Soul Nexus. Volume 1: Before Dawn

13

Shun: 『 ... 』

Lidia: 『 ... 』

It was undoubtedly a long night, I was still recovering from the blow that Lidia gave me after that hard slap to the heart and receiving a huge amount of negative feelings in a single cannonball, I felt like a cesspool full of excrement, like shit. However, it was well deserved.

Lidia: 『 Shun..., I'm sorry for yelling at you and saying that... I didn't want to offend you. 』

Shun: 『 Don't worry. To tell the truth, I deserved it, for all those times that I behaved like a clown with you. I should be the one to apologize. 』

That's right, because of my immaturity, I ended up hurting Lidia, I made her suffer more instead of being her support. I wasn't much different from that bunch of hypocritical nobles who saw her as a mere toy for their amusement, like a doll. I'm disgusting. If I weren't so childish, I wouldn't have hurt her even more and would have been more useful to her. I would have supported her properly. I didn't want to repeat the same mistake again, so that I entrusted myself to make it so.

Shun: 『 Lidia..., I promise you, from now on, I'll take things more seriously... I will become the person you need, one who will never make you cry again and can trully help you, anytime and anywhere... And most importantly..., someone you can trust... I will strive to make it so. 』

Maybe I could no longer undo my mistake, nor disappear all that suffering of so many years, but now she could try to overcome it and look for a better life for herself, a life away from all this, without royalty, without ridiculous rules and without absurd prohibitions.

I didn't care how much it might cost me; I would do anything to ensure she had a happy life free of all that unnecessary pressure. Now I had to think about where to hide a physically and mentally exhausted girl for an entire night, and the next night..., and the night after that..., and the after that... I didn't plan this properly...

Shun: 『 (Come on, Shun. Think, think, think! You can't let her down so quickly!) ... 』

Lidia: 『 You were right... 』

Shun: 『 Huh? 』

Lidia: 『 The river... is very beautiful... 』

Lidia: 『 Without you, I'd never have seen it... It's the best birthday gift I've ever had... Thanks, Shun. 』

Lidia once again showed me that gentle smile that lifts anyone's spirits. She helped me relax a little despite the conflict she had in her head. Most likely, the soldiers of the kingdom were searching everywhere for the princess and it wouldn't be long before they came to investigate the town. They were taking longer than I predicted, I don't know if it was because we were all the way on the bridge on the road that leads South or because of how stupid they were to not realize in time.

The one who started to worry a little more was her, since she knew that I would have very serious problems. If I was caught red-handed with Lidia, I would be accused of kidnapping the most important person in the kingdom and directly condemning me to an early execution first thing in the morning the next day.

I couldn't let it end so soon, it took me a lot of work to get to this point and leaving it like that would be a waste. I forced my brain to think about a quick solution. I thought and thought and thought, but nothing good came to mind. The soldiers would come to check Lidia's whereabouts house by house, in such a way that requesting shelter in the town would be very risky, and camping in the cold forest at night without blankets was even worse. I wanted to break my head for not having planned things better and without bringing supplies. I really blew it, all because of my despair and impatience. Damn it, I'm such an idiot!

Shun: 『 (Come on, brain! Think, think, think, THINK! Please, do someth−!) GROOOOOW...!!! 』

Lidia: 『 ... Hee, hee. Looks like someone needs attention. 』

Shun: 『 Oh, yeah? Say that when you've attended to more than a dozen horses and worked as a waiter all night. 』

Maybe that was why my mind wasn't 100 percent. I haven't had dinner or anything because I was half-planning the escape. Indeed, I was an idiot for not taking advantage of the fact that I had so many leftovers available in front of me a few hours ago, even though I served as a waiter for the evening. Maybe I would die of hunger first before being hanged on the gallows.

Lidia: 『 Hee, hee, hee. I never thought your stomach sounded so loud. 』

Shun: 『 What are you talking about?! It sounds like any normal stomach! 』

Lidia: 『 If you call that a normal stomach - GROOOOOW...!!! 』

At that moment, a roar from within Lidia resonated almost the same as mine. It seems that someone didn't eat enough. Taking advantage of the situation, I decided to play a last time with my irreverence and alleviate the situation a little more, now that we were more calm with each other.

Shun: 『 Wow! I didn't think you were such a glutton. 』

Lidia: 『 O−Of course not! I-I just wasn't hungry at that moment. Besides, it's your fault I lost my appetite. 』

Shun: 『 Hmph, you were that captivated by my presence? Or was it because of your "dancing boyfriend"? 』

Lidia: 『 He's not my boyfriend! But if I had to choose between the two of you, I would surely choose him! 』

Shun: 『 Oh, come on! What does he have that I don't?! 』

Lidia: 『 First of all, he is much more educated than you, and second, he doesn't wear an old-fashioned waiter's suit 』

Shun: 『 Hey, it's not old-fashioned! It has more good things than you think. 』

Lidia: 『 Oh, really?! Like what? 』

Shun: 『 Very simple, I don't have to wear those ridiculous knee-high stockings or those silly patent leather shoes... 』

Lidia: 『 ... Ha, ha, ha... Seriously, you are hopeless. 』

At the end of the day, I managed to make Lidia laugh, I couldn't feel more satisfied with that. But I promised this would be the last time I'd act so liberally and shameless with her. I decided to improve my behavior and stop being someone so insolent and inattentive.... I won't let my attitude keep me away from her.

Lidia: 『 By the way, where will we spend the night? 』

Shun: 『 *Sigh* I don't know... I think we have no choice but to ask for help in some house 』

Sergeant Rask: 『 Or you could go back to the castle. 』

Shun: 『 Huh...?! But how...?! 』

I could recognize that voice anywhere. I expected it to be any other of the soldiers, but I didn't believe that my lazy teacher would really come to look for us. But more than surprised, a feeling of disappointment came to me. I once again proved that I was a good-for-nothing. I knew it was all over, the plan failed, I failed... I failed Lidia.

Sergeant Rask: 『 The game is over. 』