Chapter 11

At the Clinic, things went much like the day prior, except Jory complimenting Rey on breaking through to the Peak-Commoner stage. She was so glad to have a talented apprentice studying under her. During the day, Claire, the beautiful nurse, would come by the room every now and then to bring patients, but every once in a while, she would linger around, pretending to want to learn more about healing, but was obviously sneaking glances at Rey with a blush on her face. It didn't take long for Jory to notice a shoo the poor girl away.

It was obvious to Rey that Claire was interested in him, and though she was very pretty and had a grace that even Rory couldn't match thanks to her Elven lineage, Rey already had enough on his plate dealing with Rory and Kairen to add anyone else.

At the end of the day, Rey had earned 1 Silver and 34 Copper. He had made less because there were less wounded soldiers than the previous day, making the day less busy. Rey didn't mind, as he had already amassed a little bit of wealth in just the few days he came to this world, and he was still making more than most commoners for only half a day's work. Plus, with the knowledge Jinbe imparted onto him, he was sure to become filthy rich in the future, he just needed time.

With some free time to himself like the previous day, part of Rey wanted to go explore more of the village, but thanks to the events of the previous day, he decided it would be safe just to head back to the farm right away. That is, until he heard his name being called by a familiar, melodious voice that sent his heart into a tailspin. Turning around, he saw Kairen in a beautiful pink dress walking towards him with a smile that made his heart melt.

Behind her was a burly looking female warrior that looked like she loved beating on men just to prove a point. She wore thick, white heavy armor that covered every part of her besides her face, which besides the vicious scar going across her eye that was partially hidden by a white eye patch, wasn't bad to look at. She long red hair tied into a ponytail and her remaining eye was a cold ice blue, set into a look that was practically begging someone to give her a reason to use that massive spiked maul hanging on her back.

Rey felt conflicted, as he didn't expect to see Kairen so soon and thought that he had more time to sort out his feelings. On one hand, she had some tremendous baggage that could potentially make his life in Terria a living hell, on the other, he couldn't deny the connection he felt between him and Kairen, as well as even though he knew she is actually a princess, her unbelievable beauty almost made the trouble he'd undoubtedly will find himself in worth it.

'Since our souls are bounded, I'm privy to some of your thoughts, emotions, and even memories. Kairen's situation is a sad one, one that she never asked for wanted. Still, despite what she must've went through in her life, she still has the strength to smile and choose who she wants to be. Don't get hung up on the tiny details, young man. One day you may look back and regret not reciprocating her feelings when you had the chance.' Jinbe advised in his usual wise tone.

'Yeah, but what if her 'Tiny Detail' leads to me becoming a lion skin rug? I don't know how to deal with becoming tacky furniture.' Rey replied half jokingly and half not.

Jinbe remained silent, not bothering to dignify Rey's statement with a response. Rey knew that he was right, as at the end of the day, Kairen did nothing wrong.

Not noticing the conflict Rey was battling within himself, Kairen practically jumped into Rey's arms, pulling him into a deep hug. Pulling back, the two stared into each other's eyes for a second before Kairen stood on her tiptoes to kiss Rey. Despite Rey's mind having a battle with itself, Rey's body and heart knew what he wanted, as he wrapped his arms around Kairen's thin waist and pulled her into a deep, heated kiss. Their kiss was passionate and steamy, making even the passing onlookers look flustered as envy gripped their hearts.

Pulling their lips away from each other with difficulty, Kairen simply laid her head against Rey's broad, muscular chest with a contented smile.

"You know, don't you? About me?" Was all Kairen asked, not bothering to elaborate, but subconsciously brushing her long hair over her ears.

"Yes." Was all Rey said in a neutral tone.

"You must hate me now, don't you? It's okay, everyone eventually does. Still, I'm happy we got to spend this time together, no matter how brief it was." Kairen said as her voice started to choke up, tears threatening to fall down her flawless face.

Kairen tried so hard to tell the truth about herself to Rey the previous day, but every time she did, the words would get stuck in her throat. She was afraid of how he would react, afraid of ruining the beautiful, magical moment they shared that day.

Her whole life, she wanted nothing more than for someone to accept her, truly accept her for who she is. A small part of her secretly hoped that against the odds, Rey may be that miracle person, but standing there now with the truth exposed, she felt stupid for thinking otherwise.

Just as she was about to run away, run far away before Rey could curse and berate her just like everyone else who finds out the truth, she felt a large manly hand lightly hold the bottom of her face and hold her face up while the other wiped the tears away from her beautiful grey eyes. Genuine surprise mixed with a bud of hope filled Kairen, as she saw the man she was quickly falling for, staring down at her with a gentle smile on his handsome face.

The bud of hope quickly blossomed when he lightly kissed the top of her head and held her in a deep embrace. She had never felt so safe and cared for in her entire life, her whole body tingling as her stomach felt full of butterflies.

"Though I was surprised at first, I could never hate you, as you did nothing wrong. My mentor told me some of what you had to go through in your life, and I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that alone for so long. I'm not the best at these kind of talks as I never know what to say and tend to ramble, but I do know one thing. I like you very much, Kairen, and I we can spend many years together, getting to know and accept one another." Rey said as he pulled back from the embrace to see Kairen now in full-on tears.

"R-really? Y-you aren't disgusted and hate me for being a Half-Elf?" Kairen asked through her sobbing. Even when she was crying, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Rey simply smiled, took a spare clean cloth from his pocket and wiped the poor girls face clean. She was still lightly sobbing, but she was trying her hardest to not cry anymore since Rey made the effort to clean her face.

"How could I hate someone as cute and adorable as you?" Rey asked as he pulled Kairen into another deep kiss.

This time, Kairen returned the kiss with a fierce one of her own, full of emotions she had bottled inside of her heart. Suddenly, a great cheer brought the two back to reality, as they realized they gathered quite an audience outside of the Clinic. Looking around, Rey even saw Jory standing outside of the Clinic doors with tears in her eyes watching them with everyone else.

Rey didn't know she was reminded of her younger years, running around with the man she loved before they settled down, got married, and had children. Then tragedy befell their family, leading to them getting a divorce and him turning into a grumpy old bastard she couldn't stand. She looked at Rey and Kairen kissing so passionately, hoping that tragedy doesn't befall them like it did with her family.

Realizing that the whole road was watching and cheering for them, Kairen's whole face quickly turned a rosey red and she started shivering, as her fear of being judged by others started to kick in. Seeing that Kairen was growing more and more uncomfortable from them being watched, Rey quickly scooped her up into a princess carry, eliciting a light yelp from Kairen before looking at the female warrior who was silent this whole time.

"Follow me!" Was all Rey said, getting a nod from the bodyguard, before he put his new Beastian body to the test.

Pushing all of his strength into his legs, Rey shocked everyone, including Kairen, when he leapt into the air, easily landing on top of one of the one store buildings. Jory was equally as shocked as she didn't see Rey use any mana or chi to power that jump, and as one of the best Healers in the land, she knew that even for a Beastian, such a great should be impossible.

Unaware of the shock he caused, Rey continued to easily leap from building to building until he came to a soft landing on a relatively empty street. This whole time, he was using his enhanced senses to know that the female warrior was right behind him the whole time, and when he turned around, she had a bored, disinterested look on her face like she didn't even put in a shred of effort. This was all Rey needed to confirm what he already expected. She was strong and more than likely way ahead of him in terms of Cultivation.

Feeling a shivering in his arms, Rey looked down to see Kairen on the verge of tears again. This time, it was because she feared for her life and was thankful to finally be back on solid ground. Letting out a chuckle that earned him an adorable pout and light punch from Kairen, Rey looked around before he noticed a tavern in the distance.

Walking into the tavern still carrying Kairen and the female warrior following behind, Rey found the place to be oddly quiet for midday, as only a few people could be seen eating and drinking, scattered around and not bothering talking to each other.

Setting Kairen down as the three of the picked a table in one of the quiet corners of the place, they all ordered food and settled into an uncomfortable silence. Rey wanted to talk to Kairen about all lot of things, but it felt uncomfortable trying to have a personal conversation with the female warrior just sitting there silently, especially when he didn't even know her name.

Seeing that she was unlikely to be the one initiating the introductions, Rey decided to take the lead and put on his best charm.

"Hey, my name's Rey. It's nice to meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances." Rey said as he chuckled lightly and gave her his most charming smile that made Kairen's legs start squirming together.

Ever since Rey told her that he knows her secret of being a Half-Elf and still likes her, a fire has been burning deep inside of her that was driving her crazy. She wanted nothing more for her and him to find a room together a rut like animals.

Oblivious to Kairen's current struggle, the female warrior looked to Rey a gave him a nod before speaking.

"The names, Pamela Scarlett, Captain in the King's Royal Guard. I hear you're to thank for saving Kairen from those bandits yesterday. I assigned guards for her, but given the safe area this was known to be, I only attached a light detail to her carriage while the rest of us set up the manor. If it wasn't for you, I would've not only brought great shame onto me and the Scarlett family, but I would've lost a dear friend as well." The warrior, Pamela, said as she looked to Kairen with a soft smile that actually made her look beautiful.

Pamela's face quickly turned from a smile to a mix of confusion and worry as she looked at Kairen's flushed face, heavy breathing, and the constant squirming of her legs. "Ren, are you okay? Are you not feeling well?" Pamela asked, worry evident in her voice.

Though Pamela was completely oblivious due to her none existent love life, Rey was more aware of what Kairen was going through, stir up his own flames of desire.

"Pamela, please do me a favor and order a room for me and Rey while you stay down here. Hurry!" Kairen struggled to say as she was barely holding on.

Confused by Kairen's strange request, Pamela rushed to do it anyway, hearing the seriousness in her voice. When Pamela came back with a room key, Kairen practically snatched it from her hands before looking at Rey with a pleading expression. She was at the end of her rope.

Chuckling softly at her eagerness, Rey took a deep breath to settle the doubt in his mind before scooping the poor girl into his arms. With his enhanced sense of smell, Rey smelled a strong female scent coming from Kairen that nearly sent him overboard a tore of her dress right there. Knowing their both at the edge, Rey ran upstairs to their room, leaving a poor Pamela to sit alone in her confusion.