Page 27 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

After leaving Astin to pass on the info to the other knights, I lean back when I notice Walkyer making his way down the path. I sit forward and tell the taxi driver to stop, and he pulls over near my brother.

Walkyer dresses casually, wearing a blue tank top beneath his open black blouse. He puts his hands in the pockets of his dark blue denim jeans, and his bright blue eyes narrow when he notices me heading towards him.

Walkyer hates me. It’s obvious when he bows his head, and his icy blue fringe escapes his braided ponytail. At least Emmerton can meet my gaze when we talk or briefly pass each other. Walkyer usually ignores me.

It doesn’t bother me, considering I enjoy irritating him. But it’s disappointing to know my flesh and blood may think I can harm him. Yet again, I would sink my fist into Emmerton’s chest if he pushed me far enough off the edge.

Double-edged sword.

“What are you doing on this side of town?” Walkyer asks. “Surely you aren’t here to annoy me.”

“Sometimes,” I muse, earning a leering look from Walkyer. “But no, I was heading to the castle and thought you would love my company.”

Walkyer examines me, trying to act casual, but he fails. He’s curious about what game I’m playing, especially since everyone knows I enjoy games. However, he is not as skilled as I am. He can’t hide his true feelings. He looks at me with disdain and disgust.

I used to wonder if it was because I’m from a different ethnic background. However, when he speaks to Mother, there’s only adoration and respect in his words and a sincere love for a mother, clear in his wavering blue eyes.

No. Walkyer dislikes me because I’m not an heir to the king but a knight. He would love for me to have the crown so he could search for his true love. Instead, he runs errands, listens to a mad king, and learns everything he needs to know before becoming one. It’s a tiring task, especially for an elemny who wants nothing more than a family to settle down with and lead a calm, boring life.

Walkyer is a walking water elemny stigma.

“Did you have any luck finding love?” I ask, more to grate on his nerves.

Walkyer presses his lips inward before admitting, “There are plenty of beautiful women in the Kingdom of Flesh. However, by saying this, they clearly want me because of my status, or their personalities just don’t suit me.”

“Why don’t you date online?”

“Because many lie. You need to see them first and talk to them in living flesh to pass judgment. After one meeting, a girl can say everything I want to hear online and have a different personality or opinions when we meet.”

I grunt. He’s right. I’ve had many elemny lie to me over the phone. It’s also more challenging to catch them in the act until I see them in person while they talk to me on the phone. Walkyer must be experiencing something similar. He meets plenty of women, but after the third date, their true personalities come out, and he realises it’s all a performance.

“Everyone’s fake, Walkyer. You need to stop searching for your true love and settle for average.”

“No,” Walkyer says with a hint of childish stubbornness. “There’s someone out there for me. She’s a nice, kind woman who, when needed, has a fiery side. Someone who won’t fall for Emmerton’s cheap tricks. An elemny who sees me as hers, just as I’ll see her as mine. I want love like in the movies.”

“It doesn’t exist.”

“Not to you.” Walkyer’s icy blue eyes narrow. “You look at elemny like playthings you can toy with. There’s even a passing joke in Flesh that claims you rip out girls’ hearts more often than you actually fall for them.”

“Having a lover, tethered one—whatever you want to call it—will bring nothing but trouble. They’re a weakness, and I enjoy exploiting that weakness when I work. If you’re tethered, I can easily use them to my advantage to get to you. So, if you ever fall for an elemny, it’s my duty to think like that so I can keep you and your woman safe from enemies who think like me.”

Walkyer strains a smile. “Do you ever have a life outside of your job?”

“Do you have a life outside of the Crimson Hotel?” I ask. “Does Emmerton have a life outside of fucking every elemny he sees? Does the king have a life outside of ruling in madness? Does Mother have a life outside the chambers she locks herself in?”

“You are irritating to be around,” Walkyer says.

A smirk settles across my lips. “I often hear that from elemny who ask idiotic questions.”

He throws me a dagger look and clenches his hands into fists. Satisfied, I leave Walkyer and head down the alleyway. Being around my brother cleared my head, but I still could not stop thinking about the woman. I want to kill her, but I need a motive. Ri and Alek will visit her home to gather more information and search through her belongings. For now, I’ll keep a low profile. I don’t want to frighten her away if she’s in touch with the Old Wolf.

Until then, I’ll keep myself busy dealing with thieves and cutthroats in another part of the kingdom. I’ll wait until more information turns up. I expect to gain knowledge within the week, and I trust my knights to stay inconspicuous.

How long has the woman been here?

I look at her passport again and grimace. She will leave late on Sunday night. Pressing the phone to my ear, I listen to the dial tone before they pick up. “Hey, Reen. What’s up?” Ri speaks.

“How long will it take you to get to Oceanview Harbour?”