CHAPTER 11
745 Words
SETH'S POV
Training with Jade turned out to be the smoothest and fastest training session I had ever experienced—even faster than my own.
Throughout every session, I noticed her constantly trying to get closer to me. I couldn't tell whether she genuinely wanted to be friends or if she had other intentions. Either way, I kept my distance.
The truth was simple: I liked her.
And because I liked her, I couldn't bring myself to be just her friend.
Whenever we weren't training, she would find excuses to get my attention. During combat practice, she would conveniently stumble toward me or throw herself into situations where I had to catch her. It happened so often that it couldn't have been a coincidence.
Yet I still couldn't understand what she wanted.
Did she like me?
Or was she simply trying to strengthen the relationship between a boss and her assistant?
Opening up to her was difficult. Every time I was around her, I became painfully aware of my feelings. I didn't want her to see me as a friend. I wanted her to see me as someone she could rely on, someone who could protect her, comfort her, and stay by her side for the rest of her life.
I wanted to be someone she admired.
But dreams like that were meaningless if she didn't feel the same way.
One afternoon after training, Jade walked toward me carrying a canned drink.
"Seth, how do you open these cans?" she asked innocently.
I stared at her.
There was no way she couldn't open a simple can. She was stronger than most people in the kingdom.
Still, she stood there struggling with the tab, occasionally biting her lower lip in concentration.
She looked ridiculously cute.
"Seriously, Jade?" I asked. "You can't open a canned drink by yourself?"
I tried my best to keep a straight face and act indifferent, but she simply followed me around with the can in her hands.
"I really can't open it, Seth."
"Really?"
"You know," she said proudly, "I've been a princess since birth."
I almost laughed.
"That's your excuse?"
The smile on her face faded for a moment.
I immediately regretted my words.
The reminder of her past wasn't exactly pleasant. I wanted to apologize, but I kept quiet. I had known her since our college days, and she hated it whenever people treated her differently because of her background.
After a brief silence, she shrugged.
"Yes, really," she said casually, clearly over it. "So can you please help me open it?"
"You're unbelievable."
I took the can and opened it for her.
The moment I handed it back, her face lit up with a brilliant smile.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
That should have been the end of it.
Unfortunately, it was only the beginning.
"Seth, walk me to the restroom. It's dark and I'm scared."
"You're literally a wolf, Jade."
A few hours later—
"Seth, get me coffee."
The next day—
"Seth, drive me home today."
And after that—
"Seth, let's have dinner together. Mom and Dad are away, and I don't want to eat alone."
It went on like that for more than two weeks.
Seth this.
Seth that.
No matter how many excuses I made, she always found a way to pull me into her day.
Eventually, I gave up resisting.
Little by little, I started opening up to her.
We shared meals together. We talked about random things after work. Sometimes we simply sat in comfortable silence.
And for the first time in a long while, I found myself smiling around her.
The first time she saw me smile, she reacted as if she had won the lottery.
She spent the entire day grinning like a child.
To everyone's shock, she announced a twenty-percent salary increase for me and doubled my bonus.
Then she bought lunch and dinner for the entire staff.
Nobody understood why she was so happy.
Only I knew the reason.
Seeing her excitement made something warm settle inside my chest.
If my smile could make her that happy, maybe I should have smiled at her sooner.
Maybe opening up to her wasn't such a bad thing after all.
And if all she wanted was friendship, then perhaps that was enough.
As long as she was happy whenever she was with me, I could live with that.
Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself.
- Writer
