Kaiden was getting impatient waiting for Gideon but as soon as he got up, Gideon arrived. He was about to pull the other down to sit next to him but Gideon told him that they needed to go somewhere. He was a little confused but followed behind. Gideon told him to pack up some things because Miss Valerie was being called back to the capital by the king.
"But why do we have to come along?" he asks midway, packing his important belongings into his bag.
Gideon said that "It's because the other kids will definitely be more aggressive when she's not around".
Kaiden only nodded and continued packing because he indeed thought that it would be safer for Gideon if they came along. Kaiden was greeted by Azazel and his Aunt who was standing outside the building talking. He ignored the two and only followed Gideon who was holding his hand.
Azazel took off his gloves and bit his finger and started drawing runes in the air as he mumbled out his spell. A magic circle under their feet suddenly appeared and a flash of light caused them to close their eyes. The moment they opened it again they were in a very big room that had a chair in the middle.
'A throne room?' Kaiden thought because it looked like the one he saw in fairytale books.
Azazel took them into a study and told them that his majesty would be joining them very soon. Gideon pulled his hand away from Kaiden and walked towards Azazel to whisper something. This action made Kaiden frown and Azazel whispered something back to Gideon before walking out briefly. Kaiden felt a little bit relieved but Gideon did not go back to his seat next to him as if he was waiting for Azazel to come back. Sure enough, Azazel did come back with a Woman. She had her hair tied up in a bun and wore the official uniform of the nobles.
Gideon suddenly looked back at Kaiden and said "Forgive me Kaiden" before leaving the room with the woman. Kaiden wanted to follow after Gideon but Valerie held back his hand. Kaiden didn't want to use his powers against Valerie but suddenly he felt weak and his vision darkened. Amias was standing in the corner watching the drama unfold and he couldn't handle it anymore so he charmed Kaiden so he would fall asleep.
When Kaiden woke up, he was in an unfamiliar room and he saw Azazel by his bedside reading something. He wanted to hit him and demand that he took Gideon until Azazel overpowered him and explained his situation. Kaiden didn't care if he was some prince or whatever, what he cared about was Gideon and if he was safe. Azazel only stated that Gideon knew about this and thought it was best if he left Kaiden. Kaiden asked Azazel where his things were and the latter pointed to a table in the room. He then requested that he would be left alone. When Azazel left, Kaiden went straight to his bag and took out the photo album that Gideon had gifted to him.
'The entire time… Gideon knew about my situation and decided to keep it a secret.'
'The entire time Gideon had planned to leave me'
The tears continued to fall as he hugged the album.
'Did Gideon really think it was the best for me?'
'Or was it because he was scared of me?'
The more Kaiden thought about it, the more his thoughts worsened.
He didn't want any of this. All he needed was Gideon and he was content with that. But in the end, he was betrayed by his only friend.
Kaiden threw the album to the ground and summoned fire in his hand to burn it but he couldn't do it.
That day he only wept, wishing this was indeed a dream and that he would wake up back in his room with Gideon who was still sleeping soundly.
.
Eleven years had passed and Gideon indeed had lived a comfortable life so far thanks to Azazel. He was placed under the care of Kassandra's Faction, another demon noble who took care of the monsters that roamed the land during the night.
At first, Valerie asked him if he was sure about his decision and that she was willing to come along but Gideon refused to state that she already made a place for herself back at the orphanage. Should the day ever come that Kaiden returns to that place to look for him, she needs to be there to clear her of any suspicion. This meant that Valerie will never know where Gideon will be staying to keep him safe. Azazel offered him the chance to know about Kaiden's well-being seeing that they used to be close but Gideon refused this gesture. He believes that he will regret his decision even though it is in the best interest of everyone.
He sighed as he was washing up his face in the bathroom sink. Looking up he stared at "his" reflection. No matter how many years he spent in this world, he still could not see this body being his. The Gideon in this world did not have a proper description in the original novel other than having black hair and green eyes so readers portrayed him differently. Right now he was smaller than he was in his previous life and indeed was prettier. He looked like those androgynous models they hire for fashion shows but clearly, he lacked the confidence and the height department.
'Besides that, I can't be seen by Kaiden'
"My hair is getting longer..." He looked in the mirror. Gideon decided that he should go to a barber to have it cut.
While deep in his thoughts, suddenly someone knocked on the door.
"JUST HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN ON BEING IN THERE? I NEED TO PEE" Stephen knocked on the door multiple times before Gideon finally opened it. He was suddenly pulled out and the door slammed shut.
Stephen was something that humans called vampire. Back then Humans hunted and experimented with the "monsters". They weren't violent back then and lived peacefully under Kassandra's care. Because of this, Kassandra's resentment towards man only grew. One day she saw that there were women who cared for these creatures but a man claimed that these women were witches and started what was called a witch hunt. To save them she turned them into different types of human hybrids of those creatures. They pledged their existence to serve her in the night and thus Vampires and Lycans were born.
They didn't actually hate each other, they simply did not work together because they were in different regions, to begin with.
As for why he was male, Kassandra gave the women the power to turn others they trusted. Stephen found one of the injured and took care of her until she recovered but he was discovered by his village and he was gravely injured trying to protect her. She turned him and since then he's been by her side. They both claimed it was true love and instead of the "traditional housewife" it was Stephen who stayed at home. Kassandra approved of their union and now gave Stephen the responsibility of caring for Gideon. In a way, they technically adopted him but had a contractual relationship.
"My bladder was about to explode, You know this is the only bathroom with a functioning toilet" Stephen walked out of the bathroom wiping his wet hands with tissue.
"Well, who broke it in the first place?" Gideon raises an eyebrow while he fixes up his uniform. He was in the middle of getting ready to leave for work but his thoughts held him up again.
Stephen blushed because it was due to indecent acts between married couples that the toilet was accidentally smashed when they slipped.
Gideon laughed and grabbed his helmet from the top shelf.
"You already prepared the order right?"
"Yeah, It's near the capital and it's the ceremony for the right of succession today so it will be more crowded than usual"
"Haha yeah, I know that Steph, I'll be leaving now. Just prepare the other orders for when I come back" Gideon wore his helmet and Stephen only shook his head.
"No worries, Theodora told me to close up early because she wants me to attend the ball with her. Take the extra keys if you want to roam around the city" He pointed to the keys hanging in the hallway towards the front door.
Gideon took the keys and left to deliver the desserts Stephen had baked. He felt a little embarrassed to live with them for free, so he agreed that he would be the Delivery boy once he was allowed to drive.
Thankfully this world was still similar to his old home in some ways. Humans still used Technology to aid in their everyday lives but since the rise of "mythical" entities, technology has not advanced anymore. But Gideon feels like the true reason is that Luciel is preventing it from advancing so that Humans would not use it to start a rebellion.
'I mean as someone who was previously a human, I can understand being terrified entities we once regarded as myths'
It took him 2 hours longer than usual to deliver the order. He profusely apologized but the recipient did not mind and just said thank you that he managed to deliver it before they left for the parade.
Gideon was a shut-in ever since he left the Orphanage so he does not know anything going on in this world. He did not speak much at first to Stephen and his wife Theodora but thanks to Stephen's baking, he eventually opened up. If we were to count his friends, he had none except for those two and Alexander who occasionally stops by the shop to buy sweets for his sister.
'Even in this life I barely have friends... Alice, I'm so sorry but big brother is still a shut-in'
He debated with himself if he wanted to watch the Parade because he did not want to linger in the capital for too long. Ultimately his curiosity won him over and decided to watch it from afar. But even so…
'THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE!'
What was the reason? Gideon was pretty sure that in this world of fantasy, there wouldn't be a lack of festivals or parades.
"I heard that the King and Prince will be joining the parade!"
"What no way! I've only seen the king from afar, so this means I get to see his fabled beauty up close?!"
"Let's not forget that the main character of this festivities is the prince who will finally show his face to the public"
"I wonder where he came from, I never heard of the king marrying and having a child"
A lot of spectators were gossiping and Gideon just so happened to overhear them. He felt goosebumps all over his body at the mention of Kaiden being present in the parade.
'I need to get out of here!'