Rise Of Royal Phantoms And Qixi Festival

Episode 24

Following Steward Kael out onto the moonlit balcony, I felt a prickle of unease crawl up my spine. The gentle invitation earlier now held a subtle edge, a knowing glint in his eyes that sent alarm bells clanging in my head.

He offered his congratulations first, his voice warm and sincere. "𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝑻𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐," he boomed, a hint of pride in his tone. "𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏…𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔."

My stomach churned. Had he seen me leave the company of Renji and Wan? More importantly, had he witnessed our exchange?

Kael's gaze drifted upwards, lingering on the moon for a beat too long.  Then, with a disarming grin, he turned back to me, his hand outstretched. But instead of offering another cup of tea, he held aloft the very letter I'd desperately shoved under my sleeve moments before.

My heart hammered against my ribs. How? There was no way he could have seen it!  His youthful expression, however, held a mischievous glint that sent a cold dread slithering down my spine.  This wasn't the wise and composed Steward Kael I knew.  This was someone…else entirely.

"𝑺𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒖, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆?" he chuckled, the playful lilt in his voice laced with a hint of something else entirely. Here it was, then. My secret was out.

He extended the letter towards me, his grin widening.  There was no point in denying it, not with the evidence in his hand.  With a resigned sigh, I reached out and took the letter back, the weight of it suddenly heavier than ever before.

This was a new development entirely.  Steward Kael, the enigmatic keeper of secrets, now held one of mine.  One that detailed a decision he might not entirely approve of, a truce with former bullies that could easily be misconstrued.

As I met his gaze, the playful glint in his eyes had morphed into something more – a silent challenge, a test perhaps.  How would I handle this unexpected turn of events?  Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders, determined to face whatever consequences awaited me under the watchful gaze of the moon.

♤♤♤♤♤♤

A wave of heat flushed my face as I stared down at the floor, bracing for a reprimand.  But instead of the harsh words I'd steeled myself for, Steward Kael surprised me with a gentle pat on the head.

"A𝒚h, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐," he chuckled, his voice warm and knowing.  "𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒆?  𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒆 – 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏.  𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍."

Relief washed over me so strong it felt like a physical wave.  He wasn't angry!  In fact, he seemed…almost proud?

"𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒖, 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓," he continued with a playful wink, "𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆?"

With that, and a final teasing smile, Steward Kael turned and strolled back inside, leaving me standing on the moonlit balcony.  My hand tightened around the recovered letter, a newfound appreciation for the enigma that was Steward Kael blooming in my chest.

As I gazed up at the vast expanse of the night sky, a contentment I hadn't felt before settled over me.  The past year had been a whirlwind – the grueling training, the camaraderie, the unexpected conflict and now, this unexpected moment of understanding.  I was no longer the naive boy who'd first arrived.  I was Toshiro, a fledgling spy, a year older and infinitely wiser.  A year that had brought challenges and friendships, secrets and laughter.  And most importantly, a year that had brought Rimuru.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips.  There would be time for Rimuru later.  For now, I savored the quiet night, the cool breeze, and the sense of belonging that had begun to take root within me.  With a content sigh, I turned and headed back inside, the weight of the letter a welcome reminder of the day's events and the exciting path that lay ahead.  Sliding into bed, sleep soon claimed me, leaving only the peaceful murmur of the night and the promise of a new dawn.