We quickened our pace a little, and soon, the inn and the lake came into view. The sky was just starting to take on a faint red hue. We sat together on a bench by the lake and looked up at the sky, which was still rapidly changing color.
The blue of the sky gradually darkened, changing to a transparent purple. The clouds dotted here and there provided different-colored purple patches, changing shape as the wind blew them across the sky.
As time passed, the purple turned to dark indigo, then navy blue, with streaks of gold.
“It’s… Just so beautiful,” I commented.
“It is…”
Soon, the sky was lit up with gold. The surface of the lake sparkled with gold. Even Seren’s face was golden. Seeing Seren gazing up at the sky, captivated… It was almost magical.
I savored this joyful moment, being able to watch this amazing sunset with Seren as my wife.
The sunset was still changing up its colors, minute by minute. Gold mingled with orange, then turned to a fiery red, then the brightness disappeared, and deep darkness descended.
The lake changed colors, too, right along with the sky. The forest grew dark. I watched Seren’s side profile as she raptly followed the progression of the sunset, gazing intently at the sky.
I felt so moved, seeing her this way.
Then we were surrounded by darkness, only the moonlight and the light of the inn left to illuminate the surroundings. In the dark, it was hard to make out Seren’s features now as she turned towards me.
“That was so beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
Seren smiled. The light of the inn was just enough for me to make out Seren’s pale cheeks taking on a pink hue in the darkness.
“I was completely captivated.”
“Yes. But look, it’s gone pitch black without us even realizing it.”
After chuckling, for some reason, Seren stared at me intently.
“Hm…? What is it?”
“I’m so happy.”
“I can see why. You were looking forward to that sunset.”
I nodded, and Seren smiled again.
“The sunset WAS beautiful… But more than that, I was thinking about how lucky I am to be married to someone like you. Someone to enjoy such a wonderful sunset with.” Seren chuckled, and I felt a warm fuzziness envelop me.
Seren and I had barely spoken… We’d just silently enjoyed the changing scenery together until the sunset was all finished. Honestly, I was surprised by how much of an enjoyable experience it had been.
“I have to admit, this is the first time I’ve ever taken the time to enjoy the changing colors of the sky. I never thought it could be so beautiful,” I confessed.
“Actually, me neither.”
“You neither, Seren?”
“Nope. Until now, I’ve always been short on time, always in such a rush. It’s moving to think how much beauty there is in the world to appreciate if we only take a little time to stop and take it all in.”
“I see…”
That reminded me of when Seren was learning how to control her wind magic. How she learned to observe the motion of the wind in a swirl of dust, how she realized that the world is so full of discoveries to be made, accessible simply by changing the way one looks at things.
And I felt a rush of sympathy for her, the owner of this gentle heart, who could be so moved by things like a gentle breeze or a sunset but who had never had the time to notice such things until now due to a punishing schedule.
“You’ve been too busy up until now, Seren. From here on out, you should take your time and do more things you enjoy… Being a High Mage is tough work, yes, but we have an ample supply of annual leave.”
But I still felt a little regretful, even as I tried to reassure her. For a while now, I’ve been troubled by the grueling work that comes as standard with being a High Mage. For Seren and the other guild members, I’d like to do something to improve the situation.
“Oh, yes. But actually, I already have much more free time these days,” she said.
“…You do?”
“When I was in princess consort training, I studied day and night with almost zero free time. Looking back now, I can see that I was pushing myself beyond my limits out of a sense of obligation.”
Seren smiled self-deprecatingly, and I felt guilty. The beautiful sunset had moved her so, and here I was, reminding her of things that didn’t need to be dredged back up.
“Well, anyway, you should try not to overdo things from now on,” I stressed. “Developing new magic and magical devices, guarding the wall… These are things we cannot do alone. You need to borrow the strength of others and find ways to work as efficiently as you can.”
“Right.”
“You’re good at timesaving, aren’t you, Seren? I mean, take today. We flew a route that would normally take a week in just a half day, and as a result, we could relax and enjoy that gorgeous sunset.”
“Yes, you’re right.” Seren giggled, and relief washed over me.
“Really, thanks to you, watching that sunset just now was an amazing experience,” I said.
“Yes. It was kind of out-of-this-world.” Seren smiled again, no doubt reliving the sunset.
“Yes, the sunset was beautiful… But to be honest with you, I think I spent more time gazing at you as you watched the sunset…”
My confession made Seren blush instantly, so much so that I could see it even in the dark.
How adorable.
I leaned in and kissed her, unable to resist. She responded eagerly, and it melted my heart all over again.
Though we were outdoors and in public, I felt like I could absolutely steal a quick kiss in darkness like this.
✦ ✦ ✦
🐈🐈🐈
“LORD Viol! Lord Viol!”
“What is it?”
Since we arrived, Seren keeps drawing my attention to things in this excitable way. But it’s adorable. I don’t mind at all.
Smiling to myself, I went to join her and realized that the chickens that’d been out back yesterday had come out onto the lawn and were now so close we could almost pet them. Several small, yellow, fluffy birds were chirping away there, too.
“Chicks… Look, chicks!”
“Oh, yes, I see them.”
“Adorable!!!”
It certainly was very cute, the way the chicks hopped around unsteadily in their parents’ tracks.
No doubt this was the first time Seren had ever seen an actual chick. She was gazing at them with a smile in her eyes and color on her cheeks. Odd how she was gazing at the chicks with such adoration but didn’t stoop to pet them.
Looking around, I spotted the innkeeper working in the nearby cowshed. I slipped away from Seren’s side and approached him.
“Excuse me, my wife has taken quite a shine to your chicks. Would it be all right if she petted them?”
“Oh, well, certainly… Where is your wife?”
The innkeeper strode over to Seren and the chicks, with me hurrying after him. Our arrival startled the chicks a little and made them scatter. But they soon came back and began calmly pecking for food again. Seizing the opportunity, the innkeeper scooped up one of the chicks in the blink of an eye.
“Oh my…!”
Seren’s eyes widened in surprise. The innkeeper smiled indulgently at her. The tiny chick looked somehow tinier in the strong, tough hands of the innkeeper. It was oddly amusing.
“Here, miss. Hold out your hand.”
“Like this?” Seren thrust out her hands, and the little chick plopped into her snowy-white palms.
The innkeeper watched as Seren cooed over the fluffy yellow thing in her hands, a satisfied smile on his face. Then he winked at me.
“It’s tough to catch chicks; there’s a knack to it beginners don’t know. Well, when you’ve had enough, just put it back where it came from.” That said, he gave me a light pat on the shoulder and then strode back over to his cowshed. An efficient fellow indeed.
“Thank you.” I remembered my manners and called out my thanks to the man, who raised one hand casually.
“Wonderful…! It’s a real, live chick!”
Seren’s voice was trembly with emotion. I looked at her… And saw that her hands were trembling as well, the chick cupped in them. Her eyes sparkled with delight.