"Gather round, people," Julie shouted. "Thanks to the meat we stole… I mean, took from the royal camp, we can have a decent dinner. Working in the kitchen paid off after all," she said, laughing. "Chef Cato!"
"Just eat," he said.
"It feels nice to be away from that place," Julie said, taking her seat with the group.
"Why did you want to follow us?" Cato asked the princess.
"Nothing," she mumbled.
"If you're going to be stuck with us, at least let loose a little," he said.
"I will."
"How do you intend to survive without a knight? No one will be at your beck and call," Taylor asked.
"I'll be fine on my own," she replied.
Should I go and see that man? Do I question him?
I was about to stand up when the princess called me.
"Cady should do those kinds of things," she said, and I looked up, confused.
"You're the youngest," Cato said.
"I'm roya… fine," she said, looking down. "I don't know anything entertaining," she admitted, thinking.
'I shouldn't involve myself in this.'
"Don't you do anything interesting? You're still a kid; you should be the most interesting member of this group," he scolded.
"I mostly read," she replied.
"Studying is good."
"Romance novels," she finished.
"Huh?"
"Do you have someone you like, Mr. Cato?" she asked, getting more comfortable.
"N… no? Why would they let a kid read that g—"
"In this group, I have three couples already," she said, and Julie started laughing.
"Who?" Sloane asked.
"It'd ruin it," she said. "Is there someone you like, Ms. Cady?"
"It's Cady, and I do," I replied.
"Who?"
"Bean," I replied.
"I meant a person," she said.
"Bean is more than a person, but outside of Bean, there's no one else," I said.
"In the books I read, situations like this always end with a few couples," the princess said. "It starts with a few things that put the idea there, then you start getting feelings slowly," she said confidently. "You might like someone but won't realize. You tend to notice every tiny detail, and they start staying a second too long in your mind, and…"
"I'm turning in," I said, standing up. "It's normal to notice every single detail of the people around you—never let your guard down."
"It's different; sometimes you feel annoyed because of how conscious you are around that person but still give yourself excuses to be around them," she said.
"That's just stupid," I said and left.
'It's just stupid… right?'
I don't have such emotions; she's just flattering herself because of the nonsense she reads.
I walked in and went upstairs in search of the old man. I had to know if he knew where Elton was and how to find him.
I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword as I approached the dim light down the hall. I pushed the door open slowly and stepped in.
"Didn't I make it clear enough that I don't want any disturbance?" the old man spoke.
"Where's Elton?" I went straight to the point.
"Have you gone crazy too?" he asked, still not looking at me. He stared at the fire like it had something interesting to show him.
The room fell silent again, and I subconsciously stared at the fire.
"I've been here for a long time. I wouldn't know where anyone is or what they are up to," he finally spoke.
"So you're hiding," I stated, and he turned to look at me.
'What's he doing here?'
"Is there somewhere else I should be?" he asked.
"Where you should be is none of my concern," I said, turning to leave. I paused and turned to look at him, feeling an abnormal urge to say my piece—I'm not meant to have a piece to say.
"Why is a general hiding here in the first place?" I asked, and he turned to look at me.
"Huh?"
"Your comrades were the ones looking down on me, but funny thing is, I've been out here from the start. I won't say I was helping, but at least I wasn't hiding," I stated.
"Hiding? What do you know? What could you possibly know? You are just a child; you know nothing," he shot back.
"I thought you'd say, 'you're just a girl,'" I said, and he sighed loudly.
"I thought we'd settled that," he said.
"I passed through a few bases. Most of your knights are dead; they'd be disappointed to hear that the general they looked up to was hiding while they fought for their lives," I said, taking my seat.
"How did this happen?" he asked.
"Ask your emperor; I'm just a child, I know nothing," I replied, and he started laughing. "Stop hiding and make yourself useful," I said, glaring at him.
General Iros trained Elton when he joined the knight's order, but he didn't take kindly to my ambition in the order. He was the only person outside Harold who noticed that something was off about Elton and me, but he either pushed the thought aside or didn't care.
"I thought in this havoc your brother would be the least of your concerns," he said, changing the topic.
"You've always had bad judgment," I replied.
"You're the only one who speaks to me that way," he said, grabbing the glass on the table.
"Your luck?" I said, standing up. "You don't know where Elton is, so I don't need you," I said, walking to the door.
"What is really going on out there?" he asked.
"People are dying and turning into man-eating monsters," I said, grabbing the handle.
"This place… I came here to…"
"Didn't ask, don't care," I said, opening the door. I looked around the empty halls and shook my head. "Better get some sleep," I said, feeling like I was hallucinating.
The thought of hallucinating made me feel unsettled. It was a new feeling. What was happening to me? I couldn't explain it. I honestly didn't want an explanation.