Unlocking the mysteries of the dragonstone was no simple task.
Even with Sio having pre-translated the Dragon Language inscriptions on the back, Farengar still needed time to study and comprehend them.
…And that was for a court wizard to make progress, let alone ordinary mages.
In light of Sio and Kaye’s “contributions” to Whiterun, Jarl Balgruuf even instructed the steward to prepare guest rooms for them in Dragonsreach.
This was a rare stroke of good fortune.
It meant…
Sio could spend more time soaking in the library!
“The Great War, Ancestors of the Dunmer, Knights of the Nine, The Book of the Dragonborn…” Watching Sio mutter to herself while standing on her tiptoes to pull books from the shelves, Kaye simply leaned his back against the wall, silently watching the girl before him.
When they had first emerged from Bleak Falls Barrow, she had been complaining about being dead tired, but now she was like a completely different person.
How did that saying go?
Immersed in the ocean of knowledge…
Though they had been traveling companions for less than a week, in his eyes, Sio’s petite silhouette already felt…
familiar.
Yes, familiar.
It was an indescribable feeling.
For instance, if he were to wake up one day and find her gone from his side, Kaye would feel a sense of loss.
He had thought he was used to solitude and would never form such a close bond with anyone again.
Even when he was being captured, he had sworn revenge with curses as sharp as swords, but…
If he hadn’t met that girl who suddenly appeared in the abandoned prison, perhaps he would have accepted…
death.
Perhaps this was the arrangement of fate.
Under this strange destiny that brought them together, then…
Kaye felt he needed to talk more with Sio.
After all, the child’s thirst for knowledge was immense.
He…
shouldn’t continue to hide his past from her.
…Those past events that he still remembered.
“Sio.” Kaye was not an indecisive person, so he spoke up to call her.
“Eh?
What’s wrong?
Do you want me to tell you a story?” Sio stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.
Soon, a mischievous smirk played on the white-haired girl’s lips, and she made a move to pull ‘The Lusty Argonian Maid’ out of her backpack.
She seemed quite keen on reading such erotic publications aloud; she probably found it “amusing”!
“Maybe I’m the one who wants to tell a story?
Do you have a moment?” Kaye smiled, pulled over a chair, and sat at the table.
The white-haired girl blinked, tilted her head curiously, and sat down beside Kaye.
She was curious.
Curious about what kind of story this man, who had never proactively mentioned his past, would want to tell her.
“Do you…
have family?” The moment the question left his mouth, Kaye felt he had said the wrong thing.
This girl had amnesia; how could she know what happened to her family?
But Sio only looked up slightly, thought for a moment, and then responded.
“I probably do.
But even if they’re still alive, they’d be in High Rock.
Very, very far away.” The girl’s tone was calm; clearly, she didn’t dwell on it much.
Thinking too much would only lead to confusion, so she let the past be like smoke.
“They must care about you a lot, given the excellent education they gave you.” Kaye smiled, turning the conversation to himself.
“I once had a family too.
I had a mother, but she was gone before I could remember.
It was my adoptive father who raised me.” “Then I guess your adoptive father must have been a Nord?” Sio rested her chin on her hand.
“You have many Nord habits, but you don’t look like one!
Right?” “Yes, my adoptive father, Brinya, was a hunter.
Before adopting me, he served in the Imperial Legion.
My combat skills, my knowledge of wilderness survival…
he taught me all of it.” “Then do I have a chance…
oh no, sorry.” Sio had been grinning, about to ask if she’d have a chance to meet Kaye’s adoptive father, but then she realized the…
common trope!
Someone as unique as Kaye wouldn’t have a happy family!
The ‘lone star’ backstory was the norm!
Besides, since he suddenly brought it up, his adoptive father had likely already gone to Sovngarde!
“It’s alright.
I came to terms with it back then.
At least the skills he taught me won’t disappear; that’s enough.” “Mhm, you’re practically a genius when it comes to fighting!
It’s all thanks to you along the way!” Sio smiled and patted Kaye’s shoulder, trying her best to lighten the awkward topic.
“If there’s a chance, would you teach me later?
I’m telling you, I’m a very fast learner!
Miss Sio is exceptionally brilliant!” Looking at Sio’s attempt to liven the atmosphere, even though it was a bit forced, her intention could not be ignored.
Kaye looked into the girl’s emerald-green eyes and reached up to touch the red facial markings on his face.
“Then can the brilliant Miss Sio recognize these markings?” Yes, this was what he truly wanted to clarify with Sio.
The girl’s smile faded as her gaze swept over the red lines on her companion’s face.
She traced Kaye’s cheek with her fingertip; the markings had merged into the texture of his skin, like a brand etched into his flesh.
And Sio, well-versed in all kinds of knowledge and culture, could distinguish what remained of the patterns if she looked closely.
“A Daedric Prince.
I’d guess Mehrunes Dagon.
But it doesn’t look like the mark of the Mythic Dawn…
strange…” Sio hesitated for a moment before identifying the source of the markings.
She couldn’t help but bite her fingertip, her brow furrowing in thought.
There was indeed someone related to the Mythic Dawn opening a museum in Dawnstar, but that clearly had nothing to do with Kaye, and that plot hadn’t even started yet!
“It is indeed somewhat…
similar.
But also different.
It was another sect, the Blood-Soaked Dawn.
And I…” Looking into Sio’s eyes filled with doubt, Kaye was momentarily at a loss for words, but eventually, he found his resolve.
“I was deeply involved in it.
But I am trying to draw a line between myself and the past, in my own way…” Before Kaye could finish, Sio reached out and pressed her finger against his lips, signaling him to stop.
“Of course I know about them, and I know about you.
If you really still acted like a Dagon cultist…” Sio narrowed her eyes and sized him up for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
Her finger traced down her chest, finally stopping at the position of her heart.
The rounded curves of the girl’s chest rose and fell as her finger passed.
The circle she drew perfectly encompassed her heart.
“Miss Sio’s heart wouldn’t be safe, would it?” Her heart, huh.
Watching the bright smile blooming on the girl’s face, Kaye was stunned for a moment.
He…
understood the sentiment.
It sounded like a joke, but it was the way this child was accustomed to expressing herself.
Just as he was trying to draw a line with his past, Sio was using this kind of joke to protect his heart.
“Saying things like that…
can be a bit dangerous.” “Oh?
Then I’m going to say something even more dangerous.” Sio’s mouth curled; clearly, she had a wicked idea in mind.
“Miss Sio, you see, cares very much about the companion she values.
If he doesn’t follow her wishes, she has countless ways to make him behave~” “Then I shall try my best not to make this young lady angry.” Kaye smiled, playing along with Sio’s performance, and reached out to stroke her hair.
“That’s for the best!
After all, Miss Sio is both beautiful and…
wicked.” Without realizing it, Sio had leaned her body close to Kaye.
Her breath brushed past his ear, and her hands unconsciously wrapped around his neck.
She wanted to say more, but her body went soft first.
Just…
getting closer, and closer still.
Letting her own breath blend completely into his.
The study…
was perfectly fine.
After all, right now…
no one would come to disturb them.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”