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“WHAT should I do now…?”
It was nighttime, but the streets of Egdiel were overflowing with people. The large plaza was lined with stalls, each with candles or lanterns hanging from their eaves, warding away the darkness with their quivering orange glow.
Hidden under a hooded cloak, Alicia whined. Next to her, Clovis tried his best not to laugh.
After leaving the great hall, the pair quickly changed into civilian clothes and ventured into town. Many well-dressed merchants were out and about because of the Star Festival, so their simple disguises would be enough to keep them anonymous.
Alicia clutched at her head.
“I’ll get yelled at for leaving the ball like that… Oh, but if only that were all. What if they grow suspicious of you, Clovis?”
Her anxiety grew the more she spoke, and her face lost all color. Clovis couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer. When Alicia glared at him in protest, he only smiled and spread his arms out.
“It’s too late to talk about all this. It’ll be okay as long as we’re honest. We’ll say that you suddenly thought of something and needed to act upon it, and you took your adviser with you. Nobody would bat an eye.”
“How can you speak so carelessly?!”
“I’m not being careless. I was giving your question a proper answer.”
“…Like an adviser.”
“I am an adviser but also your lover.” He quickly drew her into his arms. Looking up, Alicia felt a gentle finger caress her cheek. “That said, it’ll be troublesome if anyone starts talking. When we return, I’ll take all precautions, just in case. But now…” His voice dropped to a whisper, and Alicia was old enough to understand his meaning. Blushing, she grabbed the hand stroking her cheek.
“…I want to see the lanterns on the river and visit the stalls.”
“With pleasure,” Clovis answered with a smile. “So, shall we go?”
The two walked hand in hand through the streets, illuminated by lanterns. Even at night, colors filled the town from lights tinted with stained glass. If she could see it from the sky, she was sure the land would look like a starry sky.
On the night of the Star Festival. How apt.
The crowd grew thicker as they approached the Eram River, and almost everyone held a lantern.
Stopping by a stall along the way, Clovis bought them a single lantern. The friendly-looking shopkeeper handed it to her, its crimson flame flickering through thin cloth. It was all so magical.
They continued towards the river. Soon, a large crowd was walking with them, all holding lanterns. It felt like everyone was moving together like a great river themselves.
Suddenly, Alicia had a thought. Wouldn’t it be nice if she could melt into the crowd like this? She wouldn’t be a princess, and Clovis wouldn’t be her adviser. They would be ordinary people who met and fell in love, like the most natural thing in the world. If only they could have that.
But she quickly shook her head.
As someone who had died once, she had an entire future ahead of her this time. Looking back on the years she’d spent in this life, Clovis had always stood by her side.
A princess given a reprise on life, and her adviser. Their situation was unique, but this strange coincidence had led to the threads of their destinies weaving together.
Together, they counted to three and pushed the lantern onto the river. It swayed as it floated downstream before joining the others, illuminating the surface of the water. Soon, they lost sight of it, and Clovis breathed a soft sigh.
“May I kiss you?”
“Huh?”
She turned to see Clovis smiling gently at her.
“There is a legend that if lovers share a kiss on the night of the Star Festival, they will be bound in love for eternity.”
“Do you believe in that, Clovis?”
It was so unlike her rational adviser, and as expected, he shook his head.
“If you’re asking if I think it’ll work, my answer is no. Miracles are born of human will. Every coincidence comes about because someone has willed it to be. Just like how you chose to take my hand instead of anyone else’s.”
“Then why…?”
“There’s no harm trying since it is one of your wishes. Any excuses?”
The lights of countless lanterns floating along the Eram River reflected in the swirling water, looking like fairies flitting about and playing on the surface.
“No excuses,” she said, the orange light reflecting on her face. “No reasons. I just want to touch you… And I want to kiss you.”
Clovis’s eyes widened in surprise, but Alicia did not see, unable to look at her lover as she lowered her burning face. Then, arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, picking her up.
Shocked, she wrapped her arms around Clovis’s neck for support. Unable to hide any longer, she faced her lover, who looked up at her as he let out a sigh.
“Oh dear,” he whispered in a quavering voice. “I won’t be able to hold back.”
“Then don’t. I am your lover, after all.”
Clovis tried to say something but decided against it. His handsome face twisted with what looked like frustration, and Alicia, who had always thought him too calm, felt a little proud.
Slowly, she bent down… And for the first time, she initiated the kiss.
Their silhouettes shaded the backdrop of the glittering water. Despite being connected by a strange coincidence, at that moment, they were like any other pair of lovers in the crowd.