Bab 33: The tile of trust part 2
This was a huge moment of trust, for Keito to be able to touch that mask.
Actually, be able to touch that mask.
If Keito would be asked, he would not be able to tell you what took over him at that moment. It was something soul-crushing, absolutely consuming and it compelled him to move forward with that action despite the warning he had received.
Since there was no rebuttal from the other, Keito felt as if he had been handed a power he should be thankful for. And he knew what that power was in this context - trust.
He was being trusted to know his limits. That felt like it was a big step for him in such a relationship. Such a show of trust was not something he was used to willingly and Keito felt himself freeze. He should not have but yet his fingers refused to move any further.
Honestly, it felt as if he was under a spell right now where a simple decision would change everything. The mask hid everything but the other's features but Keito could not help but feel an icy blue-green gaze fall onto his person.
Everything about this situation seemed familiar and his fingers finally twitched.
"We should not do that without permission'' the voice came suddenly, its effect startling enough to the young king and he watched the body in front of him go stiff.
And then that moment passed without any of them taking any action. Keito could only look at his outstretched hand which no longer touched that mask and he knew that his moment had already passed.
'You really know how to ruin a moment" Keito complained as he looked at that mask longingly but then gave up with a small sigh.
He was not the only one overtaken by surprise though. The child himself felt his wits coming back to him after a few seconds.
His body had stiffened and he had no idea how close to the danger he had come to be but once he could think again, he just understood.
And Noah also knew that it must have been the voice of Ryu that distracted Keito enough to allow him to escape.
And now that the danger had passed he vowed not to make such a foolish mistake happen again. The mission counted on him to keep his head on a good shoulder.
"Time is of the essence, your highness. It would be best if we hurry back to the castle" the expression on the king's face could only be regret but Noha could not tell you why he thought so.
Had his words struck a nerve inside the other? They must-have for the other to make such a sorrowful expression.
But the truth was something entirely different which the child could not even begin to think about.
"Let's go then. My council would be livid if they knew I was wasting time on stupid things" the young kind was obviously letting out his steam with his words but no one could tell who the victim was.
The child chose not to say anything, his eyes falling on the king which just made the pressure rise. The walk felt considerably short, just like the last time and none of the details of the surroundings stuck.
It was like his mind refused to retain the information it was being fed with but that was not so bad. It helped Keiot not think about useless things.
His eyes observed the child behind him but one look back at him forced him to look forward again and ignore the child once again.
The city was in an uproar, there was no other way to explain it. Whispers of protest against the war were making their way toward his ears and he was aware that the other could hear them too.
But this was a choice he had made to protect everyone and it was alright that not everyone understood that. Their lives would be spent in oppression if they did not fight back but these people could not understand that.
They had never felt the cold embrace of defeat after all.
"People are not happy with your decision. Have you explained things to them?" The child asked, his curious eyes looking at the faceless people. The castle was in sight now, the soldiers trying to repel the wave of common folks willing to seek a meeting with the court.
It was a familiar sight to his eyes, his past life bearing witness to such deeds all the time.
"That responsibility lies on their onlooker for the area. Im sure they are doing their best to handle the situation" Keito was beginning to realise some things now and the more he saw the more stupid he felt.
His past life was so sheltered that not only had he missed all these signs but also handed way too much power over to unknown pirates. He had not stuck around to see the results of his labour and everytime Noah tried to make him see, he had forced himself away.
He had been a fool but he was beginning to see things now.
"Perhaps it would be best I leave that responsibility to the common soldiers rather than the nobles this time" the whisper just passed his mouth before he realised what he was saying and stopped himself.
He might be the king but if a noble had heard him the more problems would arise.
He was beginning to see the bigger picture - the main force governing this kingdom was not the king but the nobility which should not happen. Had things come to this? How long has this been going on?
All he could remember since his childhood was the ministers making rules and decrees as well as advisers making decisions. The king or queen hardly needed to interfere to run the kingdom.
And hadn't he followed a similar pattern? Jess had been involved in politics but he had been kept as far away as possible without making it obvious.
No wonder he never faced many problems in those scenarios. Because he had never been a real power behind the scenes.
It was foolish to realise this now and the anger now burned.
'I told you they were not good people and politics was not for you. Our omega was the only one willing to keep you in the know but you never listened' unwillingly, a tear made its way past his eyes as the emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
"Should Ideal with them all? I'm sure I can compel them with my magic to follow orders" the child asked, breaking him out once again and his wolf roared in laughter.
"No magic" slipped out of him without his knowledge and he felt the child at his side stiff.
"Alright, No magic. I can still kill them though" the child offered instead and Keito felt his heart swell with a certain warmth. The offer was morbid but genuine and it felt so good to be thought of as first.
The smile on his face was almost bittersweet which he did not mind in the least. This type of Noah seemed different from the past and even the future one. This one was more childish and free in his manner of speaking.
It was as if the mask allowed him a freedom he had never possessed and it allowed him to become freer with Keito as a result. He did not mind that in the least.
In fact, he might be coming to prefer it over every other interaction type of had ever had with the other in their such long time of knowing each other.
"We can't kill our tools or the workload would increase. Maybe you should act as my assistant and put them in their place during the meeting time?" Keito offered with a small laugh that made its way past his lips.
From the body language, it felt as if the child was thinking about his offer hard and then offered a small nod of acknowledgement which made Keito grin just a bit harder.
Now that he had his best helper on his side and his wolf agreeing with him, he felt much more comfortable.
But there was still a degree of danger and unknown. It was also weird that his wolf did not comment on Noah's appearance if he had picked it up from his thoughts but those things did not make it too far into his thoughts.
It was too occupied with the newfound feeling of happiness and content the young king seemed to be feeling at that moment.
The time was not to waste and soon a servant called them back toward the war room. Keito led the charge with the child following his lead in his steady steps.
The door felt so much smaller with Noah at his back and he felt his confidence come back. Everything would be alright now and the war would not be too heavy with the others around.
Plus, now he had a good enough plan to solve half their problems even before setting foot on the battlefield.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
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