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☆☆ Embert’s Point of View☆☆
HOW can I get through to this woman? I pondered while walking beside Damiana. Honestly, I doubt that words alone will be sufficient, I finally concluded.
“I could just burn her to a crisp,” Custode said telepathically, still nestled in my arms. His thoughts were even more extreme than my own.
“If possible, I would love to do the same thing,” I replied telepathically. “Unfortunately, she belongs to the royal family of a friendly nation. That complicates matters.”
Custode snorted. “Well, does this area work for you?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
If we kept walking, the little birds following us wouldn’t have a place to hide. Thus, I stopped and began discussing my past. I spoke to Ally rather than Damiana. Originally, I hadn’t intended to share my tragic past with Ally. Nevertheless, I wanted her to know everything about me. No, that wasn’t quite right. Of course, part of me wanted her to know my past. At the same time, her concern over the attempts on Giusto’s life irritated me. As such, I spoke out of petty jealousy, hoping to convey how much I had suffered as well.
I’m truly helpless when it comes to Ally, aren’t I?
Despite my self-mockery, proclaiming my love for Ally gave me great satisfaction. I could see her flushing bright red even from this distance. While suppressing a smirk, I crouched next to Damiana, who’d fallen on her backside. For one moment, her expression brightened, as she probably expected me to help her up.
“See now?” I whispered in her ear. “My Ally can tame a full-sized divine beast with just a few words. Remarkable, isn’t she? Someone like you could never hope to compete with her. If you ever speak ill of her again, I’ll punish you myself. Frankly, I would prefer to cut you down here and now. I’m only restraining myself because you belong to the royal family of a friendly nation. Oh, and keep this in mind: I show no mercy to my enemies, regardless of whether they’re women.”
Damiana seemed to understand my words this time. The shock of seeing Custode’s true size had caused the blood to drain from her face. Now, she was as white as a ghost, her entire body trembling. Chuckling, I walked over to Ally, who was glowering at me.
She’s cute even when she’s angry.
When I reached Ally, she immediately scolded me. Even so, I couldn’t help but smile and kiss her on the cheek.
“Honestly,” she complained.
That said, she didn’t pursue the matter any further. After taking Julietta’s hand, she began walking back to the castle. That, too, was such an adorable sight that I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.
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☆☆ Alexandra’s Point of View☆☆
“CAN’T sleep,” I grumbled.
The moon shone with a pale glow high in the night sky. Despite the late hour, I was too excited to feel the least bit tired. At dinner, my friends and I had discussed our plans to explore the city during tomorrow’s Founding Festival.
You’re acting like a child the night before a field trip, I chastised myself.
That didn’t help me feel any more tired. Thus, I gave up on sleep and went for a short walk. Custode and Squishy were sleeping like logs in my bed. Not wanting to disturb them, I slipped out of bed as quietly as possible. However, if anything were to happen, I knew they would come to my aid immediately.
I loved summer nights. A cool breeze occasionally swept past me, unlike during the day. Faint lights illuminated the maze in the distance. Unconsciously, I found myself drawn to its somewhat eerie yet mysterious ambiance. The trees surrounding the maze were as tall as me with my hand raised straight up. Despite the moonlight filtering through the leaves, it was still dim.
Um, yeah, this is actually kind of scary.
Even so, my feet kept moving forward. Since I’d completed the maze before, I reached the goal without getting lost.
“Wow,” I mumbled upon seeing the gentle illumination.
Many small, spherical lights were wrapped around the gazebo’s roof. That must have been done for the Founding Festival, as I hadn’t seen them before.
“It’s like Christmas,” I said with a laugh. I stared at the lights in silence for a short while, feeling somewhat nostalgic. Christmas didn’t exist in this world, after all.
Suddenly, I recalled Embert’s story from this afternoon. I hadn’t known assassins had targeted him throughout his childhood. As a result, he’d lost the ability to trust other people. Despite facing such terrifying experiences from a young age, he continued to fulfill his princely responsibilities. He must have suffered a great deal back then, but even so, he’d grown into an upstanding crown prince.
“Em really is incredible,” I muttered to myself.
Reincarnating and swapping places with Alexandra seemed trivial by comparison. Em is always the one to embrace me, but if he were here right now, I would console him in my arms.
As I marveled at the beautiful lights, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Found you.”
A gorgeous man stood in front of me, his silver hair glowing palely in the moonlight.
“Em,” I replied.
“Yes indeed,” he responded cheerfully, sitting down beside me. “What a beautiful sight.”
For a short while, we gazed at the lights together without speaking.
“Can’t sleep?” Embert asked, finally breaking the silence.
Smiling, he placed his hand on top of mine, which rested on the bench. Beneath the light, his silver hair shimmered, and his emerald-green eyes sparkled. I was reminded of his breathtaking beauty all over again.
“I’m just too excited for the Founding Festival,” I admitted playfully.
“Is that so?” Embert responded with a smile, causing my heart to swell with love for him.
“Em,” I said. When he looked at me curiously, I decided to voice what had been on my mind. “About the story you told at the pond…”
“Yes?”
“I had no idea assassins targeted you throughout your childhood. You even lost the ability to trust other people. All my suffering seems trivial compared to yours.”
Embert listened to me in silence, his expression unfailingly beautiful and gentle. Seeing that nearly brought me to tears.
“After hearing your story, I had a thought,” I said. “You’re always the one to embrace me, but now I want to comfort you. So…” I rose to my feet and stood in front of Embert. “I might not be able to console the child Em, but I can hug you now.” I cradled Embert’s head against my chest. “You’ve fought so hard. It’s honestly amazing. I love and respect you so much.”
Embert wrapped his arms around my back. For a short while, we held each other without speaking, but Embert’s laughter eventually broke the silence.
“Thank you,” he said, his head still buried in my chest. “I lived in terror as a boy, unsure who my allies were. There was a time when I couldn’t even bring myself to eat. However, I grew strong thanks to those experiences. Meeting you saved me and allowed me to change.” Here, Embert tightened his embrace. “I love you, Ally. That said…”
When Embert chuckled, I cocked my head, unsure what was so funny.
“Your chest feels wonderful,” he said. “It’s making my heart race.”
I immediately pushed him away from me.
“Oh, is it over already?” Embert asked, unabashed.
My face exploded with heat. “Seriously? And here I was trying to comfort you. More importantly, why are you here so late at night?” I tried to scoot away from Embert to calm my racing heart. However, he immediately grabbed my hand.
“What a funny question,” he said. “Obviously, I’m here because I tracked your location.” His matter-of-fact tone caused my head to droop.
Oh, right, the tracking magic, I thought while glaring down at my pinky ring. How could I forget?
“I wanted to check your location before going to sleep,” Embert continued. “When I sensed you in such an unexpected place at this hour, I came straight away.” As he spoke, Embert pulled me into his chest this time. “And then you cradled my head against your chest. It was such a splendid reward that I nearly did something improper.”
Despite the chilling implication of his words, he smiled radiantly and leaned in for a kiss. Jolting, I used my free hand to cover his mouth. In response, Embert’s eyes widened to their full extent.
Wait, did my fennec ears pop out again?
I instantly feared for my safety upon seeing Embert’s reaction. Though I struggled to break free, my attempts proved meaningless.
“Are you showing me those ears on purpose, Ally?” he asked. “Is this a means of testing my patience? It won’t work. I have no patience when it comes to you.”
After pulling me into a tight embrace, Embert pressed his lips against mine. As I melted into his kiss, he caressed my fennec ears. The strange, ticklish sensation caused me to shiver.
Holy friggin’ cannoli, this is bad! Someone save me!
As you might have guessed, a certain slime struck Embert in the face a few seconds later.