Chapter 28

"I-It can't be?!"

Idris whispered with her eyes wide open. She could move in shock as she recognized him.

He has the same face and the same mismatched eyes as Sidereae.

Her feet which were glued to the ground run toward the door. She stretched her arm to reach him as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Dad! Dad!"

Idris called but Elknox only look at her before turning his back and disappearing into thin air.

* * *

"Dad, don't leave!"

Sidereae woke up from her dream with her hand reaching out into the air.

"...ah," she uttered in despair.

This is the reason why Sid loathed being awakened from her dream.

She finally saw her father. Elknox was so close for her to reach him, yet she was abruptly brought back to this ugly reality.

I wish can stay in that place a little longer. Long enough to reach dad.

Sid drew her hand back and briefly closed her eyes to recall Elknox's image. He still has the soft and warm appearance that Sid remembered.

"It wasn't bad at all because I was able to see dad even for a brief moment," I whispered.

A heavy sigh left my mouth as I opened my eyes once again.

"Where am I?" I mumbled in confusion.

I couldn't help but winced in pain when I tried to push my body from the bed to get up.

"Wow, they beat me hard, huh? Should I just kill them?"

Pfft...How dare I? I couldn't even defend myself, yet I am thinking of killing them. Who am I kidding? If only I have an overwhelming power like Idris, then I won't be able to experience this shit.

I gave up trying to sit after a few tries.

"This sucks," I mumbled as I looked around and recognized my old room.

I don't exactly have any idea how I get here. The last thing I remembered was when I was lying on the ground curled up under the rain, and my memories after that were all gone.

As I tried to remember how I managed to arrive here, I noticed a person sleeping on the edge of my bed.

"Mathy?" I whispered.

He was sitting on the floor facing the bed and used his folded arms as a pillow.

A small smile crept on my lips as I reached him and ran my fingers on his soft golden hair. Mathieu does resemble the Crown Prince Regis in her dream just like Nuir.

"You found me again, didn't you? I wonder how you always manage to do that." I chuckled warmly.

Mathieu was probably the one who brought me here and took care of me while I was asleep.

I looked at my arm covered with a bandage and couldn't help but giggle. Mathieu truly has a talent for wrapping bandages. Did he possibly attend a first aid training, or maybe he got used to doing this because I was often injured? I also smelled a subtle scent of ointment and disinfectant on me.

I'll probably look black and blue for the time being because of these bruises.

"Hm...Sid?" Mathieu whispered as he lifted his head to look at me.

"Did I wake you up?"

Mathieu shook his head while scratching his eyes.

"Are you alright now? How do you feel? Do you feel hurt anywhere?" He worriedly asked as he put his hand over my forehead to feel my temperature.

I can feel his anxiousness as his palm touches my forehead.

"Thank goodness." Mathieu sighed in relief. "I'm glad you didn't catch a fever because you were soaked from the rain."

The warmth of his hand felt good, and I felt a little disappointed when he took his hand off.

"Thanks for worrying, Mathy."

Mathieu flumped on my side and buried his face in the pillow beside me.

Sniff. Sniff.

"Huh, Mathy?" I asked with a panicked voice after hearing him sniffle.

"I'm sorry, Sid."

"Hey, why are you saying sorry? What's gotten with you all of a sudden?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you," Mathieu said in a muffled voice and cried suddenly.

I was surprised, and I had no idea what to do. It was my first time seeing Mathieu like this. Because even when we were kids, he rarely cried like this.

"You wouldn't be like this if, if only I..."

"Mathy..."

Mathieu faced me and hugged me gently as he rested his chin over my head.

"When I saw Sid looking like a mess, I became worried and angry. I wanted to tear down those fucking trashes who did this to you. But you know Sid, I was overwhelmed with fear when I saw you."

Mathieu tightened his arms around me as he continued, "I was so afraid because I felt like you were going to fade away. I hated it! I disliked the feeling that you were going to leave me! I don't want that." He cried as if he was having a tantrum.

A warm and fuzzy feeling envelopes my heart. I hugged Mathieu back and nuzzled on his chest.

Maybe life isn't a complete shit at all because there's still someone who sincerely cared for me. There is Mathieu, who was always there by my side and was afraid to lose me.

Tears welled up in my eyes, "Don't cry, Mathy. I, I should've been the one to apologize for always bothering you. I couldn't help but think of myself as pathetic for not having the strength to stand up. I felt so little, and ever since dad died, I couldn't help but think I don't belong anywhere. That, that I'm alone. I keep harboring those feelings and thoughts, especially now that I live with my mom."

I clutched his shirt as I tried to stop myself from crying.

"I don't know what's the reason why mom hated me so much. My mother doesn't care about me at all and she thinks of me as a nuisance. I know that, but my heart broke into pieces when she denied me as her daughter."

"Sid..."

"Mathy, if you aren't here...I probably lost it already. That is why I'm thankful because you're always here to cheer me up and rescue me without hesitation. So please, don't apologize and don't blame yourself. Having you like this is more than enough for me."

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but one thing I know is I always feel safe around Mathieu.

"Are you hungry? I bought food from the convenience store." He asked as he helped me to sit on the bed. "I got steamed buns and stuffed waffles plus drinks."

"I want the waffles!"

"I know, you'd say that." Mathieu chuckled and gave me the waffles, the bottle of water, and a can of cold tea before he sat on the opposite side of the bed while facing me.

I tried to take a big bite of the waffle, but the sudden jolt of pain I felt on my lip stopped me.

"Sid, you need to be careful because you have a wound on your lip."

"Ugh!"

Eating while having a wound in my mouth was hard, and there was also a subtle metallic taste mixed with the sweet flavor of the waffle. Despite the uncomfortableness, I couldn't help but smile because I had someone to eat with me.

It's hard to eat alone. I don't know about other people, but for me, I feel lonely eating alone.

Mathieu opened the cold tea and gave it to me. As I was taking a drink from the can, I noticed my clothes were different. My brows furrowed because I didn't remember changing my clothes at all.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Err...no, i-it's just my clothes..." I said as I stretched my shirt.

Mathieu coughed and quickly turned his head away from me.

"About that... I, ahem, I was the one who changed your clothes." He embarrassingly said with a voice almost whispering. "I was concerned you might catch a fever if I leave you with wet clothes on."

'I see... Mathieu is truly a thoughtful guy.' I thought inwardly while nodding my head. Thanks to him, I don't need to worry about getting sick.

Wait a minute... He, he changed my clothes?! T-Then, did he?

My face flushed in embarrassment at my sudden realization. Mathieu noticed it and quickly waved his hand in panic.

"No!"

I was startled when he spoke loudly.

"I-I didn't see anything, don't worry." He bowed his head and covered his flushed face. "Ah...this is so embarrassing. I didn't really see anything. I, I closed my eyes. I'm sorry." He explained in a muffled voice.

"Ahaha! It's alright. No need to say sorry, haha." I laughed awkwardly. Instead, I should thank you for being thoughtful. Thank you, Mathy."

I tried to think about what to say to change the awkward atmosphere between us.

"Ah! I have something to tell you."

"Hm, what?" He replied before taking another bit from his steamed bun.

"I had a dream earlier. I saw my dad in it. It was the first time he appeared in my dream after his death. I was happy to see him, but it made me sad at the same time."

I frowned.

"He didn't seem to recognize me. Maybe it's because he only saw me briefly?"

I told Mathieu about the moment when I saw dad, and in my obliviousness, I failed to notice the dark expression hanging on Mathieu's face.