How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

It was almost night by the time they arrived.
The skies had darkened considerably, and the sparkling lights had begun to flicker to life, signaling the beginning of the Fairy Festival.
A jingle of bells, followed by bursts of musical singing that soothed and brought smiles to people's faces. Billowing, colourful fabric down the streets as the carriage rattled.
The only thing more beautiful was the sinister night of the Devil's Moon, when the rounded moon waited high in the skies, covered in shadows as a ring of red surrounded. The sinister evening when monsters came out to play.
For Kaden, it was the night a special guest would visit him, wandering into his room for tea in the blur of a dream that he could barely recall. He wondered, as he did every year, if that mysterious figure would appear again.
For now, he wanted to relish in the beauty before his eyes.
When it came to a stop, Kaden lifted his hood slightly to gaze in wonder at the festive atmosphere. His eyes sparkled excitedly, like that of a child that'd learned a new word.
The powerful aroma of various foods, the sugary touch of sweets—the laughter, the children running down the streets dressed in flowers and sparkles.
Loud explosions sounded in the sky, and Kaden jerked his head up to see the glittering streaks of light, patterns drawn out in the pitch canvas by the fairies.
An illusion of blue whales swam down the streets, and snowy hares hopped in the air as children raced after to chase the lingering sparkles.
"Have you never been to a festival before?" The man beside him asked, jumping out of the carriage to smile brightly at the scene.
Kaden nodded. "Never."
"Really? Most attend it every year, because there's always something new and unique about each one. I can't imagine never seeing any, though I suppose I'm fairly fortunate."
"Is that so? That sounds incredible."
"It is!" exclaimed the man happily, fidgeting with his clothes as he decided to work the courage to ask the other to walk around with him. "And... and there's nothing to worry about either, it's perfectly safe. All the dangerous people stay at home."
Kaden paused, tilting his head sideways, away from the lights. "Dangerous?"
"Yeah, for example, have you heard of the Chauvet's middle child? Kaden—the cruel, sadistic man who takes pleasure in other's pain. You know how he is, all the rumours floating around the halls. It's hard to imagine how Noah Bellamy and Niklas Astor became friends with him."
Kaden stilled, and his gaze darkened though the other didn't notice it. A sharp pain to his chest; the familiar reminder that he could never, ever really fit in.
"Anyway, he's never attended the festival before. I don't know why, but thank goodness he doesn't. Everybody would be too scared to do anything if he did!"
"...is that so?"
"Is something wrong?" The man frowned, turning as a crease appeared between his eyebrows, watching as his mysterious companion lowered their head, completely covering their face. It was genuine worry for a stranger.
A stranger, unproblematic and with an opinion that could only be based by what the man saw, and not what he heard.
The area was slightly secluded, hidden away from the direct view of the happy crowd. Kaden hooked a finger underneath the top of his wig, standing so that nobody could see him but the man in front of him.
Silky strands of pink peeked out underneath the blonde, and Kaden raised his chin slightly. A wretched smile overcame his features as he tugged the hood up slightly.
The other man's expression distorted.
"Why, you should be careful to not gossip mindlessly." said Kaden in a dragging tone, masking the hurt with teasing threats. "You never know who might be listening. For example, a cruel, sadistic prince."
"You—you, you're—"
"Kaden Chauvet, at your service."
He mocked a bow, every movement sarcastic. Tugging the wig and hood back over to cover his face, he sighed disinterestedly.
"What unfair rumours." He joked, spreading his arms against the backdrop of joy and playfulness. "What if I had more masochistic tendancies, hm? I can't believe you're assuming the kinks I'm into—I'm really quite offended."
Lifting his stare coldly, the other man shivered in fear.
Kaden opened his mouth, before closing it again. He'd thought, maybe, he could pretend to be anything except himself.
If he didn't say anything, if he laughed and agreed, perhaps he would've made a friend out of this young man. But he could do that, couldn't deny a part of him that undoubtedly existed at the risk of hatred and disgust.
How could he deny himself? Even if others rejected it.
Pursing his lips, he shook his head to himself and turned to leave. Before he did, he glanced back and smiled wryly. "Thank you for the ride. I enjoyed myself."
The man blinked in a daze, watching as the notorious sinner disappeared into the clusters of people before snapping to his senses. A glimmer of glistening tears had caught his vision.
He quickly jerked his head to catch the other, but he'd already gone.
"......" Suddenly, regret overcame the young man—regret at speaking of such rumours that he had no proof of, and for not asking the question he'd wanted to ask. The man followed the flow of gossip, believing them to be true when they weren't.
He was wrong. He was really, really wrong.
Because the person he'd seen, except for the few moments after Kaden had been exposed, was not the same as the cruel man from popular gossip.
Assumptions and rumours were too dangerous when the living's opinions were twisted with a single line of words. Who knew the real situation other than the party involved themselves?
In fact, hadn't Kaden shed tears upon hearing such malicious rumours?
The next time he saw Kaden at school, he would definitely apologize! Thrice, if necessary!
Deep in the crowd, Kaden wiped the tears away from his eyes with a grumble. He had the sudden urge to yawn at that moment, but swallowed it back, only for tears to spring at the corner of his eyes.
Of course, hearing those words were unpleasant and dampened Kaden's mood.
However! He was at a full—costume, lights, magic—festival, so it wasn't the time to wallow in self pity! Anyway, wasn't he used to those sorts of snide comments? And that man didn't seem the malicious sort, which in life, meant he was part of the crowd.
In other words, another normal person that adapted to everyday judgement, from either the air that surrounded another, their appearance, or rumours.
He paused, before shaking any negativity away from his head. If he spent his entire time being sad about life, he would miss this once a year moment.
It was already swamped with people, both nobles and townsfolk alike on the same level for one evening, though that wasn't to say trouble and discord didn't occur at occasion.
Then, a fluffy mound of fine swirls of colour caught his eye. It was like fine thread, spun fresh in an off contraption. He saw lights floating in the air—likely fairies running the stall.
Actually, hadn't he seen something similar, in that second life of his? He never actually approached the vendor on the side of the road, but he watched the rare magic in that world.
Here, it was a little different, reliant on fairies to spin magic into the... was that sugar?
Unknown to Kaden, he was inching forward bit by bit, eyes fixated on the goal like a cat cautiously creeping towards its food.
He had some coins, not much compared to others, but enough.
Glancing around, he walked up to the stand and stilled in his steps. What would be the proper greeting? It was evident that saying 'give me this', would be impolite and unreasonable.
Manners. He had to remember his manners.
He crept closer, cautiously avoiding bumping into anybody before he placed a coin on the table. "May I please have one?"
The endless spinning slowed in his vision, sparkles flying closer to his face.
"Sure thing, human!" A high-pitched voice squeaked, followed by light, musical jingles of laughter.
He watched as the fairy dragged the coin somewhere, and then suddenly the floss was spinning rapidly again, making him dizzy. His wide-eyed gaze didn't move from the sight, lips slightly parted in wonder.
When a huge mound resembling the clouds in the sky appeared in his hands, he stared silently in surprise.
"What is this called?"
"Cloud candy! Because it resembles the clouds, of course~"
Kaden held the box, raising it high and then down low again. He examined it thoroughly, poking it and feeling the sticky sensation of melted sugar on his finger tips.
"Silly!" The fairy exclaimed, completely stopping their spinning to reproach him. "It's meant to be eaten, not examined!"
"That is..." A frown appeared on his lips as he narrowed his eyes. "How do I eat this?"
"You just tear it! Rip off a piece, and it'll melt in your mouth!"
Now, to a normal passerby, he looked truly foolish asking questions, staring as if he'd seen something utterly otherworldly. He noticed a few passing looks, but he didn't care.
All he had known in his first life was the slums, and that dark room of imprisonment.
Blood, and death.
Loneliness.
He hadn't eaten any more than necessary, though he wasn't given the luxury of trying too many foods as in Reed's words, 'dogs shouldn't eat human food'. At least he should be grateful that Reed didn't feed him actual dog food.
He pressed a piece of the soft texture onto his tongue.
And he positively melted.
The syrupy sweetness burst through his mouth, a tang of fruits mixed in as it melted without him having to even chew. It smoothly went down his throat as he blinked in surprise.
Honestly, Kaden wasn't the biggest fan of sweets. He liked them, but he preferred savoury foods more—however, this was incredible! Fairies were incredible!
Naturally, since most living entities were much more fascinating than humans—humans, in Kaden's belief, were often a waste of potential; a sturdy rock that could've been carved into a masterpiece, but instead enjoyed the simplicity of being insignificant.
Although he actually liked those who sought out simplicity, than those who pretended to be a glittering diamond when they were in fact coal.
The noble and important sounding that dressed nicely, and spoke poorly.
But it really wasn't the mood or atmosphere to debate or dwell on how terrible people were, including himself.
"Thank you."
He bowed lightly to the fairy, who jingled in response before flying back to resume their tasks. The fairy saw Kaden's lit-up expression, and flapped their wings happily.
She wasn't sure why, but seeing the pure expression made her warm with emotion.
Kaden then meandered from stall to stall, hopping over like an overeager youth. He had no shame in being excited however, knowing well that these were things he'd never seen before.
Why should one be ashamed of not knowing something?
All he had to do was continue learning, and he didn't think he should be embarrassed about that in the slightest.
Life was too short to hold back out of fear for society's judgmental stare.
He tried a delectable sweet and sour meat skewered on a stick, and then wandered over to try a sweet dough fried and flipped on the spot, before being covered with a decadent chocolate spread.
He ate spicy pitch black noodles that glittered like the night sky, and a creamy tart that left a touch of zest on his tongue.
When he had packages and bags of food to bring back, and his stomach bulged slightly from the amount he ate, Kaden decided to explore to allow his stomach to rest.
He pushed through the crowd, sticking to the edges, closer to building walls than the center of the rush. To begin with, the crowd avoided him slightly because of his dangerous, wobbling tower of packages that continued to increase.
In Kaden's eyes, it all worked out.
He wanted to buy souvenirs too, in case he couldn't come back the next year.
He was rapidly depleting the little coins he had, though he did set a certain amount aside, knowing he'd lack restraint if he brought all of his savings with him.
With money in his hands, how could he not spend it? Restraint? Discipline? He didn't know (or want to know) the definition of those words.
Kaden searched through stalls, seeing various trinkets—all hand-made. Baskets woven through hours of fine work, handkerchiefs sewn with delicate thread to form pictures he could only imagine.
It was incredible thinking that these things were made by people, people just like himself with all sorts of skills.
Suddenly, the crowd grew even busier, reaching the peak of excitement.
Kaden escaped to the sides, making himself as small and faint as he could so to not get trampled by the rushing people. However, while successfully weaving through, he tripped on his robe as a children scampered by, and he tried to avoid them.
Wincing, he glanced down at the scraps of blood on his knees and palms.
Though small injuries like this would scab over and disappear within a short amount of time, so there was no need to treat it, thought Kaden calmly as he watched blood meander down his skin.
He stared blankly, distracted and lost in empty thoughts.
A shadow loomed over him in the midst of the rushing crowd, as if protecting him from the business of the chaotic evening.
Kaden raised his head.
A pair of enchanting onyx eyes stared ahead, before flickering down to Kaden, their rough hands clutched over a book, while their posture remained tall and elegant. The first thought Kaden had was amusement, how even at a festival that dragon would still carry a book.
Kaden's eyes skimmed over the title printed on leather, recording it to memory. He would make a list later, and absolutely read through them.
Noah's impassive features shifted slightly into a frown, gaze turning sour.
"You're bleeding, fool."
Kaden smiled, opening his bloody palms faced up. "You're right. Will you kiss it better?"
Noah's eyes narrowed further into slits at the indifferent response. He waited for a few moments, before realizing that the squatting man had no intention to move.
A resigned sigh, and then the dragon was down on the ground, one knee pressed onto the stone as he yanked Kaden's hand towards him.
The sinner laughed carelessly, tilting his head with a tease in the slant. "Are you treating me, my dear dragon?"
"I am." came the cold response, immune to the jokes. "Sit still and allow me."
"You won't ask for consent first?"
Kaden had been joking, as always, though he didn't care whether or not his wounds were treated or not, when they were nothing compared to what he was used to.
However, Noah stilled and opened his fingers, so that he was no longer holding onto the other's hand. The dragon lifted his gaze calmly, quirking an eyebrow.
"May I have permission?"
Kaden looked back, slightly startled at the sudden seriousness.
"...you may?"
"Then be quiet."
Kaden obediently fell silent at first, watching as Noah dug around his pockets for a thin strip of white bandages, skillfully tearing it and wrapping a thin layer around the palms to stop the spots of blood from dripping out.
Then Kaden, unnerved by the silence that seemed to form a bubble around them, a cocoon of quiet caution in the midst of noise, begun to speak again.
"You're pretty skilled at this. Are you clumsy, perhaps? Considering you were carrying about a bandage with you—a rather charming thing to do if you're trying to woo a woman—or men, mind you, I wouldn't judge your preferences regardless—"
"Kaden?"
"Yes?"
"Be silent."
Kaden smiled widely at the words, taking it as a challenge instead of a command.
"Silent?" He ignored the grip around his hands that tightened in irritation, waving his free arm around insolently. "I don't know the word—in fact, this is a time of free speech and I do believe I have the right to say what I please, when I pleas—"
"Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you." interrupted Noah with a frustrated grumble, trying to restrain the other's flailing movements as he wrapped the bandage.
Kaden paused, then gasped purposely. "Are you... flirting with me?"
"I'm very flattered, although your rejection earlier today had hurt me deepl—mpf—"
Something had been shoved into his mouth roughly, rendering him unable to keep talking. Kaden blinked, tasting a savoury and salty spread through his mouth and chewed tentatively.
He blinked again, surprised this time. It seemed to be a sort of dough texture—like bread?
Cheese bread?
There was a blend of herbs spread across that added another dimension of flavour, and a fluffy texture that felt soft against his tongue.
All he knew for certain was that it tasted delicious.
Noah stopped, finished wrapping the palms as he looked up at the satisfied fox, distractedly savouring the food that had been placed in his mouth.
There was a sort of defenseless air, shaped in the way Kaden's cheeks puffed out from chewing, or how he instinctively smiled when eating something tasty.
In the face of food, even the most merciless villain was left a mortal man.
Thinking of food, Kaden looked around frantically for all his packages.
Some had somehow survived, although slightly damaged from the fall while others had been plummeted to the ground, nothing more than mush with tracks from dirty shoes.
Kaden stared at it in extreme despair—forget the money he'd wasted, the poor food had gone to nothing! To waste, when it could've wasted in his stomach instead.
Noah noticed the changing expression, and glanced over at the broken boxes, quickly piecing together what had happened.
Wordlessly, he stretched out and gathered the remains, salvaging a few boxes that were moments away from getting stomped.
He gathered it into a pile between himself and the other, still distraught, man. He even made a stack of the broken packages, peaking inside to see if any of the food had remained mostly intact, and looked safe to consume.
Before Kaden's eyes, he organized it into a pile of food that could still be eaten—clean enough to pass the dragon's health standards—and food that had to be tossed.
"You cut your hair." noted Noah as he finished organizing the food, glancing over at Kaden. Kaden wasn't sure what to say, slightly confused and very concerned about his food.
"...I did." said Kaden, following the movements of the boxes instead of thinking of some ridiculous retort to staple onto his sentence.
Noah regarded him for a second longer, looking to be debating over some life or death decision. Finally, he asked, "Are you walking with anybody?"
Kaden shook his head, staring tearfully at the 'toss' pile. "No, I'm not."
"Then let's go."
"...what? Where are we going?"
Noah picked up the 'toss' pile, throwing it away in a nearby garbage before grabbing the 'keep' pile and nodding ahead. "To buy more food."
"I—I can't."
"Why not?"
Kaden pitifully opened his pouch of coins that had few remaining. "My status betrays me—I am both penniless and jobless."
"....." Then, rather arrogantly, and in Kaden's fine opinion, resembling a dashing rich gentleman from those popular romance novels, Noah said calmly, "I'll buy it."
Kaden looked up at his new wallet—companion with eager eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes."
The starved man was up on his feet in the matter of seconds, the colour back into his cheeks as he dived back into the crowd excitedly.