Chapter 173 - Love Was Already Impossible For Her
Chapter 173 – Love Was Already Impossible For Her
Three years and twelve seasons had passed since the time I left Belcoot, devastated. I kept a strong facade upon leaving the castle, telling myself repeatedly I shouldn't look back. I nearly ran back to Hugo that night, but Bowie carried me away to stop me.
He carried me while I cried my heart out and bawled my eyes until I could walk on my own. It took days, many days, for that.
Not all members of the Tarsa tribe went with me — only a few. Some left because they had to wait for the members of the tribe to cross the border. Bowie entrusted that to them. If they all left Belcoot, the Tarsa tribe from beyond the border would think werewolves betrayed them.
The main reason our group was small, consisting of nine people including me. We wandered without a particular destination. But what we had in mind was to get as far away as possible from Belcoot.
That was when we met Edge at the last place of Ronmin. I could still remember the shock we bore when we met each other in a faraway land from Belcoot. After I explained to him what happened, he begged to tag along with me since 'Hugo wouldn't calm down anytime soon' — those were his words.
I didn't have the heart to refuse him; he looked so pitiful. So in the end, I let him come with us. It had been over two years since then and he wasn't giving the hint of going back. Not that I was worried.
Then how we ended up being traveling performers was another story. But to make it short, while we were traveling, we encountered a group of struggling minstrels. Since their numbers were small and their group disbanded, they were struggling with their performances and garnering support.
I came to their mini-show that barely had an audience. Even so, I somehow fell in love with what I had witnessed. So here we were, traveling from one place to another to perform.
I snapped my eyes when someone clapped in front of me.
"Rin, are you alright?" I blinked, gazing at the owner of the hands. "You're spacing out when I came into your tent. Did something happen?"
I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing. I was just thinking it's been two years since our debut show." I watched Edge lazily plopped down on the chair beside me inside my tent.
"Ahh… I thought the suitor you entertained just now is rude to you."
"They want something, so they won't be rude to me until they get it, of course." I shrugged, facing the small mirror in front of me. "I just thought that our group is garnering attention. We were invited to perform on Althea. Remember the time we were there?"
I cast him a side-eye and saw him rock his head. "Althea is so close to Everfell. Are you planning to go to Everfell?" he turned his head at me, brows elevated.
"It's not in my plan, but I'm considering dropping by to Everfell."
"Luna, why? Everfell is now under the Hendrik Empire. You know those bats. If they knew you were there, they won't let you go again. They only stopped the chase when you left Belcoot."
"It's not like I will announce my arrival." I humored with a brief chuckle, casting him a knowing look. "Don't worry, Edge. You and Bowie won't leave me alone with my guests if you still think I can't protect myself."
He let out a deep exhale. "But Everfell and the vampires are different. I can still remember that time you were abducted."
"Edge." I cajoled. Having Edge with us was akin to gaining an older brother who would never stop worrying about me. He hadn't been cowering or being so negative like when he was in Belcoot because of our not-so-dangerous line of work. But well, we could still consider him as a pessimist.
"That will never happen again, I promise." I smiled while he sighed faintly. "Don't worry. I won't do anything reckless. Also, our show in Althea is important, since we would perform for the nobles at the request of the royal family. It will be one of our biggest performances."
"Uh… they simply want to fulfill their curiosity about the beautiful goddess everyone is talking about."
I laughed at his disinterested comment but then arched my brows when I heard voices outside the tent. Edge also cast me a quick look before shifting his attention to the entrance of the tent.
"I just want to talk to Luna! Please let me talk to her…!"
"God damn these people," Edge grumbled in irritation. "If they truly like you, they should know how to respect your time."
"Don't hurt them," I said upon seeing Edge drag his body away from the chair.
He cocked his head back, staring at me dead in the eye. "Luna, if you are truly concerned about them, you should've let them take another second of your time."
"I tried, alright?" I clicked my tongue while he already marched outside the tent. As soon as he did, I cringed when I heard him yell all profanities he could think of.
This had been what our life had become. Every time the show ended or my performance ended, some men would go to my tent to talk to me. They all spoke the same words and bore the same agenda. It was not like they would seriously shower me with love.
They simply liked me as a trophy. So in return, I also bore hidden agenda in entertaining them. Their gifts were valuables and we could sell them at a good price. We called them tips for appreciating our performances.
I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. "You've changed a lot, Rinnie," I whispered, letting out a shallow breath. "You're fine now. Don't think about the past anymore."
Whenever I thought of men's intention and their flowery words, I couldn't help but think about a certain man. Because of that man's sincerity, I couldn't help but compare all the other men I met in the past three years.
Love… was impossible for me at this point. Although I accepted Hugo would've been living peacefully with his new wife, his love changed me. I couldn't love another person as hard as him and… that was alright.
"It should be alright." I shook my head to get him out of my thoughts. "He's probably happy now.. I should prepare for our next show before we head off to Althea."