Dance With the Nightingale - Chapter 53

The next day, after a short graduation ceremony, that only involved with her signing her graduation certificate, the duo left the academy.

Quietly, and unsuspectingly.

As if leaving was not a big deal.

And it was actually true, especially true, for Eva.

Even after living in the academy for a whole two years, she felt nothing as she left it.

Her heart was surprisingly empty.

Not a bit of longing or belonging flashed in her heart as she left.

Many things happened in past two years; she had grown.

Her strength, her personality, her vocabulary. She herself turned 14 three months ago, she grew more as a person, but her heart was still.

Calm and serene, with no ripples.

She had grown, so she knew that this was wrong, that she should feel something, she wanted to feel something.

But alas she couldn’t.

Feelings were one of the few things, that couldn’t be forced, couldn’t be felt just cause someone wanted to.

Though she wondered why this was?

‘Maybe, cause, I was never treated like a human?’

-Chop

“Ouch”

“Stop brooding and follow me, Eva.”

“Yes.”

She said, as she stepped after the old man, into the teleportation array.

Disappearing in a flash.

What she didn’t know was-

–The principal disappeared!!

–WHAT!?

–WHEN!? HOW!?

–Hey bastard, are you sure!?

–Have you gone mad!?

–YES!!

–He is gone! He left a note!!

–What damn note!!

-That the old man just left a small note in his office stating,

“I resign and I am leaving.”

And left the whole school in chaos.

For the next week, the rumor that the principal of Flenial Magic Apprentice Academy disappeared into thin air, spread like wild fire.

Though it disappeared as soon as the vice-principal accepted the offered principal seat.

***

While the girl with silver locks and her Master were setting out for North, an interesting seen was taking place in the Imperial Orphanage of Ellesmere.

-Clip

-Clip

In a small room that was transformed into a makeshift alchemic lab, there were two people.

A girl with purple hair and a boy with green hair, both of them young, hardly older than 13-years-old.

One was sitting on a chair with a sullen on his face, while the other wore a mischievous smile. With scissors and a comb in her hands, she took a combed the boy’s hair before slowly cutting. She was cutting them so slowly, that it might seem deliberate.

And, it was exactly what it seemed.

She was doing it deliberately!

She just couldn’t resist doing so!

‘I mean, he is making such a cute face!’

She was screaming inwardly, somehow controlling her expression, making it look serious.

What she didn’t know, was that she was failing miserably at it.

Just as she was going-

‘AH! My angel of cuteness-‘

Her angel spoke.

“Tiara, aren’t you taking too long?”

‘Oh, angel is getting suspicious!’

“Of course not, Valen. Cutting hair is an art, an art that I am well versed with. Since, you don’t want your hair to bother you while practicing, you need to be patient!”

‘This is the second time he asked this, I need to hurry up! But this is my first time cutting anyone’s hair! What should I do?’

She racked her brain for a solution before finding one.

‘Oh! I can use that!’

Placing her scissors in the pocket of her shirt, she extended two of her fingers. In a short second, two small runes formed in her mind and then, her fingertips glowed green as a short one-inch wind blade extended out from her fingers.

Running her fingers along the comb, she was pleased to see the green hair being easily cut by the blade.

Continuing her work, she cut her angel’s hair swiftly, and silently. Hoping to quickly finish her haircut before he gets irritated.

But to her surprise, it was Valen who broke the silence.

“Say Tiara?”

“Yes?”

“I heard that the people of OCTAA (Orphan Children’s Talent Accessing Agency) are coming to our Orphanage this weekend.”

“Wow!! Really!? Whom did you hear this from?”

“Our batch manager. He was talking with the other batch manager when I passed by and accidently heard this.”

“Woah! That means it really is true! Congrats Valen! you are definitely going to be selected.”

“You always said you wanted to, right?”

She said cheerfully.

But she didn’t get the response she expected, rather she got no response at all.

“Valen?”

She asked after a period of silence.

No response.

“Valen?”

So, she asked again.

“What?”

“That’s what I am asking, what happened? Why are you suddenly irritated?”

“You are taking too long to cut my hair! That’s why I am irritated!”

-Haahhhh

-This boy…

She mumbled under her breath as she said.

“We both know you are lying so just spill the truth.”

“Hmph! I am not lying. I was just thinking if anyone else would pass the test.”

He said turning his head to the side.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t turn your head, dummy!”

She shouted, quickly adjusting his head with her hands before continuing to cut his hair.

After a while she was finally done, as she announced

“Your haircut is done, short like you said.”

“As for what you were thinking, I don’t think so-”

She was saying, but was unable to complete her sentence.

“What about you!!”

“Me!?”

He stood up and turned around to face her as he said that.

“Yes, you! If you stop holding back, for whatever reason you are for, then I am sure you will pass!!”

Her expression froze, so did her body, her eyes lost focus as her face turned pale within moments.

“I-I-I can’t, that I can’t, I-I, mother said I can’t attract attention, mother said I can’t-”

She said, continuing her last words like a broken tape.

“Tiara!! Tiara!! TIARA!!!”

Utterly shocked by what just happened, and what was happening, Valen grabbed her by the shoulders shook her as he called out her name trying to snap her out of her seizure, but it didn’t work.

The boy kept trying nonetheless, but after a few moments of futile effort, an idea came into his mind.

Taking out a small bottle of blue from his beaten shelf, the boy quickly added some kind of powder in it, followed by two drops of a green liquid, and shook the bottle after closing the lid, applying his green mana to the bottle.

“Hope this works.”

He mumbled, and moved.

Pushing the girl, whose face was turning blue, on the chair he just used and closed her nose. Tilting her head backwards, he used the moment she breathed in to jam the bottle in her mouth, covering it with his palm to not let the potion escape.

-Psssshhhhhhh

A strange sound was emitted from her mouth, a bluish black gas leaking from his palm and her nostrils along with it.

Whatever Valen did, only he knew, but whatever it was it worked.

The girl broke into a coughing fit, coughing out the bluish black gas as her eyes regained focus.

-Cough, Cough

“Are you okay!?”

-Cough, Cough

“Yes, cough, I am, cough”

For a while the girl just continued coughing, coughing till all the bluish black gas left her lungs.

“I am sorry!!”

Valen apologized as soon as she stopped.

“It’s okay.”

“This only happens when I get too shocked, so it was my fault that this happened.”

“I see. I won’t shock you anymore. But, are you okay now?”

“Um, yes. I think, I am fine.”

“So, tell me what happened.”

-Cough, Cough

The girl instantly coughed again.

Bewildered by the question that was out of the script.

“Didn’t you say you won’t shock me anymore!?”

“You know my story, and I don’t know yours. It is obvious that you tell me, what is shocking there?”

The boy answered in a completely normal tone.

-Haaaahhhhhhhh

Sighing, the girl just leaned back in her chair, covering her eyes with her hand.

She didn’t want to see his angelic face as she thought what to do!!

“So, will you tell me?”

The boy picked up a spare stool and sat on it as he asked.

His ‘I already know the answer’ attitude irritated her, but she said nonetheless.

“I will.”

She was far too smitten with him to refuse.

And the boy knew that.

-Haahhhh

With another sigh, she spoke, telling her story.

…

..

.

“So, you are a descendant of a hidden noble?”

“Yeaahhh.”

The girl slurred.

Hidden nobles, nobles that chose to be fugitives rather than surrender.

A descendant of such nobles is someone who has two choices in life hide at all times or to be hunted.

Getting the gist of the story the boy nodded before adding.

“So, you are hiding?”

“No, I really am an orphan.”

Shaking her head, the girl said.

“My noble line died, hunted by mercenaries and bounty hunters.”

She said flatly, but behind that flat voice was a swirl of complex emotions that couldn’t be hidden.

“How do you know that I won’t tell other people about this?”

“Haha, maybe I don’t want to live anymore or maybe I just trust you?”

She answered seemingly unsure about the last part herself.

“I see.”

Valen said, decided not probe any longer and stood up.

“Thank you for sharing your story. I think your decision to stay hidden is correct.”

He said till that heading towards the door, muttering a single line in between.

“But I would have liked, if you accompanied me.”

-Thump

Before leaving his makeshift lab, something which he never did before.

***

-Ripple

-Ripple

Seeing the whole scenario play through the mirror, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Huhuhu~ the tough nut is finally cracking, umm, or more like softening, I guess?

Took him two months though.

Still, a hidden noble bloodline, huh?

Just another thing to look out for.