Chapter 158: Don’t Worry
The door creaked open behind him.
Denzel turned instinctively.
The words he’d prepared never left his mouth.
Instead of the village chief, a familiar figure stepped quietly into the study.
Long silver hair caught the morning light spilling in from the hallway, its soft sheen almost enough to draw attention away from the composed smile she wore. Her blue dress was noticeably more refined than the last time he’d seen her, embroidered with delicate patterns that suited the residence around her.
Aisha.
For a moment, the knot that had been sitting in Denzel’s chest eased.
He hadn’t even realized how tense he’d become while waiting until now.
Compared to standing face-to-face with the village chief again...
This was a far more welcome sight.
She closed the door gently behind her before meeting his eyes. The warm smile that had greeted him softened further, carrying an unmistakable hint of relief.
"You came."
Denzel let out a quiet breath through his nose.
"...Seems I did."
The corner of her lips lifted ever so slightly, as if she’d expected exactly that response.
She stepped forward before stopping a respectful distance away. Then, with practiced grace, she lowered herself into a neat bow.
"Good morning, Master."
Denzel stared at her.
"...Master?"
"Yes."
Her answer came so naturally that it almost sounded strange to question it.
"I hope you didn’t have any trouble coming here."
Denzel blinked once before the word finally caught up to him.
"...Hold on."
He frowned.
"When did I become your master?"
Aisha straightened, her expression remaining as composed as ever.
"The moment I acknowledged you as such."
"...I don’t remember agreeing to that."
"You didn’t."
She said it so matter-of-factly that Denzel almost wondered if she’d misunderstood his objection.
"I made that decision myself."
For a second, he simply looked at her.
Then he rubbed lightly at his temple.
Somehow...
He wasn’t even surprised anymore.
"Aisha."
"Yes, Master?"
"There it is again."
A faint look of confusion crossed her face.
"The title."
"Oh."
Understanding flickered across her features.
"I’m afraid I can’t stop."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"You can’t?"
She shook her head gently.
"I’ve already chosen how I wish to address you."
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her voice.
No embarrassment.
No uncertainty.
Just quiet conviction.
Denzel studied her for another moment before giving up.
Arguing with her felt strangely pointless.
"...Fine."
The word had barely left his mouth when her smile brightened almost imperceptibly.
He chose to ignore it.
Instead, he looked around the otherwise empty study.
"So..."
His eyes returned to hers.
"You were the one who called me here?"
"I was."
"And the village chief?"
"He doesn’t know you’re here."
That answer caught him off guard.
"He... doesn’t?"
Aisha shook her head.
"I asked one of the household messengers to invite you before Grandfather began receiving visitors for the day."
Grandfather.
Right.
It was easy to forget she wasn’t merely someone who lived here.
This was her home.
Denzel looked back at her.
"Then why?"
The smile she’d been wearing slowly faded.
Her hands came together in front of her, fingers lightly intertwining as her gaze lowered toward the polished wooden floor.
For the first time since entering...
She seemed unsure of herself.
"...First," she said quietly, "I wanted to apologize."
Denzel waited.
She took a small breath before continuing.
"I’m sorry about what happened the last time you came here."
Her voice remained soft.
"I invited you, yet you ended up being questioned by Grandfather."
A faint crease formed between her brows.
"I’ve been thinking about it ever since."
Denzel watched her in silence.
She wasn’t offering excuses.
She wasn’t trying to justify what had happened.
If anything...
She looked genuinely bothered by it.
"I should have prepared you," she continued. "Or at least warned you there was a chance he’d want to speak with you."
Her fingers tightened slightly around one another.
"Instead, I put you in an uncomfortable position."
The room fell quiet again.
Denzel looked at her for several seconds without speaking.
He thought back to that day.
The surprise of finding the village chief waiting.
The questions.
The pressure that had filled the room.
It certainly hadn’t been pleasant.
But...
He couldn’t honestly blame her for it.
She hadn’t been the one asking the questions.
She hadn’t even tried to make the situation worse.
If anything, she’d looked almost as surprised as he had. His hand moved, grabbing a handful of her ass, kneading it gently as he spoke. Aisha smiled almost instinctively.
"It’s alright."
Aisha lifted her head.
"I wasn’t angry."
He searched briefly for the right words.
"...Just caught off guard."
For a heartbeat, she simply looked at him.
Then the tension she’d been carrying seemed to melt away all at once.
The relief that spread across her face was so obvious that Denzel almost wondered just how long she’d been worrying over something he’d already put behind him.
The relief lingering on Aisha’s face made Denzel wonder just how heavily she’d been carrying the apology.
He hadn’t expected it to matter this much to her.
The silence between them grew lighter.
Aisha let out a small breath that almost sounded like a quiet laugh before lifting her eyes to meet his again.
"...Thank you."
Denzel gave a slight shake of his head.
"You don’t need to thank me."
"I do."
She smiled faintly.
"You accepted my apology."
He wasn’t sure there was much to accept.
The matter had already been behind him.
Still...
Seeing the tension leave her shoulders was oddly satisfying.
Aisha took another step forward.
Not enough to invade his space.
Just enough that the formal distance she’d kept since entering no longer felt quite so formal.
"You really are kinder than you realize."
Denzel looked at her.
"I don’t think that’s true."
"It is."
She tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Most people would’ve complained first."
"I considered it."
"And?"
"I decided it wouldn’t change anything."
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
"I can believe that."
Before he could ask what she meant, she reached toward him.
Denzel instinctively glanced down.
Her slender fingers brushed lightly against the front of his tunic.
He stiffened ever so slightly.
"...There’s a crease."
She smoothed the fabric with practiced care, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"There."
She looked oddly pleased with herself.
"Much better."
Denzel looked down at the now perfectly straightened tunic before looking back at her.
"...Was that really necessary?"
"It bothered me."
"It wasn’t even noticeable."
"It was."
She smiled.
"To me."
Denzel wasn’t convinced.
Still...
It wasn’t worth arguing over something so small.
He let the matter drop.
Aisha’s smile lingered as she studied him for another moment.
"You know..."
"What?"
"I’ve noticed something."
He waited.
"You always look so serious."
"I am serious."
"I know."
Her smile widened just a little.
"But you don’t have to look like you’re preparing to face an army every moment of the day."
Denzel blinked.
"...Do I really look like that?"
"You do."
"I wasn’t aware."
"I can tell."
She folded her hands behind her back, looking entirely too pleased by the conversation.
"For someone your age, you worry far too much."
Denzel couldn’t really deny it.
Not after everything that had happened recently.
His gaze settled on her.
The smile.
The teasing.
Compared to when she’d first entered, she seemed like an entirely different person.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Whatever nervousness she’d brought into the room had completely disappeared.
He supposed that was a good thing.
"...Aisha."
She straightened immediately.
"Yes, Master?"
There was that title again.
Denzel decided to ignore it this time.
"If you’re going to ask me to come here again..."
She listened attentively.
"...tell me why."
Her expression softened.
He continued.
"I was planning to spend the morning training."
He glanced briefly toward the window.
"When someone from the village chief’s household arrives at my door before sunrise without any explanation..."
He paused.
"...it’s difficult not to assume something happened."
Understanding slowly spread across her face.
The smile she’d been wearing faded into something more thoughtful.
"...You’re right."
She lowered her head slightly.
"I didn’t think about that."
"I figured."
"I only wanted to see you."
The words left her mouth so naturally that she seemed to realize what she’d admitted only after saying them.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"...I mean..."
She hesitated.
"I wasn’t trying to trouble you."
Denzel looked at her for a second before quietly exhaling.
"I know."
"But I still inconvenienced you."
"You did."
She nodded without protesting.
"I’m sorry."
Silence settled between them again.
This time, it wasn’t awkward.
If anything, it felt calmer than before.
Aisha clasped her hands together in front of her, waiting quietly.
For some reason...
She looked almost expectant.
As though she were waiting for him to say something else.
Denzel studied her for a moment.
She was standing remarkably still now.
Even the playful smile from earlier had disappeared.
"..."
He wasn’t entirely sure what she was waiting for.
After a few more seconds, he let out a quiet sigh.
"I can’t stay."
Aisha’s eyes brightened immediately.
"I have somewhere I need to be this morning."
"The training grounds?"
He nodded.
"I’ve already missed enough."
She looked briefly disappointed before quickly hiding it.
"I understand."
Denzel looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"This evening."
She blinked.
"...This evening?"
"I’ll make time."
A faint spark lit up her eyes.
"But..."
He continued before she could interrupt.
"Find somewhere we’ll be alone."
Her heartbeat seemed to skip.
Alone...
She lowered her head in a quick nod.
"I will."
"I don’t want any interruptions."
"There won’t be."
Her answer came almost immediately.
"I’ll make sure of it."
Denzel gave a small nod.
"Good."
He turned toward the door before pausing.
Without looking back, he added,
"And don’t worry."
Aisha looked up.
"The wait won’t be without reward."
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
Then a smile, brighter than any she’d shown that morning, slowly spread across her face.
"...I’ll be looking forward to it."
Denzel lifted a hand in acknowledgment before reaching for the door.
Behind him, he could still feel her standing exactly where he’d left her.
He stepped into the hallway.