“That took a while, didn’t it?”
When Lloyd and Chloe had been released after giving their statements, the day had long given way to night. They strolled side by side on their moonlit path home.
“I’m just glad we were able to clarify everything,” Lloyd commented.
“You’re very right about that,” Chloe agreed.
They both exhaled deeply, a sigh of shared relief.
The authorities had accepted their version of events, clearing them of all charges. They had been free to leave—the same, however, could not be said for Lily. Not only was she facing charges of battery and unlawful detention, but her attempt to murder Lloyd was also under scrutiny. The exact extent of her impending punishment remained unclear, but at the very least, a hefty fine and a stint behind bars seemed inevitable. This was putting aside the inevitable shame and disgrace her actions would inflict upon her family.
“Lloyd, I’m so sorry,” Chloe began. “For all of this, for dragging you into my mess.”
“Pay it no mind. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
During their discussion with the authorities, Chloe’s history had been laid bare. Her familial ties, her status as a runaway, her employment as Lloyd’s housekeeper—all were now public knowledge. Being a matter too complicated to deal with on the spot, it had been sent along to higher authorities, leaving their current status in limbo.
“Regardless, I’m confident it won’t lead to any trouble,” Lloyd added. “Legally, you’re an adult. Plus, your reasons for leaving home were entirely justifiable. I’m sure they’ll respect your circumstances and not force you back into your family’s custody.”
“That is... That may be so, but if you were to get in trouble for it, I...”
As Chloe’s voice faltered, Lloyd gently placed a steadying hand on her back. “No need to worry about me,” he reassured her, his tone steadfast. “The decisions I made, the risks I accepted when I took you in without knowing your full background—those were my own. You needn’t concern yourself with my actions.”
A choked laugh forced its way out of Chloe. “Oh, Lloyd, you always...” She paused, her thoughts overwhelming. You always treat me with such tenderness, such compassion, and yet, you seem so oblivious to it. And that, she realized, was what she cherished about him the most. Her words faded into silence, a warmth spreading through her chest like a wildflower in bloom.
“I always...?” Lloyd gently pressed.
“I-It’s nothing.” Feeling a twinge of embarrassment at her unspoken confession, Chloe attempted to steer their conversation onto safer ground. “Lloyd... About that whole ‘fiancé’ thing...”
“That was a bluff, of course. We haven’t done anything of the sort.”
“R-Right?” Chloe shot back, her voice a notch higher than usual. “Right...” Relief—then regret—swirled within her, her voice ebbing away into disappointment.
“I’d never decide something of such importance without your consent.”
“That... Yes, of course...” Chloe’s lips curved into a small, self-deprecating smile.
“I’m just glad my efforts paid off,” Lloyd added.
“Your...efforts?” Chloe replied, a confused frown knitting her brows.
“Yesterday, upon learning about your past, I thought it prudent to take a few preventative measures should your family show up,” Lloyd explained. “To that end, I took to the castle library to do some research.”
“You...you did that—today?”
“Yes? That was this morning. As knights, we’re trained to prepare for the worst. And there’s nothing worse than not having acted when you had the chance.”
“I see... So that’s why you left early this morning.”
“I have to admit it wasn’t my most thought-out plan. It would have been hard to convince your family of a marriage without a ring, so I decided on the next best thing—engagement. It wasn’t ideal, but what matters is that she fell for it.” Lloyd nodded, an air of satisfaction about him.
As Lloyd spoke, Chloe’s heart burgeoned with warmth and affection. This man, Lloyd Stewart, had done so much, planned so meticulously, just for her sake. And here she was—still running, still hiding. That’s enough. Chloe planted her feet.
Catching on, Lloyd stopped a few steps ahead of her and turned back. “What’s wrong?”
“Lloyd, I...I love you.” The words burst forth with startling clarity and force. “When I thought I was going to be dragged away, all I could think about was that I might never see you again, never get a chance to tell you how I feel. That thought alone almost made me wish I’d die right there, because then at least I wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Her words flowed as if a deep well of unprocessed sentiment had been uncorked. “I’m in love with you—I adore you. When you’re beside me, when I hear your voice, when you caress my head or hold me close, my cheeks burn and my heart races. It’s...it’s almost unbearable, the way you make me feel. I love you, so very much.”
Her face flushed with heat, her heart pounded in her ears, but even then her feelings for Lloyd surged. “Even when I’m all alone, you’re the only thing I think about. ‘Is he training well today? When will he come home? What might he want for dinner?’ You’re always, always on my mind. I want to spend every moment with you, to never be apart from you, I...”
“I’m in love with you, Lloyd.”
Her confession hung in the air, naked and raw. Chloe gazed up at Lloyd, her eyes filled equally with hope and fear. “I’d...like to know what you think...”
A yawning silence spread between them. Lloyd raised a hand to his mouth, his eyes taking on a thoughtful intensity as he pondered over her revelation.
“I’m in love with you too, Chloe.” His confession emerged, clear and confident. “I...struggle with the words. It is a challenge to be specific or precise about this affection and its depths, and so I restrain myself, rather than risk faltering. I suspect you’ve felt much the same. Yet I am certain of two things: I feel a great need to be beside you, and I can no longer imagine my life without you in it—I think that must be what love is.”
His own cheeks bloomed into an uncharacteristic blush, and for the first time, Chloe noticed his breathing turn shallow and uneven.
“That is...what I think,” he concluded.
Without warning, tears pooled in Chloe’s eyes. She remained still, silent for a moment, but then she broke out into loud, soulful sobbing.
“Ch-Chloe? What’s wrong?” Lloyd inquired, perplexed. “Are you hurt? Do your injuries ache?”
“No—no!” Chloe choked out, her hands fluttering uselessly at the tears streaming down her face. “I’m just so...” Her words hitched with a sniffle. “I’m just so happy.”
As if driven by instinct, Lloyd pulled Chloe into his arms, cradling her as if she were the world’s most precious jewel. “I’m sorry. That should have come from me,” he admitted, his voice carrying a note of regret. “I’d recognized my feelings for some time, but I couldn’t voice them. I was too...afraid. I convinced myself long ago that I was unfit to love or be loved—that it was something that happened to other people and, at best, would simply pass through me without remark. That way of thinking left me with few words of my own to say on the matter, and even less of a notion of how to marshal them.”
Chloe looked up, her eyes filled with concern; Lloyd’s face was drawn into a mournful, agonized grimace. “Did you feel that way...because of your past?”
Lloyd gave a heavy nod. “Yes.”
“I... I see...”
Chloe responded by wrapping her arms tighter around Lloyd, her slender fingers clutching the fabric of his uniform. “That’s all right. You managed to say it now, didn’t you?” Her words were a balm to his tortured soul.
“Right... Yes, you’re right...”
“Someday, when you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here to lend an ear. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”
“Of course. Someday...”
Their words dwindled into the hush around them, leaving only the physical warmth of their embrace between them. After a moment at once without end and over too soon, they began to gently detach from each other.
“That was...a little embarrassing, wasn’t it?” Chloe muttered.
“My face feels like it’s on fire...” Lloyd responded.
Chloe released a soft, delicate laugh. “Me too. And my heart—it’s beating so fast.”
Her laughter was infectious, and Lloyd couldn’t help but mirror her joy with a smile of his own.
With the distance between them no longer a chasm of unspoken feelings, but bridged with the courage of confession and acceptance, Chloe gazed up at Lloyd. “Let’s go home, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s.” Lloyd extended his hand towards Chloe, which she seized without a second thought.
She let out a small giggle, her eyes twinkling in the soft light. “This is our first time holding hands like this.”
“I suppose it is.”
“Our first ‘first’ of many, don’t you think?”
“Indeed. I’m looking forward to it.”
With that, they set off, their path marked out by the light of the moon at its fullest. The way weaved through the dark, opening onto the half-light of the dawn to come—a path to be walked hand in hand, into a single future made for two.
Chloe Ardennes, once a margrave’s daughter, now a free woman of the capital, thrived in the presence of the man she cherished most.