TBATE | King Grey

-CHAPTER 14- Too alike

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jasmine's voice reached my ears, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"About what?" I looked down at her side as we walked closer to the teleportation gate.

Jasmine slowly turned towards me, reaching my eyes. Her gaze fearful, yet determined. "Today's battle. Or...anything that you want to get off your chest. I'll listen to them, I promise."

My footing stumbled as I felt taken aback by her offer.

I didn't want to judge but, it was clear that Jasmine was a very different kind of woman. She never striked me as someone who would sit and listen to other's sob stories or comfort with her words. So, hearing her say that made me frown.

"I don't mean to be rude Jasmine, but why are you trying to help me?" I asked stiffly, my tone heavy. "I mean, I didn't know it at first—when you got me a rank assigned. But, I came to understand that it wasn't an easy decision for you, and that you've clearly went out of your way to help me... Mutual friends or not, we've only met a short while ago. So please don't consider me rude when I ask you this again: why are you trying to help me, both then and now—offering to listen to me. What exactly is your reason?"

I didn't know whether it was because of my fragile mental state, or that I was simply exhausted to the core, or the fact might lie with—the growing frustration about being unable to share my past with someone—even if I desperately wanted to...

I was being rude to Jasmine as a result.

She kept her silence without answering me; her eyes unable to look into mine. I had expected her to run away. Or even curse at me. But she did neither, as she suddenly stopped walking and stood her ground.

Lowering her head, she bit her lower lips, still not meeting my eyes.

I stopped too, and waited, not saying anything more as the air surrounding us got awkward. Soldiers and many civilians walked past us, bellowing and chatting away. Everyone and everything else were colourful and livelier. Yet we both stood still and silent, like two dead people. Out of setting, out of words.

"I-It's because...I admire you." She finally said, lifting the blanket of silence away.

My body flinched. Her answer wasn't something that I had expected to hear from her. I could only look at her in confusion and ask. "Admire me? What do you mean?"

Jasmine finally looked up, her determined eyes darting close to mine. "Despite the way you are...your situation...you've always been helping out others, keeping your friends closer and safer even if it could cost you your own life."

"Sorry. What?" I cut-in, my brows knitted, head spun at her out-of-context words.

Jasmine explained, which made me freeze. "Your core...it's deformed, right? You can't use magic because your core isn't properly formed and you need to charge it with beast cores if you e-ever want to use magic." her voice trembled as she squeezed out her words one-by-one before biting her lips.

A hard lump of saliva rose up from my throat making me choke. Holding my breath, I silently listened to her words as she continued her explanation.

"I knew you were different ever since I first laid my eyes on you, Arthur. Everything about you was inconsistent. From the fact that you were some commoner from a random small village—despite the way you held yourself...it was...it was very obvious—to see the truth. Being a noble myself, I can certainly say that no commoner would behave or hold themselves like the way you do yourself. I-In fact, many nobles would fall short compared to the air that always surrounds you."

Jasmine studied me closely as she kept talking. With every word she spoke, her eyes reached for me deeper and deeper, until I felt her in my heart. "After listening to Reynolds talk about how you seemingly appeared in the middle of the forest and saved his life, helped him with the swords. You clearly didn't have to help him, a mere stranger. And then, your skill in swordsmanship that could rival many veterans. It was clear you were taught from your childhood. It was clear..."—she paused as her reaction changed. Darkened. Determination replaced with fear. But after a short breath she continued—"...that you were either castoff from your noble house, or that you ran away...like me. I couldn't believe when Adam joked about it when we first met, but over time, it became so obvious."