Chapter 129: First Kiss
Right in front of Gara, Yuvika, cheeks burning, realized how foolish she had been. Bravely, she apologized to Gara.
He only gave a small nod in response, whether it meant forgiveness or not, she couldn’t tell.
One by one, the Liners dispersed. Mohan and Kian left as well, but before the two young men went, Gara spoke again.
"Any Liner who took part in this protest won’t get water from me anymore. I trust you know who they are. If not, I’ll make a list."
"Don’t worry. I know all of them," Kian replied.
With that, they were gone. The only one who remained was Madha, watching Gara with a faint smile.
The bruise on Madha’s jaw still hadn’t faded, even after days. Normally, they would have healed in a single day if Gara had treated them.
"Come inside. Your wounds need care," Gara said, taking Madha’s hand.
Madha’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t resist as Gara gently pulled him along.
...
Inside the investigation team’s room—normally filled with four people—only three remained.
Narin glared at the two men with open irritation. "You’re defending Gara after what he did to Loka?"
"No one’s defending Gara," Kian replied calmly, pushing up his glasses. "The truth is, he never got any rations from us in the first place."
Narin bit back the urge to shout at him. It didn’t matter, they should be avenging Loka.
"Enough, Narin." Mohan’s voice cut through the air, heavy with warning. "Do you think we don’t know what you’ve been up to? The Liners need Gara’s water, and the villagers are on his side. Keep this up, and you’ll be the one thrown out of the village."
"Thrown out?" Narin scoffed, arms folded. "Hah! As if. That old village chief would get on his knees if that’s what it took to keep me here."
Neither Mohan nor Kian argued. She wasn’t entirely wrong. Right now the chief depended on Narin’s water to keep his poisoned grandchild alive.
"When the spring is finally clean," Narin declared with a smug smile, "I’ll make that village chief order Gara to kneel before me."
Kian shook his head, while Mohan had already turned away, no longer wasting attention on the only woman in his team.
"But wait! Where’s Loka? Why isn’t he with you, Mohan?" Narin asked suddenly.
"Loka’s been dismissed from the investigation team and stripped from this mission," Mohan answered flatly, eyes still on the trees beyond the window. "He’s staying in town to deal with his punishment."
"Dismissed? Punished? HOW?" Narin shot to her feet.
"Gara has strong backing," Mohan said, finally turning to look at her.
"No! Impossible! What punishment did Loka get?"
"Rank demotion." Mohan’s tone dropped heavier. "And listen carefully, Narin. This isn’t me persuading you. It’s an order. Don’t let your behavior drag the team down with you."
Narin collapsed back into her seat. Rank demotion. The very words sent chills through her. That punishment was a nightmare. One she didn’t even want to imagine for herself.
But how? How could a mere Liner from a village have support that strong?
There’s no way his backers are stronger than my foster father, a trusted butler of the one of county’s noble house... right?
Her fists clenched, twisting her lovely features with rage. She would ruin Gara.
From his chair, Kian let out a long sigh at the sight of her expression. He knew exactly what that meant. Narin would act out again. Whatever. She’d only learn once punishment hit her directly.
Turning away from her, he asked Mohan, "What about our mountain exploration?"
That was the real topic they should’ve discussed with the guards the day incident in the clinic happened.
"We can’t count on the guards anymore. Not after everything that’s happened."
"Then what do we do?" Kian’s brows knit as he studied Mohan’s face.
"We go ourselves. Just the three of us."
Kian gave a small nod. Narin, however, protested immediately. "Only three of us? To that dangerous mountain? I refuse!"
"Don’t make me repeat myself, Narin. This is already your doing." Mohan’s tone brooked no argument.
In the end, Narin could only grit her teeth and follow as Mohan and Kian set out toward the mountain.
The higher they climbed, the more wild beasts they encountered, each one venomous, each mistake a gamble with death.
One massive snake made Narin faint at its sight. With only two people, Mohan and Kian stretched their Talent to kill that snake.
That day, their exploration gained no progress. Just like the week before, they couldn’t advance far.
...
Inside the small room with wooden plank walls, the only light came from a lantern that cast a soft, reddish glow.
The gentle sound of a baby’s breathing filled the quiet night. Beside the crib, Gara tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
At last, he got up, cracked the door open, and peeked outside. A faint glow spilled in from the front room, so Gara stepped out without bringing his lantern.
There, sitting alone at the table, was Madha. Since he had just arrived that afternoon, he still had the night off.
"Why aren’t you sleeping?" Madha asked as Gara approached.
"Not tired," Gara replied.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from Madha. Without a word, Gara reached out, gently tilting Madha’s chin to inspect the bruise along his jaw.
In the lantern’s dim light, they studied each other’s faces.
Gara was close enough that with the slightest lean forward, Madha’s lips brushed against his.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Their heartbeats echoed in unison.
Neither of them had planned this. Madha had only wanted some quiet to clear his head, and Gara had only meant to check on him.
But that night, a new story began— Their first kiss.
Madha took the daring step of deepening it. Though inexperienced, instinct guided him. Gara, who knew a little more, matched and steadied the rhythm, his hand grazing Madha’s sharp jawline and sending sparks through him.
Madha wrapped his arms tightly around him, making Gara arched against the hold but didn’t resist, trusting Madha’s strength to keep him steady.
...