Leafa looked toward Illfa and Mila. "You two seem to be getting along." She pulled out a wooden chair and sat upright. The faint scraping of the chair legs against the carpet was muffled.
Mila chewed the shrimp in her mouth slowly. She leaned her back against the chair. "Something like that," Mila said casually. "Try it, Lea. The food here isn't too bad."
"The only bad thing here is your attitude," Leafa replied. She then patted the cushion of the empty chair right next to her. "Over here, honey."
Illfa, who was just about to scoop up her soup, suddenly stopped her hand. She raised a single eyebrow. "Honey? What is going on right now?"
Leafa twisted her upper body to face Illfa. A soft smile was carved onto her lips. "Why? Does it bother you?"
Illfa's eyes darted restlessly, looking back and forth between Leafa and Aldes. Her fingers gripped the handle of her spoon tighter. "Huh? Uh, no... not really..." Illfa replied, her voice barely audible.
The smile on Leafa's face widened. She leaned her face closer to Illfa. "What's with that tone of yours?"
"Do you want Aldes?" Leafa lowered her intonation.
Leafa leaned in until there was only a few inches of distance left between them. "Do you want to eat him just like I do?"
Illfa's mouth fell wide open. Her breath caught for a moment. Her eyes went perfectly round as she stared at Leafa. "Eat? Aldes? Me? I don't eat humans. What does that mean?!"
"Stop right there," Mila cut in with a flat voice. She placed her glass down on the table. "Save your perverted chatter. I'm eating."
Mila slowly shook her head, staring at the leftover shrimp on her plate. "Do it at night. Not here. Use soundproofing magic so I don't have to hear the moans."
"Moans?!" Illfa's face flushed red with sheer confusion.
Leafa laughed softly at her subordinate's panicked reaction. "I'm just joking." She pulled her shoulders back and returned to a normal sitting posture.
is this Division 0? Aldes muttered inwardly. He was still standing quietly near the door, observing the dining table.
Aldes then turned toward the corner of the room. He stared at Amor's back, who was sitting while holding a brush. Aldes stepped closer to the red-haired man. His footsteps were silenced by the thick carpet on the floor.
Aldes stood at Amor's left side and looked straight at the canvas. The horned man was applying strokes of black and dark blue paint. He was painting a dark ocean swept up by giant storm waves. Amidst the sea foam were several silhouettes of sea monsters.
"Looks different," Aldes said, breaking Amor's focus.
Amor glanced briefly at Aldes. His eyes were flat, completely devoid of expression. He then turned his face back to his painting. "Scenarios. I am merely painting scenarios, Prince."
Aldes nodded slowly. "Which is more fun, painting or killing?"
The atmosphere in the room shifted drastically in a single second.
Leafa halted her hand, her spoon hovering above her plate.
Mila, who was gulping down water from her glass, snapped her neck around, glaring sharply at Aldes.
Clack. The iron fork slipped from Illfa's fingers and struck the ceramic plate.
Amor stopped his hand movement mid-air. The tip of his brush hovered a few centimeters from the surface of the canvas. He blinked slowly. "I do not like either," Amor answered flatly.
He resumed sweeping his brush, completing the details of the waves.
"Then?" Aldes asked again.
"I paint to create a distraction from my life," Amor answered. He let out a long breath, the air escaping slowly through his nose. "I like to fantasize about things. What is happening, what will happen, what has happened, and what if it happens. Painting can provide that."
"Do you often imagine yourself dying?" Aldes stared at the side of Amor's face.
"Often," Amor replied casually. His hand scooped up a little white paint from the wooden palette. "In various scenarios."
Aldes nodded his head. "If so, do you often imagine killing the King or me?"
Mila leaned her head forward, looking at Leafa. "Is that really Aldes?"
Mila turned to her left and lightly smacked Illfa's shoulder. "What happened to him?"
Illfa shook her head rapidly, over and over again. "What the hell kind of question is that!" Illfa whispered in panic.
Leafa did not answer Mila. The woman sat in silence, staring straight at Aldes's back.
Amor fell silent for quite a long time. He left his brush resting still on the palette. He stared at the view of the blue sea and white clouds behind the giant glass window in front of him. Amor then turned his neck to look at Aldes.
"Yes."
"But only in my imagination. I cannot kill him. And I would rather kill myself than do so."
Amor raised his right hand, which was clad in black armor. He patted Aldes's shoulder. The metal of his armor rubbed softly against the fabric of Aldes's uniform.
"And as for you." Amor stared directly into Aldes's pupils. "I am imagining killing you right now. With my own hands."
Aldes returned the gaze with a calm smile. "How would you do it?"
The corner of Amor's lips pulled up to form a faint smile. "You can imagine it."
Aldes chuckled. He raised his right hand and extended it toward Amor's chest. "Let's hope I do not become a burden to you."
Amor tilted his face slightly. He looked at Aldes's palm for a few seconds before accepting the handshake. Amor's skin felt rough as it brushed against Aldes's.
"You are an interesting human, Prince."
After releasing the handshake, Aldes turned his body around. He walked toward the row of long chairs and occupied the empty seat right next to Leafa.
He turned to Leafa, Illfa, and Mila, who were now giving him strange looks. Silence blanketed the wooden dining table.
"What is it?" Aldes asked, looking at the three of them. "Does the food not taste good anymore?"
Illfa and Mila glanced at each other for a moment. They then shook their heads simultaneously.
"Ah, no, Aldes, no. We were just, um... waiting for you to sit," Illfa said quickly. She picked up her fork again. "It would be nice if we ate together." Illfa immediately looked down and resumed eating.
"Agreed," Mila replied briefly. She picked up her fork and went back to cutting the fried shrimp on her plate.
Leafa, on the other hand, ignored her own plate. She took Aldes's spoon, filled it with a few pieces of meat and vegetables from the man's plate, and hovered the iron spoon right in front of Aldes's lips.
"Aldes," Leafa said in a soft voice.
Aldes looked at the spoon, then met Leafa's eyes. "What are you..." Aldes said in a flat tone.
"Say ahh." Leafa opened her mouth slightly to give a cue.
Aldes exhaled through his nose. He opened his mouth and accepted the bite. The savory taste of the spices and meat broth spread across his tongue.
Leafa smiled in satisfaction looking at Aldes's face. She raised her left hand and gently ruffled the man's hair. "Good boy."
What kind of division is this... Aldes muttered inwardly.
He chewed the piece of meat until it broke down and swallowed it. Aldes cleared his throat softly, then stared straight ahead.
"Alright then."
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