Chapter 123 Unintended Invitation (1/2)
CHAPTER 123
UNINTENDED INVITATION
”No way? Really? You never had a boyfriend?” Lino asked walking at a brisk pace, a faint smile hanging on his face, his eyes glistening. ”That's impossible! You're way too cute!”
”It is forbidden.” Freya replied somewhat shyly, trying to avoid his gaze.
”Haii, how loathsome one is to forbid love?” Lino lamented flamboyantly, stringing his arm around Freya's shoulder. ”Can you imagine it? The world... the entire world forbidden to love. Children mourn on streets for their papas and mamas dumped them like garbage they are... beautiful, work-maidens ravaged in poverty... a hopeful, young man with blazing heart, unable to express it to his love... and his love, of equal disposition, forever wreathing in loneliness and silence of her small room. Aii, how lonely... how damned does the world sound, no?”
”... you seem rather passionate about love, Mr. Lino.” Freya mumbled meekly as she fought off Lino's arm around her shoulder.
”'course I am!” Lino exclaimed, seemingly unaffected by Freya's feeble attempts to free herself. ”It is through loving one another that we also understand each other, don't you agree?”
”Uh...”
”Of course you do! After all, I can hear your heart bleeding in desire to know more about me!”
”... that is because you are... rather odd.”
”Odd? Is love odd?”
”...”
”Then I am odd,” Lino said. ”Odd like a duck in chicken hen!”
”...”
Meanwhile, a few paces behind the two was another group of four with poor Felix currently being besieged by startlingly hostile gazes of three women. He could almost feel his skin being peeled off by those eyes, his entire soul being exposed and bared open for all to see. He hadn't felt so uncomfortable since that day his young sister caught him naked in a bath.
”... uh... he... my Master means well... I promise...” he said meekly, hardly believing it himself; for the past four hours that they've been traveling with the ladies, Lino's done nothing but talk about love and some other odd stuff.
”Our Lady is innocent in these matters,” one of the women said. ”Should anything happen to her, both you and him will be boiled alive.”
”...”
”I'll go check on her.” another woman said, pulling away from the group and quickly reaching Lino and Freya, immediately piercing herself in-between the two, breaking away Lino's lock on Freya's shoulder in the process.
”Ah, Jane, why have you come here?” Freya asked, her cheeks flushing red.
”Is everything alright, my Lady?” Jane was a rather young woman, perhaps not even twenty just yet, with long, red hair and red eyes and as much beauty as any of her sisters behind her.
”Y-yes... yes... everything is just fine.” Freya said, quickly hiding her expression.
”You...” Jane frowned, looking at Lino with fierceness of a lioness protecting her cub from a predator.
”Me... what?” Lino asked, smiling still.
”Stop feeding our Lady profanities.”
”Are you calling love profane?”
”We all know of what love you speak!”
”... oh? We do? Can you enlighten me, then?” Lino teased.
”... you would have a lady utter such perverse words? You, indeed, are corrupt!” Jane exclaimed, not backing down.
”Perverse words? What perverse words?” Lino asked, seeming confused. ”Love of heart is the purest word of all, bearing no perverse tone or line.”
”How long will you keep up your sham?!” Jane exclaimed somewhat loudly, seemingly losing her patience.