Flum wondered to herself if there was anyone in this world who wouldn’t feel their heart race when being gazed at like that. Then she suddenly remembered something that “Flum” said to her a little while ago.
“Just tell her how you feel already. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
Flum was sure Cyrill said something, too.
“You need to take responsibility properly, Master.”
That’s right. There was nothing to hesitate over anymore. Once she realized that, it was so obvious to her that she couldn’t help but laugh. Flum took Milkit’s hand. Milkit let it happen, intertwining her fingers with Flum’s and clasping her hand tightly. Then once again, their eyes locked.
“When I met you, Milkit, I thought your eyes were incredibly beautiful. I was captivated by that sparkle…Since then, my feelings I’ve had for you haven’t changed that much.” She was being too roundabout. Even though the mood was relaxed enough that she felt like she could do it, there was still some tension lingering in the air. She needed to get a running start, emotionally speaking, before she could say it.
“Those feelings have grown bigger the more time we’ve spent together, but their shape has remained the same. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. The two of us have been wondering what these feelings are all this time…until today.”
At this point, Milkit seemed to understand what Flum was talking about. What should we call our relationship? It was too big to refer to it as master and slave. The relationship they’d had when they first met was far below them, now. From where they stood now, it looked minute. They figured it was about time to give it a proper name.
“Do you know, Master?”
“Yeah.” Flum closed her eyes and lips tightly and inhaled through her nose. After lightly taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, full of determination. “It was love at first sight. That moment when we met in the dungeon, I fell in love with you, Milkit.”
She remembered it clearly, even now. Those eyes she saw at the bottom of that abyss, clearer than any jewel, visible through the gaps in her bandages. Now, those eyes were even more beautiful than they were back then, and they were looking only at Flum.
“Love. This is…love.” Milkit squinted her eyes and felt her heart throbbing.
“That’s right. The feeling of wanting to make the other person happy. The feeling of wanting to get closer to them, to touch them.” Flum gently thunked her forehead against Milkit’s. They were so close that their noses were touching. They could feel each other’s body heat and breath.
“I think this is love. Are your feelings the same, Milkit?”
“Yes…it’s so strong and intense. Together with you, Master.”
Ba-bump, ba-bump. She felt like if she listened closely, she could even hear the sounds of their hearts pounding. Their two hearts throbbed as one, racing with the same degree of infatuation. At this point, they no longer had any room for doubt in their minds that “maybe she doesn’t feel the same way as me after all.”
“I like you. I love you, Milkit.”
“And I, you… I adore you, Master.”
These were words they’d exchanged countless times before. But this time, they had a slightly different meaning. In this moment, Flum and Milkit were bound together. They had become lovers.
The two of them stared at each other from that close distance for a while longer, smiling for no reason. Eventually, they released their intertwined fingers and, wanting to get closer, wrapped their arms around each other’s backs and held each other in a tight embrace. Then they fell back onto the bed together.
“It’s strange… Even though I’ve only just realized that this is love, it’s like my feelings for you are going to make my heart burst, Master.”
“It’s the same for me, too. Just thinking about how we’ve become lovers makes my heart pound so much it hurts.” When they hugged each other and pressed their chests together, they could feel that even more strongly.
“But…”
“Yes. Me too.” The two gazed into each other’s eyes once again and spoke their next words in unison.
“I don’t want to be apart from you.”
They giggled softly, happy to find they’d been thinking the same thing. What a meaningless and unproductive exchange—and yet, it made them feel so fulfilled and satisfied.
“Can I say something selfish?”
“Say whatever you want.”
Having received permission, Milkit mustered all of her courage to convey her selfish wish to her lover.
“Whenever you want to touch me, Master, you can touch me anytime. I want you to do whatever you want to me. In return…can I touch you whenever I want to, too?” Milkit could say things that were even bolder than normal because they were lovers. That said, embarrassing things were still embarrassing, so Milkit was bright red everywhere, even her ears. Flum was too, after hearing what she said. But…
“Is it really okay for me to do anything?” It felt like shame alone was not enough to stop them anymore.
“Whatever Master needs of me, that is my happiness. And when it comes to love, I think you know more than I do, Master. I want you…to teach me what I should do.” Flum’s mind went blank. Acting on instinct, Flum got in a position so that she could pin Milkit down. She got on all fours on top of Milkit as she lay on her back and looked down at Milkit’s flushed face. The expression on Milkit’s face below her as she looked down was filled with a compassion that accepted everything about Flum.
“Milkit…”
When she tried doing what she’d wanted to do, she ended up acting unexpectedly bold. However, Flum thought…Milkit was saying bold things, too. Perhaps they’d both been holding these things in, all this time, both unaware of how the other felt. Without even knowing how to express their feelings, let alone their lust, they’d continued their half-hearted relationship.
But from today, there was no need for them to hold back anymore.
“Master…” Milkit instinctively understood what was going to happen to her and slightly raised her chin, closing her eyes tightly. Flum brought her face closer.
Just as their lips were about to touch…
Ka-chak! There was the sound of the front door opening.
“I’m home!”
“We just got back.”
Ink and Eterna had returned. Flum and Milkit didn’t know where Eterna and Ink had heard about their return, but judging by the speed of their entry, it sounded like they’d been eagerly awaiting it.
“Uh…” Flum’s body suddenly jolted. She stopped moving. Milkit’s attention had also been drawn to the first floor, instantly bringing her back to her usual state of mind.
Flum, having regained her rationality, was unable to push aside her shame.
“I-I’m sorry. I might’ve rushed things too much.”
“No, I understand that it wouldn’t feel right, now that this has happened. It’s difficult, isn’t it?” The two of them changed their positions, sat up, and settled side by side on the edge of the bed.
Ugh, damn it! I’m such a loser! I didn’t have to stop just because the two of them came back… But the atmosphere…!
If Flum had been bold enough to go ahead and kiss her, she might’ve been able to really do it. However, as Milkit herself said, it didn’t feel right to do it at this time. Love was difficult. It didn’t always go the way you wanted to. Flum felt this keenly. Then Milkit spoke up.
“But maybe there’s no need to rush. We have all the time in the world.” It was true that they weren’t just lovers only for today; they were lovers forever, starting today. Now that the battle with the church was over, they were probably going to start sticking even closer together in their daily lives than before.
However, there was also the problem of pride. Flum didn’t exactly have much experience with romantic relationships, so she didn’t have enough confidence to be able to take the initiative. However, considering the relationship the two of them shared, she believed that she should be the one to take the lead, after all. It wasn’t like she could just lightly brush the issue aside, saying, “Oh well, Ink and Eterna have returned home, so maybe another time.”
Flum faced Milkit once again and placed her hand on her shoulder. Milkit tensed up, wondering what was going on. Her expression stiffened slightly. However…
“If I feel like we have that kind of atmosphere again in the near future, I’m…going to kiss you.” When Milkit heard Flum utter such charming words, her expression immediately softened. On the other hand, Flum continued to speak, looking entirely serious. “I’ll do my best not to keep you waiting that long.”
Milkit was happy that Flum was so desperate. She was happy that days where Flum could be desperate about things like this had arrived.
“Okay. I’ll be looking forward to it.” A genuine smile appeared on Milkit’s face, coming from the heart, as she responded.