CHAPTER 207: WANT TO BE FRIENDS

"Okay, let’s say that you haven’t said anything about your tribe to the Baroness.. What does that have to do with me?" Coco asked, her tone is lighthearted.

"It has nothing to do with you, but you can say that since you told me who you really are so I said who I really am in exchange." Chief Salamandara stated, a friendly and welcoming smile on her lips.

"But you can also say that I said those things because I wanted to befriend Coco Coison instead of Coco Hughes." She quickly added on to her previous statement, staring straight into Coco’s eyes.

"I heard from one of the villagers that they saw you rejecting Joachim’s advances to be your friend because you have a debt that you still have to pay, but you don’t owe me anything." Chief Salamandara leaned forward as she crossed her arms on top of the desk.

"We’re both hiding big secrets." The village chief said and tilted her head, "It makes me want us to be friends—"

"Ah!" Lala screamed all of a sudden and made Coco snap her head to look at the fairy, her heart racing at how loud the sound was.

"I remember now!" The garden fairy squealed as she kicked her feet in the air, "Golden eyes are the distinct features of hybrids! But not every hybrid can use their golden eyes because every hybrid has different abilities!"

Lala turned to Coco and smiled brightly. "Hybrids are sly in nature, but they’re loyal friends!"

Coco stared at the garden fairy for a moment before she looked away, her eyes shifting to the woman sitting behind the desk.

"You want us to be friends?" Coco asked and saw the fairy move from her peripheral vision, "How can I trust you? For all I know, you may snitch on Coco Hughes’ mother and tell her all about the things you heard from me."

"If I wanted that, she would have walked through the village gates and dragged you back to Amberwich City, Coco." Chief Salamandara said bluntly, smiling coldly.

She has a point. Coco thought to herself, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

She still doesn’t feel assured, but she doesn’t feel like she’s in danger either— more like she was being poked with a stick by an adult just to annoy her.

"I made sure to keep Rey and Kairo in the village because I knew that they might tattle on you. You have changed a lot from who you used to be after all." Chief Salamandara hummed out, shifting in her seat and pulled out the drawer.

"She sent another one and this time, it’s the village merchant’s brother." The village chief continued speaking as she pulled out a pen and a paper from the drawer, "Drishti Koe Tani is a mediator that Baroness Hughes had come in contact with lately."

Drishti Koe Tani? Is that his whole name? Coco wondered, straining her ears open and listened attentively to the village chief.

"And apparently, someone had been spilling to an outsider about what you have been up to lately." Chief Salamandara started writing something on the paper and glued her gaze on it, "I still haven’t catched that one person, but what they spilled was enough to catch the Baroness’ attention."

"Someone’s stalking Coco?!" The fairy exclaimed, a look of disbelief crossing her face.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out on everyone every night." The village chief assured Coco with a smile, "I’ll make sure that no one will come in contact with him and I’ll make sure that no one will be able to spill anything else except for what you have been doing in public."

Coco nodded her head slowly and stared at the chief, a frown settling on her face.

"Wouldn’t this make the Baroness suspicious?" Coco asked, the thought of putting someone else in danger just for her sake doesn’t sit right with her.

"It might, but she would have come to me if she trusted me, right? She just trusts me enough to leave her daughter in my village, but not enough to say anything about her plan." There was an amusement in her voice and Coco found it rather odd.

"Well, okay.. I trust you for now." Coco said, sighing weakly as she slumped back to her seat.

"Great, now, what will you do in the main city except for getting a hunter license?" Chief Salamandara asked, looking away from the paper and smiling at her, "You came to me to get the permit, right?"

"How did you know?" Coco blinked and sat upright once again.

"I heard from the prisoners that you asked them that you asked a lot of questions so I connected the dots together." The chief answered truthfully and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh.. Yeah, for the hunter license and to hire someone to rebuild a house for my husbands." Coco scratched the back of her neck as she looked away, "I was also planning to catch monsters here and there in the main city."

"My, what a thoughtful sweetheart you are." Chief Salamandara chuckled and looked back down at the paper, "Alright, I’ll put a trusted friend’s name in this permit."

"What? But why?" Coco blinked owlishly.

"Why else? So you can have a good time in the main city, duh." The village chief rolled her eyes and put the pen down, "Just make sure that you will behave and won’t cause any trouble."

"But what would you gain from that? I don’t have much money to pay you." Coco frowned, looking down on her feet.

"Silly, I want my friend to have her first visit to the main city to be a good one." Chief Salamandara said as if it was the simplest thing in the world, "Didn’t I tell you? I want us to be friends."

"You’ll gain nothing from me though.." Coco mumbled.

"Do friends have to gain something from each other so they can be friends?" The chief asked, tilting her head.

"No—"