◆ A Calm Awakening
WHEN I slowly opened my eyes, I first saw unusual geometric patterns on the ceiling. A teardrop-shaped alchemy lamp hung above me, illuminating the room in a gentle light. A teardrop lamp looks quite cute. Maybe I’ll make one next time, I thought as I stared at the ceiling.
“Chloe, you awake?” a familiar voice called out to me.
I slowly turned my head toward the sound; I realized that I was lying on a white bed in an unfamiliar room. The space was cozy and sparsely furnished, and I saw Mr. Julius sitting on a chair by the window.
The last I remembered, he was covered in wounds and his hands were burned to a crisp, but he’d already made a full recovery. He wasn’t particularly bothered about his appearance, and yet he managed to look like the most perfectly beautiful man in the world, as always. The only flaw was that he seemed a touch scary.
Dressed in his favorite black robe, he had his long legs and arms crossed in an imposing stance.
“Good morning, Mr. Julius,” I said.
“Morning,” he replied curtly.
His usual cutting remarks didn’t follow—he seemed a bit down. Is he feeling unwell? He was covered in wounds, after all. Maybe he’s still in pain.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“A hospital of sorts within Puerta Research Center. It’s been three days since Faisal ordered you to be taken here. You didn’t wake up for three whole days.”
He was clearly mulling over these words, and I realized that I’d woken up to a rare, evasive Mr. Julius. I hastily sat up. I felt a little lightheaded, but I was fine; I wasn’t the one who’d been badly injured in the battle. Mr. Julius had suffered far more than me, and yet I was sleeping for days. That makes me feel guilty.
I was in a simple, white dress, no doubt a hospital gown for this facility, as I hastily combed my hair with my hands to straighten it out.
“Was I asleep for that long?” I asked. “I suppose those three days were perfect for me. I’m brimming with energy! How are you feeling, Mr. Julius? Have your wounds been tended to? Does it hurt anywhere?”
“Don’t get up so suddenly,” he said. “I’m fine. You should still be asleep.”
“You’re so kind. Did you eat something funny? Or maybe you really are hurt somewhere.”
I tried to get on my feet, but he raised a hand to stop me and came to my side. As he sat near me, he peered intently into my face as though he was trying to confirm something.
“Three days, Chloe,” he finally said.
“Are you angry that I’ve been asleep for so long?” I asked. “Sorry for making you wait. But as you can see, thanks to that, I’ve made a full recovery! I’m the usual, perfect, energetic alchemist and beautiful young maiden! If you’re in pain, I can use my magic to heal you. Or are you hungry? If that’s the case, you can go and eat—”
I was cut off mid-sentence—Mr. Julius tightly embraced me. He enveloped me in his big arms and squeezed so tightly that it hurt. He was much larger than I was, and I fit so snugly in his arms that I shifted slightly as I struggled to breathe.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“Your wounds healed, and yet you wouldn’t wake up,” Mr. Julius replied in a hoarse whisper. “Natalia said that you used up all your stamina from forcing yourself to use so much magic, but I thought you might never wake up.”
He sounded like he was in pain—a tone that I’d never heard when I was by his side. His usual veneer of confidence had never wavered before, but he clearly was different now. I didn’t struggle to breathe simply because I was in his firm embrace—my heart was beating loudly, my chest tightened, and I was impossibly embarrassed yet delighted.
“Um, thank you,” I said, feeling my cheeks grow warm. “You’ve unexpectedly got an anxious side to you, I see. But I’m fine. There’s no need for you to worry. You actually really like me, don’t you?”
I cracked a weak joke to hide my embarrassment and spoke quickly. If I didn’t, I felt like I’d burst into tears for some reason. My memories flooded my mind. I remembered thinking that I had to protect everyone and do my best, even if I was alone. I remembered that I still wasn’t good enough. I remembered my mother’s memories, her voice, and her kind presence.
“You’re late to notice. Didn’t you know that already?” Mr. Julius replied.
I expected him to retort with a, “Shut up, can’t you stay quiet, you idiot?” but nothing of the sort came. Any feelings of sentimentality I had were blown away by his unexpected words. I struggled to find a proper response as he released me from his grasp and gazed at me, his face close to mine. His eyes were nothing short of serious. His red eye that reminded me of the setting sun and his blue eye that resembled the clear skies were staring straight at me.
One of Mr. Julius’s eyes had been gouged out by Oswald Dystiana; I’d replaced it with a prosthetic using alchemy. Oswald had referred to it as a “counterfeit.” But to me, I saw the sunset and the bright skies in Mr. Julius’s gaze—I couldn’t argue if one were to claim that he indeed had a counterfeit eye, but I thought he looked very beautiful.
“Chloe, you did well by yourself,” Mr. Julius said.
“Thank you,” I replied.
He praised me. That alone made it seem like that battle had truly ended. I did everything to keep my tears from spilling over as I smiled. There were surely other problems to tackle, but for now, I wanted to rest.
Being hasty and fretting over things would do me no good. What was important was that we were alive, and the world was still turning calmly, seconds ticking by.
Only a few seconds later did Ms. Natalia, Ruto, and Layla come flooding into my room.
It’d take a few more seconds until I was told by Ms. Natalia that Mr. Julius wouldn’t leave my side despite receiving her assurances—I was greatly embarrassed by her story.