Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 491: You’d better come and see... something happened.

The kitchen was silent that morning.

Sunlight streamed through the large windows, spreading a soft glow across the organized surfaces, reflecting off the light marble and carefully placed utensils. There was something 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 someone who hadn't yet decided if he was awake or merely 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 comes 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 came 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 memory of the previous night came with unnecessary clarity.

Four.

At the same time.

Without rest.

Without mercy.

Without any consideration for basic human limits.

Kael closed his eyes for a second, breathing deeply as if that would somehow 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 extremely 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 moment.

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 moment.

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 movements tranquil, almost methodical. Her posture was elegant as always, her behavior controlled, but there was something…

Something different.

He observed for a few more seconds.

And then he noticed.

Her cheeks.

Slightly flushed.

Very discreetly.

But they were.

Kael immediately 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 seemed particularly willing to verbalize at that moment.

He picked up his glass of juice again.

He took another sip.

Slowly.

As if that would help him buy time.

"Good morning."

His voice finally came 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 seemed 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 something 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 time, 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 met his for a brief moment.

And there…

There was something.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't exactly shame.

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 time since she entered the kitchen…

She looked away.

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

"No need to explain."

The answer came 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 complement… 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"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 time, the movement 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 time there was a slight change in the atmosphere. It wasn't just pure embarrassment anymore, but something more… processed.

Elizabeth finished chewing before speaking again.

"Just…"

She paused briefly.

Choosing her words.

"…next time, try to remember 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 time…

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 seemed… 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 comment echoed with an irritating clarity, and worst of all, there was no irony in it. There was no direct judgment, no open confrontation… just a quiet, almost casual observation.

And that, somehow, 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 came out low, once again directed at no one in particular, but laden with a weariness that went far beyond the physical.

For a brief moment, 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 something… specific about that kind of opening.

Without hesitation.

Without announcement.

Like someone 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 something deeper, something that came 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 meeting.

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 came 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 comment with the same ease as someone already accustomed to that type of interaction.

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

But, unlike before…

There was something.

Something 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 someone less attentive.

Kael noticed it immediately.

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.

"Something 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 came 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 someone measuring how much to say there.

"Enough happened not to be ignored."

He replied, still maintaining that controlled tone.

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

Kael was silent for a moment.

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 moments to show up."

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

Adalric didn't respond immediately.

But, for a brief instant…

An almost imperceptible corner of expression appeared.

Something between impatience and recognition.

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

The reply came 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 came quickly.

Directly.

Adalric didn't confirm immediately.

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."