His mourning for Elise and the realization of his feelings towards Eli made him unsure what step to make.
He stared at his grieving friend and Eli. He didn't know what to do. He just stared at them for a long time.
And for a long time he was in a trance...
It was already late in the afternoon when Leon and Kayden reached Silver Dew. They rushed right after the national assembly to ensure that Kayden had enough time to study Eli's caesarean section research.
By the time the group had settled down their emotions, it was already night time.
Seeing that Kayden and the rest had calmed down. Eli excused herself to prepare for dinner.
Leon, who was still in trance, mechanically nodded and let Eli out of the array.
When Eli came out of the living room, she stumbled upon the bunch who bore a worried and gloomy expression.
The moment they saw Eli, their faces brightened up and they all showed their concern about her.
"Great teacher! How are you feeling, are you alright?" Meredith hugged Eli's thighs with her tiny body and asked with teary eyes.
Eli smiled, patted her head and assured everyone, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."
Only then did everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"But the atmosphere here is kind of gloomy, so I'm planning to cheer everyone up with a nice dinner!"
"I'll help master!" Baobao cheerfully said as he lifted his fluffy paw while he bit on a carrot with his other paw.
"We'll help too!" The rest of the team also cheerfully volunteered.
Soon the whole cottage was filled with the fragrant smell of dinner. Another sumptuous line up of healthy and meaty food was prepared on the long table. She immediately called the rest for dinner.
Everyone came and sat orderly, looking at Eli to lead the rest in saying their graces.
Eli looked happily towards them and sincerely said the graces.
On the day she dined here, at first, it was only her. Soon, Wisey and Baobao came, at some days Azayn would join, then Leon and Olivier.
In the past weeks she had the grandpas and the project team, now even Kayden. She never expected that she'd have her cottage full of wonderful people.
Contrasting her initial reaction the moment she first saw this house, she felt that it was too big for her. But now… who would have known?
Looking at the long table, Eli could feel her heart warm and full.
Everyone enjoyed the dinner. Even Kayden and Leon who have been grieving had their spirits uplifted. After dinner, the rest spent time outside to unwind from a long day of working.
While Leon, Eli and Kayden were in the living room discussing the paper detailing the caesarean section under the array.
Settling down once again, it was Eli's time to ask Kayden of a question she wanted to say,
"Sir Kayden, I observed that you were the most accepting one in this group about the truths that happened to me earlier.." She asked cautiously, yet her curiosity was so strong, that even in this kind of mood, she didn't hesitate to ask.
"You can call me Older Brother Kayden. Please grant me the peace of mind and continue to take care of you as you are. This is also to fulfill Elise's deepest wish." Kayden replied.
Only after he saw that Eli understood his intention that he finally let out a thoughtful smile and proceeded to answer Eli's question.
"In fact, I was already in shock the moment Leon called me to go here and look into the caesarean section you proposed." Kayden knowingly looked towards Eli and continued,
"Because I am already familiar with this method, and I know that it doesn't exist yet in this world."
Eli and Leon were left in shock.
Leon casted an inquiring look, while Eli just stared at Kayden, waiting for his explanation.
Kayden gave a nostalgic smile and explained further, "You must already know that I am a half elf. My mother and the Chief of Silver Dew were siblings, and my father was a doctor."
"I lost my parents just before the age of seven, where they went missing after a medical expedition. But before my father left, he gave me a ring, he said that I will know its powers when the time comes."
Kayden then showed the ring he had been wearing since he became an adult.
Leon remembered back then, he and Kayden were seven-year olds lined up for the magical aptitude assessment. Kayden had this ring stringed on his neck, clasping on it as if it was a talisman.
Kayden then focused on the ring, immediately the ring glowed and a book appeared.
Eli was shocked!
The book wasn't an ancient book she was used to seeing here in Prasinos. It was a book printed through the technology of the modern world!
"Big brother Kayden! This… does this mean your father?" Eli inquired with a trembling voice.
But Kayden shook his head and said, "No, the time I was able to use this ring, the first thing I received was my father's handwritten letter since I was born.
Through his letter, I learned that his ring is actually a library containing books that aren't from this world.
He theorized that this ring was proof that there are other worlds that exist and their knowledge was vast and more advanced than ours." Kayden seriously explained.
"Based on his words he was not from another world…" Leon analyzed the meaning of Kayden's explanation.
"Yes. However, he only mentioned in the letter that he was able to gain this ring due to a fortuitous encounter. During that time, I brushed off this information and just kept everything to myself, while using the books to develop my medical skills, whom I have known to this day."
With my identity as human Kayden the doctor, the Spectre started to target me. Leon and my Uncle knew that it was because of the fact that I can perform surgeries.
In Prasinos, medical doctors only handle simple diagnosis and the main treatment involves healing magic, potions and prescriptions. Surgeries are unheard of, yet I was the first one who performed it and shocked the medical world.
I thought that I was the first one who did it until you were rescued by Leon.
Before the records were surrendered in the Empire, I browsed through it with Leon's permission and knew that surgeries aren't an exclusive knowledge I possess, but your captor had already known this for so long.
Coupled with Leon's recent investigation, I finally concluded why I was hunted. It was because this exclusive knowledge from Spectre was leaked. Fortunately I have long decided to change my identity to Einz and stop performing major surgeries.
The medical world today had just started to explore the world of surgical practice from my papers as Doctor Kayden. This made me, as Einz, less suspicious as long as I only do simple stitches."
"Then the ring…" Eli nervously inquired yet she already knew the answer in her heart.
"It was most probably from Spectre, my father was just lucky to obtain them." Kayden replied with a cold low voice.
"This…" Eli was shocked and started to think deeply. As of this moment, she had already known of two mysterious artifacts.
First one was the sword that killed Elise, powerful enough to injure her soul. Second one was the ring.
Without hesitating, she summoned Wisey. For the second time, Wisey materialized in her book spirit form rather than her usual contracted beast form.
"Eli chan, do you need me for something?"
"Wisey, are you able to identify the origin of this artifact?" Eli pointed to Kayden's ring.
Understanding Eli's intention, Kayden took the ring out and handed it near Wisey to examine.
They had witnessed Wisey deliver the Creator's message. They knew that Wisey wasn't just a contracted beast almost uselessly tagging along with Baobao, but a far more mysterious being than Baobao.
Wisey closely observed, her dark round eyes glowed in heavenly gold.
"Eli chan, the information about this ring was blank, but the only thing I assure you is that this ring was not a heavenly artifact." Wisey replied straightforwardly.
"Then could this ring really be originally from a member of Spectre?" Eli said with uncertainty.
"Most probably…" Wisey, Leon and Kayden agreed with Eli's conjecture.
"Then we can now deduce that the Spectre is not only just an organization who wanted to perform crazy experiments. Their goals run deeper than that." Eli said with fear creeping in her heart.
As the night was already getting deep, their conversation came to a halt when Kayden advised Eli to retire early for the night.
Eli obediently heeded to Kayden's advice and prepared to go to bed.
The two men went out in Eli's garden to digest everything that happened.
However, they weren't like ladies who would be vocal in talking their heart out.
They just stood, watching the glowing fireflies in Eli's garden while the moon shone so brightly, forming the silver dews on the moist trees and shrubs.
"So what's your plan now?" Kayden finally let out a word.
"I'll be leaving after tomorrow to settle things in the Capital." Leon said reluctantly.
"I wasn't talking about that," Kayden replied, shooting Leon a knowing and teasing look.
"What are you talking about.." Leon averted his gaze from his dear friend, afraid that he could see through his emotions. But he failed to hide his ears that was as red as tomatoes.
"You are so obvious, you do not need to hide." Kayden let out a light chuckle. He patted Leon's shoulder and said,
"It's better to start letting her know now, rather than later.. You know how brilliant she is. For sure, many people around would volunteer to be her husband."
Kayden advised while looking towards the direction of the temporary quarters, where the project team and Olivier were spending the night away.
He could feel Leon's body jolt in realization.
Leon then stiffly said, "But I think, the timing isn't appropriate. We were just mourning about Elise's passing, yet I would be too hasty to pursue my desires.."
"Elise is Elise, Eli is Eli. Even I, who was deeply devastated about Elise's passing, had to accept that fact." Kayden replied in a melancholic yet serious manner.
He looked at the cottage where Eli was sleeping and continued,
"Moreover, now that we know the truth. Just imagine how Eli struggled when you first proposed marriage to her, who was actually an outsider. Among the three of us, she was the one who struggled the most, internally."
"That was most probably the reason why she was firm to reject you at first. It was her last respect for Elise." Kayden said with sympathy.
Ff he was put in that situation, he would even go crazy with all Eli had to face. Alone in a world whom she knew nothing of, an identity whom she had to live by, and a baby whom she had to raise.
Kayden couldn't help but praise Eli with her guts to face all of these.
Hearing Kayden's advice, Leon was also enlightened. Truthfully, he had forgotten to consider who Eli is right now.
Seeing that his dear friend was finally getting it, he smiled and thoughtfully said,
"You should be the one to let Eli realize who she was. Free her from unnecessary complications.. I know you can do it."