Encounter (3)
It was too late in the morning to call it early. Freesia frowned at the sharp glare of sunlight stabbing through her eyelids and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the clear blue sky beyond the window. When she turned over, there was the sly little brat, breathing evenly in deep sleep. Freesia reached out and poked Cael’s cheek with her index finger.
His features were solidly masculine, with strong lines. Yet seeing him like this—completely unaware, lost in innocent slumber—he looked exactly like a boy his age. Remembering the heated night before, Freesia felt her cheeks warm slightly. I never imagined I’d end up sleeping with someone eight years younger than me.
After letting her thoughts wander for a moment, she checked the time. Nine twenty. If she was going to feed him breakfast before sending him off, she should probably get up. She stretched languidly, and as she sat up the blanket slid away, revealing her pale, bare body. She grabbed the robe that had been tossed on the floor, covering herself as she headed for the shower. Then, as if remembering something, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“I know you’re awake, so you might as well stop pretending.”
A moment later, the sound of the shower running filled the room. Only then did Cael sit up, rubbing his eyes. In truth, he had woken up before her, but he hadn’t known what to do with himself, so he’d kept pretending to sleep. She had seen right through him. And the image of her snow-white naked form from when she’d risen earlier was still burned into his mind. Hopefully she hadn’t noticed him secretly peeking.
“A café latte and pancakes with maple syrup for me. What about you?”
“I’ll have an iced mocha and egg toast, please.”
The two of them had left the motel and ordered a simple breakfast at a nearby café. It wasn’t particularly early, but since it was the weekend the place was still quiet inside. Cael still felt like he was half-dreaming. Seeing her again in the daylight made it hard to believe he had actually spent the night with someone so beautiful.
Her dark red hair fell in a short bob with gentle curls at the ends. The slight upward tilt of her eyes gave her a sharp impression, but her clear, warm orange irises softened that edge considerably. Overall, she came across as kind and gentle. And beneath that lovely face was…
Cael’s gaze flicked toward Freesia’s chest. The moment memories of the body he had seen last night—and again this morning in the bright light—began to surface, Freesia’s finger flicked hard against his forehead.
The force behind the snap was unbelievable coming from such slender fingers. As Cael clutched his forehead and groaned, Freesia let out a laugh that suggested she was both amused and exasperated.
“You perverted little brat. Staring at weird places first thing in the morning?”
“That’s not—I didn’t mean to.”
At Cael’s half-hearted excuse, Freesia found herself nodding without thinking. Well, boys his age could be like that. To ease the awkward atmosphere, she exaggeratedly covered her chest with both arms.
“Perverted little brat. You saw everything last night and it still wasn’t enough? Should I have calmed you down again this morning?”
“W-what are you saying?!”
Cael’s face turned bright red as he yelped in embarrassment. Freesia laughed for a long time. What am I going to do? This is too much fun. And way too cute.
“Aww, is the baby sulking?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not sulking.”
Whether from his expression or his tone, he was clearly pouting. She may have teased him a bit too much, but his reactions were just too entertaining. Even now, seeing that sullen face made her want to poke at him more. It was also adorable how the same boy who had been so bold in bed was now jumping at the slightest playful jab.
“But is that really going to be enough for you? You can order more if you’re still hungry.”
Freesia tilted her head as she watched Cael eat his egg toast.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t usually eat that much for breakfast, so this is plenty.”
Hmm… Considering the body she had seen on him yesterday, that little piece of toast probably wouldn’t even register. She had no idea how much he would need to actually feel full.
“By the way, do you work out or something?”
She had been curious ever since seeing his physique the night before. It didn’t look like the kind of body you got from casual exercise, but prying too deeply into someone’s occupation on a first meeting felt rude.
“Something like that. I’m a knight.”
The casual remark made Freesia’s eyes widen slightly. The sturdier-than-expected build she had seen yesterday. The faint scars that occasionally caught the light. She had found it strange that anyone still carried visible scars in this day and age, but now it made sense. Wounds caused by mana didn’t fade easily.
Freesia studied Cael again with renewed interest. He was the complete opposite of the delicate boy who had gotten along so well with Lucia yesterday. His features were bold and masculine, and his body had clearly been honed over many years. She tried to picture him wearing a knight order’s nanosuit over that frame.
It actually suits him surprisingly well.
Knights were elite close-combat specialists the Federation raised with great care to face alien assault weapons and high-ranking species that regular infantry could never handle. She had heard that to be formally appointed as a regular knight, one had to be capable of single-handedly annihilating an entire marine company. Knights ranked squad leader or higher could even go one-on-one against the Holy Theocracy’s assault weapons—the Angels.
A single Angel was a strategic weapon capable of wiping out an entire battleship’s marine battalion and rendering the ship combat-ineffective. The Federation’s finest elite soldiers were those who could face such threats alone.
“And someone like that couldn’t even dodge one flick from this noona?”
Even if he was still a candidate, the idea that one of the best specialists in the field would groan in pain from a mere finger flick was hard to believe. Cael protested that it was real, but Freesia’s skeptical gaze didn’t waver. If he were a true knight, he should have been able to dodge something like that or at least not flinch.
Eventually Cael let out a small sigh and gathered his mana. A crackling sound followed as blue electricity bloomed at his fingertips.
“Since you said you were a captain, I thought you might recognize this.”
The current was vivid, yet the surrounding mana remained strangely calm. At the same time, it was too powerful to be circuit magic channeled through a terminal. This was the mana manipulation used by knights, who drew power from within their own bodies rather than borrowing from external sources like mages or spirit users. It was undeniable proof. Freesia nodded, visibly surprised.
So he really was a knight. But that flick earlier…
“I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal and took it. But your strength, ma’am…”
He had accepted the finger flick thinking it would be cute coming from such slender, elegant fingers, but the pain had been so sharp it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Pfft. I’m part beastman, you know.”
Thanks to her mixed blood, Freesia wasn’t as strong as a pureblood beastman, but she was still incomparably stronger than any elf or human. She had known it intellectually, but his delicate, beautiful features had made her forget. And since she had never actually hit him before, he hadn’t known the extent of her power either.
“So which order do you belong to?”
Being a knight didn’t mean they were all in the same organization. There were many different knight orders under the central knight headquarters.
“I belong to the Salvation Knights.”
“Oh my, really?”
Among the many orders, the two most famous were undoubtedly the Salvation Knights and the Doomsday Knights.
The Salvation Knights were defensive specialists stationed on friendly capital ships to repel enemy boarding parties. The Doomsday Knights were offensive specialists who infiltrated and seized enemy vessels. Since their primary purpose was to counter enemy special forces of equal caliber, both orders possessed greater power than any other knight unit in the Federation.
This kid?
Even when he said he was a knight she had been skeptical, but hearing he was with the Salvation Knights made her even more doubtful. Could this clumsy, adorable little brat really protect a ship from an enemy nation’s special forces in an emergency?
It felt like discovering that the impressive soldier uncles from her childhood were actually just fresh-faced privates.
A light silence settled between the two as they left the café and headed for the taxi stand. They had been chatting nonstop about various things until they left the café, but Cael had fallen into deep thought and stopped speaking. His expression kept shifting, suggesting his mind was quite busy. Not wanting to disturb him, Freesia left him alone and busied herself answering messages from friends on her terminal and checking her densely packed schedule.
Before she knew it, they had reached the taxi stand.
“Get home safely. Last night… was really nice.”
The memory made Freesia’s cheeks flush again. Thinking back on it, it really was something. A one-night stand with someone eight years younger. If Laura or Lucia found out, they would faint from shock. The kids would laugh their heads off and tease her endlessly. She definitely couldn’t tell anyone about today.
Cael, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly turned around as if he had come to a decision. He looked straight at Freesia.
“What?”
When she tilted her head in confusion, Cael took a small deep breath. He couldn’t let things end like this. There were too many regrets.
“Ma’am. Could I possibly get your contact information?”
Freesia’s mouth fell open, just like when they had first met at the bar the night before. She had not expected that at all.
“Um… I’m thirty-four, you know?”
Freesia was thirty-four. Cael was twenty-six—eight years younger. Age-gap relationships were no longer rare; they had become fairly common centuries after such pairings were once taboo. Still, they weren’t exactly mainstream. Even after her somewhat gentle refusal, Cael showed no sign of backing down. Freesia let out a small internal sigh.
In truth, the age difference was just an excuse. Regardless of her feelings, she had to turn him down.
“I’m really happy that you think so well of me, but I can’t give you my contact information.”
Cael looked like he didn’t understand. He didn’t have much experience with women, but from what he could tell, Freesia wasn’t the type to sleep around. Everything about her aura suggested she was far from that sort of person. Yet she had gone along with his second suggestion and even spent the night with him. He had thought she must feel at least some affection for him. Had he been mistaken?
In reality, Freesia did feel a slight attraction to Cael. Otherwise she would never have spent the night with him. He seemed like a good person, he was handsome, and the thought of dating him didn’t seem bad at all, but—
“I have to deploy again in a few days.”
It had already been nearly two months since Freesia had returned to port. Her long vacation was almost over; soon she would have to leave for another deployment that would last nearly a year.
“We’ve only known each other for a single day. Even if I gave you my contact information, we wouldn’t be able to meet. I’m going to be very busy from now on.”
She had used her spare time to prepare, but there were still things she needed to check before deployment. Yesterday she had simply enjoyed the last holiday with her friends. Starting tomorrow, her vacation was effectively over.
“You’d have to wait an entire year. Do you really think you could do that? That’s why I can’t give you my contact information.”
Of course, they could meet in virtual spaces, but they had only just met today. Was it really worth going that far?
Besides, repeated breakups caused by long-distance relationships had left her somewhat jaded about romance. Especially after her last partner had turned out to be a two-timing bastard.
Once more time had passed and her wounds had healed, maybe things would be different. But for now, she wanted to put dating on hold.
Cael, unaware of these circumstances, didn’t look convinced. In the end, Freesia let out a soft sigh and left him a small ray of hope.
“If you still feel the same way when I’m on leave next time… then I’ll seriously consider dating you.”