Chapter 60
A carriage loaded with gifts headed toward the Monetery territory. Upon arriving at the Monetery mansion, Kyle unpacked his belongings and searched for Blair.
“Our young master is currently at the training grounds,” said the maid, giving directions to the training grounds. She explained that there was a training ground large enough for horseback riding if one went around the mansion. After greeting the Count and Countess, Kyle left the mansion to find Blair.
Upon entering the training grounds, he saw Blair. Seeing him standing in front of a target, his long hair tied back and holding a bow with a serious expression, Kyle felt a throbbing in his head. He frowned. Though this was certainly the first time he had seen Blair shooting a bow, he somehow felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Blair’s concentration was remarkable. Not realizing Kyle had entered, Blair released the bowstring. The arrow instantly tore through the air and split an already embedded arrow in half. The ten arrows he had set aside were quickly depleted. Kyle stood dazed, watching Blair handle the bow. His heart was pounding.
Archery was Blair’s specialty. Although he typically used a sword—the most powerful killing weapon on the battlefield—the weapon most familiar to Blair was the bow. Hitting targets while riding a horse was nothing to him.
His physical strength had definitely improved since first returning to the past. Even after shooting fifty arrows, his left arm didn’t tremble. After setting down the bow, Blair clenched and unclenched his fist several times. He could feel the blood flowing to his fingertips. Being indoors, the training ground was somewhat sheltered from the outside cold. Still, it wasn’t particularly warm. His fingertips were stiff with cold.
The scattered arrows would be collected by others. Blair put away the bow and turned around.
“Lord Kyle?”
Blair, having noticed the person in the training grounds, looked puzzled before his expression relaxed.
“You could have made your presence known. You must have been bored watching.”
Blair approached Kyle with a slight smile. Only then did Kyle come to his senses, clapping his hands in surprise. Kyle’s face turned pink. The sound of his applause echoed throughout the spacious training ground.
“No, your skill was so excellent that I just kept watching. It’s amazing.”
“It’s just a minor talent.”
Blair dismissed it casually as he left the training ground.
“Since we only take swordsmanship class together, this is the first time I’ve seen you handle a bow. Did you learn that at the Academy too?”
“Well, I suppose you could say that.”
Though it wasn’t true, Blair deflected the question. There was no point explaining the whole story since Kyle wouldn’t understand anyway.
“Blair, you have so many talents.”
“Haha, not at all. I just do what I enjoy. Actually, I consider myself quite lazy.”
Upon hearing the words “what I enjoy,” Kyle’s heart began to flutter intensely.
He wanted to ask: Why did you say that to your sister, Blair? Would you dislike it if I died? Feeling the intent gaze, Blair looked at Kyle’s face. As he met Blair’s calm purple eyes, the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Kyle pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“By the way, your hair has grown quite long. It must be uncomfortable, are you alright with it?”
Blair gestured as he closed his book with a thud.
“Is that so?”
Hearing Blair’s words, Kyle fiddled with his bangs that covered his eyebrows. Indeed, Kyle’s curly hair had grown so long it almost poked his eyes.
“Shall I cut it for you?”
“You can cut hair?”
Kyle’s face brightened. He particularly disliked having others touch his hair. While he had no choice but to let someone else cut the back of his head, he usually tried to trim his bangs himself. Of course, Blair was technically another person, but he was fine with him.
“I happen to be quite skilled at many things. There’s nothing I can’t do.”
With that smile, Blair picked up the ends of Kyle’s soft hair with his fingertips. His hair had indeed grown quite long. It had been a while since his last trim, as his hair almost completely covered his nape. It definitely needed cutting. Though his hair texture was soft and beautiful enough that it would look good tied back, Kyle suited a neater hairstyle that revealed part of his forehead.
Blair seated Kyle in a chair and tied a large cloth around his neck to prevent hair from falling onto his clothes. As he handled the hair, Blair’s cold hands occasionally brushed against Kyle’s nape. After retrieving scissors, Blair picked up a section of hair with practiced ease.
As he held the scissors, memories from the past resurfaced vividly. He used to sit Kyle down and cut his untidy hair while engaging in casual conversation. At first, he had done a rather poor job, but his skill improved with practice.
Blair ran his hand gently through Kyle’s hair. The soft strands rustled as they slipped through his fingers.
Blair’s touch was neither awkward nor unpleasant. Rather, it felt very familiar. Though this was clearly a first-time experience, Kyle experienced déjà vu, as if Blair had cut his hair this way before. Blair began cutting Kyle’s hair with skillful scissor work.
Even though he could feel the cold metal moving across the back of his neck, Kyle wasn’t nervous at all. Instead, Blair’s hand brushing against his nape sent shivers throughout his body. After cutting the back and exposing his nape, Blair’s hands moved to the front. Whenever he touched the hair to gauge its length, his hand brushed against Kyle’s sensitive ears. Kyle’s earlobes slowly turned red. Blair pretended not to notice and continued cutting Kyle’s hair. His hands moved naturally in this familiar situation.
As Blair’s hand moved from the crown to the area near Kyle’s ears, Kyle’s heart began to pound loudly. The sound was so loud that he worried Blair might hear it.
[To be continued in the next installment…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
