After returning to the house, Kaelxi volunteered to cook. She repeatedly warned Witt to stay in the living room and absolutely not to enter the kitchen.
Otherwise, if he caught her slipping sleeping pills into his food, it would be a death sentence.
Kaelxi had expected Witt to obey, but he insisted on cooking together.
If not for his deeply affectionate gaze that made her scalp tingle, she might have suspected he’d noticed something.
Watching Witt’s back as he washed vegetables by the sink, apron tied neatly, Kaelxi felt an odd sensation while chopping—like the harmonious life of a married couple.
“How could I ever marry a man?”
The more she thought, the more restless she grew. Her knife chopped faster and harder.
It was as if she wasn’t cutting vegetables, but Witt’s body.
Her thoughts drifted, turning into resentment toward him.
“Stupid sissy, trying to cook? Probably only knows how to boil potatoes!”
“So eager to show off in front of me?”
Daydreaming while chopping was never wise.
A sharp, piercing pain shot through Kaelxi’s finger as she accidentally cut herself.
She looked down; crimson beads welled from the wound. For a moment, she felt back on that night falling from the building.
“Hiss—” Kaelxi dropped the knife, sucked her finger, and wiped tears with her knuckles.
She hated pain—and was already crying from it.
Hearing her sharp intake of breath, Witt turned to see the Elf girl silently sobbing with her finger in her mouth. He instantly understood.
He rushed over, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll bandage it,” he murmured.
True to his seasoned adventurer skills, Witt held her with one arm while pulling bandages from his waist pouch with the other. He gently wrapped the wound.
Kaelxi’s tears slowed.
The cut was barely a third the length of a fingernail, yet it brought tears to her eyes.
Her fear of pain ran deep—a shadow from her past life, rooted in her soul.
Ignoring Kaelxi’s protests, Witt insisted she rest in the living room while he finished cooking.
Unable to face his worried gaze and feeling unwell, Kaelxi reluctantly agreed.
“Damn it, how am I supposed to drug him now?”
“What a stubborn idiot!”
Lying on the couch, Kaelxi cursed Witt a thousand times.
“Beautiful, kind, and strong. Yet unexpectedly fragile at times.”
“How can such a perfect, adorable girl exist?”
Humming as he cooked, Witt praised Kaelxi endlessly.
By the time dinner was ready, Kaelxi had mostly recovered.
Witt had set the table and pulled out her chair. “Sit,” he said gently.
“Hmph, such a fake,” Kaelxi thought disdainfully.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly, flashing a smile.
Witt’s heart melted. It all felt worth it.
After Kaelxi sat, Witt joined her. Between bites, he recounted his tragic childhood.
The grueling training, his family’s cruelty, the exhaustion of adventuring—he spoke with raw emotion.
Kaelxi ate half-heartedly, nodding along while plotting how to drug him.
No one of the opposite sex had listened to Witt’s story in years. He’d fully opened his heart to this Elf girl he’d known only half a day.
Strictly speaking, Witt had no living relatives.
To him, Kaelxi was now his closest person.
Unaware, Kaelxi feigned concern while gloating inwardly: “Fool. Half a day, and I’ve got you wrapped around my finger, tricked completely!”
After dinner, Witt reached the saddest part of his tale. Overwhelmed, he burst into tears.
After all, he was just a sixteen-year-old boy.
Though tall and decisive, he carried unimaginable loneliness.
He’d exposed his deepest vulnerability to an Elf he’d met hours ago.
Kaelxi froze. She hadn’t expected this thick-headed guy to cry over his own story.
She didn’t know how to comfort him, just sat there dumbly.
Witt suddenly looked up, voice choked. “Don’t laugh at me. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”
Without protecting Kaelxi, what was left to care about?
No family. No friends. No hope.
Seeing the boy’s reddened eyes, Kaelxi felt a pang.
She stood, walked over, pressed his head to her chest, and hugged him tightly. She released him after a long moment.
“Just this once,” she thought.
Kaelxi spared her last true tenderness—already planning to sell Witt to a mine.
They cleared the table together. It was time to sleep.
Witt had promised to keep Kaelxi’s nightmares at bay. He planned to share her room—her on the bed, him on the floor.
Before bed, Kaelxi suddenly asked for warm milk, claiming it helped sleep.
Witt agreed. He took the milk she’d heated and drank it all.
The boy licked milk from his lips, smiling genuinely.
“She’s so thoughtful.”
“I’ll protect her forever.”
“Guard her smile…”
“Guard her… and be with her…”
“I… how…”
“My body…”
“So sleepy…”
Kaelxi watched Witt’s tall frame collapse. The tension in her chest finally eased.
She loomed over him, waving a pale hand before his unblinking eyes. Seeing no reaction, she threw her head back and laughed wildly.
“Hahaha~ With that energy, I thought this stuff wouldn’t knock you out!”
She snatched Witt’s waist pouch first. Then, gripping his chin, she lifted his face.
“Your handsome face just pisses me off.”
Kaelxi slapped him hard.
“For hitting my stomach!”
*Slap!*
“For carrying me so fast!”
*Slap!*
“For sweet-talking me!”
…
After a dozen slaps, Witt’s face showed no swelling or marks—only a misty glaze in his eyes.
Kaelxi’s palms burned fiercely, almost making her cry again from the pain.
“This is the last one…”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Kaelxi’s emerald eyes, but she raised her hand high.
“For…”
“For…”
“…trusting me so much.”
Her final slap landed softly on Witt’s cheek.
Tears streamed down his face.
More than during dinner.
Buchert Kingdom Fact: Ordinary drugs cannot fully affect Bronze-rank or higher professionals, especially Warriors.
