Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 477: Playing Innocent ()

~Present Day

"Veah!" Xenon called from somewhere down the hall.

Neveah did not pay him any heed, she just kept walking till she exited the castle.

Neveah was just about mounting her horse when Xenon caught up with her, taking hold of her hand before she could climb astride her horse.

"Hey...hey, I’m sorry... I’m sorry..." Xenon apologized earnestly, tugging Neveah’s arm gently so she turned to face him.

"Lord Xenon, I am currently indisposed. If you would not mind, I have duties to attend to." Neveah said in a blank monotone.

The cold chill in Neveah’s tone astonished Xenon and terrified him at the same time.

"Veah...do not be like that with me. I have not seen you in a year... give me a minute at least." Xenon reasoned.

Neveah was quiet for a moment, thinking over it before she conceded.

She passed the reins of her horse over to Caleb who had brought the horse over and then she lead the way through the castle grounds.

Xenon followed behind Neveah in silence till they got to a wooden bench set in a secluded part of the courtyard.

Neveah took a sit first, still staring ahead blankly.

Xenon breathed a heavy sigh, his heart tight with apprehension and worry as he took a seat beside Neveah.

For a moment, the two remained in silence, throughout which Xenon kept sneaking glances over at Neveah to gauge her mood.

"I see you are really mad at me." Xenon murmured, his tone guilty.

Neveah did not respond, there was really nothing to say. At this point, she had gotten enough time to think things over and there was no longer anything she still held onto.

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you at me exactly?" Xenon asked but was quick to grasp Neveah’s hand again when she made to get up to her feet.

"Okay... okay, I believe I can answer that for myself." Xenon withdrew his question.

"I should have come sooner... I should have...I am truly sorry, Neveah." Xenon apologised.

Neveah had not expected those words from Xenon and she scoffed quietly beneath her breath.

"And you truly believe that is why I am angry at you? Because you did not show up nor remembered to pick up a pen and send word in twelve months?" Neveah asked in disbelief.

Xenon winced slightly as Neveah stretched out the year to twelve months which made it sound all the more accusing.

"If you did not come, then it goes without saying that you must have had your reasons. I am not in any position to question your decisions, Lord Xenon, neither am I petty enough to be angered by that."

"You said you would come... You never did say it would be soon or how long it would take and I equally held no expectations...I believe I have had enough of that." Neveah asserted.

Xenon was now confused, if Neveah was not furious at him for not keeping his promise to come to her in time, then what exactly was it that angered her?

"If not...then why do you walk away from me?" Xenon asked in confusion.

Neveah ran a hand through her hair, passing Xenon a look.

"You really do not know, do you?" Neveah asked with a shake of her head.

Xenon shook his head slightly to show he had no idea of his wrong.

"When I left Dragon Keep... I made a pact with myself to find my own way, my own place in the stronghold without relying on anyone... what I truly wanted was to forge my own path myself."

"To discover myself and where I fit in, to understand what held value to me and to what cause I wished to commit..." Neveah began.

"I know this, I know your thoughts, Veah." Xenon said quietly.

"Do you really? Because I doubt that you do, Xenon." Neveah said with a shake of her head.

"Veah... I... I do not understand..." Xenon said uncertainly.

"In the first month here, I took an interest in healing... father let me work with the healers as an assistant, it was nothing deep... I was only exploring my options at the time." Neveah began,

"Do you know what happened then?" Neveah asked, raising a brow when Xenon’s expression changed slightly.

"I received an invitation for a much coveted place in the healers academy, at a time way past the enrollment period... somehow, the academy already knew all about me and an exception was made to scout me for an already fully enrolled class year." Neveah said, her tone blanked.

Xenon’s gaze was completely lost, perfectly playing out innocence, as though he had no idea what Neveah was talking about.

"I turned down the offer, of course." Neveah carried on, she wanted to see how long Xenon could keep up his act.

"Imagine my surprise when barely a few days later, the deputy head physician at the infirmary was transferred to another fort, leaving behind a recommendation to my father for me to take the position..." Neveah carried on.

At this point, Xenon had intertwined both his hands, his fingers playing with the leather of his gloves and he did not meet Neveah’s gaze at all.

"Again, I turned it down... not that my father would ever have agreed to that, he is well aware of my inexperience... how could I assume such an important position?" Neveah continued.

"Kaideon does not know a thing...he would not see talent even if it hit him in the face, I..." Xenon began to say but cut himself off, recalling in the middle of his sentence that he was not supposed to know anything about what Neveah was saying.

"I realised then that it would be wiser to keep my distance from the healers, and somewhere along the line, I accompanied father to monitor the first flight of the young hatchlings."

"Not long after, the rider academy sent word nominating me to be a flight trainer in White Dunes. Pray tell, what could I possibly know about flight better than the present flight trainer who is might I add...an actual dragon?" Neveah asked pointedly.