Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls Chapter 491 491: You'd better come and see... something happ

The kitchen was silent that morning.

Sunlight stread through the large windows, spreading a soft glow across the organized surfaces, reflecting off the light marble and carefully placed utensils. There was sothing almost reassuring about the atmosphere, a sense of stable routine that contrasted sharply with the absolute chaos of the previous night.

Kael leaned against the counter.

A glass of apple juice in his hand, his eyes half-lost as he stared blankly ahead like soone who hadn't yet decided if he was awake or rely existing out of sheer stubbornness. His slightly disheveled hair, his overly relaxed posture, and, above all, his expression… betrayed everything.

Exhaustion.

A profound exhaustion, the kind that cos not only from lack of sleep, but from an absurd excess of stimuli, energy, and physical exertion concentrated in a few hours.

He brought the glass to his lips and took a slow sip.

He sighed.

Long.

Heavy.

"I'm going to die."

The phrase ca out low, almost like a thought that escaped without permission, as he set the glass back down on the counter and ran a hand over his face.

The mory of the previous night ca with unnecessary clarity.

Four.

At the sa ti.

Without rest.

Without rcy.

Without any consideration for basic human limits.

Kael closed his eyes for a second, breathing deeply as if that would sohow help reorganize his own body.

"That wasn't normal."

He murmured, more to himself than anything else.

And then…

He felt it.

A presence.

Kael froze.

Not dramatically, not visibly to any casual observer, but internally, everything froze for a second. The mind, which until then had been busy complaining about its own existence, suddenly made an extrely simple connection.

Elizabeth.

He opened his eyes slowly.

Without moving.

Without turning her head.

But already knowing.

She was there.

With soft, calm, unhurried steps, Elizabeth entered the kitchen as if it were just another ordinary morning. There was no visible tension in her posture, no hurry, not even a direct glance in his direction at that first mont.

She simply walked.

Passed by him.

Close enough for him to feel her presence with absolute clarity.

And said nothing.

Kael remained motionless.

His brain working too fast now, trying to decide the best way to deal with… this.

She reached the counter.

Picked up an apple.

The gesture was simple, natural, almost too casual for the absurd situation that existed in his head at that mont.

Then she turned.

Walked to a chair.

Sat down.

And began to eat the apple.

In silence.

Kael blinked.

Once. Two.

Very slowly, he turned his head toward her.

Elizabeth was there, sitting at the table as if nothing had happened, holding the apple in one hand while calmly biting into it, her movents tranquil, almost thodical. Her posture was elegant as always, her behavior controlled, but there was sothing…

Sothing different.

He observed for a few more seconds.

And then he noticed.

Her cheeks.

Slightly flushed.

Very discreetly.

But they were.

Kael imdiately looked away.

"..."

Silence.

The kind of silence that isn't comfortable, but also isn't explosive. Just… dense. Laden with unspoken things, with thoughts that both clearly had, but neither seed particularly willing to verbalize at that mont.

He picked up his glass of juice again.

He took another sip.

Slowly.

As if that would help him buy ti.

"Good morning."

His voice finally ca out, a little lower than usual, carrying a clear attempt at normalcy that didn't convince even himself.

Elizabeth chewed the piece of apple calmly before answering.

"Good morning."

Her tone was neutral.

Perfectly controlled.

But there was a slight delay in the response.

Almost imperceptible.

Kael leaned against the counter again, his eyes now fixed on the glass in his hand, as if it were suddenly the most interesting object in the world.

Another sip.

Silence again.

Elizabeth took another bite of the apple.

The sound was small.

But, in that silence…

It seed too loud.

Kael closed his eyes for a second.

He took a deep breath.

"So…"

He began, but stopped.

Because he had no idea how to finish that sentence.

Elizabeth didn't look at him.

She continued eating.

Calmly.

As if she were waiting.

Or perhaps…

Testing.

Kael ran a hand through his hair, visibly uncomfortable now.

"You… woke up early."

He tried again, clearly improvising anything that could sound even remotely normal.

Elizabeth nodded slightly.

"I woke up."

Another bite of the apple.

Silence.

Kael bit the inside of his cheek, clearly holding back from saying sothing stupid.

Or worse.

Saying exactly what he was thinking.

He glanced sideways again.

And, once more…

He noticed the slight blush on her face.

It wasn't exaggerated.

It wasn't obvious to anyone.

But he saw it. And that was enough.

"…"

Silence returned.

Heavier now.

Because, this ti, there was recognition.

From both sides.

Kael took another deep breath.

"Look…"

He began, finally deciding that ignoring it completely might not be the best strategy.

Elizabeth looked up.

Finally.

Their eyes t his for a brief mont.

And there…

There was sothing.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't exactly sha.

It was… awareness.

Awareness of what had happened.

Of what had been heard.

Of what had been… impossible to ignore.

Kael froze for a second.

But he continued.

"About last night…"

Elizabeth blinked.

And, for the first ti since she entered the kitchen…

She looked away.

She brought the apple to her lips again, but didn't bite imdiately. She held it for a few seconds, as if internally processing sothing before answering.

"No need to explain."

The answer ca calmly.

Controlled.

But a little faster than usual.

Kael frowned slightly.

"No?"

She shook her head.

Still not looking directly at him.

"No."

A pause.

Then, almost as an inevitable complent…

"I heard."

Silence.

Kael slowly closed his eyes.

"…Of course you heard."

He murmured, more to himself than to her.

Elizabeth finally took another bite of the apple.

But this ti, the movent was a little faster.

Less calculated.

Kael ran his hand over his face again.

"I was going to talk to you yesterday…"

He tried.

Elizabeth interrupted.

"But you didn't say anything."

Simple.

Direct.

No explicit accusation.

But also no softening.

Kael let out a small sigh.

"…Yes."

He didn't try to deny it.

There was no way.

Silence returned again, but this ti there was a slight change in the atmosphere. It wasn't just pure embarrassnt anymore, but sothing more… processed.

Elizabeth finished chewing before speaking again.

"Just…"

She paused briefly.

Choosing her words.

"…next ti, try to rember that there are other people in the house."

Kael opened his eyes and looked directly at her.

She still wasn't looking at him.

But the slight blush on her cheeks… was still there.

And, this ti…

A little more evident.

Kael was silent for a few seconds.

Then he nodded slightly. "…Fair enough."

He replied.

Another small sip of juice.

Silence.

Elizabeth finally finished the apple, placing the rest on the plate beside her.

She then stood up.

Calm.

Composed.

But, as she passed him again…

There was a small pause.

Almost imperceptible.

She didn't look directly at him.

But she said, in a low tone:

"You seed… busy."

Kael froze again.

And, before he could answer…

She was already leaving the kitchen.

Leaving behind only silence.

And a completely speechless Kael, staring at his own glass of juice as if he had just lost any functional capacity for thought.

The silence that remained in the kitchen after Elizabeth left wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it definitely wasn't light. He carried with him a remnant of what had been said—and, mainly, of what had not been said—hanging in the air as a constant reminder that Kael could not simply ignore the consequences of his own actions, however absurd they might be.

Kael remained still for a few seconds, still staring at the glass of apple juice in his hand, as if that would help him reorganize his own brain. Her final comnt echoed with an irritating clarity, and worst of all, there was no irony in it. There was no direct judgnt, no open confrontation… just a quiet, almost casual observation.

And that, sohow, was worse.

He let out a long sigh, setting the glass back down on the counter while running a hand over his face.

"I really need to start locking that door."

The sentence ca out low, once again directed at no one in particular, but laden with a weariness that went far beyond the physical.

For a brief mont, he considered going back to his room.

Maybe sleeping a little more.

Or, at least, pretending that none of this had happened.

But before he could make any decision…

He heard it.

The sound of the front door opening.

Kael frowned slightly.

It wasn't an unusual sound.

But there was sothing… specific about that kind of opening.

Without hesitation.

Without announcent.

Like soone who not only had permission to enter, but who considered it completely natural.

He turned his head slowly toward the hallway.

Footsteps.

Firm.

Unhurried. Without any attempt at being discreet.

Kael narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...Of course."

He murmured.

And then the figure appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Adalric.

His presence filled the space in a way that was different from the other people in that house. It wasn't just his posture or age, but sothing deeper, sothing that ca with a kind of silent authority that didn't need to be announced to be recognized.

Kael was silent for a second.

Observing.

Processing.

Then he spoke.

"Why are you here, old man?"

The tone was laden with a slight sarcasm, but also a familiarity that made it clear this wasn't a formal eting.

Adalric didn't seem affected at all.

He simply entered the kitchen completely, his eyes quickly scanning the room before settling on Kael.

"The house is still mine."

The answer ca simply. Direct.

Like an obvious fact that needed no further explanation.

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Inconvenient detail."

He replied, crossing his arms slightly as he leaned back against the counter.

Adalric ignored the comnt with the sa ease as soone already accustod to that type of interaction.

He took a few more steps into the kitchen, stopping at a comfortable distance.

But, unlike before…

There was sothing.

Sothing in the way he stood there.

His posture was still firm.

His gaze was still steady.

But there was a subtle tension, almost imperceptible to soone less attentive.

Kael noticed it imdiately.

And that made the slight irony in his expression gradually disappear.

The silence that followed was not casual.

It was… heavy.

Adalric was the first to break it.

"Sothing happened."

His voice was a little lower than usual.

Not dramatic.

But serious.

Enough to completely change the mood of the conversation.

Kael slowly uncrossed his arms.

His posture adjusting almost automatically.

"What?"

The question ca directly.

No joking.

No evasion.

Adalric held his gaze for a few seconds before answering.

"You'd better go see."

Kael frowned slightly.

"That's not exactly an explanation."

Adalric sighed slightly.

Like soone asuring how much to say there.

"Enough happened not to be ignored."

He replied, still maintaining that controlled tone.

"And it's not sothing I'm going to summarize in a sentence in the kitchen."

Kael was silent for a mont.

Observing him.

Analyzing.

Trying to extract more from what was being said directly.

But Adalric wasn't the type of person who gave away more than he wanted.

And that, in itself…

Said a lot.

Kael looked away for a second, taking a deep breath as he processed the abrupt change of scenery.

A few minutes ago, he was dealing with the awkwardness of a complicated morning.

Now…

That.

He picked up his glass of juice again, finishing the rest in a single gulp before placing it back on the counter with a slightly dry sound.

"You choose great monts to show up."

He comnted, his tone returning to a slight irony, but now mixed with genuine attention.

Adalric didn't respond imdiately.

But, for a brief instant…

An almost imperceptible corner of expression appeared.

Sothing between impatience and recognition.

"And you choose even worse monts to be distracted."

The reply ca dryly. "Necessary."

Kael let out a small, nasal laugh.

"Fair enough."

He stepped away from the counter, now completely focused.

"Does this have to do with vampires?"

The question ca quickly.

Directly.

Adalric didn't confirm imdiately.

But he didn't deny it either.

Which, coming from him…

Was practically an answer.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"Great."

He murmured.

"So it's already begun."