Chapter 126: Chapter 79: Quiet life (1)
[Little Jevan perspective]
A whole week had passed since that ghost disappeared after the battle with the witches or at least, the ones who were supposed to be witches. Honestly, I still didn’t know what witches actually were, but that’s what Vensen told me, and he repeated it several times. Still, there was this strange feeling of loneliness inside me.
Even though Marco never stopped sticking around, and even though I played that card game they call "Court of Magic" with Vensen and Jax every day, I couldn’t shake that feeling. Something was missing, as if a part of me wasn’t there.
This place was far better than my old home no comparison at all. The walls were clean and not cracked, the rooms were neat, and there was no foul smell anywhere. The food was plentiful, and the bed was so soft that sometimes I fell asleep without realizing it. The whole place gave off this overwhelming sense of comfort.
And I knew perfectly well that the reason for that was the ghost, somehow. I was certain of it. That strange ghostly man with powers that couldn’t be explained. I remembered how he forced those witches to run away, how he broke the cages, and even how he healed my wounds.
He once told me that when he uses his power, he needs to sleep afterward, or something like that. But does that mean he’ll disappear every time, just like he did now? Will he vanish for as long as he did the last time?
No, I don’t want that. Who allowed him to just disappear like that without saying anything? I mean, Valeric was doing fine against them there was no need for him to intervene with that kind of power. It’s not like they were going to kill Valeric.
While I was sinking into my thoughts, I suddenly heard a familiar voice in front of me calm, but carrying that distinct sarcastic tone:
"Still asleep? The sun’s already up."
I lifted my head from the pillow, my eyes barely able to take in the scene before me. The ghostly man was standing there, right in front of my bed.
For a moment, I froze in place, then rushed toward him. I didn’t think at all I just wanted to make sure he was real. But before I could touch him, I went straight through him and hit the wall behind.
I held my head with both hands, trying to stand up again, and then I heard his voice behind me:
"Why all the excitement? I don’t think I’ve been gone that long."
I turned toward him, rubbing my head, and said irritably:
"You were gone for a whole week!"
"Still haven’t learned how to count? A week isn’t that long anyway."
I huffed in frustration and frowned.
"Maybe not long for an old ghost like you, but it’s long for me."
"Seems you’re overestimating my age, don’t you think? Still, my sense of time isn’t that different from yours."
"I doubt you even have a human sense of time in the first place."
"Alright, forget it. Now tell me what happened while I was gone?"
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Not much. I attended the lessons, played Court of Magic with Vensen and Jax, walked around a bit with Marco, read a few stories with Valera, and talked a little with Valeric in the evenings."
"Good to hear. But what about the witches?"
"I don’t know. When you disappeared and the witches ran off, Valeric went to talk with Lady Yara."
"And do you know what they talked about?"
"No. We tried to eavesdrop, but couldn’t hear anything. Vensen said it was something important, but no one knows the details."
He fell silent for a moment, staring at the floor. He always looked tired, but this time he looked truly exhausted. Even though I couldn’t see his face clearly, I could somehow feel that weariness radiating from his spirit.
He raised his head toward me and said:
"So, I didn’t miss much, it seems. Good."
"We were fine without you!"
He rested his face against his hand and said:
"Right, I can see that. Crashing into the wall the moment you saw me excellent display of independence."
My face flushed red, but I couldn’t think of a comeback. I just frowned and turned my face away.
Then I heard him say, in a softer tone filled with amusement:
"Seems like you missed me after all, didn’t you? Feeling lonely, were you?"
I shouted immediately:
"I didn’t say that!"
At that moment, despite his usual mockery that always got on my nerves, I felt relieved. Maybe I’d never admit it to him, but I felt like he was part of me.
I got up from the bed and left the room, while the ghostly man walked silently behind me. Still, just knowing he was there behind me was somehow enough it gave me this strange sense of comfort I couldn’t explain.
I walked down the long corridor leading to the study. Sunlight poured in through the windows, filling the hallway with light. The air was calm and quiet. When I pushed the door open, it creaked softly.
Inside, Valera was sitting in her usual corner the same spot I found her in almost every day holding a book in her hands, reading it with deep focus. The sunlight from the window reflected off her long red hair, making her look even more beautiful.
I stood there for a moment, doing nothing but watching her. She did this literally every day woke up in the morning, came here, and read until night. She didn’t play with us, didn’t go outside, didn’t do anything but read.
How could she not get bored? Honestly, I couldn’t understand it.
I walked closer and sat at the table across from her. Then I glanced toward the book in her hands and asked:
"What are you reading this time?"
Without looking up, she replied in a soft, gentle voice laced with mild impatience:
"Can you stop asking the same question every time?"
I smiled faintly and said, leaning my elbows on the table:
"But you read a different book every time."
She lifted her gaze toward me, eyes slightly annoyed, then pointed at the book’s cover with her finger and said:
"You know how to read, don’t you?"
I looked at the cover and saw the title written in ornate letters: The Court Jester. I stared at the words, unable to make any sense of them.
"How am I supposed to know what the book’s about just from the title?"
She let out a long sigh, turned another page, and said:
"Try reading it yourself instead of bothering me every time to tell you what my books are about."
"I’m not good at reading."
"Don’t try to lie to me. I know you’ve learned already."
"Come on, at least tell me the summary."
She closed the book and said:
"And you’ll stop bothering me afterward?"
I placed my hand on my chest and said:
"Yes, I promise. And I’ve only broken my promises about ten times, tops."
"Are you sure you’ve learned to count?"
"Just tell me what the book’s about."
She glanced back at the book, reopened it, flipped a page, and said:
"It’s about a court jester who made a deal with a demon."