It wasn’t long into their walk that Krion and his friends parted ways. Their apartments were a ways away from where he was staying, much like the majority of the other ss in their year. Perhaps iure, he would look into a way to recim the buildings oher side of the Banor. He would have to ask them, of course, but the possibility of having his new friends livi door was ohat he hoped worked out iure. But that was a for ter.
With barely anyone else oreet they were walking down, Krion adjusted his pace to walk beside Hatsuhe two of them were an odd pair, a fact made clear to him by the occasional gnd murmurs directed their way as they made their way to the Banor. For her part, Hatsune ighe looks and ents directed her way, choosing io focus on their surroundings. Her eyes darted around, ears twisting here and there, trag sounds that Krion could not quite pick up. Krion, still riding high on the fun that he had shared with Valdre and Redrek over their meal, tried to break the silehat hung awkwardly between them.
“So, Hatsune,” he began, gng down at her as they made their way to the street on their way back to his — their — quarters. “What do you think of the Imperial Academy so far?”
Her gaze nded on him for a moment before looking away again. “It’s… big,” she replied curtly, her voice quiet and tinged with unease.
Krion chuckled lightly, hoping to ease her nerves. “Big is an uatement. I’m still getting lost in it myself. I’ll probably have to rely on a map for weeks at this rate.”
Hatsune offered no response, her posture remaining stiff and her eyes focused around them. Krion frowned, not wanting their retionship to start off on a cold note. “I know this is new — probably for both of us,” he said, trying again. “But if there’s anything you need, or if something feels off, you tell me. I’d like us to —”
She interrupted him, her voice firmer than before. “With all due respect, my lord, I’d prefer to foy duties for now.”
Her ears twitched again, and Krion thought that it was a sign of her disfort. He noticed that one of her hands was gripping the hilt of her new sword tightly. “I’m not familiar with this pce or its rules,” she tinued. “It’s best if I trate on uanding the area and my role as your bodyguard.”
The formal tone caught him off guard, and he blinked, processing her words. “Ah… of course,” he said after a moment, trying to mask his disappoi. He thought the Leporine had begun opening up over the dinner with his friends, but perhaps he had been mistaken. “I uand. You’re right to take this seriously.”
Hatsune gave a small nod, and the two of them tinued walking in silence.
The path to where Krion was staying wound through quieter parts of the campus, where the grandeur of the Imperial Academy felt less overwhelming as true night began to desd. The ornate architecture was still evident, with t spires and carefully maintained gardens lining some of the walkways, but with the gradually fading noise of other students and their own bodyguards, Krion was increasingly aware of the woman who walked at his side. Her demeanor rofessional, though even with them now being by themselves there remaiension in her movements. She was on high alert, a stark trast to Garran and Kael from earlier, let alone some of the other bodyguards they had already passed on their walk.
He wao ask her more questions, to learn about her background and what had led to her being a prospective bodyguard at the House of Bonds, but he held back. It was clear to him she wasn’t ready for that kind of questioning, and pressing her would only make things worse. Instead, he focused on their surroundings, taking in the quiet beauty of the campus as they neared his assigned quarters.
When they arrived back at his manor, Krion fished out his key and unlocked the heavy door at the entrah a metallik. He held it for Hatsuo follow him inside, her eyes sing the t edifice of dark stos once-graerior weathered and faded. She stared closely at some of the windows, the gss bearing the grime of years of . The air smelled faintly of damp earth and decay. He gestured for her to follow him inside.
“This is Banor,” Krion said, his toinged with embarrassment. He gestured broadly at the visibly dusty interior. “Though it is not much to look at right now, I admit.”
Hatsune g him briefly before turning back to look at the dusty floors he had gestured at. “Not much to look at…” she repeated quietly, though the distaste ione was hard to miss.
Krion chose to ig. There wasn’t really anything he could do about the liness of the manor for now, but if he had time tomorrow, perhaps he would start w on ing it up. Stepping deeper inside, Hatsune close behind him, it struck him again how stale the air was, and how it carried a faint st of mildew. The Leporine woman stopped o him, her nose wrinkling as she took in the smell.
He let out a sheepish ugh. “Uh, it’s been a while sinyone lived here. At least that is my guess,” he admitted. “I guess the Academy didn’t make it a priority to keep things pristine.”
Hatsune’s gaze kept sweeping over the room, her expression now ral but her ears betrayed her unease as they flicked at every creak and groan of the old building. “I assumed there would be more… activity,” she said, her voice carefully measured. “Where are the other servants?”
Krion winced slightly, running a hand through his hair. Even though he was still o the whole nobility thing, even he khat a manor like this would have a dozen staff, if not more, taking care of it. As soon as he had some more Service s, and a better idea of what the manor needed, he would make sure to get some people who could fix things up a bit. But that didn’t really help in the here and now.
“Yeah, about that. Banor doesn’t currently have any staff. In fact, it’s just… well… us.”
They moved further into the manor, and the extent of its disrepair became more apparent to Krion. Perhaps how tired he had beeerday had blurred some of the details, but walking through with Hatsune by his side, he began to notice just how much work o be doo turn this pto a respectable residehe grand staircase that domihe main hall, which he had ignored yesterday, was covered in dust, and the delier above was missing more than a few crystals, causing it to hang lopsided. Every room they passed was er: empty rooms filled with dust, and curtains that hung limply, faded by years of sunlight.
Hatsuopped in the doorway of peared to be ay sitting room, her sharp eyes taking in the disarray. “Why is the manor in this state?” she asked, her even tone giving way to curiosity.
Krion sighed, gesturio follow him as he tinued down the hall. “Apparently, it’s a long story. Ohat I don’t know all the details about yet. From what I was told, I am the first s from House Bcksword to live in here in some time. Which means it will be oo get the ball moving on putting this manor back together. Given how new I am to the Academy, I’ll probably need some time to sort everything out.”
Hatsune nodded slowly, her expression back to unreadable. She followed him into peared to be the dining room. Unlike many of the other rooms, there was furniture in it. A long table stretched the length of the space, its surface covered with dust as well. A plete set of chairs was also there, though the o the head of the table leaned precariously on three legs. The missing leg was o be found.
“Are you pnning to hire staff, then?”
Krion shrugged, brushing some dust off one of the chairs before sitting down after taking off the harhat held his greatsword. The chair shifted slightly underh him, but it held his weight. “Eventually, yes. But for now, it’s just us. We’ll just have to make do.”
Hatsune remaianding, her posture rigid, and her hand remaiight on the hilt of her new sword. Whether her uneasiness was the result of the state of the manor or the ck of other people, Krion was not able to tell.
“I know it’s not ideal,” he said, his tone apologetic. “But it could be worse. The building seems to be sturdy, and once everything is ed up, there will be plenty of room. Plus, it’s quiet and away from other ss like Chadwick.”
Hatsune shifted at Chadwick’s name, and she regarded him for a moment before nodding slightly. “It will suffice,” she said, though her tone was less thahusiastic. She looked like she was about to say something more, perhaps a pint when it happened.
A low, unmistakable growl came from Hatsune’s stomach.
Her cheeks flushed, and she turned her head away, muttering something Krion could not quite pick up.
“What was that?”
Hatsuurned back to Krion, her cheeks even brighter, “Ig.”
Krion raised an eyebrow but kept his smile under trol. “That didn’t sound like something I should ignore.”
“It’s nothing,” she insisted, folding her arms as if the a alone could silence her stomach’s protests. “Just — let’s keep moving.”
“You did enough at dinner, did you?”
“I wait until tomorrow,” she said, her voice a mixture of embarrassment and defiance.
“No, you shouldn’t have to,” Krion said. “e o’s get you something to eat.” He started walking, fully expeg her to follow.
She hesitated, her feet rooted ihat’s not your responsibility,” she said, though her voice cked vi.
Krion gnced back over his shoulder. “You’re my bodyguard,” he said. “If you’re starving, you won’t be able to do your job. So let’s fix that.”
With a relut sigh, Hatsune fell into step behind him. “You’re awfully persistent.”
“So I have been told,” Krion replied, his tone light but firm. “You’ll get used to it.”
The oppressiveness of the manor’s hallways began to fade as they came closer to the kit, where Krion’s previous visit had stirred the dust to settle closer to the walls. He opehe door of the kit and led Hatsune inside. Everything was as he had left it that m.
Krion moved to the ter and began opening ets, searg for supplies. Hatsune lingered he doorway, where she looked around as if she was unsure what to do.
“I, uh… I’m not much of a cook,” she admitted. “I manage basic things if I o, but —”
She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Krion shrugging off his school coat. He draped it over the back of a chair, leaving him in a simple shirt that g to his muscled frame. As he reached up to a high cupboard, he khe exaent she caught sight of his arms, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. Her breath hitched, and he could guess why.
His forearms and hands were covered in scars, each telling a story of pain and survival. He could tell she hadn’t expected it, even if the scars on his face had been a hint that he likely had more beh his clothes.
He tried to ignore her staring. “I was thinking rid fish. Sound good to you?” he asked casually, his focus on gathering together the ingredients he would need.
Hatsuore her gaze away, her ears twitg yet again as she tried to pose herself. “Y-yes, that’s fine.”
Krion smiled over his shoulder. “Great. Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll hahe cooking.”
For a moment, the Leporiated, unsure if she should offer to help. But the determined look on his face dissuaded her. She moved to the table, brushing dust off a chair before sitting. From her spot, she watched as Krion worked with an easy rhythm, moving about the kit as though he had dohis tless times.
He measured out rito a pot and filled it with water, setting it oove. Therieved a small bundle of ed fish from an icebox, uning it carefully. He began seasoning it, adding a pinch of salt and a dusting of herbs he had found in a cupboard.
While he worked, Hatsune’s gaze drifted back to his arms. The scars were so numerous and varied, that they looked almost like a patchwork. Her thoughts swirled with questions she didn’t dare voice. What had caused them? How had he endured so much?
Krion, focused on cooking, was oblivious to her renewed scrutiny. He turned oove and begaing a skillet, adding a small amount of oil. O was hot enough, which took a surprisingly short time, he pced the fish in the pan. The sizzle filled the kit, and a savory aroma began to waft through the air.
“You’re lucky I know a bit about cooking,” he said with a grin, gng briefly at Hatsune. “Otherwise, we’d both be stuck eating cold rations or something equally depressing.”
Hatsune forced a small smile, though her mind was still on his scars. “Did you learn to cook out of y?” she asked, hoping to steer her thoughts away.
Krion nodded as he flipped the fish. “Yeah. My mother used to say that a man should be able to take care of himself, no matter where he ends up.”
She watched as he moved betweeove and ter, his movements fluid and effit. Despite the scars, there was a gra she hadn’t noticed before. He seemed at ease here, in this kit, as if it was one of the few pces where he could truly rex.
The rice finished cooking, and Krion removed it from the stove, fluffing it with a fork. He pted the fish and rice, arranging them ly before bringing them over to the Leporine.
“Here you go,” he said, pg it in front of Hatsune. “Hope you like it.”
She looked down at the simple meal. “Thank you,” she said, her tone genuine. She picked up the fork he’d set beside the pte and took a tentative bite of the fish. The fvors were well-bahe seasoning enhang the natural taste without overp it.
“This is… pretty good,” she admitted after she swallowed.
Krion grinned, returning to where he had been cooking to begin ing up. “Gd you like it.”
She ate iive silehe king of her fainst the pte the only sound in the room apart from Krion’s scrubbing. For the first time sining into the manor, Krion thought Hatsune seemed almost fortable. As she finished eating, he put the pot upside down to dry.
“We’ll have to figure out a proper system for meals in the manor, but for now, I’m happy to cook.” He returo the table, only to see Hatsuh a strange look on her face.
“Yes?”
“I’m just… a bit surprised.” At his gesture, she tinued. “I didn’t think Imperial nobles ever did things like cooking for themselves, let alohers.”
Krion smiled, leaning forward to rest his arms oable, noting how her eyes drifted down to his scars as he did so. “I get that. I guess you could say I’m not a typioble.
”Where would a noble even learn to cook?” she asked. “Some expensive academy? A private chef?”
Krion shook his head with a chuckle. It was almost funny how people tio assume things about him. “Nothing like that. You know how I said my mother said a man should know how to cook?” At her nod, he tinued. “Well, my mother was the one who taught me — or at least, the woman I thought was my mother. It’s… plicated.”
The feeling he had had about Hatsune earlier returned. Despite his focus on keeping his background as secret as possible from the other ss of the Imperial Academy, something was telling him that he could, he should, trust the Leporine woman. After all, if he couldn’t trust a bodyguard bound to him by a Mark of Bonds, who could he trust?
Hatsune’s ears perked up at his choice of words. “You thought she was your mother?”
Krion looked down at his scarred hands resting oable. Nothing for it now. He would just have to trust his gut. “I grew up so far outside the Empire, I’m not even sure how to put it into a text you would uand,” he admitted, his voice softer. “Far from anything resembling nobility. My ‘mother’ — or at least the woman who helped raise me — taught me to cook because it was something we enjoyed doing together.”
Hatsuared at him, trying to recile the image of this man with strange eyes — a s who had nearly drawn his sword in her defense — with the life he described.
“Outside the Empire?” she asked cautiously. “Where exactly?”
Krion shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know how to expin where. It was different than all this though,” he said, gesturing at everything around them, which Hatsuook to mean the Academy itself. “It ce without csses, without magic, without the System. When I came here and learned about ss and all the rest… Holy, I’m still figuring it all out.”
Hatsune’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she quickly shut them. What he was saying sounded impossible — how could a s grow up without magic? Without access to the System? But there was something in Krion’s tone, in the quiet siy with which he spoke, that made her believe him.
“So… this s thing,” she said after a long moment. “It’s o you?”
“pletely,” Krion said with a ugh. “Some days, I feel like I’m pying a role I barely uand. There are rules, expectations… and I’m just trying to make it through without making a fool of myself. Or being a target for some enemy of House Bcksword.”
She looked down at his scars again, and he curled his fingers into fists. “And the scars across your body?” she asked hesitantly. “Are they also from where you came from?”
Krion’s smile faded. “Yeah,” he said, then reached out to take her empty pte and fork. “But that’s a story for anht.” He stepped back over to the sink to them.
“It’s just hard to imagine,” she said, as he stood up. “A noble who doesn’t act like one. Who doesn’t look down on people like me.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” he said, scrubbing the dish. “I’d rather be someone who uands what it’s like tle than someone who takes everything franted.”
As he was finishing up, Hatsune surprised him by ing up o him by the sink. She picked up a towel that he had set out and began to dry what he had just ed. Once he was doh her pte, she gestured for him to hand it over. After drying it as well, she retur from where Krion had gotten it.
“Thanks for helping,” he said.
Hatsune shrugged, though a faint blush had returo her cheeks. “It’s only fair. You cooked, and ed the dishes after all.”
“True. Maybe ime, we’ll switch roles.”
Hatsune’s eyes widened slightly at the suggestion. “I told you, I’m not much of a cook.”
“Then it’ll be a learning experience,” he responded lightly.
With the st dish now dry, Krion stretched his arms over his head, yawning, befng down at Hatsune who was now standing awkwardly. Not wantio grow unfortable again, he said, “I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” she replied, though she seemed almost hesitant.
”You should get some rest too. There are plenty of rooms in this pce — take your pick. It’s ly luxurious, but I’m sure we make it more fortable in the ing days.“
Hatsune’s response was immediate, her back straightening. “No, I ’t do that,” she said firmly, her eyes meeting his. “It’s my duty to stay close to you. To protect you. It is all I have right now.”
Krion blinked, caught off guard by the iy in her voice. “Hatsune, you don’t have to —”
“I do,” she interrupted, her tone leaving no room fument. “It’s why I agreed to be your bodyguard.”
Her explicit refereo her choice stirred an unfortable knot of anger in his chest. He couldn’t help but think back to the Hall of Bonds, to the dismissive and predatory way Chadwick had spoken about her. Had spoken to her. It was a good thing he hadn’t run into Chadwick after dinner. He pushed the thought aside.
“Alright,” he said after sidering his response. “If that’s what you’re fortable with. There’s a cou my room. It’s not ideal, but it’s close and you’ll have a pce to sleep.”
Hatsuood, posture still tense, as if brag for some kind of reprimand. When none came, she gave a small nod. “Thank you.”
Krion’s chest tighte her rea, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he led the way out of the kit and through the halls towards the room where he had slept st night. When he opehe door, it was exactly how he had left it that m.
Hatsune looked around the room, taking in every detail before she moved toward the couch. She paused, gng back at Krion as though seeking permission.
“It’s all yours,” Krion said with a small smile, then tossed her a spare b. “I’ll be over here, sn loud enough to scare away any intruders.”
The er of Hatsune’s mouth twitched, almost f a smile before she put her ba. She reached up to uncsp the straps of her scale mail, the sound of metal shifting aher creaking breaking the silence. Krion’s gaze immediately went to the most iing er he had ever seen. It was simply amazing how perfectly it had been made. Yep. Perfect.
“I’ll just… give you a moment,” he said, face heating.
“You don’t have to,” Hatsune replied, her tone uned. “I do this every day.”
Was she teasing him? He gnced back over his shoulder, catg sight of her long silver hair falling over her back, the curves of her form outlined subtly beh the padded tunic she wore uhe armor. Wheentatively reached for that as well, Krion spun and crossed the room, almost throwing himself into his bed, pausing only to kick off his boots and pull off his own clothes as quickly as he could. In moments, he was safely beh his sheets. He was relieved, and somewhat disappoihat Hatsune was also done undressing and under her b as well.
“Hatsune?”
“Yes?” she said, turning uhe bo face him.
“I know you take your duty seriously, and I respect that,” he began. “But you don’t have to be on edge around me. I’m not… like those other nobles. You’re a person, and I want you to feel safe too.”
The Leporine’s eyes widened slightly, and she stared at him for a long minute. He thought he had upset her somehow when she eventually nodded.
Krion ran a hand through his hair. “Alright. Goodnight, Hatsune,” he said, sinking deeper into the bed, and pulling the b over himself.
“Goodnight, Lord Krion,” she replied, her voice low.
As the room fell into silence, Krion stared at the ceiling, his thoughts ing. He couldn’t shake the image of Hatsuense posture, the way she had braced herself for something unpleasant when she insisted on staying close to him. And then to disrobe so casually in his prese probably was a cultural thing, but it still made him wonder just how much she had been through to cause her to act as she had since she had bee his bodyguard.
His hand ched around the edge of the b. He couldn’t ge her past, but he could make sure that her future was different.
With that thought, Krion closed his eyes in search of sleep.
Question for anyone who has read my story to this point: regarding Hatsune, as a Leporine, her ears are important not only to hearing but also her body nguage, which I tried to refle this chapter and the st one, but did I referehe too much? Please ent below or message me if you would, I'm trying to strike the right banbsp;
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he Royal Road Writatholy ended, and I am currently w oing back up to 10+ additional chapters for those who wish to read ahead (will happen prior to the end of December). In addition, you will eventually gain access to exclusive short stories tered on characters from the main story that provide additional insight about the Multiverse (which will only be on Patreon), as well as fun articles that will reveal more of the worldbuilding (also only on Patreon).
