NFBE Chapter 443 [Empire] Master-Disciple Relationship
Chapter 443 [Empire] Master-Disciple Relationship
"You, since when..."
I whispered, trying to form a question, but I didn't know where to begin. The question lingered in my mind, lingering. I wasn't sure I was ready for his answer. Perhaps I simply didn't have the courage to ask.
Nightingale listened quietly to my unfinished words, his head lowered slightly, his eyes a bit hollow, as if he were also thinking about something. After a moment, he sighed softly: "From a long time ago." His tone was low, with an emotion I couldn't understand.
"A long time ago?" I couldn't help but repeat myself, feeling somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Nightingale had been keeping an eye on these matters since I first joined the mission team, or even before? Why did he keep it so hidden?
Nightingale raised his head, his eyes calm but with a hint of complexity. He did not answer my question immediately, but looked at the gradually rising morning light outside the window, as if waiting for something.
"You actually knew it a long time ago, didn't you?" He turned his head to look at me, a barely perceptible complexity flashing in his eyes, "I didn't deliberately hide it, it's just..." He paused, as if hesitating whether to continue.
I froze for a moment, my mind a tangle. At that moment, all my doubts seemed to flow back to their source, funneling into my heart like a funnel. I suddenly realized this wasn't as simple as I'd imagined. He had been leaving me with many unanswered questions, intentionally or unintentionally, and those details I'd overlooked gradually pieced together a hidden truth.
"A long time ago..." I repeated his words, trying to make more sense of them, but my brain was a little confused and I could only barely understand them literally.
Nightingale didn't seem to intend to avoid the question anymore. He took a deep breath, and the complexity in his eyes became more obvious: "You have never really understood me. You think our relationship is just a simple master-disciple relationship, right?" He asked, his voice a little low, with a hint of inexplicable sadness.
I bit my lip nervously and didn't answer. I wasn't sure how to respond, nor was I sure I even knew what he was talking about. Each encounter with Nightingale seemed to unveil layer after layer of mystery, until, in the end, I wasn't even sure if the answer was something I could handle.
"I've been observing you, girl." Nightingale's words once again broke my thoughts. "You've never really thought about what I care about or what I've done. You just put yourself in the corner you think is the safest, always thinking about how to escape, but never thinking about facing yourself or our relationship."
His tone became deeper and deeper, filled with heavy emotion.
I suddenly felt a deep sense of panic, my heart racing. The memories of this period slowly pieced together a reality I'd never truly faced. Was I truly just running away? Never confronting the complex emotions lurking within our relationship?
"I..." I opened my mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Nightingale didn't give me too much time to think. He just sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "You always know that I am by your side, protecting you and guiding you. But, girl, protection and restraint are two different things."
I fell silent. I knew he was right, but deep down, an indescribable sense of loss spread. At that moment, I realized that Nightingale seemed to have seen through my hesitation and fear, but I had never truly faced him.
Every moment I wanted to escape was perhaps a denial of my true feelings for him.
"Isn't the master-disciple relationship also a very good relationship..."
I whispered back, a hint of feeble self-mockery in my tone, as if trying to find a safe excuse. The mentor-disciple relationship, at least on the surface, is simple and clear. It doesn't require grappling with complex emotions or making numerous promises about the future. It's like a set track, traveling in a predetermined direction without major problems.
But, obviously, Nightingale didn't buy it.
He frowned slightly, looking at me with a dim gaze. "Master-disciple relationship? Girl, you're really deceiving yourself." He paused, as if formulating his words. "I've never asked for any special relationship between you and me. I simply watch over you, accompany you, and lead you through paths I know you might not be able to complete. Do you think this is a 'master-disciple relationship' and that's all?"
I was silent.
His words wavered. Perhaps I had once truly believed that. The mentor-disciple relationship was simple, requiring no complex emotions or further confusion. I was always accustomed to simplifying everything into the most direct and safest form, avoiding being trapped in complex emotions. But Nightingale's words, like a cold wind, shattered my inner peace and awakened those things I had always been afraid to face.
"Do you always think that you can escape everything?" Nightingale's voice once again broke my thoughts. His eyes were calm, but with a hint of subtle pain. "Girl, you can escape the mission, you can escape the difficulties in front of you, but there are some things that you can't escape."
"You don't understand..." I started to speak subconsciously, wanting to refute, but the words were stuck on my lips. I didn't know what I wanted to say.
Nightingale sighed, his expression complex and profound. "I've always known you were running away. You think about others, about the mission, but never about yourself." He paused, his gaze fixed on me, as if trying to penetrate all my disguises. "You've never asked yourself what you really want."
I was stunned. Indeed, I had never asked myself that question. I was always preoccupied with the task, the expectations of others, and how to avoid being constrained. I never stopped to consider my true self.
Nightingale's gaze seemed to hold a certain power, drawing me in. I realized that perhaps he was right. I always lived on the path set by others, following the rules step by step, but never truly considering my own inner desires.
"Do you want to know what I want?" I suddenly looked up at Nightingale, a glint of uncertainty in my eyes. Although my voice was trembling, I finally mustered the courage to face the feeling I had been avoiding.
Nightingale didn't answer immediately. He just looked at me quietly, as if waiting for me to speak. Silence spread in the air, and I felt my heart begin to stir, as if something had gently stirred it.
"I..." I didn't know where to begin. My mood began to become a little confused. There were many words in my mind, but I didn't know how to express them.