scales instead of gemstones.
She looked at the scale-crafted items decorating the storefront. “So this is how they process and use them. I see,” Ruri said. They truly looked no different from regular gemstones. “Is it possible to process the scales you gave me into jewelry like this?”
“Yes. Why don’t we ask, if you’d like?”
They entered the shop and asked for scale processing. After pondering over what she should make, she decided on a versatile hair clip and handed the scales to the clerk. She tried to pay the fee for the processing, but Jade put out his money first.
“Oh, I’ll pay for it since this is for me,” she said.
“Don’t worry, just pay with this.”
“No, but...”
As Ruri hesitated, the clerk was all smiles and said, “Young miss, you should let him treat you. I’m sure he just wants to give his girlfriend a nice present.”
“Excuse me, but we’re not a couple!” Ruri quickly corrected her, trying her best to stay civil.
“Oh, is that a fact? I just naturally assumed since dragonkin give their romantic partners scale-crafted jewelry to symbolize giving their mate their dragonheart.”
Ruri found herself shaken. Of course, Ruri knew that Jade hadn’t given her his scales with that in mind.
Unlike Ruri, who was shocked speechless, Jade was the picture of calmness.
The processing went faster than expected. When it was completed, Jade took the hair clip, reached over to Ruri, and set it in place. “It looks great on you,” he said with a soft smile as he touched Ruri’s tresses, causing Ruri to suddenly blush.
After receiving her new hair clip, Ruri bought presents for Rin, Kotaro, and Chelsie for taking good care of her so far and Euclase for buying her so much on their shopping trip. They followed up their shopping with a snack from one of the local food stalls.
As Ruri enjoyed walking around the capital, they came up to a bridge. It was made out of stone and was more than wide enough to allow horse-drawn wagons to enter the flow of traffic. They came in all shapes and sizes, but since the royal capital was a port city, it had plenty of these kinds of bridges.
Ruri crossed the bridge as she chatted with Jade. Suddenly, her eyes trailed away and stopped on a person standing at the midway point of the bridge—a familiar-looking person.
“Ewan?”
Ewan looked contemplative as he gazed over the sea below the bridge. His overly gloomy expression brought the worst-case scenario to her mind.
“No, be rational about this!” Ruri shouted, running over to Ewan and grabbing his body on the off chance something might happen.
“Gwah!” Ewan yelped from being abruptly tackled from the rear and almost toppled over from the impact. Out of reflex, he managed to grip the handrail of the bridge to avoid a fiasco.
Patting down his chest in relief, Ewan then glared sharply at the bothersome intruder who bum-rushed him. “What the hell are you doing?! I could have fallen!”
Looking at the frantic expression on Ewan’s face, Ruri finally realized that she had been under an egregious misunderstanding and scrambled to let go of him.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. I was convinced that you were ready to jump off the bridge...”
Ewan stared at Ruri with an accusing eye, asking, “How do you know my name? Do you work at the castle?”
Ewan’s question reminded Ruri that while he knew she was a human, he didn’t know what she looked like in human form.
“That reminds me, you haven’t seen me in this form, have you? It’s me. Ruri.”
Ewan grimaced, turned his back to Ruri, and started to run away like a bat out of hell.
“Oh! Wait a...” This was the second time today she had to engage in a chase with a guy; it made her well up with frustration. Ruri clenched her fist and chased after Ewan.
Jade cried out, “Wait, Ruri!”
“Why are you running away?!” Ruri yelled.
“Why are you chasing after me?! I told myself that I wouldn’t get involved with you anymore! Stay back!!”
Ruri disregarded his plea and used her magic to capture Ewan in a matter of no time. “I gotcha, you li’l scamp,” she said, slowly chuckling under her breath.
“Eek, don’t come near me!” Ewan shouted, backing away with a face frozen in fear like he had seen a ghost.
“What? I don’t think that’s any way to speak to the generous person who stopped you from taking a fatal plunge.”
“I wasn’t planning on taking a fatal plunge! Just leave me alone! Nothing good comes from getting involved with you!”
Ruri wasn’t the type to nonchalantly brush off a comment like that. “Humph. So why did you look like you were about to jump back there, then?”
“Listen to what I’m saying!”
“Yes, yes. Alright, I’ll listen, so let’s move somewhere we can have a nice, long chat.”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant by that!”
“Oh, there you are, Jade-sama. Would you mind if we take a seat in a cafe?”
“Huh? Your Majesty?!” Ewan exclaimed in surprise, finally noticing Jade who had quickly caught up to them.
Ewan’s body was at Ruri’s mercy as she wrapped him in wind, surged the gusts to control his movements, and forced him into a nearby cafe. Ewan had no aptitude for spirit magic, so he quickly gave up trying to resist. He knew he was no match for Ruri and her Beloved powers.
“So, tell me what happened.”
“I’ll tell you a thousand times; it doesn’t concern you. Why are you interacting with me so casually anyway? I made some terrible accusations against you when you didn’t even do anything, so you should be furious at me, right? Even if something did happen, you’d ignore me, wouldn’t you?”
“You realize it yourself, don’t you?” asked Ruri.
Ewan found himself stuck for a response and awkwardly looked away.
“For starters, why are you so hostile toward me? You wouldn’t be saying stuff like that if you didn’t have some sort of reason. Your relationship with Finn-san or whatever isn’t the only reason, is it? I think I have a right to know considering all the abuse you’ve been spewing at me.”
Ruri sensed it every time he’d hurled insults at her—he would momentarily look sad. Whenever she would see that, Ruri would be less angered and more curious over what his expression meant.
Ewan peeked at Ruri like a child checking their parent’s reaction after being scolded. Then he awkwardly opened his mouth. “...You know I’m half-human, half-dragonkin, right?”
“I’m aware.”
“I don’t know if my mother being human is to blame, but I have never been able to see spirits. Even though other kids born from demi-humans can see them. Because of that, I was bullied to hell and back. It’s not like I chose to be born with this inability... That’s why I tried to pull you away from Brother once I found out you were human. I didn’t want Brother having a child like me. I didn’t want Brother’s child to go through the same hell I went through... I thought that if I spoke up, they’d all lose faith in you. Once a dragonkin chooses their partner for life, they settle on no one else. That’s why I wanted to stop things before that happened. It was a selfish desire. I can safely say now that I’m sorry for unjustly badmouthing you this whole time. But I needed to stop things at all costs.”
“Uh-huh... But that only explains your conduct after you figured out I was a human, no? What about before that?”
“...I was just snapping at you. But even though I did, you were way too nonchalant about it, so I kept on doing it. I can’t see spirits no matter what I do... No matter how much I call, no matter how much I listen, no matter how long I wait, they never show up for me. Then some cat comes along saying they’re a Beloved and adored by the spirits. You obtained what I wanted without exerting an ounce of effort. I couldn’t let that stand,” Ewan said, hanging his head and looking as if he was trying to contain something inside of himself. “Not only that, I was forced to spend less time with Brother because he had to bodyguard some cat on their aimless strolls through the castle...”
It seemed it all led back to Finn in the end... Ruri looked on with a sense of exasperation.
“Brother has always protected me. He’s always treated me like we’re real brothers, encouraged me despite being unable to use spirit magic, shielded me from everyone’s abuse, and taught me how to fight without spirit magic. I owe my brother the world, and yet... And yet, I just drag him down... I’m a worthless excuse for a little brotherrrr!!” Ewan yelled at the top of his lungs, sprawling out on the table and crying.
Ruri and Jade looked on, eyes wide, as the cafe patrons all curiously glanced their way. Ruri hastily put up a barrier around them, soundproofing their voices.
“I don’t deserve to be his little brother! In fact, I don’t even deserve to face him... Those thoughts stew in my mind, and I always find myself running out of the castle and to the bridge, uhghh...”
“Jade-sama, it seems he’s endured more from that punishment than we expected...” Ruri whispered.
“Hmm...” Jade whispered back. Jade was the one who had administered the punishment, so he seemed to be in a somewhat awkward position.
Ruri patted Ewan on the shoulder to console him. Listening to his side of the story, she couldn’t find it in her to hate the boy. He was someone who knew pain. Although he seemed a smidge too biased over a certain individual, he was capable of doing things for others. And just as he said, she didn’t have to exert an ounce of effort; she started off with the spirits protecting her. She most likely couldn’t understand his struggle, but he did think back on what he did and apologized, so Ruri thought of making it water under the bridge.
Figuring out what to do with the young man before her, Ruri went into action.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Through repeated trial and error, Ruri successfully managed to get Ewan to divulge his true feelings. He formally apologized to her and she accepted, which put her more at ease because she ultimately wanted to get along with Finn’s little brother.
Ewan’s face no longer held any malice toward Ruri nor was it weighed down like it was a few moments ago—he looked somewhat free and refreshed. But while it was great he was in a better mood, a new issue arose...
“—So yeah, there was that. Well? Don’t you think my brother is incredible? Oh and there’s also...”
“Uh, yes, yes. I get the point; Finn-san is amazing,” Ruri said, rushing to cut him off. It felt like he was going to continue bragging about Finn indefinitely.
Sampling the various dishes that Ewan ordered as an apology for his actions up until now, Ruri spoke of her experiences from her time in her world, from her time after being summoned, and from her time spent as a cat.
Both Ruri and Ewan gradually opened their hearts to one another as they talked. Unexpectedly, she meshed well with Ewan, who wasn’t one to mince words. Perhaps Ewan felt the same way because he was becoming more relaxed and friendly.
She regretted that she didn’t try to reach out to him a little sooner. Although, she wished he would cool it with the endless bragging about his brother. Even in front of Jade, he didn’t know when to stop with his brotherly love.
Jade focused on his meal and let his talk slip in one ear and out the other, looking rather unamused the entire time.
“You went through a lot yourself, huh...?” Ewan said in a reflective manner, possibly relating to her experience.
Jade stopped eating and looked up. “Ewan,” he said, addressing him directly. Ewan’s face tensed up. “I presume that you have realized you were wrong about Ruri. That is why I won’t be saying anything. Judging from your current attitude, I know you won’t try to do anything else against her. If Ruri allows it, I will lift your probation and reinstate your access to sector one.”
“That would be fine by me,” Ruri said, absolving him of his prior actions without the least bit of concern.
“I apologize for inconveniencing you,” Ewan said with a deep bow.
Jade nodded. “Just so long as you understand. Don’t worry your parents like that. Once they heard about your rudeness toward Ruri, they sent a rather lengthy apology letter via Finn,” Jade said, referring to Ewan’s aunt and uncle who served as his adoptive parents and not his actual deceased parents.
Upon hearing that, Ewan looked even more apologetic.
“Oh, did they?” asked Ruri, completely unaffected. “They didn’t have to concern themselves with this,” she remarked under her breath.
“You should show a little more care. Even if you weren’t a Beloved, anyone would be in a bad mood after taking that much verbal abuse straight to their face. But it was toward a Beloved. It apparently made the lord and lady of the land scream in distress.”
“If they are in that much pain, I can only suggest someone get them some stomach medicine. But I would never complain over something so minor. Sure, it put me in a semi-bad mood. But it was pretty much like a child throwing a tantrum, and it felt as though I was actually getting through to him as opposed to someone like Asahi, where communication doesn’t work. On that merit alone, that makes him more than likeable.”
Jade smirked. “If you’re comparing him to her, then you must find most people extremely likeable.”
“Naturally,” Ruri responded.
Besides, though he was probably older than Ruri in terms of dragonkin age, the baby-faced Ewan looked younger than her. His features tickled her motherly instincts. There was also the fact that from her point of view, as someone without siblings, the situation didn’t upset her as much as it charmed her to see someone who loved their older brother that much.
“A child’s tantrum... Well, you’re not wrong about that, but... At any rate, I’m sorry for how I treated you,” Ewan said, apologizing to Ruri once again.
On that note, Ruri was able to safely reconcile with Ewan.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login