Chapter 16: Chapter Fifteen: Golden Lady

Helix tossed all of the things Kai packed into his spatial magic and looked at him. Dawn has just arrived but the two are already wide awake and all ready to head to the capital. Kai looked at the room for a moment before sighing with lamentation.

"Why do you have an expression like that? You're not moving out entirely and with my magic, you can go back here anytime you want." Helix raised an eyebrow at Kai's sentimental attitude. The jade-colored eyes shifted their position to Helix's and the two pairs of eyes met.

"It's not like that… it's just… I feel like if I come to the capital, the peace I had for the past few months would just go… poof."

"..." The unusual word 'poof' made the other who listened to his words go silent for a while, thinking about his words. "And you were complaining about how lonely you were a few days ago… Do you no longer want to go? I can make a clone, would you like me to do it?" Nowadays, Helix's sentences keep getting longer and longer. Even he himself finds it weird when it's only the two of them talking.

The thoughts inside his head keep pouring out of his mouth as words without any filter. It is a bit difficult, what if he says something he shouldn't in front of this overly sensitive and perceptive guy?

Kai shook his head in absolute refusal and said, "No way, no way. Clones of me are absolutely forbidden, please. And, I want to go. I need to. I'm not going to be left behind in this place." To see something with the same appearance as himself, and to see it do normal things and do whatever he should be doing makes Kai feel odd. A clone or doppelganger, he never wants to see another him before himself or anyone else.

Helix stared at him in silence before looking away, "Then stop complaining and let's go." Helix didn't leave Kai any second to spare when he suddenly grabbed his arm and a circle of light shone brightly underneath them. It was the same array Kai saw last time he and Helix teleported to the forest to… forcibly learn magic.

When the overwhelming light that covered their whole body slowly faded, Kai found himself inside a room. Helix had already let go of his arm and walked towards the door of the small and simple, but fancy room. But before he twisted the knob, he looked over at Kai and said, "Your things, all in the bed. I'm in the other room." He merely spoke little words before he opened the door and left. The footsteps gradually fainted and Kai realized that this place was probably an inn or a hotel.

Whatever it is called in this world.

He looked around and found the things he packed earlier, they were really all on the bed. Surprisingly, they were all properly placed. Kai expected Helix to just throw everything without care. Outside the window, the sky is still bright and the roads are bustling.

With the celebration coming, it was guaranteed that there will be a lot of guests from all over the continent from different kingdoms and Empires. Kai looked outside the window and felt weird. 'What a crowd…' Wasn't it his first time seeing so many people in more than four months? He lived in such an isolated place for so long that seeing other people actually made him feel very weird.

Four months and the only other person he had interacted with is Helix.

Truly, how did he manage to keep his sanity intact all this time?

His green eyes lit up slightly and his lips curled upwards. "I wonder what kind of foreign things I will see here? Are there books that aren't part of the castle's library collection?" The more he thought about the things he still didn't know, the more curious Kai became. From the local delicacies, the unpopular yet good books still hidden from the limelight, the unfamiliar culture and beliefs of other kingdoms, really, very interesting.

And then, a thought flashed in his mind and he froze for a moment. "The capital… where the main character…" Right. This is the place where the plot Kai knows starts.

A strange excitement warmed his chest as his smile widened while his eyes sparkled.

"What a lucky reader I am." To be at the same place where the not-so-accurate and unreliable story takes place personally.

He no longer believes in the information he has remembered from the plot but the thought of being in the same place as the characters of the novel he very much liked, Kai was very happy.

Of course, all those times he spent together with Helix was very much extraordinary and brought him joy whenever he thought about it. But because of the other's stern personality, Kai was always tense that he would forget how to enjoy his time with Helix. Thinking about it, Kai couldn't help but laugh. "Why would the author label that person as a villain…? He's far from that."

Helix was more of a tsundere love interest that expressed his feelings by making it hard for the other person.

His lips twitched.

'Something is off… ?'

-

The main street was a bustling and busy place. There were stalls by the road, people leaving and entering through the single main road, and of course, all the noises from all of the people were loud and incoherent.

But after all, to prevent trouble and crimes that will possibly and most likely happen during a loud celebration, the palace has issued dozens of palace soldiers to roam around the capital.

Walking along with the bustling crowd though, was two people, walking side by side in silence.

The other was looking around the stalls with curiosity while the other was patiently letting the other go on and on beside him.

Kai found that most of the stalls only sold food. According to the books he had read, some of the dishes they were selling came from outside the kingdom and some dishes were local delicacies. There were a variety of foods and Kai tried them all out happily.

He was more of a book connoisseur but foods are also good.

With more food in his hands, Kai munched on the skewers while glancing at Helix, who had his usual indifferent demeanor. After blinking several times, Kai handed the skewer of meat to Helix. With a mouth full of food he inaudibly said, "Uyu wanu itu?"

Having the skewed food shoved in his line of sight and the man next to him speaking with his mouth full, Helix looked at Kai coldly. "If you want to choke on your food, then continue speaking and die." He turned his head away from the food and walked ahead while ignoring Kai. But Kai, who felt dejected at first, swallowed the food in his mouth first before following right behind Helix.

"I won't choke, don't worry. Anyway, do you not want to try this? It's very good." Needs a little bit more spice and flavor but nevertheless still good in Kai's opinion.

While he was busy critiquing the street foods in his mind, Helix suddenly stopped walking and closed his eyes. He breathed calmly before opening the pair of purple eyes and staring at the large castle. It's still far.

Then he said, "This place is too loud and you're being annoying. Go by yourself, I'm leaving."

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Because everyone else was busy with their own things, nobody noticed that the person beside Kai had disappeared in thin air, except for Kai himself.

He munched on the skewer before setting the stick on fire and turning it into ashes. "I'm all alone now, hah…" Kai looked at the castle with a sigh. Dismay was evident on his face while he missed the warmth beside him earlier. 'But… Since we're in the capital, I think there would be a lot of people that could recognize Helix.'

The castle at the center of the capital was large and a symbol of the kingdom's prosperity. If Helix still had his position in the kingdom, he would own that castle, as well as the whole kingdom.

'He was the crown prince after all…'

After taking one last look at the large structure, Kai ignored it and continued his journey in the street full of wonders for a foreigner from another world like him.

For tourists, some stalls are selling souvenirs. From accessories to room decorations and things made locally.

Full of curiosity, Kai picked up a bracelet and observed it for a while. The purple glass added to the string bracelet slightly reminded him of that person. But the color is not as beautiful as his.

Just when Kai was about to set the bracelet down to look at another shop, a soft voice reached his ear.

"Are you not going to take it?"

Somehow, the voice sounded very familiar. So Kai turned his head at the person beside him. With bright, golden hair that is very much eye-catching, the young woman beside Kai had her head down. She was also looking at the displayed accessories so he was not able to see her face clearly.

Kai was about to ask but she started the conversation first.

"I think that one would be a very nice gift." She picked up a bracelet as well and inspected it for a while before adding on, "If it's for your lover, it would be good to have a pair of it too."

Her voice is smooth and soothing. Very calm and so pleasant to hear. Even the nearby customers couldn't help but look at her in surprise. Where did such a person come from?

Kai looked at her golden hair before saying, "... I was simply reminded by a… friend. I merely wanted to casually look at it."

The young woman's hands that fidgeted with the bracelet paused. And then she chuckled. "I see. A friend… then why not treat it as a matching bracelet between close friends?" She closed her hand, with the bracelet in her palms before she continued. "If looking at something is all it takes to remind you of them, then you must be pretty close with your friend?"

Who knows where it came from but a gold coin suddenly appeared in her other hand. She handed it to the stall owner and said, "I would like to buy this and what this person is holding." She smiled and added, "You may keep the change."

'... Rich.' was what everyone around her thought inside their mind as they watched the stall owner's eyes shining with delight.

Of course, even Kai knows the worth of a single gold coin. It was enough to feed a family for half a year after all. He swallowed most of the words he wanted to say and instead calmly said, "Young lady, I was not planning on buying that. You didn't have to pay for it either…"

When she heard of his words, she chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Why not? I've bought it already. Take it and give it to someone. Or do you want to disappoint this dear owner?" Kai raised his head and saw the stall owner looking at him with pleading eyes all while holding the gold coin.

'...'

Kai didn't know that he would feel this helpless while facing a young woman like her. So he sighed while saying softly, "Alright… I am thankful for your gift, stranger. I will take care of it." The young woman laughed and said, "Be sure to give it. Take care of it." She gave him the green bracelet that matched the one he is holding on.

All of a sudden, she lifted her head slightly. A green-jade eye peered at him and Kai was slightly taken aback.

One look is all it took for Kai to notice the various emotions lingering in the young woman's eye. And for some reason, he felt the same emotions she had even though he didn't know why.

Sadness, longing, and missing.

He opened his mouth wanting to ask but he was interrupted by the young woman. She lowered her head again and turned around. "It's time for me to go." as if what Kai saw was all fake, the young woman's voice was bright, though there was a tone of dismay. Kai hurriedly asked before she could take a step away from him.

"Excuse me, may I know your name?"

"No, you may not."

"..." The answer took Kai aback and he felt speechless, looking at the young woman with his mouth agape. Despite not seeing his reaction, the young woman laughed with delight. "We'll probably meet again, somewhere. Until that time, only I could know both of our names, Lord Zein." She stepped forward and joined the crowd after, slipping through Kai's vision.

When Kai could no longer see where she was, Kai was now more surprised than speechless. 'Lord Zein…?' She was someone who knew his name and position. That's… weird.

He has been walking around so openly since earlier but nobody noticed him. That's understandable since Kai Zein, despite being a duke, was only known by the public by his name. He looked around a bit and sighed, nobody noticed his name being said, thankfully. That just shows how much Kai Zein is being forgotten by the entire kingdom.

He was a person with a calm but bright demeanor in the novel. He didn't do anything to stand out as well until he was involved with the plot.

But he looked at where the young woman disappeared to and curiously thought, 'Who was she?'