“I was ashamed of how powerless I was... Ashamed that I couldn’t do anything to help you. But...” Livio paused, narrowing his gaze. “I’m glad that the day I decided to become a knight means just as much to you as it does to me.”
Livio’s eyes shone that blueberry hue that Sophie loved as he spoke, a rich shade filled with joy and kindness—it made her chest ache.
Sophie had been neither a worthless waste of space without accomplishments nor a coward who’d run away because she couldn’t play her part. She hadn’t been just some insignificant pebble with no value of its own. There was no mistaking it: There had been meaning in Sophelia’s life.
Sophie was the fortunate one.
It was only because she’d met someone on the other side of her responsibilities that she’d been able to believe that her role hadn’t been a curse—that it had held meaning.
She cut an unsightly figure bursting out crying, but she was only able to let go because she knew the warmth of having a pair of arms to fall into.
Everything, every last bit of it was all thanks to Livio.
Livionis had found Sophelia. That was why Sophie could now look back on her life as Sophelia and commend herself for her own hard work.
She couldn’t help but grin adoringly at the smiling face before her, a face that was the very embodiment of fortune and tranquility—so adorable she wished she could stare at it forever.
He was dazzlingly radiant. His eyes glistened like the ocean, painted orange in the light of the sunset, and his soft, black hair glistened a mysterious shade.
He was so beautiful that he’d rendered passerby after passerby speechless, and yet he sat right there, laughing alongside Sophie at the most trifling of matters.
There was no way Sophie could let go of that smile.
Livio treasured Sophie more than she did herself, and she wanted to treasure him the same way, forever and beyond.
What can I do to make sure you can always smile?
He blinked, his long eyelashes casting rays of orange back at Sophie. “That’s easy, Lady Sophie,” he said. “All you have to do is smile at me.”
“Did I say that out loud...?”
“As clear as a bell.”
As clear as a bell? Sophie dropped her head, positively embarrassed.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, apologizing unconsciously.
“And why should you be sorry?” Livio asked kindly, putting his hands on her cheeks. “I’m absolutely delighted. I love your smile, Lady Sophie.”
Sophie’s heart pounded in her chest. He said he loved my smile—right then, he said it! Livio said it!
She knew better than to doubt any affection from Livio.
Livio had thrown it all away—all of it, everything—to run off with Sophie, then given her so much: mountains of one of a kind words and smiles and moments together.
Compared to all the years of her life, it was only a matter of moments, but those same moments were so massive for her that everything up until now didn’t matter at all. They were moments that played out in the furthest reaches of Sophelia’s life—moments that Sophie had thought would never come her way. Those same moments embraced Sophelia and made her a special but normal girl.
There was no other word for it than love.
The words, and smiles, and moments that Livio had given her all heralded his love for her.
Sophie should’ve known it already, so why...
“I love you, Sophie.”
Why did it make her heart so achingly happy? Why was she crying?
Sophie wanted to see it. Sophie wanted to see his eyes with their unrivaled beauty—the eyes of the one who cared more for Sophie than anyone else in the world. She wanted to see this radiant moment playing out before her.
She’d thought she was supposed to be good at holding her emotions back.
But there were her tears, spilling all over the place! And the waterworks weren’t listening to a single thing Sophie had to say to them.
“That’s so mean.”
Livio leaned his forehead onto Sophie’s own. “What’s mean?”
“You are!”
“Me?” Livio laughed.
Sophie felt like she could practically hear her eyelashes quivering.
“You always have to go and make me cry.”
That was some accusation she’d made. It was so absurd that even the handy pouch that multiplied cookies (only on a technicality) couldn’t hope to compete.
Are you even listening to yourself? she thought, biting her lip.
“You’re adorable even when you cry, Sophie.”
That’s not it! Sophie wasn’t the least little bit happy to hear something like that...or was she? Nope, nope, nope! It didn’t matter whether she kept her eyes open or closed them tight—the tears kept spilling down regardless. Being with Livio, Sophie might very well dehydrate herself from head to toe. What a wonderfully sweet—and terrifying—thought!
“Hey, look at me.” Livio’s voice shook, as if his core had gone numb. Sophie slowly lifted her head.
His eyes were gentle, as if they might envelop her and melt her away, and there, reflected in those same eyes, she saw herself—only herself.
That was the last person Sophie could trust—she’d always hated herself.
She’d always hated herself, wondering why she couldn’t be like everyone else.
So why? Everyone else had something they took for granted—something that Sophie lacked. It hadn’t mattered if she laughed or if she didn’t, what she did or didn’t do—Sophie had come up empty-handed regardless. There had been no one there beside her.
Why had she been unable to become the sort of person someone would love?
How could she ever say she loved herself when no one else had? And how on earth could she ever ask someone else to love her when she’d hated herself?
In truth, what Sophelia had really wanted to run away from was the person she was.
It’d sure be nice if none of this ever happened. It’d sure be nice if I’d never even been around. That’s what I thought, you know?
And there’d been mornings she had thought that—days, and evenings too.
Sophelia had thought that—that she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere unless she pretended not to see it—unless she pretended not to notice how she felt about herself. She hadn’t had the sort of worth those cookies had—the kind that could be broken down to be more digestible yet still be intrinsically true to itself—the sort of worth deserving of Livio’s adoration. Sophelia hadn’t had any of that.
Go on, laugh.
Because even after all that, Sophie was glad now—glad that she was who she was.
Ha ha ha, people really are simple, huh? They’re so, oh...so foolish and wonderful you can’t help but laugh!
“Livio.”
It was a scary thing to want something from another person.
“Yes?” Livio said, his smile chasing away Sophie’s fears.
“Say it again.”
In that moment—as her warm lips wove together the words—Sophie fell in love all over again.
“I love you, Sophie.”
See? The gaze of those quivering jewels was all it took for Sophie to fall in love over and over again.
Don’t be scared. Say it.
Sophie clutched Livio’s hands and opened her trembling lips, his blueberry eyes blurring as her eyes brimmed with tears.
He’s waiting.
Livio was waiting for her to say it—to say the words that she never thought she’d speak to anyone.
It didn’t have to be just in her mind. Sophie could say it.
“I love you too, Livio.”
Livio grunted and closed his eyes, as if it were too much for him to bear.
He forced his eyes shut, his long eyelashes quivering. Oh, I just love him so much! He was beautiful and strong and charming, and Sophie liked him so much she couldn’t bear it. She placed her hands on top of his where they cupped her cheeks.
It was as if a shower of stars were falling before her.
She didn’t want to let anyone else see this moment—the moment his eyes softly opened. She couldn’t help but cherish even her own greed. Her chest felt like it might burst.
“I really love you,” she repeated.
“I like love more,” Livio replied.
His face was bright red as he gave a small snort and curled his lips up. And where does he get off being this cute, huh? Huh? Tell me! With her happy-go-lucky brain rampaging in a fit of emotion, Sophie couldn’t help but close her eyes. She’d overfilled her tank.
There was the whispered sound of a kiss, and Sophie felt Livio’s lips on hers, almost as if he’d been waiting for an opening. Now that’s just playing dirty!
Reflexively opening her eyes, Sophie found herself looking straight at Livio’s self-conscious smile, his eyebrows drooping down as he laughed. Her brain very nearly died for the second time.
He lifted her left hand and softly stroked her ring finger.
“Livio?” Sophie sniffled Livio’s name in a nasally voice, drawing his gaze down to her.
The next thing Sophie knew, she felt cool metal against her skin.
Sophie blinked, finding that her ring finger was now sparkling before her eyes. There, a perfect fit for her finger, was a ring.
“Livio...this...”
“I had them make this at the magical items store earlier. I’ve imbued it with my own magical energy.”
Sophie stared proudly at the ring, which was embedded with a shining purple magic gem. Just like Livio’s eyes, it was a gentle purple, sometimes shining blue depending on the light.
“It transforms to fit your finger just right, but that’s not all,” Livio went on. “If you run your magical energy through it, it’ll notify me of your location, and it can repel basic spells as well.”
What? That’s amazing.
“I thought you said you weren’t good at magic...?”
“I’m not!” Livio replied. “Compared to wielding a sword, at least. I can’t control how strong my spells are—I got chewed out more times than I can count for making an absolute mess of the drill grounds, so I just gave up.”
Is “not good at magic” how you’d describe that? Then again, he was able to assimilate his sword and his magic gem, so it felt just a bit off to say he wasn’t “good at” magic. But even then...
“Wasn’t it hard to make this, though?” Sophie asked, laughing as she stroked the gem.
“That’s classified,” Livio replied in a sullen tone.
What? That was way too cute. I mean, wow. Just wow. There he was, hiding an amazing gift like this, and he still said he wanted to get the bag for me at the shop?
“You don’t play fair,” she pouted.
The purple gem blurred in her vision, the tears both frustrating and precious to her at the same time. It was too much for her to bear. Up until now she’d been able to manage it all, but this really, truly was just too much—way too much.
Livio squeezed Sophie’s hand with his, as if to say, Look up here.
Sophie looked up, only to be greeted by Livio’s beautiful, sweet face.
The ring was imbued with the grand blossoms of love, and there, falling softly upon it...were Livio’s lips.