Emotional Confrontation (3)

"Huff…Cutting the deer was harder than I thought." Andre groaned as a sigh of relief escaped from his throat.

"I suppose it is somewhat difficult." Elena added as she began skewing the meat on branches she had sanitized beforehand.

Eventually, everything was ready as both adults began grilling the meat over a campfire. Alice watched in amazement as she drooled feverishly from the sight. She could hardly wait as her stomach growls loudly as time passed by.

Tain, on the other hand, was still soundless asleep. But it was not for long as he soon woke up from an earthy, and meaty scent entering his nostrils. It felt oddly nostalgic and reminded him of the days he spent outdoors with his parents back in his previous life.

"Hngh…what is it…?" He grumbled as he rose to his feet.

He squinted his eyes to make sense of the blurry, yet bright sight entering his field of vision. Once he somewhat recognized the flames—he, albeit sleepily, made his way towards the intense light.

"Finally awake, eh? Well, just wait a few more minutes I think, and we can all have a feast!" Alice gleefully shouted, before gesturing at Tain to sit beside her.

As Andre and Elena took turns rotating the skewers to ensure they were evenly cooked—Alice could perceive a tense and unpleasant atmosphere between them too that prohibited any casual conversations to be made—one that proved challenging even for her father who was renowned for his abilities to bond with people easily.

The embers slowly dissipated into the air and made a low yet audible popping sound that could be heard more clearly than anything else. It was suffocating for Alice. She wanted to intervene, but she neither had the courage nor the knowledge of the incident that took place between the two adults.

At the end, all she was left with was the option of staying silent and enjoyed the sound of owls hooting, the flames gradually diminishing, the leaves being carried by the wind and the flowing river stream.

After a torturous twenty minutes—someone finally opened their mouth.

"All of the meat has been cooked. You are now allowed to consume them, but beware for they are still scorching hot." Elena announced.

Without wasting an ounce of a second, Alice hurriedly grabbed a skewer. It felt like her fingers touched molten lava due to the heat being released from the stick but she all she thought about was devouring the meat, and which she did so…messily.

Pieces of meat were flung across the surroundings as she took a bite, stopped to take a breather and lessen the tingling sensation on her tongue, before repeating the process until that single skewer was devoid of any sustenance left.

Only after she had finished indulging did she notice the pain on her fingers and tongue. Her first action was to immediately rush towards the river—causing Tain to fall onto the ground as he had been leaning on her shoulder for support.

"Huh!? What…?" He mumbled—perplexed as to how he found himself on the ground.

"Geez, that child…" Andre murmured with a grin.

"...Quite clumsy, unexpectedly." Elena muttered.

Tain was still perplexed and their words simply brought more confusion as if they were gasoline into a pit of fire. Unable to decipher anything—Tain decided the best course of action was to remain oblivious to the event.

Despite the backlash Alice had to endure from her reckless behavior, it did lessen the awkward air surrounding Elena and Andre. It may be just for a moment but it was still a positive outcome nonetheless.

The night passed by without any additional injuries as they all soon succumbed to their weariness by the time the fire had gone out.

…

Elsewhere,

"Duke! What are you looking at?" A soldier inquired.

A man donning heavy, thick black armor responded dully.

"A precious piece of memory."

"A piece of memory…Oh! Must be about your family! Do you miss them that badly?"

"Why should I not? It has been too long since I've greeted them. And I reckon the same can be said for you. Your wife and children must all be anxiously awaiting for your arrival."

"I suppose that's true. I'm also longing to feel the warmth of my family. I just hope our expedition will be over soon enough…we have lost far too many members."

The duke remained silent as he gazed towards multiple gravestones built within a cave that shielded them from the neverending blizzard outside.

"...Yes. Too many lives have been taken due to my carelessness. But to still have faith in me…I am unsure whether I still am worthy to deserve your trust." The duke spoke dolefully.

"Oh, please. You have done everything you could to prevent any more tragedies. Out of all the people here, you are more qualified to receive our loyalty, duke. I'll go ahead and get some sleep now. Farewell." The soldier waved at him as he headed towards another section within the cave.

As the duke stood before the graves—he began reciting the names of his fallen comrades—as if to remind himself of their value and the sacrifice they had made.

"...I wonder if you're doing fine." He uttered quietly as he looked at a picture of Duchess Maven Aried Polarias.

The picture had creases and looked to be older than ten years. Yet it was still of a decent quality and could be restored once he reconnected with society.

"I'm sorry I could not see the birth of our son. I am sorry if you miss me. But…I will be back soon. And…the four of us could reunite like the old days. I really…hope that day will come soon."

The duke bowed towards the gravestones as he soon followed the same steps as his subordinate to receive a well needed rest.

…