“You’re joking, right?” I smiled weakly at Manaria. She had to be joking; there was no way she could forget Claire. She treasured Claire as though she were her…her what again?
“No, seriously, who is that? And I can’t believe the first name out of your lips is some other woman and not mine or Lilly’s,” Manaria said.
“Huh? Uh…”
“Well, whatever. So who’s this Claire, anyway?”
Miss Claire was…who was it now? I frowned. “I…don’t know?”
The name felt deeply familiar to say, like it was a big part of my life. It had held meaning in my mind mere moments ago, and now it just…didn’t.
“You can’t remember?” she asked.
“I can’t. But I feel like it was the name of someone important to me.”
“Oof, hearing that kinda makes me jealous. You better not say that in front of Lilly. I’m one thing, but if she caught wind, you’d never hear the end of it.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Rae? Lilly’s your lover, remember?” Manaria said worriedly.
Huh? Really? Doubtful, I said, “Um, she is?”
“Oh, dear. You should put off meeting Lilly until you gather yourself a bit more. She’d be full of worry for you if she sees you like this.” Manaria looked deeply concerned for me.
“Lady Manaria, do you know how Miss Lilly and I became lovers?”
“Naturally. I’ve heard the story more times than I care to count, and it’s a pretty famous one too, Little Miss ‘Hero of the Revolution.’”
Something about the phrase “hero of the revolution” rang true to me.
“My memory’s still a little bit fuzzy; could you recount what happened to me?” I asked.
“You want me to recount my rival in love’s success story to you? Sure thing!” Manaria said jokingly before explaining how Lilly and I had come to be together. It all sounded otherworldly to me, however.
Apparently, I had been a commoner attending Bauer’s Royal Academy, one who had strong opinions about the wealth gap between commoners and the nobility. Hoping to work out a way to redistribute wealth, I had gone to consult the Spiritual Church and happened across Lilly. We’d hit it off well, partly due to us both being women who loved women, and we’d decided to work together. Our bond had deepened as we resolved Yu’s gender problems, a big secret of the royal family at the time, and then exposed the corrupt nobles under the late King l’Ausseil’s direction. We’d secretly worked together with the high-ranking noble Dole François, brought a number of injustices to light, and played a substantial role in the revolution that occurred after the explosion of Mt. Sassal. There was a point where Lilly had almost lost her life during the revolution, but together, we’d overcome those hardships and eventually tied the knot.
“And that’s everything. Do you remember now?” Manaria asked.
“Y-yeah…” Now that I’d heard it, I realized I did in fact remember all those events. But the memories just didn’t feel like mine. It felt more like they had been forced onto me.
“Pull yourself together before Lilly visits, all right?” Manaria said. “I’d hate to see her cry again.”
“You seem worried about her.”
“Of course. She’s like a sister to me,” she said with a tender smile.
Like a sister to her…? I thought.
“Sister!”
A voice surfaced to mind, but as I tried to grab it, it escaped like mist between my fingers. What was that? Something…something’s not right.
“Well, it’s fine if you’ve forgotten about your time with her,” Manaria said. “That just means I’ve now got a fair shot to get with you—”
“A-absolutely not!”
“Oh, speak of the devil.”
The one who interrupted yet another of Manaria’s attempts to hit on me was my dear, beloved Lilly. “R-Rae, you’re awake!” she said, tears in her eyes. “I was so worried about you!”
“Guh?!”
Lilly hug-tackled me on the bed, then squeezed me with a strength greater than her frame suggested she possessed.
“Miss Lilly, I can’t—ack…n-no more!” I said, struggling to breathe.
“Wh-what’s that? You want more…? Oh. Oh, I see. Oh, Rae… It’s only midday and you’re already so wolfish… But that’s just what I love about—”
“Aaand stop. What the heck do you think you’re doing in broad daylight—and in front of a third party, no less?” Manaria said.
“O-oh, c’mon, Lady Manaria! R-read the room and leave us be!” Lilly complained.
“I’m stopping you because I’m reading the room. Rae’s suffocating in your arms.”
“Wh-what? Wh-wh-wh-what?! I’m so sorry, Rae!”
Finally able to breathe, I took several deep huffs of air. “Phew… I thought I was going to die.”
“Aww… I’ve made a mess of things again,” Lilly said sadly.
“It’s all right, Miss Lilly. That’s just the usual fare.”
“A-aww…”
“Come here.” I pulled Lilly in and hugged her small frame like I always did. “I’m sorry I made you worry. I’m back for good now, Miss Lilly.”
“Y-you have no idea how scared I was! I thought you might never wake up…” She buried her face into my chest as she grumbled.
“Ah, jeez. Get a room, you two,” Manaria said.
“We’d have one if you left,” I said.
“But if I leave, how are we supposed to plan for our celebration and whatnot?”
Lilly’s face lit up. “O-oh, that’s right! Now that Rae’s awake, we can finally celebrate!”
“What’s this about?” I asked.
“There’s going to be a celebration for our triumph over the Three Great Archdemons,” Manaria said. “We’re considered heroes, Rae.”
“A-and so are May and Aleah. A-as well as me…” Lilly added.
“Oh, right.” I remembered now. We had been fighting the rulers of the demons, the Three Great Archdemons. After a long, grueling battle between humanity and the demons, we had put an end to them.
“You and Lilly were already famous for the Bauer Revolution, but now you’re doubly famous. There’s no doubt your names will be written in not just Bauer’s annals but the world’s,” Manaria said.
“I couldn’t care less about myself, but I’m glad Miss Lilly’s greatness is finally being recognized,” I said.
“R-Rae!” Lilly hung her head, embarrassed. She was just adorable…so why did I feel so empty?
“How are May and Aleah?” I asked.
“Th-they were asleep for quite a long time too, but they woke up just two weeks ago,” Lilly said.
“How come they’re not here with you?”
“S-school’s reopened. They’re worried about you, of course, but they have their obligations.”
Of course. Time waited for no one. It cared not for what we wanted of it, cruelly marching forward without pause. To live was to make compromises with time.
“A-are you angry that I didn’t bring them?” Lilly timidly asked.
I gave her a wry grin. “Of course not. Thank you, Miss Lilly, for managing the family while I was asleep.” Life had to go on. She understood this and had acted in the interest of our children. As a reward, I pulled her in for another hug and kissed her forehead.
“Aww,” Lilly said, seeming dissatisfied.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Wh-why’d you kiss my forehead? Kiss me on the lips like you always do,” she said with a pout. Even this side of her was adorable.
I moved in for another kiss, my eyes drawn to her cherry-pink lips. But—
“I’m sorry. I think I’m still a little bit out of sorts. Is it all right if I rest a bit more?”
From my lips came not a kiss but an excuse.
“Oh… Of course, I’m sorry. Please, rest. U-um, Lady Manaria and I will leave you be, then!” Lilly said, pushing Manaria away by the back.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m moving, I’m moving. Later, Rae. Let the nurse know if you need anything. I’ll swing by again once the date for the celebration is set,” Manaria said.
“Please do.”
The pair left the room, leaving everything quiet. I lay down and pulled my blanket up.
Huh… So much has come to an end.
With the Three Great Archdemons defeated, our battle with the demons was finally over. We’d even made the empire change course from its prior policy of extreme aggression, so the world would hopefully be pretty peaceful from now on. This celebration nonsense was honestly kind of unnecessary, but it wouldn’t be long until I could fulfill my promise to return to our home in Bauer with May, Aleah, and Lilly.
“Rae, I swear I’ll uphold our promise this time.”
I heard someone’s voice echo in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t recall whose it was.
That was Miss Lilly’s voice, right? I thought. I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d make a promise with, so it had to be Lilly’s voice. There was no doubt.
And yet I felt a void in my heart that just wouldn’t go away.
Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something important?