✔ blue-coloured beginnings 「 khunbam 」

h

"Ah-" Bamʼs shoulders slumped as the bluenet passed him by without casting even a single glance at his direction.

He heaved out an exasperated sigh, mind drifting off to nowhere as he continued hitting the wooden doll in front of him with no conviction, only stopping when a familiar silhouette approached his location, causing him to feel even more remorseful to himself. It was his fault that things got to this point so naturally, he had to endure this while thinking of a way to ask for Khunʼs forgiveness, but one week without him by Bamʼs side was an unbearable hell for the brunet.

"Aguero, I hope youʼre at least doing better than I am."

In those days, albeit absent-mindedly, he decided to hear what Rachel had in store for him despite the inner struggle with his subconscious. Needless to say, majority of her story was all about how they lived their lives together. How Arlene Grace found the blonde and raised her as her own, telling her stories about a tower and the fairy guarding it- granting wishes for a certain price, and basically just them living together in peace until the woman, who was the epitome of a perfect mother (at least in Rachelʼs eyes), disappeared without leaving a trace.

It was like he was a just passing encounter that Arlene buried behind a tragic past. Sure, it stung, but itʼs not as if he was not expecting it, because he actually was. Bam spent his entire childhood inside a crumbling underground habitat, scavenging for scraps of food, and fighting for every second of his life. It was clear that whoever or whatever made him, abandoned a barely developed child for dead, and that he was an unwanted existence that deserved to be hidden away for eternity from civilization.

However, in here, he wasnʼt. Never in those four years did he feel the seeping chill of loneliness and neglect from those whom he had considered a family. Despite them saying that the Khun Family Estate was a despicable and sinister place, it radiated more warmth than Bam thought he could ever receive in his entire life. He just wished he knew a better way to express this.

"Rachel-ssi," the brunet called out in the midst of her rambling about how it would be if Khun Maria would be chosen as a Princess of Jahad. About a probability that she could get a one-way ticket for an entrance to the inner tower, though Bam pretended he never heard the final sentence. "Since you knew about Arlene, then surely she would have mentioned anything about a father, did she?"

"Unfortunately, Arlene never really opened up to me about such topics." Rachel froze for a moment, a dimming expression shadowing her face before plastering her usual placid smile. "However, I do remember some things."

How strange. It seems that Bam finally found an opening and a glimpse through her intentions. Only Khun Edahn knew of how the story took place, but the family head was dead set on never telling him if he doesnʼt become stronger. Now, it was clear to him that he cannot get answers from a woman reeking of ulterior motives. So what muddled his head before?

""He was a mistake that unleashed a prophesied calamity," was what she once said. That is why, you must always listen to me, Bam." Somehow, it felt wrong- his name being called upon such a deceitful façade. He just met her, yet his system was either screaming for him to run away, or seething in unjustified anger and an utter desire to paint a pathetic expression on her face. "For I know the keys to your existence."

Maybe there was a divine force pulling strings behind all of this. Maybe it was a fate he could not avoid, and a force he cannot stop. But that doesnʼt mean heʼll just become a slave to it all, no? The young retainer politely smiled before excusing himself, saying that he still has to secure provisions for the next week.

He must not be impatient. Everything will reveal itself in due time, and this truth was not worth the sacrifice. He said this once, and he will say this for as many times as he could until it becomes a genuine fact; wherever Aguero goes, he follows. Every single thing he did, he had done because it was what he thought he can do to have the ability to support Khun without any strings attached.

Bam wanted to learn his past not because he had a lingering attachment to it, nor to the people involved in an event he could not even remember and had not once come to mind. It was all because he felt like he should know if he were to become a liability in the future, but of course, he does not have anything to prove that motivation, so heʼs stuck at standstill. For now, the only established fact was that the people who had a connection to his past had long gone past their prime.

'And I guess Iʼd have no misgivings left for those who have forsaken me.'

ー

The blonde groaned, slouching as she entangled her hair out of its neat pony tail, directing a humorless stare at the woman who seemingly emerged out of thin air, eavesdropping like it was nobodyʼs business. "Lady Maria, until when do I have to entertain that brat? Even just acting like I give a shit about him makes my skin crawl!"

"Patience, my dear Rachel." The former let out an animated chuckle, brushing her fingers through her silver hair with leisure. "Iʼll always hold up my end of the bargain, but for that to happen, I need you to play your part flawlessly and gain that childʼs trust."

Rachel grumbled, rolling her eyes sardonically but kept her complaints to herself. It would be detrimental for her to get into her own patronʼs bad side, after all. "I get it. But I know that you know that the only one standing in my way is that Khun Aguero Agnis. Canʼt you just arrange someone to frame him in making you a Princess of Jahad?"

"Are you insane, or just plain stupid?" An offended look flashed onto the formerʼs face, but the latter just shrugged her anger off and glanced at her nails.

"He is the biological brother of my strongest contender, and the fact that heʼs a son of the upper branches means that he is superior to us in every aspect. However," The silvernette simpered and smirked. "If one cannot beat an enemy, then one must find a way to go around it."

Rachel snapped her fingers in realization. "So, you are planning to strike him where it will hurt the most?"

"Thatʼs a weird phrase to say," Maria laughed and winked in confirmation. "But yes. My informant told me that for some particularly odd reason, the only person he listens to- holistically, at that, is that foreigner. As long as you manage to capture his interest and get him to confide in you, A.A will have no choice but to give into his one simple request."

"Still, if not because I had that memory with Arlene, Lady Maria would not even come close to accomplishing this," Rachel stated this nonchalantly, yet her imposing posture was not a passive one.

"And what exactly are you suggesting?" Maria paused, throwing a questioning stare at the younger girl with her brow raised. Meeting the blonde that fateful day was a convenient coincidence for the lady, but it didnʼt mean that she wasnʼt the least bit suspicious at her lack of proper origin. However, since the opportunity came at her doorstep, who was she to reject such a blessing?

The latter grinned, tight-lipped, as she stretched her arms, approaching towards the pavement where the silvernette was located. "Itʼs only a simple request I hope you can grant out of the goodness of your heart."

"Sweetie, donʼt you think you are getting ahead of yourself?" Maria answered in a singing tone, but urged her to continue, appeasing her curiosity. "But Iʼll think about it in honor of our negotiation. What is this request?"

"Once everything is guaranteed," Rachel trailed her fingertips from the candidateʼs palm towards her shoulder, grasping it tightly as she whispered.

"Allow me to vent my anger on your brother."