Lies

Era of Chaos, Year 1818.

"Xia Lun, open your mouth."

Aina's tone was as calm as ever, but the carefully portioned food on her fork was steadily brought to Xia Lun's lips.

"Thank you." Xia Lun gladly accepted it, a look of almost pious satisfaction on his face.

Watching the scene unfold, Liyana raised a hand to shield her mouth and leaned close to Musen's ear. "Hey, Musen, didn't you say Xia Lun's hand would be mostly healed in about a week?"

"Yeah... I did." Musen swallowed the bread in his mouth, wiped his lips, and replied.

Liyana jutted her chin toward Xia Lun and Aina sitting not far across from them. "Then what's going on over there? Aina has been feeding that guy for almost a month."

"I'm not sure either. Maybe Xia Lun's constitution is a bit special and he heals slower?" Musen rubbed his large bald head, which gleamed like a mirror under the lights. "But I did ask Xia Lun privately before, and he said his recovery was going fine."

"Sorry, I got some on the corner of your mouth. Let me wipe it for you."

Aina took out a handkerchief and wiped the sauce from the corner of Xia Lun's mouth. Xia Lun smiled, looking thoroughly pampered.

Liyana and Musen exchanged another glance.

"Damn!"

Liyana felt as if she suddenly understood something.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Moke, seeing the two whispering, couldn't help but lean in as well.

"Moke, I suspect that boy Xia Lun is faking his injury to trick our dear mage lady." Liyana wore a solemn expression. "To think he was that kind of person."

"Huh? Xia Lun wouldn't do something like that, would he?" Moke immediately retorted. In his heart, Xia Lun's image was still quite grand and upright.

"Then tell me, what is going on here? Xia Lun's arm should have healed a long time ago, right?" Liyana pointed ahead and asked Moke.

Xia Lun was comfortably enjoying his next bite of food, while Aina skillfully cut the steak.

"This..." Moke couldn't provide a good explanation either, but then he asked in return, "If the young couple wants to play around like this, what does it have to do with you?"

"Of course it does!" Liyana said righteously. "Xia Lun's hand got injured trying to save me! If he doesn't get better soon, I'll always feel guilty!"

"Oh, really?" Moke rolled his eyes at Liyana with disdain. She had been her usual self lately—joking around and eating with a great appetite. He couldn't see the slightest hint of guilt in her.

"No, I have to go and ask Xia Lun to clear things up! I can't let him keep making this mistake!" Watching the two brazenly exude the sickeningly sweet aura of love, Liyana was filled with righteous indignation and prepared to go ruin the mood.

Moke was quick. He grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Hey! Why are you going up there to cause trouble? This is none of your business..."

"Moke, you don't understand. I'm saving Xia Lun." Liyana tried to shake him off, but Moke held on tight. Though Moke was skinny, he was quite strong.

"Huh?" Moke looked at Liyana suspiciously with a 'do you think I'm an idiot' expression. No matter how you looked at it, this girl was just planning to cause trouble.

Liyana analyzed the situation with a straight face: "Aina rarely interacts with others and has always seemed quite naive about the world. She might actually believe Xia Lun's lies... If one day she finds out that Xia Lun's hand healed a long time ago and he was just lying to her because he wanted to be fed, what do you think Aina would do?"

"Uh... what would she do?" Moke was swayed by the tense atmosphere Liyana had created.

"Isn't it obvious? She'd be furious! She might even break up with Xia Lun, leave our team, or even fight him! ...Can you imagine Xia Lun and Aina fighting?"

"No... not really." Moke shook his head. Both of their strengths were at the monster level. "But aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

"Not exaggerating at all! Don't you know what kind of person Aina is?"

Moke cast a glance at Liyana. This girl was acting as if she knew Aina very well.

"So, I'm actually saving Xia Lun! If I expose his lie right now, Aina might get angry and maybe even slap him, but things won't escalate to that worst-case scenario!" Liyana patted Moke's shoulder. "Therefore, for Xia Lun! For peace!"

What on earth was this girl talking about?

But Moke was too lazy to stop her anymore, letting Liyana go seek her own doom. Whatever trouble she stirred up, as long as it didn't involve him, it was fine.

Liyana strode over to Xia Lun and sat down next to them, looking as if she had made some sort of firm resolution.

"Is there something you need, Liyana?" Xia Lun looked at her with a bit of confusion.

"Ah... Xia Lun, is your left hand alright now?" Liyana asked directly, cutting straight to the chase.

"There are no major issues anymore. I can lift it, so you don't need to worry." Xia Lun raised his left hand toward Liyana.

"Is that so? You can lift it already." Liyana propped her elbows on the table, an elusive smile on her face. Then, she changed the subject: "Then can you eat by yourself now?"

"Of course not. Although my arm has regained sensation and is mostly fine, my palm is still a bit numb... If I could eat by myself, would I still need Aina to feed me?" Even though he knew Liyana seemed to be hinting at something, Xia Lun still showed a bright smile.

"You still can't eat by yourself... That's really troublesome." Liyana's gaze lingered on Xia Lun's left hand. "But it doesn't look like anything is wrong with it."

"Are you doubting Xia Lun? Suspecting that he is lying to me?"

Even Aina could hear the hidden meaning in Liyana's words at this moment.

"Uh... no, not at all. I'm just worried about Xia Lun's condition... You see, after all, he ended up like this because he was saving me." Liyana began to babble her excuses. She could be cheeky in front of Xia Lun, but she didn't dare act that way in front of Aina.

"Xia Lun knows his limits. He wouldn't lie to me over such a silly thing," Aina said indifferently. "Even if his hand really is healed, feeding him is no big deal."

"I... I just wanted to do my part... Right! Aina, if you find it troublesome, let me do this job. I promise to feed Xia Lun until he's full every single meal!" Liyana patted her chest, but it seemed she patted too hard, choking and coughing a few times.

"No need," Aina replied somewhat coldly. "Xia Lun is, for all intents and purposes, my boyfriend. I don't need anyone else doing this kind of thing for him."

Liyana left resentfully.

"Xia Lun, do you want to eat anything else?"

"No need. I'll be troubling you later as well."

Xia Lun reached out with his left hand to scratch an itchy spot on his back, and replied.