Chapter Twelve : A Faithful Subordinate
Jaelin went back that evening to her room, taking the poem book and other ones to study more and practice before Sinian would comeback, knowing he would take days to do that. She had not met the masters ever since the day she was punished. Master Jin was starting to become worried. As he was visiting her room during the day, she was still not there to have her meals or to be around or even to talk to him. Disappearing every morning with a demon, not knowing where they were going. She spent few days reading and practicing on her kung fu, remained unseen and made sure not to let anyone see the books she had been given.
One day, she had not gone back early to the main palace and not having any meal. She took a bath thinking of the times she had spent with Sinian, asking herself if he was doing alright. He was a mystery for her to discover, either about him or with him. It was dinner time as she felt hungry. She got changed to sneak out to get something to eat because she knew she had to confront the masters and explain to them why she wasn't all the day in the main area of the palace. Meanwhile, Jin was about to enter her room as she was about to leave it.
"Master Jin!" In a surprise, Jaelin spelled as he stared at her few times. "What are you doing here, at this time?" Faked a smile feeling as if she was caught red-handed.
"I came to check up on you. You haven't been around recently and the masters were questioning. How you, as the most respecting guardian, didn't apologize to them or even give them an explanation for what had happened that day," He claimed with a gloomy face, entering the room and sat down on one of the sofas.
"I apologize to you first, because you've been taking care of me and didn't blame me even when I acted impulsively." She sat down facing him as she poured a glass of glittery water.
"Jaelin, I don't blame you because I treat you like my own daughter. You are pleaded guilty by the most terrifying demon on this land, yet, you're spending your punishment period with his brother. Are you aware of that? What are you doing with him? Why are you disappearing everyday?" Anxiously inquired waiting for her explanation.
"How did you know I'm spending my time with him!" With shocked expression, she wondered as he gave her the 'I'm not stupid' face expression. "Master, I'm sorry to tell you this, but, he's so different from his brother. He's so gentle and so knowledgeable. He taught me lot of things even though we've met few days ago. He is even considerate and made me reflect on myself of why I acted impulsively. He saved me too!" With an ambitious voice, she expressed defending him as the man became more worried.
"Jaelin, he's a demon, you're a knight. You're different than him. Even though he's a gentleman, he's also the one to-be-king to rule the night land. Moreover, the light leader came to see you four days ago. I had to lie to forbid him from seeing your empty room," He took a sip of that water to calm down. He felt so responsible on her, especially that he was the closest master to her.
"What did he want to see me for? I thought nobody's allowed to meet me," Jaelin spelled then stood up when she noticed that the book of 'Breathings of Ziran' was a little bit exposed under the sofa he was sitting on.
"I don't know. He asked about your family background because he inquired about it in the light capitol. You gotta be careful, darling," He gently expressed as she started to act strange by seeing the book right beside his foot. "Are you alright? What's wrong with you?" He looked around as she pulled him in to get him up.
"Nothing! I just feel hungry. I didn't eat the whole day. Could you, please, make some food for me?" She dragged him to the door, requesting with a baby voice as he smiled nodding.
Jaelin sighed deeply after closing the door. Hurried to hide the book and went to change into her night robes, thinking of what her master had told her. It was weird that the light king was inquiring about her background and she wanted to know more about what he had exactly wanted by doing that. On the other hand, she was curious about master Jin and how he knew about Sinian being with her. All that overthinking made her lying down holding her heart. She went far with the thought of him being the next night king who was going to marry a demoness and not even her. In a while, Master Jin entered, bringing her few plates and preparing the dinner table to eat.
"You weren't gloomy few moments ago. What are you thinking about?" He questioned inviting her to eat.
"Nothing much. Just questioning myself, why had the night leader to punish me that way. I miss having superpowers. I feel crippled and unable to even develop myself in the xiaofang. Others are already in the capitol with their families and on missions as real knights. But me, I'm still here with no heixin or even a family to go to after graduation. I feel like I am nothing. However, because of Sinian, I am much more hopeful and have found enough activities to do to make progress in things I haven't tried before. He is by my side teaching me a lot about Ziran. So, please master, don't misunderstand him being with me as taking advantage or as him endangering me," She expressed quietly with all her sincerity that made him smile, looking proudly at her.
"I don't want you to get hurt by developing some feelings for him and mistake his kindness for love. You're in the right age to let yourself fall in love, but pick the right one so you'd not get hurt. It's all I'm afraid of," Jin replied, explaining his worrisome. But it wasn't what he had wanted to say. After all, he knew she would be more than endangered by being with Sinian day after day.
Sinian was taking care of the kingdom responsibilities, following his father's orders by being around to watch over the land and try to win over people and high class nobilities to be by his side. He was busy moving from an area to another, yet, thinking about Jaelin whom he left alone with no company. Jasper was watching over her when she was all alone in those days without Sinian. He went back to his leader to report, finding him isolating himself in the secret garden since Jaelin wasn't going there by herself.
"Your highness, I thought you're in the palace," Jasper started bowing while the night leader opened his eyes, getting up from that bed.
"Don't be too formal when we're alone. You've just graduated and you're the best so far to trust you with these matters. Is there anything to report?" They both sat down in that table while the air demon was looking around the place, surprised.
"The young lady is being alone all the time. She leaves every morning to practice on different things, even without her superpowers. Then, she reads some books that don't belong to the Lunar Eris library. She hides them so well and talks to nobody. I wonder why is she doing that. I've never seen knight Jaelin so committed and alone, doing such things by herself," He reported in a wonder while the other one smirked.
"Sinian is showing her lot of things. Alright then, keep watching over her. If anything happens, you'll find me here these days," Ixin stood up turning around to give Jasper his back. "And tell nobody about this place or you know what'll happen," He threatened heading again to the bed as the demon left after nodding and bowing.
He was relaxed about everything that was going on. He knew how to bring her to that secret cabinet to meet her. Ixin was lying down getting out Jaelin's heixin and looking at it with a serious look, drowning deep down in his sea of wonders. He got up going upstairs to look for an old book. He saw that old locked box and widened his eyes confirming what he had been told about the fire girl. He checked every side of it carefully, until he found the old drawing of that fiery wildflower engraved in that box. The night leader didn't hesitate but hid it in a secret lock inside the room's wall, so nobody else would find it. He looked for that old book everywhere and couldn't find it. Clenched his fist and got the fire heixin back inside him then went downstairs to lie down again. Was not intending to ask his brother using his telepathy or he'd suspect his intentions because it was a forbidden book to look into, in the first place.
"I want you to leave a message for me, so that knight Jaelin comes over. Take the book of the forbidden spells and make sure she'll be the only one seeing it," Ixin ordered Jasper telepathically when the air demon had just arrived at Jaelin's room.
Julian had arrived to the capitol palace with his subordinates. They were homesick for long until they arrived to see how it evolved to be a peaceful beautiful city with its people doing their daily activities, kids playing and having fun, then passed by the market for a check-up.
"When do you plan to visit the Han mansion?" Ethan questioned, noticing his leader being absent-minded.
"Tomorrow. She has to cooperate with me," Julian replied coldly not wanting to imagine himself married that sooner.
"Cooperate with you means gaining time to replace her with knight Jaelin?" Ethan faced him with that fact, feeling sorry for knight Juli.
"Your way of saying it makes me seem cruel," Turned the light leader to look at him chuckling.
"I wish you don't do that, your highness. Knight Juli is kind and is of high status, unlike knight Jaelin who's totally unknown," The fellow expressed confidently, making his leader sighing.
"Are you, by chance, interested in princess Han Juli?" Joked the light king laughing lightly.
"I don't dare to. I just think that she deserves you more and seem to be into you from the first day she's spent with you," As he explained, the guardians at the main gate announced their arrival. The carriage had stopped as they headed to the biggest hall of the palace to meet the mother queen, Anna.