24 Hearts

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The twenty-fourth fragment, Carpe Diem

Upon entering, the first thing Jeanne noticed were the shoes neatly laid on the floor. She hesitated, unsure, debating for her next move. Was she to remove her footwear before stepping in further? It seemed so. Her bewilderment grew at no sight of any slippers to wear indoors.

‘Do you have any slippers?’

The floor looked shiny and clean, but she couldn’t help but feel estranged from the thought of walking without any footwear.

“Oh, take off your shoes and come in barefoot. It’s clean, so don’t worry.”

Judah said this matter-of-factly, sticking his head out from the presumed kitchen. His exact reply was the one she hoped not to receive.

“…”

The culture of taking off your shoes within one’s abode existed in only two countries. The rest wore their shoes. If not, at least they had slippers to wear around. Despite being such a rare practice, this etiquette was known well, for the countries that carried it were great empires. The first empire was Gauri in the second continent, which was an empire unified by three countries. And at last, there was the other empire.

Baekje of the first continent. Following the country’s culture in hostile terms with the Byron Empire, to which she belonged, was, to say the least, uncomfortable. But any human with any sense of respect knew, ‘If you visit another country, you must follow the culture and laws of that country.’ And to follow the way of this house was the noble thing to do.

Jeanne did what she was told, leaving her footwear and taking her next steps with her bare feet. The consciousness brought by her naked soles sent her to scramble and sniff for any unpleasant musk, only for her senses to flood with such appetizing smell pouring from the kitchen.

Slowly, Jeanne made her way to the dining room, eyeing the surrounding with a careful gaze. On the table for four, Judah served one or more dishes, all warm and welcoming as its steam sprang up in the air.

“Did you cook this yourself?”

“Yes, I know how to cook basic meals except for really difficult ones.”

“You’re awesome. At a young age, you’re courageous, skillful, and good at cooking.”

Jeanne said, admiring the dishes before her. Judah told her to take her seat, but as if something dawned on him, Judah pulled out the chair for her and urged her to sit.

“Oh, wait. You haven’t washed your hands. The bathroom is over there. Wash them before taking a seat.”

After blinking down at her hands, she promptly headed for the bathroom. Judah, on the other hand, went for Tia’s room and knocked on her door.

“Tia, are you sleeping?”

His question was met with silence.

Judah leaned forward, listening to the empty static, and in the silence, he managed to pick up such a tiny response he could barely hear it. Turning the doorknob and finding it unlocked, Judah spoke up. “I’m going to open your door,” and he did even without receiving a response. And there was Tia, sitting with an unkempt appearance so unlike her that Judah couldn’t help but chuckle as he approached. Looking at her tame ears and tail, he could see how truly bad she had been feeling. He lowered his head and tried to meet her gaze, but Tia refused to look at him.

“What is it, Tia?”

“…Just, I’m sorry.”

“Hah!” Judah found himself laughing aloud again. He had hoped Tia wouldn’t be so hard on herself, but as Judah expected, she was still wallowing in and blaming herself.

Judah sat beside the Suin. “I’ve said this quite a few times already, but there’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“But, I think I did something terrible. I’m so sorry,” Gentia replied as she watched Judah cautiously.

“Are you bad? No. I can’t understand at all what you’re apologizing for, but one thing is for sure. I know this behavior isn’t the behavior of the Tia I know.”

As he uttered those words, Tia’s eyes seemed to gleam.

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it? This isn’t like me?”

“It’s not like Tia. Why is Tia, who is confident, can talk as if she can do anything and can indeed do anything; acting so timid? Would you prefer it if I forget about yesterday? If you want to, I will.”

The gleam in Tia’s eyes shone into her all familiar confidence. With that, she shook her head.

“No, don’t forget. You don’t need to forget it. Rather, I want my student to remember it. For now, it’s time for breakfast! Can we eat yet?”

Tia swept Judah from the bed, the tip of his toe hanging far from the ground. Their faces met, just inches away from each other’s lips. Embarrassed by the feeling of being held in the air, he leaned in to kiss her first. Their lips brushed softly, and as their kiss ended, a blush ran across Tia’s face.

“Huh, okay. You can certainly eat me. Wait, what am I thinking about?”

She rambled mindlessly to herself, but Judah heard every word of it and knew exactly what it meant. He had to admit, the boost of ego made him feel powerful and manly. Unbeknownst to him, something had already changed in her info window. The favorability that sat at 69 had risen to a 70. At this moment, they had reached the lover stage.

“Tia, can you put me down?”

“Why?”

Judah sighed, doing his best to put on a happy face.

“Because a guest is here. In the kitchen.”

His warning came a little too late. Tia had already carried him into the kitchen where Jeanne had been sitting alone in the silence. After a moment of exchanging awkward stares, Tia walked over to the dining table nonchalantly.

“What does it matter? It’s okay.”

All Judah wanted at that moment was to hide in shame at her confident display of childish behavior. With one hand, Tia drew a chair, propped Judah on it, then sat down on the seat next to him. As they settled, Jeanne dragged the rice and utensils over to his side.

“…You looked like you couldn’t reach it. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

His gratitude made Jeanne smile briefly.

“Anyway, who is she? Is she staying here?” Tia cut in, asking Judah directly while fiddling with her spoon. Before Judah could reply, Jeanne pushed her chair back then stood, her hand outstretched to Tia. Although reluctant to return the niceties, the other stood up as well to shake her hand firmly.

“I apologize for introducing myself late; that was quite embarrassing of me… Nice to meet you anyway. I’m Jeanne Art Loire, an apprentice blue spear knight of the Byron Empire.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Gentia.”

Jeanne sat down and then proceeded to speak. “I came here because I had a request, but instead, I got an invitation to eat. I hope you can excuse me for a moment.”

When Tia turned to look at Judah, his only reply was a shrug. His offer might’ve felt like it came out of nowhere, and it did, as inviting her in came naturally to him. After all, Jeanne showed up at the right moment and even offered kindly to return at a better time. A quick look at her told Judah that she hadn’t eaten yet, so he figured it was fine to invite her for breakfast.

Judah nudged Jeanne, snapping her attention away from Tia, “Enjoy your meal.” With his wishes, their breakfast began… But only Judah and Tia enjoyed their meals.

Tia took a spoonful of Haejangguk, drinking it with a big gulp. Jeanne found herself idly fiddling with her chopsticks, watching the others eat their meal so heartily. To her surprise, Judah had been waving his fork to get her attention.

“Please try this, too.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Jeanne had only been eating the served vegetables, but Judah sat down a few octopus sausages on her rice. She bowed her head in gratitude, studying the sausage before trying it together with the rice. She chewed, and her eyes widened as the taste settled on her tongue.

“This is the first time I’ve eaten rice… And with sausage, it’s very delicious. I never had much to afford rice.”

Jeanne’s praise made Judah feel humbled. The glower in his face didn’t go unnoticed in Tia’s keen eyes. She demanded his attention, and Judah complied, successfully appeasing her by personally feeding her mouth. Breakfast ended, and when the meal was over, Judah stood back and relished at its success. Their plates and pots were emptied. All of their dishes were devoured, leaving not a single leftover.

“I’m full.”

“I ate well.”

Judah nodded in appreciation of Jeanne’s statement. “I didn’t know if it suited your taste.”

“Don’t worry. I found it very delicious. You could say it was… Quite a healthy breakfast.”

Her comment was quite humorous, as their breakfast indeed had quite more vegetables than the usual portion. Gathering every cutlery and ware, Jeanne helped set them at the sink while the others cleaned the table. After cleaning up, Judah brought out the apples he had bought the day before, washing them thoroughly before serving them to his company. Tia claimed her piece with a fork, even offering Jeanne to try it.

“By the way, what’s this request you’ve been talking about?”

Jeanne inadvertently swallowed the apple Tia had offered her. She had been taking her time leisurely and was now even munching on dessert. After a second piece, she finally had the moment to explain.

“My request is actually one imposed by someone else…”

“Tell me. I’ll see what I can do.”

“I heard that you are hunting black wolves in the eastern forest. I hope that you will join me in this hunt. However, this is based on an area directed by the client.”

Tia, as she chewed her apple, watched Jeanne through narrowed eyes. “Why?”

“Why..?”

“Why? Do you really need us to hunt black wolves in the eastern forest? Even if it’s probationary, many people would like to join an adventure guild right now. This rather expensive quest is a good opportunity for people in need of money. If you want to serve the castle because its people are afraid of the black wolves, you can always gather people of great skill from the Adventurer’s Guild and act together. Of course, it’s no walk in the park if that’s your goal, unless it isn’t.”

Tia’s thorough and analytical spiel had Jeanne watching her sharply. Faced with such fierce eyes, had Tia seen Jeanne’s possible façade? Was she hitting the right spot? With a smirk, Tia continued.

“For example… A fragment. But isn’t it known that the debris fell in the western forest? What are we to do in the eastern forest, then? Tell us the truth, and once we know your true purpose, only then will we decide we should accept the request or not. So now, the question is this: Will you?”