章 249: She Almost Confesses
Robin followed the direction of Keith's pointed finger to a nearby table. At first glance, no one was there. But upon closer inspection, Robin discovered a boot peeking out from under the decorative tablecloth.
Robin lifted the tablecloth to find a knocked out Christian. She hesitated, then lowered it back down. She sat down, with the boundary of the tablecloth between them.
"...Hey, Christian...are you awake?" She asked, hesitantly. The sounds of celebration, music, and laughter went on close by. But in this small corner, it was calm. There was no answer.
Hearing no response, Robin gathered her courage.
"You know, I never really had many friends before- well...at least, none that I was ever able to keep. So, I might have been keeping my distance... because I was afraid of being hurt again." She said, reflecting on her actions.
"Even so, I treasure our friendship. Which is why, I really don't want you to get hurt, not even on my account. Maybe I am a bit foolish in this regard..." Robin ruffled her hair, unsure of what to say, or how to say it.
"I've been keeping a secret from you, because I don't want you to worry..." She glanced up at the glowing flower garlands, and chuckled. "Well...even now, I'm not too sure if you can accept it...this secret of mine. If...well...when I come back...I really do hope that...you won't hate me for not telling you. That I...that I'm...."
Robin cut off her conversation with a sigh. "It really is difficult...even when I know you're asleep and can't hear me. Perhaps I will find the courage to tell you once I return..."
"Oy Robin! Over here!" Chelsea called out from a nearby food table, beckoning her over to their location.
"You have to try this! It's amazing!" Jasmine agreed, pointing at a dish.
Robin picked herself up and made her way over to Chelsea, Jasmine, and Liam. Meanwhile, behind the tablecloth, an awake and sober Christian lay still, his eyes wide open. He was pondering over what he had just heard.
Originally, he had been a bit drunk, and hid under the table to rest it out. But even the strongest liquor never had him wasted for long. He had been lucid ever since Robin had said 'You awake?' But, right before he could answer, Robin had begun speaking, and there didn't seem to be a good opening to interject after that, so Christian had kept silent.
So, Robin had a secret; one that would cause Christian to worry; that would possibly make Christian mad; that Robin was keeping to himself because it might hurt his friends. And it was eating away at him.
That brought to mind one blaring question: What could Robin's secret be? From what he knew of Robin, Christian finally narrowed it down to two possible things: first, Robin might be lying to him about something; and second, Robin is aware that he may need to do something-or had possibly done something- that he thought would anger Christian.
At that point, Christian put the matter aside. No matter what, Christian was Robin's friend. Of that, Christian was certain. So, no matter what the case was, he would always be on Robin's side. Whether or not Robin decided to open up to him, didn't matter at all. Robin would surely speak when he was ready.
What Christian had to do was to stay by his side. Christian lifted the tablecloth to emerge back into the hall.
---
Robin, having stored at least five servings or more of every dish in her food storage for later, was snacking on a green tea cream cake that was built similar to a tiramisu, except with green tea, instead of coffee.
"Ah, Christian, your awake! You've got to try this, it's delicious!" Robin grinned, putting another bit into her mouth. Christian picked up a fork, and snatched a bite from her plate, while Robin was distracted.
"Hmmm....yes it is quite good, isn't it?" Christian agreed.
Robin scowled. "There's plenty of uneaten slices set out on the table here, go and get your own plate!" She pouted, shielding her cake from further thefts.
"Forgive me, I'm a bit dizzy from earlier." Christian fibbed. "I couldn't handle more than a bite at this point. Grabbing a whole slice would be wasted on me."
"Hmmmn..." Robin looked at him with one eye open, wondering if he was telling the truth.
"Well, all right then. I'll save some more of the good ones for later." She went back to eating her cake, but still gave him a guarded look, to make sure he didn't try to sneak another bite.
Christian just smiled innocently, which did nothing to get Robin's guard down. Jasmine, finally made him back down. She gave a knowing grin that was similar to Bauchs' when he had said 'Oh?...Ohhhh~' Christian had to turn away to avoid Robin seeing him blush.
"So, when are you going to ask Elder for the seal?" Christian asked.
"Already done." Robin replied.
"You asked? Did he give an answer yet?" Christian blinked. Robin was surprisingly up front about it. Robin took something out of her magic bag, and handed it to Christian.
"He gave me this." She replied.
Inside of Christian's hand lay the jade seal.
"He gave it to you already?..." Christian asked incredulously.
"Right? Turns out, he is an old friend of my parents, and just handed it over as soon as I asked." Robin shrugged. "It's better than wasting time, I suppose."
Christian blinked, dumfounded. He was surprised at himself. Because, while this should be a happy occasion for Robin, Christian suddenly discovered that he was not happy for him.
He had gotten used to spending time with this Hero friend of his. So, when the time spent on their task was suddenly cut short, he felt upset at the lost opportunity. They had now already acquired more than half of the necessary seals, which meant that his time with Robin was starting to run out.
"Well...yes, I suppose so..." He agreed, suppressing the sudden spark of discontent. Now was not the time to be selfish. Instead of sulking, he should cherish the remaining time.
"Eight down, and six to go~." Jasmine pointed out cheerfully. "Maybe even five after we finish the dragon's quest!" This sentence caused Christian to feel like he had been sucker punched.
"Surely not, Jasmine? This is a dragon we are talking about! Wouldn't it have a different criteria for acknowledgement, such as strength or wit?" Christian asked.
"If it's strength, then Robin has already fought a dragon before." Jasmine pointed out.
"And if it's wits, then Robin has already outsmarted the Strategist." Chelsea added helpfully from the side. By her side, Liam was staring enviously at Chelsea's plate, wanting to do what Christian had done earlier. But, Liam didn't dare do anything that would make Chelsea upset at him.
"So, in essence, the hero Robin has already proven himself." A nearby Quinn nodded. Each new sentence from the group caused additional emotional damage to Christian's already hurt feelings. To the point where he swayed dizzily.
"Are you still not feeling well?" Robin asked, concerned, putting her hand out to stabilize him. "Maybe we should find you somewhere to sit down for a bit. Why did you drink so much?"
Christian recovered a bit, but continued to act like he was still dizzy. Was it wrong to want to linger in Robin's care? Christian suddenly felt like he had an aptitude to become quite the rascal.
"Maybe I did have a bit too much." He admitted, covering his face.
Upon hearing this, Jasmine's eyes narrowed. She knew Christian had no problem with alcohol. So, either there was something special in elven liquor, or... Christian was faking it. She opened her mouth to warn Robin, but Chelsea suddenly interrupted.
"Oh! Is that the famed Sylvan magic I see over there?" Chelsea said, looking across the hall.
"What! Where!?" Jasmine whirled about, forgetting what she was thinking of earlier. Chelsea pointed towards a pot where a fruit tree was growing rapidly before their eyes, bearing fruit in the matter of mere minutes.
Chelsea chuckled. It wasn't sylvan magic. It was just a magic fruit whose growth depended upon the mana in the air. Considering the dense mana atmosphere, it would grow fairly quickly. Chelsea simply wasn't going to let Jasmine ruin her observation of Robin and Christian's amusing misunderstanding.
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