How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

A wig, and eye-colour changing potion should suffice for a disguise.
Or so Kaden hoped, peeking at the bustling rush of students leaving the building to head to town. Most in carriages sent by their families of various luxuries.
Earlier, he'd stood by the mirror, gazing deeply at the reflection; the long, pink hair, and eerie green stare. His hair wouldn't have gotten in the way of the wig, there would've been a simple way to tuck it away.
To hide it, and hide himself. But he wanted an excuse to change.
And one might argue that changing one's appearance does nothing, but it wasn't the act of appearing differently that was important, it was knowing that he would make a choice to shape himself anew, a choice he hadn't made before.
Kaden stood silently and raised a hand. A pair of silver scissors glinted under the bathroom's light. He bundled the length of his hair together, and sliced through.
Pink hair fluttered to the ground like petals blown by the wind. He snipped again, and again, without looking away.
The lessened weight of his hair felt as if something had been lifted off his shoulders, and even if it were more of an illusion that a fact, he felt relieved. He trimmed the ends, keeping it straying over his ears, but no longer skimming past his shoulders.
Then, he had stared a while longer at his new reflection, the same yet different at the same time, and buried it under a heavy wig and different coloured eyes.
Kaden tugged the robed hood further down his face, making him almost blind. He could see enough, at least, through the shaded vision. Better than being seen.
For a night, he'd rather not be viewed as the cursed dog of the royal family, or a sarcastic, terrible villain. A bully. A heinous sinner whose mere existence would dampen the mood, no matter how bright.
Kaden just wanted to be Kaden, a youth exploring a festival.
For the first time, at that.
The blonde wig itched at his now-brown eyes, as he brushed it away with a sigh. The quality wasn't the best, of course, with his lacking funds. However, it had to work.
Now, all he had to do was hitch a ride on a carriage. Many students were pairing up, offering to share rides to those who had none. It was easy.
All he had to do was ask somebody.
Kaden felt as if his nerves, usually unwavering and shameless, had been pulled taut. He was used to being hated, not making a likable impression.
Raising a finger to his lips, he observed the other students with a solemn expression. As if he were still in the classroom, studying.
Okay, he was starting to understand.
Greetings were a must between two people—of course, that made sense.
Typically, a 'hello' and 'how are you?' would be the most commonly used phrases. To make conversation, one might bring up a compliment or mention something they were excited about.
And a smile. Smiling seemed to be important—and not the quirks of his lips he did when pretending to be sarcastic, but a true, genuine smile.
A small curtsy for women, a bow for men or either for those who preferred something else. However, at least one of the two.
Kaden would have to bow.
Nodding to himself after studying the interactions for fifteen minutes, he cleared his throat and tugged the hood once more. Tonight, he was a cheerful young man, friendly and easy to get along with.
Somebody that anybody would allow onto their carriage to hitch a free ride.
Asking Niklas, who would've agreed no doubt, was not an option. The man was far too bright, and Kaden didn't want to force him to tag along the entire time.
His expression brightened as he saw a young man standing by the gates, the clopping of hooves indicating that his carriage approached. As a courtesy, the man glanced around to see if any individuals needed a ride.
This sort of kindness was only applicable to the Fairy Festival, where all shared the joy of witnessing such beautiful joy.
Kaden rushed forward, his preparations completed and ready... only to slip on the drag of his robe and—
—fall right on his face.
Kaden, "......"
The young man, "....."
The man bent down to offer a hand, but Kaden had already sprung up in the air, thrusting out a hand before pausing. "No that's not right."
Then he curtsied.
Kaden froze half-way through holding the robes out, legs crossed. This wasn't right either, was it? However, he was already in the middle of the act and instead performed it completely through, flashing a clean smile as his eyes curved.
"Hello."
A flush overcame the man's cheeks as he watched the tall, broad-shouldered man curtsy with such elegance, before smiling sweetly through naturally reddened lips. Sharp brown eyes curved to form a smile, golden hair loosely brushing their neck.
"H-hello."
Although it was uncommon for a man to curtsy, there were some who chose to do so, and the young man wasn't surprised.
However, having such a handsome man approach would surprise any—even if their face was shaded by their large hood, obscuring their features.
On the other hand, Kaden had no way of knowing these thoughts.
His reddened lips had in fact, been licked out of nervousness, while his face felt stiff as he squinted at the other person. The setting sun was right behind the man, and directly shone in Kaden's eyes.
"May—" Kaden paused, musing over his word choice. "Give me a ride."
He froze after blurting out what had come to his mind first, sounding more like an overbearing prince in some foolish novel, than a kind, attractive youth.
"I mean—"
"Yes, of course!" beamed the other man, excited.
This person in particular had a preference for girls, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate other male's beauty! And a handsome man who also had a domineering side—wasn't that charming?
Kaden tilted his head, confused. Was this the way people treated each other? Had his research been wrong?
He smiled awkwardly at the enthusiastic person before him, feeling as if they were on two entirely different wavelengths.
From a short distance away, the entire interaction was being watched.
Through eyes resembling a dead fish, Noah blinked at the ridiculous scene. From an outside perspective, it was clear that the pair's thoughts didn't align at all.
Was that... Kaden's attempt at being nice?
And the other student had been mistakenly seduced, believing all of Kaden's acts to be purposeful.
Noah felt worry brewing in his chest. Could that fool really wander around on his own when from this scene alone, it displayed how poor Kaden was at social interaction? Although others might assume Kaden's act was elegance, Noah was certain that it was clumsiness.
"Hey, what're you looking at? Something interesting?" Niklas popped his head out of the carriage curiously, voice bright after having pressured the other to allow him to come along.
Well, Niklas had in fact left letters, notes, followed Noah to the bathrooms in order for the dragon to agree to give him a ride, but that was besides the point.
Noah shoved the man's head back inside the carriage. "There's nothing."
"What a lie. What's up? You're usually indifferent to most things."
"There's nothing."
"Whatever you say." Niklas waved his hand, giving up easily when his opponent was as stubborn as a mule. He leaned comfortably back into the soft cushions of the carriage, relishing in the perks of having a dragon-blood friend.
The luxuries of the rich! He was no gold-digger, but he suddenly understood the sentiments of men or women who wanted to marry into money.
Noah glanced outside, watching quietly as Kaden stepped into the carriage before finding himself a seat in front of Niklas. "You invited that fool, didn't you?"
"Who? Ah, Kaden. Of course I did, who do you think I am? I was pitifully rejected, however, and had to rely on you as a back-up choice."
Noah allowed Niklas to perform a theatric act, frowning. "He said no?"
"Well, if he didn't, I'd suppose he would be in here with us, don't you think?" Niklas paused, frowning slightly. "It's strange though, I was so sure that he wanted to go."
"Why?"
"....let's say, there are some family issues I'm somewhat familiar with due to my job with them. Needless to say, I don't think he's ever been to one."
"A what?"
"A festival."
"When did he say that?" wondered Noah.
Niklas thought about it, then shrugged. "Actually, I forgot if he even told me that. But, I have my sources in knowing. As for what sources, I also forgot so don't ask."
Noah furrowed his eyebrows. A noble, part of the royal family by blood or not, should've been to several festivals. There were many held in town throughout the year, and many more held in other locations.
Some were grand to the point nobles would flock, while others were small and comfortable, more easy to attend.
Niklas noticed the confused thinking written over Noah's expression and quickly shook his head. "Don't be quick to assume things, Noah."
"I won't." And it was true, Noah never did.
However, he couldn't help but have an unsettling feeling that something was terribly out of place in Kaden's life.
Whatever the case, it would likely be brought to light sooner or later, so Noah didn't intend to dig deeper. It wasn't any of his business, and he had other pressing matters to pay attention to.
In the festival as well, if Kaden wanted to roam around on his own, then that was his choice.
The dragon blinked, and suddenly realized a rather suspicious and smug face had pressed closer to him, violating the unspoken rules of boundaries. And as a person who didn't like most things that breathed, or people within a meter radius from his body, he frowned.
Niklas wriggled his eyebrows.
"Are you deep in thought thinking of a certain somebody?"
Noah glared at him coldly. "Don't speak of nonsense, Niklas."
"You're not denying it."
"In what way was that not a denial?" Noah turned his head as the carriage lurched to a start, watching the passing trees in his view. "My only interest in him is to tear off the mask he insists on wearing."
Niklas nodded in agreement, grinning brightly. "I can see that, even I'd like to slap it off him, though he's quite stubborn."
He paused, and lowered his voice thoughtfully. "But you shouldn't regret things later, if you choose to ignore him now."
"What do you mean?" The dragon turned his gaze, a steady lake of simmering black. With the slight breeze from the window, his hair ruffled as light illuminated the side of his face, adding a melancholic charm to the normally attractive man.
"I don't mean anything in particular. I've just seen people denying their feelings."
"There are no such feelings to speak of."
"You're right." The cheerful man's expression changed, a cloudy calm layered over his face. "But what I'm trying to say is don't let pride prevent you from approaching somebody."
Niklas' face, a charming and youthful display of carefree brightness, was deathly somber. He stretched his neck to bare the exposed skin slightly, tapping it twice.
"You saw it, didn't you? Even if he shrugged his collar up. I didn't say anything because he wanted to hide it. What's your reason, Noah? Don't let assumptions define another person."
Noah didn't flinch. He saw a telling in Niklas' face, a subtle twitch that hinted at a lie. And what lie could there be in that sentence, except for his reason for turning a blind eye to Kaden's injury?
The dragon hadn't said anything because Kaden wanted to pretend otherwise. It wasn't his place to make a judgment, or to interfere in the life of a man who wanted to hide. Crudely prying in the secrets of one who wanted to hide would only make them bury themselves further.
Niklas claimed the same—and that was a lie. Noah narrowed his gaze scrutinizing.
"Hey, I'm serious. Don't make assumptions on others."
"I do not—"
"You don't. Yet you don't act on things you aren't certain on, and if there comes a day that you want to hold onto somebody you think you can't have, you'd let them go."
A flicker of a fading silhouette flashed in Noah's mind.
A warped smile, and crystal, streaming tears on a face he couldn't see. And his own hand, reaching out at nothing.
"Tch..."
The carriage jerked over a hitch on the road and he groaned, clutching his head. Niklas watched the other's reaction, the glaze that appeared for a moment before disappearing.
"Noah." He reached out, furrowing his eyebrows. "Are you alright?"
The dragon raised his head slowly, tension lining his jaw as he pulled away the fingers around his head. "...yes.
"Sorry, I won't talk about such serious things anymore. Let's just look forward to the festival, yeah?"
Noah closed his eyes in response, still feeling the drumming pain at the back of his mind, and Niklas smiled, turning to look out the window.
His mother would've liked to meet his new friends, the eternally grumpy yet observant dragon, and the foolishly sarcastic, yet naive prince. She'd have told him that these two sorts of people were the sort you had to watch.
People who would write a story in the path that they walked, one worth witnessing. Though his mother had always been a dreamer.
In fact, she had once been a student of the Academy, blessed by the Watcher of Spirits. He wasn't really certain of her abilities, though his father once claimed after her death that she might visit his dreams at night.
Not that she ever did, no matter how long he slept.
Niklas leaned back, sighing.
In fact, a man who got along with everybody also heard the most secrets, learned to understand the depths of others' thoughts and emotions.
The one everybody would confide in, the one who always gave advice.
The ever-so reliable Niklas.
He gazed at the passing blur of clouds, slowly shadowed by night. It wasn't that he put up a farce—he genuinely enjoyed having fun, all the time and in every occasion. If he wasn't enjoying himself, then why bother living?
But he'd also witnessed the ruins of many people, people he learned the sorrows of but couldn't help, couldn't save.
And for some reason, Kaden seemed like another person drifting too far.
Niklas smacked his cheeks loudly, earning a startled glance from Noah who'd been daydreaming about words, most likely, and he grinned broadly.
"Well, Noah. It looks like I'll be relying on you from now on."
The dragon cracked open one eye. "What?"
"How developed are your abilities, actually?" wondered Niklas, leaning forward with a glint in his gleaming gaze. "You know how the system works."
"2 stars."
The system ranked abilities from 1 - 5 stars, which also included their rating of power and control over their blessings. Then there were the 0-star rankers... those who were on the verge of losing their mind.
"Not bad, prodigy student!"
Considering most 1st years started and remained at 1 star, while even those who graduated hardly broke the threshold of 3 stars, Noah's skill at control was exemplary.
"We have a sinner to redeem, don't we? And villains to uncover."
Noah stared at him blankly, frowning. Knowing less than Niklas did about certain situations, he didn't relate the words 'sinner' or 'villains' to a particular person.
Although Niklas knew that, he insisted, "Just nod, alright?"
"No."
"Wonderful, our oath is now written in time."
Ignoring Noah's protests, Niklas leaned back with a relaxed smile on his lips, comfortably sinking into the soft cushions. There was plenty of time—three years, in fact.
To change the destined finale.