[56.4] What is Life?

After that day, Syrus stopped moving from city to city. He stayed put for the first time in his life, meeting Celane in the garden whenever she could. Celane never explained why she was always hiding her identity and could only meet on certain days, but he didn't care enough to ask.

Caldwell could only stand to the side as if he was a servant, listening and watching them on their dates. His presence would be forgotten, but he would refuse to give them space.

What if the woman were to steal his brother away from him?

Syrus grabbed Caldwell, "Caldwell. Do me a HUGE favor. Can you take Celane into town then when the sun sets, bring her to the Gardens?"

Caldwell looked at him suspiciously, "Why?"

"Can you just do it?" Syrus looked anxious, "I have something planned."

"Okay… I can." Caldwell thought of something and panicked, "But will you be okay without me?"

Syrus laughed, "It won't be for long. Relax."

"...Okay."

Caldwell wasn't confident, but since his brother asked him, he would do it. He went to Celane and picked her up in a carriage, driving her into town incognito. Once they arrived, he helped her out of the carriage, "Lady Celane."

She climbed out looking around, "So Syrus asked you to take me shopping?"

"That's right."

"Why is that?"

Caldwell shrugged then smiled politely.

Her long eyelashes fluttered as she stared at him awkwardly. She turned around, "Can you come with me to the boutique? I've been needing a new dress since my last one was ruined."

"Certainly, Lady Celane."

He brought her into the boutique where she browsed. Once she found a dress she liked, she checked the price tag. The shining light in her eyes disappeared and she put it back.

Caldwell found this curious, "You don't like it?"

She let out a sigh, "I like it… But it's too expensive."

Caldwell glanced at her figure. She was extremely thin to the point of being frail, but her mannerisms and the way she spoke were evident that she was from a Noble background. Her clothes were clearly out of fashion, but they were by no means to the point of being inexpensive.

Caldwell spoke, "Lady Celane. You don't appear to be too poor to afford this. If you were, the clerks wouldn't have let you in. Yet, they did."

Although the Clerks all gave her a dreadful and loathing look as if they didn't want her there, they still let her in without saying a word.

Her cheeks flushed, "I-I am from a respectable family, but my allowance is very low so I need to be mindful of what I buy."

Caldwell looked around. All the clerks avoided them, never getting too close and refusing to help or speak to them. Celane didn't seem to mind or notice and walked toward the back of the shop.

"They have cheaper dresses in the back."

Caldwell followed her and made a face when he saw the dresses she was looking at, "Lady Celane. Please tell me you're joking. Are you trying to be an old spinster or are you planning to attend a funeral? Because only in those two scenarios would these dresses be appropriate."

She turned to him in embarrassment, "This is all I can afford!"

He let out a sigh and pushed her to the side. He went through the clothes until he chose the best option.

"That one won't fit-"

He ignored her and turned to a clerk, "I wish to buy this one and add alterations in store. Is that okay?"

The clerk made a face but ultimately agreed.

Caldwell dragged her to the changing area and pulled out a sewing kit. He immediately went to work, measuring her and making notes. Celane's face burned red as she watched him. Feeling too uncomfortable, she tried to come up with a conversation topic, "Syrus told me that you both grew up near the Macabre forest."

His hands suddenly stopped, "H-He did?"

"I can't believe you both are from such a dangerous area. How did you ever survive? I heard the demons there are so fierce that they will even eat children!"

Caldwell paused and spoke in a low voice, "...What do you think of demons?"

Celane's face pinched together in anger, "Oh I hate them! Filthy beasts. They are going to destroy this world if we let them. I think I can only relax once they are completely eradicated."

Blood drained from Caldwell's face at the sound of her venomous hatred, but she didn't notice this.

She chuckled lightly and gave him a pat on the back, "But you don't have to worry. The King is my cousin and he works very hard to make sure there are no demons here."

Caldwell tried to not look panicked and continued what he was doing, "The King… What is he like?"

She thought back, "When we were children, he was extremely cruel. Then he became a King at such a young age. As cruel as he was, he was a prodigy. Then one day, he hit his head and was unconscious. The healers didn't think he would wake up. Then he just suddenly sat up and was a completely different person after that. He turned our Kingdom around and made us stronger than we've ever been. He even treats me like a human being, how much better could a King be?"

Caldwell studied her face after hearing the last sentence. She was beaming with joy despite saying such a thing that made his heart ache. He tried to focus on fixing the dress in his hands as he spoke, "...And his stance on demons?"

"Ah, well I've heard my Uncle talking to the other Nobles that they keep pressuring him to send forces to the Macabre forest to squash the demons once and for all, but the King wants to focus more on the neighboring Kingdom because they keep invading our borders. It's a very hard issue because you also need to consider-" She paused and then blushed, "-Actually, let's not talk about politics. Are you almost finished?"

Calwell shook off his thoughts and nodded, "I am, Lady Celane. I finished the alterations, can you try it on?"

She nodded and went to change. While he waited, he found cheap jewelry by digging through the unsold item bin. Once she was out, he helped her with the back of the dress and put the jewelry he found on her. Then he placed her in front of the mirror.

She gasped, "C-Caldwell… You are so skilled at this! I can't believe you found all these cheap materials and made them look like they were expensive!"

Caldwell gave the outfit a glance, "It's not that impressive."

In fact, it was still distasteful to his eyes but it was the best option from the rest.

She turned to him and shook her head, "It's VERY impressive! How did you get so good at this? You even made alterations on the spot!"

He pursed his lips at the sudden compliment, "I make clothes for my brother because it's cheaper. He's also such an airhead that he's always getting his clothes ripped on trees and rocks. If I wasn't able to fix his clothes, it would be a disaster."

She gave him a playful slap, "You ought to pursue a career in fashion!"

He shook his head abruptly, "No. I must take care of my brother. I don't have time to pursue such worthless things."

She paused, "You're very close to your brother…"

Caldwell stared at her innocently, "He's my brother."

She turned away with a hum, "I don't think I will ever understand how you two could be so close. My cousin Albert is like a brother, but he tortures me whenever he sees me. I don't understand your feeling of familial love."

Caldwell started feeling uncomfortable and changed the subject, "Shall we go meet Sy now, my lady?"

"Sure."