Look at her... she is incredible. Why would someone so amazing fall in love with a monster like me?
Miller stood in the center of the courtyard, his thoughts drowning out the chaotic noise as the voices in the crowd multiplied and overlapped. The commoners were openly tearing Lord Edward’s flimsy excuses apart, but Miller barely registered their words.
What is so great about me, really? I am nothing more than a bloodthirsty man who admitted to enjoying the slaughter of the battlefield...
He stared at Francesca from across the stage, lost in the crushing weight of his own insignificance. She could shine so brightly, even when the odds were stacked entirely against her, so why would she ever need to be with someone like him?
“ENOUGH! HOW DARE YOU PEASANTS!”
Lord Edward’s aristocratic pride finally snapped under the weight of his mounting embarrassment and fury. His explosive yell acted like a physical blow, snapping Miller out of his spiraling thoughts. His focus instantly locked onto Francesca on the stage, followed by the man currently threatening her peace.
“That is a question I should be asking you, Lord Edward. How dare you.”
Miller walked up to the bald vassal lord, his suffocating wave of pure battlefield bloodlust on full display. The air in the courtyard seemed to drop ten degrees. “Does the Imperial Charter not strictly guarantee our citizens the explicit right to criticize advisory councils and their reigning lords?”
“I... I...” Lord Edward stammered, his body locking up as even speaking became a monumental effort. “I will have you arrested for... for breaking into a private meeting without an invite! For now, we will discuss the things you have expressed on behalf of the council in due time!”
“N-no, no, my Lordship! I am innocent, that’s—”
Before Lord Edward could finish his pathetic plea, Miller gave him a sharp, forceful shove out of the courtyard. Kenny and Stella were there in an instant, capturing the lord without a single second of hesitation.
“Put him in a dungeon cell. I will check up on him later,” Miller commanded.
The couple nodded in unison, dragging the protesting councilman away as the crowd watched in stunned silence.
“Please, continue your meeting, everyone. This type of political opposition is all too common for me, so don’t worry yourselves too much,” Miller said, reassuring the crowd. With a single sentence, he had effectively painted the council as desperate, unstable agitators and showcased his care.
Francesca beamed at him from the stage, her pride in him evident.
“Ahem... with that settled, we... we should continue our meeting with His Lordship Miller himself present,” the large-statured Association Leader stammered, quick on his feet. Miller nodded, stepping up to the stage and pulling a chair to sit directly next to Francesca as the assembly resumed.
Tak... tak...
The carriage rattled softly as Francesca and Miller sat opposite each other, watching the sun dip low over the snowy city roads of the Ironwood Viscounty from the window.
“We still have time until dinner,” Francesca said, looking out at the fading light. “What do you say we go take a walk by the lakeside?”
“Hmm... sure,” Miller muttered. He kept his gaze fixed on the horizon, lost deep in thought as the sun disappeared.
“I thought you were going to train with the mercenary troops today...? How come you were at the association meeting?” Francesca asked with a playful smirk, attempting to tease him as usual. “Did you miss me so much that you just had to come and find me?”
“Hmm...” Miller answered in a flat, monotone voice, his eyes never leaving the window.
Francesca narrowed her eyes, continuing the banter. “Did my performance on stage today leave you so speechless that you’ve lost your tongue?”
Again, there was no proper reply.
Miller was completely lost in a drowning sea of his own thoughts, his crimson eyes reflecting the rising moon outside. Francesca’s playful expression slowly shifted into one of genuine concern.
Something is definitely wrong, she thought. He would usually be blushing by now, or trying to make me shy with a witty counter-remark. To be completely ignoring me...
The carriage, usually filled with their warm, growing affection, was suddenly clouded by a heavy, suffocating silence. The only sound that echoed in the small space was the steady, rhythmic rattling of the wheels against the frozen ground.
Melony Lake, Ironwood Viscounty
Walking side by side, Francesca and Miller moved in absolute silence. The brilliant moonlight reflected beautifully off the surface of the misty lake, parting the vapors just enough to give the stars a clear canvas to shine like dazzling gems looking down on the pair. Francesca wore an expression mirrored to Miller's, lost deep in her own thoughts as she relied heavily on her cane to navigate the uneven terrain.
He didn’t help me down from the carriage today... Francesca thought, a cold weight sinking into her chest. He is intentionally keeping a distance from me, deliberately not letting me lean against his side...
She struggled to move forward, the tip of her cane slipping slightly in the deep, powdery snow. He never lets me struggle like this when we walk. He always stubbornly insists on carrying me or keeping a firm, supportive hand on my waist... why is he suddenly drawing a line?
The painful contrast of his usual behavior finally became too much to bear. Francesca stopped dead in her tracks, freezing in place on the snowy path.
Noticing the sudden lack of footsteps beside him, Miller broke from his daze and turned around. The breath caught in his throat. Francesca just stood there, her gaze fixed blankly on the glowing moon above, her face completely pale. Seeing such a hollow, lifeless expression on her features caused a sudden, sharp ache to pierce right through Miller's heart, instantly snapping him out of his internal insecurities.
“You...” Francesca began, her voice trembling slightly.
As the lakeside mist slowly cleared, the unfiltered moonlight washed over her silver hair and illuminated her face. Her golden eyes glinted, swimming with a sudden rush of unshed tears that she desperately tried to hold back.
Looking straight into his crimson eyes, she asked the terrifying question that had been clawing at her heart. “Have you... already gotten over me? Did your sympathy for this crippled girl finally end here?”