Chapter 2

Enjoying the tea together faded all the misunderstandings away.

"Mom, can I go with Saitous and see his house for a moment? Please ....?"

To avoid upsetting Seutsui further, Anipe opted to give her a moment of reprieve..

"Okay, but only for a while, and I will come and pick you up. No need to rush to the house"

Looking at Saitous with a reliable look she said,

"I can trust her with you, right? "

Grinning like a teenager who had just secured his mother's permission for a late-night party, Saitous intertwined his hand with Seutsui's. As soon as Anipe closed the door, the two newfound friends dashed towards the river, aiming to cross it before any chance of Anipe changing her mind

As they arrived at the river's edge, Saitous seized the moment, plunging into the shimmering depths as he assessed her weight and size with practiced precision, his movements guided by a mixture of strength and tenderness.

"Can you swim?" he asked while strolling towards her.

"Nope," she mumbled with a frail smile.

Kneeling and gracefully lowering himself to the earth before Seutsui, Saitous swiveled his head to catch her bewildered expression, her features a canvas of confusion. With a confident gesture, he beckoned for her to join him. Seutsui hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. Then, as if propelled by some unseen force, she was lifted into the air, a gasp escaping her lips as she found herself perched upon Saitous's broad shoulder, feeling as weightless and free as a bird on its nest.

With Seutsui comfortably perched on his shoulder, Saitous swam across the river, creating a cascade of splashes. The water droplets danced in the air, forming beautiful patterns before cascading back into the river. Saitous's chausses were soaked from the waist down, but Seutsui remained completely dry.

"Here we are," Saitous uttered.

Seutsui, who was busy positioning her tunic in order, promptly looked at him and heaved a sigh of relief while chuckling.

"At last." she looked at Saitous, who was pointing at something.

"Thank you for carrying me," she murmured with exhaustion while glimpsing at the way Saitous was pointing.

It was a huge cottage, someone could call it a ranch, noticeably larger than her mother's humble abode. The vast cottage loomed in the distance, obscured by the sprawling expanse of woodland . Its presence was a secret whispered among the rustling leaves. Had he not pointed it out, she might have overlooked the grandeur hidden amidst the verdant embrace of the forest. Martial arts training equipment, crafted from both wood and metal, adorned every corner of the space. Pausing for a moment, she strained to wrap her mind around the nature of this unfamiliar place.

At a mere six years old, she had never encountered anything like this in her entire life. The novelty was expected given her young age, but this was uniquely different. She recalled hearing that, after the king assumed control, all training establishments, except for the one within the castle, had been prohibited.

Even though she had tons of questions, she decided to just follow Saitous for now.

The moment Saitous swung open the wooden gate guarding his home, a boy emerged from the cottage with an enthusiastic holler

"Is that you Sait....father?" he suddenly changed what he was saying after he saw Seutsui.

Then there was an awkward silence for a second.

"Aaa... this is my son Edward and Edward, this is Seutsui." Saitous tried to change the awkward vibe.

"Hello" she waved at him.

Saitous lowered himself to the ground, cupping his hands over her cheeks as he looked at Seutsui.

"Are you unwell? Your cheeks are flushed," he asked, casting a concerned look her way.

Suddenly, in the next moment, a smile broke across his face. Seutsui glanced at him with a puzzled and questioning expression.

"Don't tell me you're feeling shy just because you've met my handsome son," Saitous quipped, delivering a sly smirk

"Quit teasing me," she frowned.

Throughout the banter, Edward's gaze remained fixed on Seutsui, never wavering for a single moment. He stared at her continuously, as if captivated by an enchanting spell.

[Edward' p.o.v]

Hearing a sound, I stepped out, anticipating Saitous, but to my surprise, he wasn't alone. Glancing at him with a puzzled expression, I noticed a little girl standing beside him. I shot him a questioning look, as it wasn't typical for him to welcome strangers to our cottage. We were usually strict about revealing our residence to unknown visitors

Interrupting my train of thought, Saitous sat down and cupped her cheeks with a worried look. I vaguely recalled the stranger girl speaking to me earlier, but I wasn't sure about the details as my mind was consumed by my own thoughts. I felt a surge of anger towards Saitous because of the girl's presence.

As Saitous sat down that's when I gave my attention to the mystery girl

As Saitous beheld her, I couldn't help but marvel at her ethereal beauty. The way her flaxen hair swayed with the wind, the playfulness of those black curls framing her face, and the excitement that tinted her cheeks—all of it cast a spell on me. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as I gazed into her black eyes like the deep sea, finding them both outstanding and irresistibly alluring.

In that enchanted moment, he couldn't shake the thought: How could someone this little be this stunningly attractive? 

[3rd person P.O. v]

She repeated her greetings as he looked stone-faced.

"Hello, I'm Seutsui."

As her words reached him clearly, he sensed a warmth creeping into his cheeks, an unfamiliar sensation stirring within him. At least, he thought he did, questioning whether such sentiments belonged to someone like him, hardened by the trials of life's battlefield. A reminder that even he harbored depths of emotion beneath his stoic personality. All he desired at that moment was to escape, not wanting to endure the embarrassment of being caught blushing in front of the first girl he deemed truly beautiful. With a subtle nod and his usual cold expression, he swiftly wheeled around, gracefully walking off into the house without even offering a greeting

His behavior didn't sit well with her at all. Having already greeted him twice, his aloof response left her feeling slighted and frustrated. Pissed off, she couldn't hide her displeasure, and a frown creased her face as she watched him walk away.

"I too have lots of friends other than you." she bellowed, except the fact that she hadn't had a single friend in her whole life.

...

She strolled around their cottage with Saitous until sundown, exploring the surroundings. As the day wound down, they settled on the bare ground near the cottage. Saitous then offered her a luscious and fragrant wine, crafted from the fine grapes cultivated in his small, oddly placed garden amidst the martial arts equipment

All through this time, even though she enjoyed her time with Saitous, Seutsui had this uncanny feeling that someone was watching her.

"Is there someone here other than the three of us? I mean, even though your weird son left us here as soon as I got here, I still have this weird feeling someone is watching us. " a gloom overcame her face with fear.

Saitous released a resigned sigh, a knowing smirk playing at the corners of his lips as his gaze fixated on the cottage roof. Seutsui followed his line of sight, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the figure perched there, observing her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. It was Edward.

It was his go-to spot for relaxation and surveillance, where he kept a vigilant eye out for potential threats. He wasn't prepared to sacrifice his favored lookout just to ease the mind of a mere girl. However, today found him breaking his routine, Despite his reluctance to compromise his vigilance, he couldn't help but spend the day simply observing her.

Despite Realizing he'd been discovered, Edward's facade of nonchalance remained, and he vaulted down the roof in a graceful manner. With swift, practiced movements, he walked himself back inside the cottage before Seutsui could even blink, leaving her standing there, her heart pounding in her chest.

As Saitous observed Edward's maneuvers with a hint of amusement. Seutsui's frustration simmered beneath the surface. She couldn't shake the feeling that Edward's actions were less about genuine interest and more about... asserting his dominance over her? Like a predator circling its prey.

...

 Behind the closed door of the cottage, Edward leaned against the wall, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The thrill of the chase mingled with a primal urge to possess, to dominate. He couldn't deny the intoxicating rush he felt whenever he was near Seutsui, but regardless of what it was, he also knew he had to act carefully. His actions needed to be deliberate and restrained, so he could push her away for good.

For Seutsui, Edward's retreat also felt like a cold rejection, a sharp pang that cut deep into her young, childish heart. She had hoped for something more, something genuine, but all she felt now was the sting of disappointment.

"What's wrong with him? What did I ever do to him to act like that? " she started bawling. 

Saitous patted her back gently.

"Well, I believe the issue with him might be you. He sees you as someone a bit different from the others he has encountered, maybe even something special. Expressing his feelings sometimes might be challenging for him," Saitous reassured her.

"You think?" She asked hopefully with big gleaming eyes.

Disappointed in herself She shook her head while wiping her tears out.

"No. No. I won't even be friends with a cold and rude moron like him. He didn't even say Hello to me" She shook her head with disagreement while stamping her lips together adorably.

After a long day, she was too exhausted to even stay sitting up. She flopped onto the ground, spread her hand, and closed her eyes.

As she rested, Saitous observed her with a tinge of pity, considering how she had grown lonely with only her mother and no friends. However, that moment of compassion didn't linger for long. She abruptly woke up and, with her usual friendly, and positive tone, began talking, startling Saitous with her sudden movement.

As she sat up her curls were all over her face. She scratched her face, tucking her curls back behind her ears.

"I was going to ask from the beginning." She gazed at him dubiously.

"What's with the look?" Saitous uttered.

"What's with all these types of equipment scattered around your place?" she asked, leaping to her feet.

"What equipment?" he mumbled.

"These. " She pointed to one of those.

As she pointed, Saitous gasped and flinched with surprise and suspense. He gave a bewildered look.

"C...can you see these? he muttered.

"Of course, I can," she sneered.

"But how..." before he finished, a woman cried out from the distance.

It was Anipe.

"Oh, I need to go. Tell Edward that I left." Seutsui crawled towards the river.

Saitous was still in some kind of shock. He hastily ran to Edward.

"You need to block her mind NOW," he yelled dreadfully.