Chapter 63

063.

Before heading to Eclecia Salon in Mland, Kalen heard that Sinat was looking for him.

Kalen immediately went to Sinat’s room and saw her smiling brightly.

“Did you come?”

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Yeah. Come in and sit over here.”

Sinat tapped the seat behind her. Kalen, who obviously understood the gesture, naturally sat behind her. He soon felt her familiar form leaning against him.

“Did you have a good talk with grandfather?”

“It went okay.”

“You seemed troubled.”

“Yeah, but not anymore.”

As usual, they started with a lighthearted conversation – though this time it was more substantial than usual.

Talking about random things like ideal partners or where they’d like to live later would have been more trivial. Thinking back on his recent conversation with Blamia felt more meaningful.

“How did you know I was troubled anyway?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Kalen nodded absent-mindedly. Normally, people wouldn’t know unless told.

But it seemed Sinat was different. The conversation about his troubles related to confessing his feelings had been personal. He hadn’t mentioned anything about guarding the next head of the Dranunus Family.

Yet Sinat had picked up on it without him saying anything. Their shared memories created a bond that wasn’t easily underestimated.

“Did you know what the master asked of you?”

“Yeah. About guarding me, right?”

“Exactly. I wanted to do something else that coincided with your guard duties. It gave me pause.”

There was a heavy feeling near his chest. Sinat had lightly bumped her head back against him – a gesture she used when something annoyed her or when she found Kalen exasperating.

“Why?”

“Because you’re an idiot. You should always do what you want first.”

People tend to prioritize themselves naturally. One could call it consideration, but Sinat’s thinking was different.

Between guarding her and what Kalen wanted…

It wasn’t easy to prioritize, especially considering how she felt about him. Even if she subtly hinted she wanted to be prioritized, they had that kind of relationship.

Still, Sinat had prioritized Kalen’s wishes.

Understanding this, Kalen couldn’t help but feel grateful. Even without knowing what his desire was, her willingness to support it showed how close they were.

More than that, she had made an effort to understand his feelings first. It was a moment that illustrated Sinat’s depth of character.

“I’ve already decided to take it on.”

“My guard duties…?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Though they weren’t completely transparent with each other, Sinat’s feelings weren’t so different.

From an onlooker’s perspective, Kalen seemed fairly free-spirited.

He didn’t have many strong desires. Far from ambition or greed, he simply flowed with life – passive one might say. But with his considerable power at such a young age, that passivity could be seen as humility instead.

Power breeds greed, and greed fuels excess ambition. The outcome of such ambition isn’t pretty.

Yet Kalen, despite his power, hadn’t changed – a sign of his true humility.

For the first time, though, Kalen had something he wanted to do.

While fulfilling an obligation could be called a desire, it was based on helping Blamia and Sinat.

This was the first time he had a desire without conditions.

Sinat didn’t want to get in the way of this important goal.

She didn’t expect much from what grandfather had requested.

Kalen had readily agreed to take on her guard duties.

Just as Kalen was grateful to her, she was equally grateful to him.

“Since it’s something you can do even after finishing that.”

“Okay… Thank you, Kal.”

“Just don’t overdo it again.”

“Got it~.”

Sinat slowly rocked her head against Kalen’s. The warm sensation on the back of his head was one of her favorite feelings – making her feel like Kalen was completely hers.

“If I want a place in Kal’s life, I’ll need to work hard, right?”

“I don’t care about that.”

“No, you have incredible talent. Even if you don’t want to, you’ll end up doing something great. For the good of our family… Ah.”

“End up with…?”

“Y-Yes! You can join us! If another family takes you away, it would be a disaster…”

Kalen was well aware of his own power, though not fully.

According to Blamia, he wasn’t quite at Rank 5 yet, so he shouldn’t be overconfident. Kalen wasn’t planning to reveal his full strength anytime soon, especially since there was no need.

Unless the same kind of events from the spirit realm happened in the human world.

The empire was in its prime, and apart from the northern front lines, it was a peaceful time. Even with the civil war over, they just needed to remain vigilant against monsters.

Viewed from this perspective, Blamia’s words seemed reasonable. He should focus his strength on the Dranunus family.

Kalen nodded slightly.

“Did you call me to say that?”

“…You’re cold, Kal.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Sinat playfully turned her head to glare at Kalen. At sitting height, their eyes met perfectly.

“You don’t need a specific reason to call me, you know.”

“Hmm… true.”

“Just stay still and let me play with you.”

“Hey.”

“Hmm~.”

It took quite some time to reach the capital Mland. Kalen had heard that Eliana and Serasie were looking for him too, so while there was no rush, he didn’t want to be too relaxed either.

It seemed Sinat was being especially clingy today.

Just as Kalen was thinking this, Sinat continued speaking.

“I might become the next head soon, Kal.”

Sinat’s voice had dropped slightly from its usual tone. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of the future or doubt about her ability to handle the responsibilities.

awkward reassurance was worse than none, so Kalen chose to encourage instead.

“You’ll do fine.”

“Will you be there to help me?”

“Until you can stand on your own.”

Becoming the head meant the Dranunus family’s revival was near.

The most involved parties had been Lacatus and Hiart, which is why hearing from their daughters wasn’t too surprising.

“Master Ecclesias.”

“What?”

But Sinat’s next words surprised Kalen too.

“No, I don’t think going to Eclecia’s is a good idea after all.”

That was true. Though next in line as head, Sinat was still a young girl who hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony.

However, becoming head meant she would inevitably have to debut in society. There would be many seeking connections through Blamia’s reputation, but paradoxically, this made it difficult to fully trust them.

Simply put, she needed to build her own network. This would become her strength as the head, and further amplify the family’s power.

Sinat’s mention of Eclecia reflected this consideration. The Dranunus name was strong enough to enter an upper-tier salon like Eclecia’s.

“I don’t want to join an already established social group.”

“Then do you want to go to another city?”

“Hmm… but I don’t like that idea either…”

Even outside the capital Mland, there were several notable social salons. Some were even comparable to Eclecia’s. There was one in Pelts city and another in Clamenia city.

However, none seemed attractive enough to Sinat.

Eliana and Serasie were members of Eclecia’s salon. Perhaps their connections could be utilized to navigate the social scene.

Snap!

In the midst of Kalen’s thoughts, Sinat lightly clapped her hands.

“Great. I’ve decided.”

“On what?”

“I’ll create a new one.”

Kalen furrowed his brow. Having little interest in high society himself, and even less knowledge about women’s gatherings, he found Sinat’s declaration concerning.

Any gathering has two key elements: tradition and membership.

The long history a salon carries. Tradition builds over time – one could call it legitimacy.

Among those in society, few don’t value a salon’s history.

If history gives legitimacy to a salon, then the quantity and quality of its current members reveal its contemporary influence.

The stronger the family or individual, the more of such people that join.

Meaning that the salon’s reputation rises accordingly.

Eclecia was at the pinnacle of such salons. It seemed rash to turn down such an established salon to create a new one.

“Even so… wouldn’t it help if I joined you?”

“That would make it harder. I don’t have the proper background, and master wants me to keep my strength hidden for now.”

“…”

Kalen’s sincere persuasion made Sinat nod in agreement. There was a long way ahead, and with good connections to Eliana and Serasie, there was no need to choose a difficult path.

What Sinat needed most now was a network. Kalen thought it would be good to introduce her to Eliana and Serasie. The two girls got lonely easily, so they wouldn’t be hostile toward Sinat. Imagining the three young ladies enjoying pleasant conversations brought a small smile to his face.

With that, Kalen closed his eyes. The fresh scent of a young girl tickled his nose, bringing a pleasant feeling.

For a while, Kalen and Sinat remained sitting quietly, their bodies close together.