34 Chapter 34: Trust

When Ethan returned to the mansion, he noticed there was a new place he would miss. The following day, he worked on his accumulated tasks. In the meantime, he learned that Aleria had left the mansion and moved to a cabin near the hills close to the town of Aurendale. When Ethan asked Eleanor about the reason for this, he didn't get a simple answer. Therefore, he decided to visit Aleria. As he set out towards Aleria's new home, he saw Anna and Eleanor in the garden. They were sitting together, having tea and chatting. From a distance, they appeared to be close friends, which pleased Ethan. After all, Eleanor didn't have many friends. The servants in the mansion were too old, so she hadn't been able to form a close friendship with them.

When Ethan approached, they stopped their conversation and looked at him. "I apologize for interrupting your conversation. Could you give me Aleria's address?" he said, looking at Eleanor. Eleanor nodded and asked a servant to bring the map Aleria had left. "This is the map Aleria gave me before she left. As far as I understand, you can't ride there because the cabin is located uphill," she said. Ethan thanked her and took the map. After looking at it for a while, he left the ladies alone and set off on his way.

Ethan began walking along the route indicated on the map. He walked through the greenery and climbed towards the hills. Eventually, he reached Aleria's cabin. When he knocked on the door, Aleria opened it herself and greeted Ethan with surprise. "I wanted to visit you. I came to find out why you left the mansion," Ethan said as he stepped inside. Aleria followed him in and took out a piece of paper. She then sat next to Ethan. After a while of silence, Aleria began to write.

"I don't want to say why, but I hope you'll understand. Thank you for hosting me in your home so far, but from now on, I'll be living here," Aleria wrote in a soft tone. In reality, Aleria's reason for staying here was to empower herself. Phoenix birds gain strength faster when they are deeply involved in meditation and nature. Aleria was quite weak and hated her weakness. But she couldn't tell Ethan the truth. After all, she had already lied about herself once, and now she had to continue that lie. Aleria had developed trust with Ethan during their time together, but she still wasn't ready to talk about her past.

After looking at what Aleria had written for a while, Ethan began to speak. "Remember, my home is always open to you, and don't hesitate to talk to me one-on-one whenever you need to. Whatever you're hiding from me, I won't judge you if you tell me," Ethan said, touching her shoulder and gesturing with his lips. Aleria hesitated for a moment upon hearing these words. After all, she had even lied about being mute, and she couldn't predict Ethan's reaction when she told him the truth. Eventually, she chose to remain silent. When Ethan noticed that she was silent, he stood up. "You know where to find me when you're ready to talk. I'll listen to you no matter what," he said, walking towards the door.

Just as he was about to step outside, he noticed someone holding onto his clothes from behind and turned around. Aleria was holding a piece of paper, showing it to Ethan with her head bowed. The paper read, "There's a magical lake at the top of the mountain, and I'm going to check it out. If you want, you can come too." Aleria still had her eyes downcast, and her hand holding the paper was trembling slightly. Ethan, realizing that Aleria had mustered all her courage to write this, took the paper from her hand. As he took it, he deliberately made sure to touch her hand. When Aleria looked up at Ethan, she saw him smiling at her. Although this smile might have seemed like a normal smile to an outsider, for Aleria, it was a heartwarming smile. After all, Ethan wasn't someone who smiled a lot, and Aleria had always felt the need to make him smile.

"Actually, I was curious about that lake too. Let's go," Ethan said. When Aleria heard this, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and she wrote something, "We need to prepare first. It will take us a few hours to reach the top of the mountain, so I need to pack a bag."

After reading what Aleria had written, Ethan nodded in agreement. "Of course, let's allocate some time for preparations," he said. Then, he moved to help Aleria, and together they gathered the necessary items. They packed food, water, and other supplies into a bag.

After completing their preparations, Ethan and Aleria set off on their journey to the top of the mountain. Along the way, they chatted and grew closer to each other. Aleria told Ethan about the beauties of nature and the legend of the magical lake, while Ethan shared his own experiences and stories.

Finally, when they reached the summit, they were awestruck by the sight before them. Lush greenery surrounded the magical lake, and the sun's rays reflected off the surface of the water. Ethan and Aleria sat by the edge of the lake together, peacefully enjoying their time. Aleria had a smile on her face, while the magnificent beauty of nature amazed Ethan. The fish in the lake shimmered. According to rumors, lakes like this had healing properties against diseases.

After wandering around for a while, Ethan noticed a shimmering stone under a pile of rocks. "This is a crystal with magical powers. It's quite potent," he said, extending the stone to Aleria. Aleria accepted Ethan's offer and carefully examined the crystal. The light of the crystal radiated peace and tranquility around them. Ethan and Aleria felt a bond forming between them as they sat there quietly until sunset.

As the sunset, a look of happiness and serenity appeared on Aleria's face. Ethan felt glad to be by her side and they both gazed at the view of the lake with genuine smiles.

Later, Ethan heard a delicate voice he hadn't heard before. "I'm sorry, Ethan." Ethan looked at Aleria in surprise. Though her accent was a bit off, her voice was soothing. However, Ethan naturally felt taken aback because he didn't know Aleria could speak. "I apologize for lying to you, but please know I had valid reasons," she said (the girl). After digesting this newfound truth for a while, Ethan replied.

"Why? I understand not trusting me when we first met, but will you tell me why you lied to me now? Or do you still not trust me?" he said, with a saddened expression. Aleria quietly looked at the beautiful lake. "I actually didn't know how to speak your language. I lied to avoid seeming like a stranger," she said, still looking at the lake. Ethan asked, "So, was the drowning story you told us not true either?"

"No, I lied about that too... I'm truly sorry," she said (the girl). Ethan sighed and then began to speak, "I won't force you to tell your story, but I felt a connection between us, and if you want to share, I'd love to listen." Aleria continued to gaze at the lake for a while before turning her gaze to Ethan. She never expected such a thing from this man in front of her, but he had always approached her with sincerity.

According to legends, when a Phoenix finds its mate, its instincts take over, and logic disappears. And now, they had proven this truth. Aleria's instincts had taken control as she leaned forward and kissed Ethan's lips. In a moment where he expected his first kiss, Ethan could only look on in astonishment. Aleria's soft lips were like candy to Ethan. Both of them were quite inexperienced, yet they still enjoyed it. After a minute like this, their lips parted. They looked at each other with passionate eyes. "I trust you, Ethan. I want to tell you my entire story, but first let's go back. I hear it can be dangerous here at night," she said as she stood up, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

Ethan managed to stand up while trying to come to terms with what had happened. They both started down the mountain, thinking about their first kiss.