How did she end up in this situation?
The two children now sat under a big tree.
Irene sat stiffly, completely frozen with embarrassment, looking anywhere but at the boy beside her.
Her hands still clutched her half-eaten loaf of bread, as if it were her last protection.
A moment ago, he had been leaving.
A moment ago, they weren't even this close.
Now the distance between them had shrunk to almost nothing.
Adrian, meanwhile, was staring at her.
Staring intensely.
His eyes traced every detail ,
her face, her clothes, her posture, the way she breathed.
He studied her like she was a puzzle.
Which of course made Irene extremely uncomfortable.
"…Are you done?"
"Done what?"
"...You've been staring at me for a while now…"
"I'm waiting for you to say something."
"…Say what?"
"You said you had something to tell me."
Oh… right… silly me
She swallowed, then finally asked:
"…Are you… from a different village?"
Adrian hesitated for a moment.
Then he answered:
"Something like that."
"…"
The atmosphere fell quiet again.
Filled with unspoken thoughts…
and too many questions left in the air.
Is it rude if I ask what happened yesterday? But im curious
He said it should be a secret… but I have the right to know, right?
"Were you… hungry…?" Irene asked quietly.
"…What?"
"Yesterday…"
No matter how much she think about it, it was strange.
Her voice shrank as she spoke, her face heating with embarrassment.
Why did she ask it like that?
Why did she sound so awkward?
Does she think I looked like someone hungry for the taste of human flesh????
Adrian didn't answer.
He looked genuinely confused , and also like he was searching for an excuse.
Irene swallowed hard, trying not to cringe at herself.
Then, to his surprise, she lifted her arm…
And offered him the half loaf of bread she'd been holding…
"…I couldn't eat all of it," she states quietly, eyes dropping.
"So… here."
She held it toward him with both hands …
The small, dry loaf sat between them
like the simplest, most innocent peace offering in the world.
Oh Irene…
As if she was born only to embarrass herself,
Irene couldn't believe she'd just done it again.
Adrian froze at the sight of the offered bread.
For a moment, he didn't move at all.
Then he slowly lifted his hand and accepted it.
"…Thank you," he said.
Then for the first time since they met,
he gave her a gentle smile.
It was small.
Soft.
Irene felt her face heat up instantly.
A smile like that
from a boy with that kind of look
was dangerous.
She quickly looked away, pretending to focus on anything else.
Her heart beat just a little faster…
"…You must be popular with children in your village."
"Pardon?"
The statement left Adrian completely puzzled.
Irene slowly drifted her gaze upward, finally meeting his eyes again.
Now that they were this close, Adrian got a better look at her bandaged arm.
He didn't have medicine.
He didn't bring gold.
He hadn't planned anything.
He came here only to apologize… and realized too late that he should've brought something to treat her wound….
Noticing his gaze on her arm again, Irene spoke quickly:
"It's fine. It'll heal in a few days. Gone as if it never existed!"
"…"
Oh… come to think of it… we never exchanged names.
"…It's late but… can I ask for your name?" Irene asked.
"My name?"
"Yes, I wanted to get closer to you?" she said, tilting her head.
"…Why do you want to know?"
Why wouldn't I want to know? I'm curious about you?
"Has anyone told you that you have a strange way of answering questions?" Irene sighed.
"I figured."
This kid…
"Okay, my strange friend I just made, Call me Irene."
Friend?
The word struck something in Adrian's chest.
He froze.
"…What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"…No," Adrian replied softly. "I'm Adrian."
"Adrian…"
Adrian stayed quiet.
Adrian stared at the ground, looking deep in thought,
"At first I thought you were a noble from the way you dress," Irene said casually.
"Adrian… but that doesn't really sound like a noble's name."
She said it with a soft, warm smile
gentle enough to reach him even in silence.
Yet that smile was powerful.
It left Adrian completely frozen.
He went silent, eyes widening as he stared at the girl in front of him.
Friends.
Oh… right.
Friends.
To Irene's surprise, Adrian suddenly gave her a gentle smile in return.
A smile so unexpected that Irene's face flushed again on the spot.