“Notte... Um, what’s happening?” Missus Olga asked, clearly confused.
I came back to my senses. I’d been so happy that they came for me, I’d forgotten that all the villagers were here! Looking around, I saw them all staring. Of course they would. I would stare, too.
“Uh, who are these people?”
Not sure how to respond, I panicked. There was so much I needed to tell them. My name wasn’t actually Notte. The two men were knights who were searching for me. I had no idea how much I should tell them; my mind spun as I tried to think.
“Hello, madam. I apologize to you all for the commotion. I am from the Knights of the Kingdom of Banfield...”
“The Dragonslayer!?” Miss Bice screeched from behind her mother, shocked. The whole plaza was abuzz at her words.
Oh, right. She was Mister Guido’s wife, so she lived in Arldat. She would know what the Captain of the Third Regiment looked like.
“It seems I’m already known. Yes, I am the Captain of the Third Regiment, Celestino Clementi. I came to this village after hearing that she was here.” He introduced himself to the villagers, still with me in his arms. He seemed like a different person, greeting them with a refreshing smile. This must have been his public persona. Seeing the gap between his usual self and “the Dragonslayer” made me kind of excited.
“So she’s...the Sacred Maiden?”
“Wow! Amazing! Soap really is a happy spell!”
“Eh?”
“What?”
The villagers and Miss Bice weren’t the only ones shocked to hear that. Both Sir Celes and Sir Gaius couldn’t hide their shock to hear me called a Sacred Maiden.
“Apparently our love story has become a play in Arldat. His Highness... Er, it’s His Majesty now. His Majesty and Miss Maria made it all public,” I sheepishly explained.
“What the hell!” Sir Gaius yelled.
Sir Celes couldn’t even speak.
“That’s funny.”
Funny? I really didn’t know what to think of it. On top of only just hearing about it, other new information just kept piling on top of it, and I couldn’t process it all. His Majesty had abdicated, and His Highness had taken the throne. My love story with Sir Celes had become a royal play. And while I was busy being shocked at that, he and Sir Gaius had showed up. I couldn’t handle the rush.
“I really don’t know, but it seems like it. You haven’t heard anything about it?”
“Nah, the two of us have been out searching the country for you since you were taken away. Celestino wouldn’t give up believing that you were alive. We’d heard about the abdication, but not anything about a play,” Sir Gaius said, like it didn’t matter.
His words shot through me like an arrow, however. They’ve been searching for me since that day... I wasn’t the only one who had suffered. They’d left to search for me, even though they’d just come back from a long journey. They believed that I was still alive.
“You two have a lot to catch up on, so leave everything to me. Celestino, I’ll go talk to the village mayor, so you can go have a chat with her. I’ll be right back, so keep it cool, alright?”
“I know. Sorry, and thanks. Lucia, where can we talk?”
“Ah... I’m borrowing a house...”
“Let’s go there, then. Please excuse us.” Bowing his head to the villagers once again, he walked off with me in his arms.
“Put me down; I can walk on my own.”
“No way. I want to feel you close to me,” he immediately refused. “I finally found you. I’m scared you’ll vanish again if I let go, so let me do this. I’m happy just touching you.”
There was no way I could say no to that. Actually, it made me so happy I could barely even think straight.
“I’m happy touching you again like this, too... So please, stop saying things that make me so happy.”
“...Lucia, you’re really testing my reasoning right now. Uh, where’s your house?”
“Over there.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“This is it...”
When we got to the house I was borrowing, Sir Celes opened it with one hand, still holding me. The sound of the door echoed in the empty house.
“Will you put me down now?” I asked him again now that we were alone.
He finally put me down. But the moment he did, he hugged me tightly again.
“...I’m not dreaming, am I?” he mumbled worriedly.
I was wondering that too. The person who I had longed for more than anything was right there with me. It didn’t feel real. No matter how much we touched or held each other, I was afraid it would all disappear when I woke up.
I gripped his shirt with my shaking hands. “It’s not a dream. So you need to tell me it isn’t a dream, too.”
Tell me you’re here. Make me believe you’re really here. I didn’t want to have any more nightmares. I didn’t want to wake up alone anymore. I didn’t want him to disappear like a soap bubble once I touched him.
“It’s not a dream, Lucia. I’m here. I’m touching you.”
“Yes...”
“It’s not a dream...” He nuzzled my now short hair, squeezing the words out. The pain in his voice made me cry again. “I’ve finally found you. I’m sorry I took so long. I’m so, so sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize... I’m just happy you came for me. I’m sorry I had to hide. And thank you — it made me happy to know that you were looking for me.”
Lifting my head, I could see his sky-blue eyes looking at me. The tears in his eyes made the color brighter than I’d ever seen.
“Lucia.”
My heart soared when he said my name. How long had I waited to be called that name again? I never knew that having the person you love call your proper name would make you so happy.
“Yes.”
As he kept calling my name, gentle kisses rained down on my hair, my cheek, and my eyelids.
“I’ve finally found you. I’m not going to let you go — I can’t. I’ll definitely protect you this time, so stay with me. Let me be with you.”
His lips stole my answer from me.