Kingdom Of Glass [Kirito x Eugeo]

Chapter 8

'--Oh, and the next time you come and visit Katolis, meet me at the fountain! I'm at the market every day, so I'll see you if you're there.

Sincerely, Kirito.'

-

The letter from Kirito was pretty simple since they didn't fully know each other yet, it was to be expected. But Kirito had stated that he's usually always in the market, so the next time Eugeo visits, he'll be there.

Speaking of visits to Katolis, it was finally a day where Eugeo could go. It had been roughly a month since his last visit, and nothing too interesting had happened during that time.

He was still pretending to study dark magic, but he hadn't sent another letter to Kirito during that time- he wasn't too sure on how to reply, so he thought it might just be easier to wait until he sees him again. Maybe this time they'll get to spend more time together. The last time they met, Eugeo had to leave pretty soon after...

However, today was also another day that involved the duties of a prince, Eugeo had to attend a royal dinner to further the companionship between himself and princess Tiese. Since it would just be the royalty of Duren and Katolis, with no civilians or city guards, Eugeo had the privilege of only wearing a hood to cover his hair. He was allowed to show his face to the Duren family since Quinella knew that they wouldn't be wandering around the city of Katolis to see Eugeo on one of his outings.

Simply put, this was the first step to becoming known.

To Eugeo, that fact was still very daunting. Currently, he was living a pretty satisfying life, even if there were restrictions. But, being so unknown outside the palace walls gave him that sense of freedom and equality. He got to experience peoples true opinions of him and wasn't bombarded with people praising him- a lot like how Alice and Selka are treated when they visit the city.

"Hey, Eugeo? Are you just going to stand there all day, or are we going?" Alice asked, pulling Eugeo from his thoughts.

Eugeo gave a sheepish smile in return and walked over to his sister. She was quick to return the gesture and waited for him to mount his horse.

"Sorry Alice, I'm just excited to be going back into the city." He replied.

"I guess you should enjoy this while it lasts, huh? Next spring you'll have your wedding..." She said, and the pair started their trek towards Katolis.

"Yeah, and the civilians will finally know what I look like. It's a bit scary, in a sense." Eugeo laughed.

The sky had darkened ever so slightly, seeming to match the mood of the sudden conversation change. Eugeo was worried about revealing himself to the public, even if he didn't show it. He was just so used to keeping to himself, and not having people see his face, that this will be a big change for him. Eugeo knew Alice could tell- but she never mentioned anything, and he was grateful for that.

"I'm sure that when the day finally comes, they will accept you. I mean it's not like you're ugly, I'm betting that some women will even fall for you once they see you." Alice said, laughing gently.

Eugeo appreciated the effort that Alice would put in when it came to comforting him, but the idea of having random women fantasise about him was a bit strange...

They carried on their journey in comfortable silence, enjoying the ambience of the forest while they could. The light was failing to reach the floor of the forest, as the clouds shrouded the sky in a thick layer. The air also felt damp, telling Eugeo that it was going to rain very soon.

As they started to get closer to the edge, Eugeo pulled the hood over his head and, not much to his surprise, noticed that rain had started to fall.