Chapter 238: Frieren's Sharing
Flamme almost stumbled back to the lord's mansion, keeping her head down the whole way, not daring to let any of the guards or maids she encountered see her distraught expression.
Her mind was a mess, and her chest ached terribly.
Kurtz naturally sharing food with Serie, Serie's unusually different demeanor, and the intimate atmosphere between them that no one else could possibly intrude upon... all these scenes replayed in her mind like a kaleidoscope, each replay like another stab to her heart, making it hurt even more.
She didn't understand. It was a scene she had seen countless times in the forest, but why did seeing it now make her feel so awful?
This surging emotion almost drowned her.
Driven by instinct, she barely managed to run back to her room door, and without even adjusting her breathing, she pushed it open.
Inside the room, Frieren was still sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, in the same position as before.
Hearing the door open, she immediately looked up, her emerald eyes gazing toward it, her face blank, bordering on numb from the long wait, then renewed with expectation when she saw it was Flamme.
Her gaze subconsciously fell on Flamme's hands...empty.
No breakfast. No, anything that looked like food.
Frieren's eyes dimmed. She quietly lowered her head again, resting her chin on her knees, her body curling slightly tighter, looking particularly pitiful.
This sight was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing some of the chaotic thoughts in Flamme's mind, only to be replaced by an even stronger sense of guilt.
Only then did she remember her confident promise and warning to Frieren when she left that morning. She hadn't expected that Frieren would actually stay in the room.
"I... I'm back." Flamme walked into the room, her voice a little hoarse, mixed with a small apology.
She closed the door behind her, as if that could shut out all the heartbreaking things outside.
Frieren didn't look up, only gave a very soft "Mm" with a hint of imperceptible grievance in her voice.
"N-no, I'm sorry. I thought you would go out yourself." Flamme's guilt deepened.
"Because Flamme, you told me not to go out," Frieren replied calmly.
"No, that was—" Flamme wanted to argue that it was just to avoid disturbing Kurtz and Serie, interfering with her time alone with Kurtz, but it was too late to say anything now. "No, never mind. It's my fault."
The brief conversation ended, and the room fell silent again.
After a while, Frieren finally looked up. This time, she finally seemed to notice Flamme's abnormality.
Her eyes were red, and her whole being exuded a clear aura of sadness, even stronger than last night.
This intense emotional fluctuation, even for someone as emotionally dull as Frieren, was clearly perceptible.
She tilted her head, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes, temporarily overriding her hunger.
"Flamme?" she asked softly, her tone cautious. "Why are you crying again?"
At her question, Flamme's nose stung, and she almost shed tears again.
She quickly turned her head away, forcing a smile. "N-no! It's just windy outside, and sand got in my eyes."
The excuse was so clumsy that even she didn't believe it.
Frieren watched her quietly, saying nothing.
Finally, she spoke again: "Did you meet Lady Serie and Teacher Kurtz?"
Flamme's body stiffened abruptly, and she looked at Frieren in disbelief: "How did you know?"
Frieren's expression remained unchanged, merely stating a fact: "The scent on you has their magical residue, and what could make you so sad is probably only something related to them."
Frieren remembered that last night, when Flamme was describing meeting an unbeatable opponent, she had used Serie and Kurtz as examples, and Flamme's reaction had proven that it was indeed related to these two.
Now that Flamme was acting so distressed again, it was clear it was the same issue.
Frieren was only slow-witted, not unperceptive.
Flamme, whose secret had been exposed, leaned weakly against the door, slowly sliding to the floor, covering her face with her hands, and the suppressed sobs finally could no longer be held back.
"Mm," her voice was muffled, "I met them. They were together, looking very intimate."
Hearing her say this, Frieren's face remained expressionless, but her eyes seemed even more confused.
She couldn't fully understand why Flamme was so sad.
In her understanding, it was perfectly normal for Lady Serie and Teacher Kurtz to have a good relationship. After all, they had been together for thousands of years and had long since developed an incredible understanding.
She thought for a moment, trying to comfort her in her own way: "Lady Serie and Teacher Kurtz have always been together. For a very, very long time."
Her meaning was that their good relationship was the norm, and there was no need to be sad about it.
But this blunt truth, heard by Flamme, was nothing short of another blow.
'Yes, they had been together for a long time, possessing a tacit understanding and bond accumulated over countless years, a distant gap that she could never hope to bridge in her lifetime.'
Thinking of this, her tears flowed even more fiercely.
Frieren looked at her crying so sadly and appeared somewhat at a loss.
She hesitated for a moment, climbed off the bed, and walked barefoot to Flamme's side. Then she squatted down.
She reached out and gently patted Flamme's head. This was the closest gesture of comfort she could think of at the moment.
"Don't cry." Frieren's voice was still without much fluctuation. "Being hungry is the most uncomfortable."
Flamme was made to laugh and cry by her overly practical comfort, and some of her sad emotions were indeed dispersed.
She looked up at the serious-faced, white-haired elf girl in front of her, and a sense of guilt surged again.
"I'm sorry, Frieren. I promised to get you breakfast, but I forgot."
Frieren shook her head, indicating she didn't mind.
Her attention seemed to be drawn to the tears on Flamme's face. She reached out a finger and curiously touched one.
A warm wetness came from her fingertip.
"Human tears," she murmured, "is it because your heart feels hungry?"
Flamme stared at her blankly, unsure how to answer for a moment.
Frieren withdrew her hand, looked at her, and said very seriously: "Although I don't quite understand, I can give you this."
As she spoke, she fumbled in her pocket and indeed pulled out a candy wrapped in a special leaf, offering it to Flamme.
This was a specialty of her village, a delicacy that only elves could enjoy. Now, Frieren only had this one left.
She had always been reluctant to eat it, but after seeing Flamme so sad, she still gave it to her.
Looking at the strange candy quietly resting in Frieren's palm, and at her pure green eyes, the painful emotions swirling in Flamme's heart suddenly and strangely calmed down a lot.
She took the candy, holding it in her palm. The rustling texture of the leaf brought a faint sense of reality.
"Thank you, Frieren," she said softly. Although her voice was still hoarse, her emotions had stabilized.
Perhaps Frieren didn't understand those complex emotions, but her pure care and sharing, at this moment, comforted the heart more than any words.
Flamme took a deep breath, stood up, and pulled Frieren up as well.
"Let's go," she forced a smile. "I'll take you to eat. You can have anything you want."
As for those tangled thoughts, she would just put them aside for a little while.
[End of Chapter]
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