That evening, Solmnaire City was bustling with activity.
The main streets were crowded with people.
Merchants called out to attract customers, wagons passed by without pause, and lamps were already beginning to light up even though the sun had not completely set.
Aether walked slowly beside Lyra, his eyes constantly moving from one direction to another.
He studied every corner of the city as though he were afraid of missing something.
Lyra glanced at him.
“…Don’t tell me you’re trying to memorize everything.”
Aether smiled faintly.
“Yeah. I’m afraid I’ll get lost. Isn’t this city huge?”
Lyra paused.
“…Sometimes you talk like an old man.”
“Maybe.”
“I don’t know.”
Lyra shook her head with a quiet laugh.
They continued searching for an inn.
The first one was fully booked.
The receptionist simply shook her head and said, “Sorry. We’re full.”
The second one had no rooms available either.
“We’re sorry, but all our rooms have been taken.”
At the third inn, the receptionist explained why nearly every room in the city was occupied.
“There’s an Academy entrance exam tomorrow. We’re expecting guests from all over the Regions.”
Lyra let out a long sigh.
“…I’m starting to understand.”
Aether turned toward her.
“Understand what?”
“If we’re even a little late…”
“…we might end up sleeping on the streets tonight.”
Aether looked up at the sky.
“Looks like it’s going to rain too.”
“Exactly.”
They continued walking for almost half an hour before a five-story building appeared at the end of the street.
It had white stone walls, large windows, and crystal lamps hanging above the entrance.
A sign above the door read:
Silver Crest Hotel
Aether looked up.
“…The building looks pretty luxurious.”
Lyra looked at it as well.
“…It looks expensive.”
“Let’s go in.”
“And what if it’s full too?”
“Then we’ll have to keep looking. Better than sleeping on the street.”
As soon as the door opened, the warm scent of sandalwood filled the room.
The lobby had polished marble floors and elegant crystal chandeliers.
Several guests were quietly enjoying dinner while a friendly receptionist stood behind the front desk.
“Welcome. How may I help you?”
Lyra nodded.
“We’d like to book a room.”
The receptionist opened the reservation book and flipped through several pages before giving them an awkward smile.
“…We still have one room available.”
Lyra immediately let out a relieved breath.
“Thank goodness.”
The receptionist continued.
“…However, it’s the Luxury One-Bed Room.”
Lyra froze.
“…The most expensive one?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Three hundred Valt per night.”
The moment she heard the price, Lyra turned toward Aether.
“…Do we even have that much?”
Aether took out the small pouch Roderic had given him and counted the money inside.
“…Looks like we do.”
Lyra stared at the money for a moment.
“…Captain Roderic really is a good person.”
Aether nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Then…”
“…we’ll take it.”
A few minutes later, they reached the fourth floor.
Lyra opened the door.
CLICK.
A spacious room greeted them.
It contained a king-sized bed, two chairs, a table, a large wardrobe, a private bathroom, and a wide window overlooking the entire city of Solmnaire.
Aether let out a quiet whistle.
“…Not bad.”
Lyra walked inside, then stopped when she noticed the bed.
There was only one.
She slowly turned toward Aether.
“Um… you realize, right?”
Aether looked at the bed.
“Yeah. There’s only one bed, so we sleep there.”
“…”
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Aether gave a small laugh.
“Huh?”
“I mean… isn’t it big enough for both of us?”
“That’s still not the point.”
Aether thought for a moment.
“Then what is?”
Lyra sighed.
“We barely know each other, and now we’re supposed to sleep in the same bed.”
“Oh…”
Aether nodded slowly.
“Yeah, that is a little awkward.”
“Exactly. Finally, you get it.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t bite.”
Lyra lightly smacked his arm.
“Who said I was worried about being bitten, you idiot?!”
Lyra grabbed her change of clothes and headed toward the bathroom.
Before entering, she turned around.
“I’m taking a shower first.”
Aether nodded.
“Okay.”
“And don’t peek.”
Aether raised a hand.
“Relax. Even if I have amnesia, I still know how to respect someone’s privacy.”
Lyra nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. I’m going.”
The bathroom door closed.
A little while later, the sound of running water filled the room.
Aether sat near the window and watched the busy streets below.
Several minutes passed before his stomach suddenly growled.
“Grrr…”
He glanced at the wall clock.
“…It’s already late.”
“Lyra’s taking forever.”
“Should I order some food downstairs?”
He stood up and walked toward the bathroom.
“…Lyra?”
There was no answer.
Maybe the water was too loud.
Without thinking much of it, he reached for the doorknob.
CLICK.
The door opened slightly.
“Ly—”
His sentence stopped.
Behind the steam, Lyra, who had been washing her hair, froze.
Their eyes met.
“…”
“…”
Her face turned bright red.
“AAAAAAAAAA!!”
THWACK!
A bar of soap flew straight at him.
Aether caught it on reflex.
“Huh?”
“GET OUT!!”
“Wait—”
“I SWEAR I DIDN’T MEAN TO!”
THWACK!
A shampoo bottle followed, then a bath sponge, and finally a bottle of body wash.
Aether quickly shut the door.
SLAM!
He was still holding the bar of soap.
“…”
A few seconds later, Lyra’s voice came from inside.
“WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT KNOCKING FIRST?!”
Aether rubbed the back of his neck.
“…Yeah. Fair point. I just opened it on reflex.”
“REFLEX, MY ASS!”
“I only wanted to ask about dinner.”
Silence followed.
After a few seconds, Lyra asked more quietly, “…Right now?”
“Yeah.”
“…Give me fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.”
Aether looked down at the soap still in his hand.
“Where do I put this?”
“PUT IT OUTSIDE!”
“Oh. Right.”
“…”
Lyra bit her lip.
She wasn’t sure whether she should be embarrassed or annoyed.
About twenty minutes later, Lyra stepped out while drying her hair.
The moment she saw Aether, she narrowed her eyes.
Aether gave her an awkward smile.
“…Are you still mad?”
Lyra stared at him.
“What do you think?”
“I really didn’t mean to.”
“I know.”
“That’s what makes it so annoying.”
Aether chuckled softly.
“Sorry. Next time, I’ll knock first.”
Lyra nodded.
“Good. That’s more like it.”
Aether walked past her.
Before entering the bathroom, he stopped in front of the door.
TOK.
TOK.
He knocked softly.
“Like this?”
Lyra stared at him for a few seconds before laughing.
“Yeah. Like that.”
“You learn quickly.”
Aether smiled faintly.
“Good thing you only threw soap.”
Lyra crossed her arms. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
“What if I’d thrown the bucket?”
Aether chuckled.
“…Then I probably would’ve learned even faster.”
Lyra laughed quietly again.
After Aether finished showering, they went downstairs to the hotel restaurant.
Dinner was much quieter than the rest of the day.
They had warm soup, bread, and roasted meat while casually talking about Solmnaire, the Academy, and Finn.
Eventually, their conversation became lighter.
As the night grew later, they returned to their room.
Lyra looked at the large bed again and sighed.
“Alright. We’ll split it in half.”
She grabbed a long pillow and placed it directly in the middle of the bed.
“There. This is the border.”
Aether looked at the pillow.
“…What if I accidentally move it?”
“Put it back.”
“What if it falls?”
“Pick it up.”
“What if—”
Lyra pointed at him.
“Enough. No more scenarios. It’s late, and I’m tired.”
Aether laughed softly.
“Okay. I just wanted to make sure.”
Lyra sighed.
“You really are exhausting sometimes.”
“But still tolerable, right?”
Lyra turned her face away.
“…A little.”
The room lights were turned off, leaving the room in darkness.
Several minutes passed before Lyra finally spoke.
“…Aether.”
“Hm?”
“What do you think the Academy will be like?”
Aether stared at the ceiling.
“I don’t know.”
“But…”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“…maybe someone there will know me.”
Lyra fell silent.
“What if no one does?”
Aether smiled faintly.
“Then I’ll have to start from the beginning again.”
“Just like I did in Nareth.”
Lyra smiled as well.
“…Yeah.”
“But this time…”
“…you won’t be alone.”
Silence returned.
Before long, both of them fell asleep.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gap between the curtains.
Aether slowly opened his eyes.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then he felt something against his arm.
He turned his head.
“…”
The pillow that had served as their border had fallen onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Lyra had somehow shifted in her sleep and was now resting against Aether’s arm.
Her face looked much calmer than it had in the previous days.
Aether stared at her for a few seconds before smiling faintly.
Careful not to wake her, he gently moved a few strands of her messy hair away from her face.
“Good morning…”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Lyra, however, was already half-awake.
Her eyes slowly opened.
It took a few seconds before she realized how they were positioned.
“…”
“…”
Her face immediately turned bright red.
She quickly looked down.
Her arm was still wrapped around Aether’s.
Aether hadn’t crossed any boundary.
She was the one who had moved in her sleep.
Lyra froze.
She was so embarrassed that, for a moment, she forgot to move.
Aether let out a quiet chuckle.
“I guess…”
“…the border didn’t hold.”
Lyra immediately covered her face with the pillow.
“Don’t talk about it…”
“Please…”
Aether laughed softly.
“Okay. I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
Lyra peeked out from behind the pillow.
“…Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“…Thanks.”
For some reason, that answer made her feel much calmer.
For the first time since the tragedy in Nareth…
she truly laughed.
And without either of them realizing it…
a new journey had already begun.
— END OF CHAPTER 1 —
END OF CHAPTER 1!!
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