24 Hearts

[This is the work of the new translator working on this series.]

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The twenty-fourth fragment, Carpe Diem

Judah, who was riddled with thoughts all night long, finally managed to fall asleep deep into the night. As the day dawned, Judah woke up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, what had occurred the night before flooded into his mind. Tia had kissed him, and the very thought of it formed a smile into his lips that stretched from ear to ear.

Judah coughed in an attempt to suppress the laughter working its way out of his chest. Now was not the time to laugh like this.

“In a little while, she’ll get up too. I should boil some Haejangguk while I have the time.”

Judah headed to the kitchen, recalling a recipe for a simple hammock soup. He put on an apron, took out the ingredients, and started cooking. As he focused on his task, the sound of a door opening and closing reached his ears, followed by the sound of footfalls approaching. Judah turned his head attentively, and there stood Tia, her hand brushing through her messy hair as she rubbed away the drowsiness in her eyes with the back of her other hand. Hungover from last night’s drinking, she staggered and walked into the kitchen like a zombie.

“Just woke up?”

“Yes… Did you sleep well?”

Judah didn’t sleep well, but it affected him naught. He felt elated. However, Tia greeted Judah casually, which led him to believe that the Suin had no recollection of last night. Choosing to keep it a secret, he answered her with a tinge of regret.

“Yes, of course.”

Tia grabbed a cup to pour herself a glass of cold water. With each gulp, her hangover slowly eased into sobriety. Upon emptying its contents, she looked back at Judah as she filled the silence between them.

“By the way, on our way home…? Uh…”

“Yeah?”

Judah paused, turning to face the lady who had fallen silent. The moment their eyes met, Tia’s gaze fell onto everything but Judah. Her face twisted in confusion as her cheeks flushed with a furious red hue. Her mouth sat open, but no words came from them.

“Tia?”

“Ju—Judah… Uh, yesterday I… Did I… Did I kiss you? That was a dream, right?”

Judah, who had been silent for a moment, broke into outrageous laughter.

“Did you think it was a dream? Unfortunately not.”

Judah scooped the boiling soup with a ladle, looked at its simmering contents, all while answering without hesitation. If she remembered everything anyway, he figured it was best to give her total honesty. Tia’s expression as she stared down at Judah while having a taste of the soup, was on the verge of bursting.

“I’m sorry. I was drunk. I… I guess my reason can’t justify that. So for what I did, I’m sorry. Really. Oh, I’m not that kind of person…”

“It’s okay. I thought it was cute. And I liked it because it was you. Because I like you, Tia.”

“…”

No answer came. The silence between them stretched on. Judah, who had been whisking the soup back and forth, turned to look up at her. The gap in their height was small, and he was sure that he could catch up with her in two years or so. And undoubtedly, after five years, he would grow way taller than her. However, right now, Tia could only look down at Judah, dazed and confused with herself and everything that had happened.

‘What is this guy talking about?’

It was absolute madness to kiss the young boy, but her face couldn’t stop its raging blush when Judah proclaimed how much he had liked it. She knew it was wrong, and it shouldn’t be that way. They shared a relationship akin to that of a teacher and a student, and because of that, he was considered family. However, in recent years, she couldn’t help but care about Judah.

‘Am I in heat?’

No, it was still too early. Amidst the smorgasbord of chaos inside Tia’s head, it was the only thing her dazzled mind could come up with. She still had a long way to go before the period of heat came. However, Tia had long since withdrawn from her nature and endured it for several years, which could be why her body now craved after Judah. Certainly, he was young, but he was of age to be able to conceive with women. Judah had grown admirably as the days have gone by, and soon, the boy would be one dashing adult. Tia remembered seeing his erection during that one accident in the bathroom, and there was no denying that he was beyond the average for his age. She buried her musing as fast as she thought of it, pulling herself back to the issue before her.

“Wait a minute. What did you say to me a while ago?”

“I said I like you.”

“…!”

At that moment, the matured Tia completely lost her composure. If only she had forgotten the drunken mistake from last night, she could be spared from such a meltdown. But to her embarrassment, every detail of it had been carved vividly into her memory. What she did and all the things they said, including Judah and his confession, flashed before her eyes until her mind could take no longer.

Tia felt unable to withstand being there. In a blink, she stormed out of the room faster than light itself.

“Well then…”

Judah blinked at Tia, or at least where she used to be before fleeing, leaving him bowing his head to nothing but the air. He felt shame, but when he said he liked her, it had taken all his courage to say it. Even last night, as they sat in the carriage, he debated whether to say it or not, but her reaction was not bad as he thought it would be.

In an even bigger sigh of relief, she did not seem to hate it. Curiosity urged Judah to peak at her information window. Her likeability and favorability hung at 70 and 69, respectively, with just a single point away from entering the lover stage. Should it reach 70, they could become lovers, but given their circumstances, could they truly share the intimacy needed between real lovers?

The question lingered in him before the sound of boiling snapped him out of his musing. Turning off Tia’s information window, Judah tended to their Haejangguk. Its bubbling sound warned him that it would soon overflow, so he lowered the heat and removed the bubbles that had erupted from it.

Today, instead of bread and soup, their meal consisted of rice and herbs alongside the Haejangguk. Tia was carnivorous, and wishing not to isolate her, Judah hurriedly took out sausages and cut them into the shapes of an octopus. He tossed them to the frying pan, cooking it gleefully as it roasted golden until the sound of cluttering cut through his moment of solitude.

“Huh?”

-Excuse me? Is anybody there?

Judah heard a voice. Someone had come to their house. The sound of knocking echoed through their quiet home, and Judah, stepping out of the kitchen, attempted to ask Tia to check the door for him. However, Tia remained hidden in embarrassment, something Judah couldn’t understand. If she felt guilty, there was no need for it.

Knock knock knock!

Judah was happy to have her first kiss, and when he said he liked it, he meant it sincerely. The thought of his age being why Tia reacted like so sent a wave of disappointment over him.

Knock knock knock!

‘They’re still knocking.’

Judah headed back to the kitchen, transferring the octopus sausage from the frying pan into a bowl.

-Is anybody home?

Along with the knocking, a soft voice constantly called out for an audience. Judah tried thinking of whoever could visit him in the morning, to no avail. He headed for the door, still wearing his apron, ready to yell at whoever was beyond it.

“Who are you…?”

He couldn’t even yell, for as he opened the door, his voice died at the sight of the person standing in front of him.

-Blue Spear Knight, Jeanne Art Loire.-

There she stood in casual clothing, greeting him with a polite bow of her head. Judah knew that he was a child. So when passing people met him, such gestures were cast aside. However, the blue spear knight in front of him was a little different. Even when she saw him as a child, she regarded him with respect.

“Good day. My name is Jeanne Art Loire. Can we speak?”

“Ah, yes, hello. But what is it about? No, wait, before that, how did you get here?”

Jeanne was of no familiarity for her to know his house. Also, their location was not something that strangers stumble upon so easily. Perhaps Jeanne understood his suspicion, for she smiled at him before easing his question.

“The inhabitants of Serenia are more kind than I thought. I merely told them that I was looking for you, and they told me how to find you, which isn’t difficult.”

She said, nodding behind her. From a distance, an elderly man waved his hand at Judah before going on his way.

“… I see. Then, what brings you here?”

“I know I said I came to speak, but it is more than that. Allow me to correct myself… I would like to propose a request.”

“Really? A request?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Puzzled, Judah looked at the blue spear knight incredulously. This request is sure to be of great help in recruiting her as a companion, and surely, her reliability and favorability will increase. But how dire was this request that she needed to show up in his very home? The suspicion within Judah was set intrigued.

“I will pay for it. And it’s not difficult.”

Jeanne hurriedly mentioned the reward, wishing to ease the distress she read in his expression. However, Judah remained suspicious of her.

“Your compensation is not the problem, but the request itself. I am no mercenary or an adventurer and… Can we continue this inside? Did you have breakfast?”

“…You mean what I’m doing right now?”

Jeanne’s eyes widened in surprise as she paid him better attention. He had been standing there with an apron all this time, and not a second did she notice it. It was only then that she smelled the scent of newly cooked breakfast, and it was enough to answer her question. She believed her timing was right, but she was earlier than expected. With respect, Jeanne bowed in apology.

“I’m sorry. I guess I came by too early. I’ll return a little later. When can I come?”

“No. I’m asking if you’ve eaten. I’m not telling you to come back later.”

She felt like she had been intruding. Still, Jeanne shook her head in response, trying to cast away her guilt.

“I haven’t eaten yet. Why do you ask?”

“Then let’s eat it together. Come in. After that, we can talk over tea.”

With that, Judah retreated inside, leaving her in front of the wide-open porch. Jeanne could only blink around the space with her embarrassment growing by the second, at a loss of what to do. This was a first for her. It was very unfamiliar to her to be served meals without being invited or scheduled. The thought of excusing herself was hard to resist, but it would also be rude to insist on it. Coming to a reluctant resolve, Jeanne stepped into the house with no other choice.

“Excuse me.”