He had been so confused. He had been unable to make sense of the words at that time. It had felt unfamiliar and unexpected as though this was the very first time she had met him. Kaichen laughed at himself for thinking about her for all these years. He was annoyed that for her, he was nothing but an old memory that she had already forgotten about. He had pretended to not know her. However, in spite of it, it was a very curious thing that she should be the medium of the time magic of all people.
100 Years…. It was hard to believe it. Even harder to believe was the fact that she was calmly skinning the black rabbit and preparing dinner as though she was used to it. Julius’s statement was correct. Something must have happened in the hundred years inside the time magic that had somehow changed her. The old Dalia definitely wouldn’t be able to cook like this.
“When did you learn how to cook?” asked Kaichen.
“I learned it when I was stuck inside the time magic. I had all the time in the world, and I was bored.” She casually uttered those words while holding a knife in her hands. But Kaichen could sense that the meaning behind those words weren’t as light-hearted as she made it out to be. Kaichen felt like something heavy was pressing against his chest. It bothered him.
He had to investigate what had happened inside the time magic and also had to examine her body. However, seeing her responding so nonchalantly made him feel like he was overly worried about nothing.
Why? Why does this woman make me feel so uncomfortable? Kaichen frowned and was about to turn back to his notebook when he saw her hand tremble severely. He glanced at her face. The only thing he could gauge from her expression was her focus on ways to cook the rabbit. The whole time she made it seem like everything was fine, but her pallor wasn’t very good. He wanted to look away, but he had to know. If his precious research subject was sick, he would be in trouble.
“Why are your hands shaking like that?” he asked, reluctantly.
“What? Oh… it’s nothing serious.” She tried to hide her hands and smiled. On the surface, nothing looked amiss, but Kaichen knew that that smile was forced.
“Are you ill?” he asked.
“I’m extremely healthy.”
“Healthy people’s hands don’t shake like that,” he said, impatiently.
She shrugged her shoulders and avoided his eyes. It was clear that something was going on, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Kaichen averted his eyes and looked back to his notebook. She didn’t need to answer if she didn’t want to.
“It’s because I stopped drinking,” she said after a few moments. “I think it’s a withdrawal symptom. But it won’t affect the trip or the research. So, don’t worry.”
Kaichen turned away. He shouldn’t have asked her. But it was relieving to know that she was alright. Am I going crazy? Kaichen asked himself. Even if her personality has changed, she is the same Dalia. Why am I so concerned about her? Kaichen scolded himself inwardly but he couldn’t completely turn a blind eye on Dalia, she was the person who had made him what he was today. Why did she have to be the medium for time magic of all people? If it was anybody else, I wouldn’t have had to meet her again. I could have gone on ignoring the woman who had hurt me.
Kaichen felt annoyed and frustrated. He let out a short sigh and looked back at his notebook. In the end, all he could do was finish his research on the forbidden magic as soon as possible and go his separate way from her.
* * *
The first thing I saw was a lush forest with greenery all around. There was a small pond surrounded by willow trees. The willow leaves were yellowing, which added more color to the surrounding green. There was no wall or fence, so I walked right by the bushes. My jaw dropped.
Kaichen, in the original novel, was a famous recluse. He would rarely leave his place. Even if Julius somehow managed a superhuman feat of getting him out of his house once in a while, all he did was shut himself in the magic tower and continue with his research. It was advantageous for Julius to keep Kaichen by his side at all times.
When I first read about Kaichen, who was always at his home and buried in books about magic and shunned people, I had thought that his place would be dusty and unkempt. However, seeing Kaichen’s beautiful house for the first time took my breath away.
Am I dreaming? This is… the house I saw in my dreams before. I had imagined living in such a house after Julius became the Emperor and the novel was finally completed. I had imagined a couple of ducks in the pond. I had wanted to spend my time cultivating vegetables in the garden. I had pictured myself in this two-storied house overlooking flowers in the garden below. While the picture of my future had changed several times, I had always come back to the image of this house and the surrounding.
“Did we take the wrong road?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How can this beautiful place be your house? I dreamt about this house. How can it be possible?”
Kaichen glanced at me. He reluctantly indicated for me to proceed inside. I don’t know what was so displeasing to him. His annoyed and scowling face refused to settle into anything else. I even thought that he would have abandoned me without a thought if it hadn’t been for his research, and my 100-year-old experienced cooking skills.
Following him along a trail where wildflowers bloomed in the well-maintained yard, I was blown away by the beauty of it all. The yellow rose bushes hugging the wall of the house looked exquisite. How can it seem so mismatched with the owner?
