𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟖
Mabel and her companions arrived at the royal palace, scattering flowers just like they did in the town.
The soldiers stationed in front of the castle gate and in the corridors looked up at the sky, wondering what was happening. But when they saw the flowers falling, they smiled.
In the courtyard, more soldiers were preparing for the festival, led by the first princess, Gertrude. Mabel stopped scattering flowers for fear of getting in the way.
However, Gertrude noticed a giant shadow running towards them and looked up at the sky.
Surprised to see Eugene appearing in the palace, especially at such a bright hour, Gertrude stood there with her eyes and mouth wide open. Mabel waved her hand at her sister, and finally, Gertrude managed to respond with a wry smile.
Then, Gertrude shouted to Eugene, making sure her voice reached him.
“Eugene-dono, please come to the castle next time! I’ll prepare some delicious sake!”
Naturally, there was no response. With a fluttering sound, the two flew away toward the depths of the palace. Seeing their departure, Gertrude raised the corner of her mouth in relief.
As they passed through the courtyard, Mabel and her companions could see the residence and garden where they lived.
Among the rose bushes in the garden, the third princess, Kathleen, stood with a smile, waving both hands. Next to her was George, the knight commander who served as her escort. He had a stern gaze directed toward Mabel and the others in the sky.
After waving back at her sister, Mabel carefully selected a pale pink and deep blue flower, one by one, and threw them towards the two. George swiftly caught them in mid-air before Kathleen could reach out her hand. Mabel couldn’t help but smile as she watched George confirm the flowers before handing them to Kathleen.
As Kathleen thanked her with a raised voice, Mabel also raised her clenched fist high, filled with the encouragement of “Do your best!”
Having finished delivering flowers throughout the town, the two returned to the bell tower standing in the center of the square.
The top of the tower was open on all sides, with decorative columns evenly spaced. In the center, a bronze bell sat silently, waiting for its next performance.
Eugene landed between the columns, gently setting Mabel down and retracting his own wings.
“It seems like all the flowers are gone.”
After the last yellow and white flowers appeared, the magic circle that Mabel had been holding lost its radiance. Mabel held out two flowers with both hands and Eugene, after silently staring at her for a while, reluctantly took the white flower.
With the remaining yellow flower inserted in her hair, Mabel looked down at the bustling city during the festival.
Buildings and signs were adorned with colorful bouquets, and the hair and clothes of people laughing on the streets were also adorned with fresh flowers. Looking into the distance, she could see a line of sailing ships in the harbor, with many bouquets arranged on the masts and decks.
Finally, Mabel let out a sigh of relief, filled with joy at successfully welcoming the Flower Festival. She turned around and slowly lowered her head to Eugene, who was playing with the white flower with his fingertips.
“Eugene-san, thank you very much.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Although Eugene said it coldly, Mabel couldn’t hide her happiness.
‘I am really happy.’
No matter how much she wished, Eugene remained closed off.
But whenever Mabel was in real danger, he always came to her rescue immediately.
Whether it was when she was captured by Wiski or this time, Eugene didn’t hesitate to show himself or appear in public if it was for Mabel’s sake.
Flying around the city with flowers was probably the kind of job he disliked the most. The reason he put up with it, despite complaining, was for Mabel’s sake.
“Um, I wanted to apologize to Eugene-san…for a while now.”
“Apologize?”
“I lied. The truth is, I don’t want you to find someone else to love.”
Mabel understood that she was being selfish. But even so, she mustered the courage to speak up after Amane assured her that it was okay.
“As long as I’m alive…or even after I am gone, I want you to love only me, forever and ever.”
If she truly wished for Eugene’s happiness, she shouldn’t say such things, even so…
“These are my honest feelings. At that time, I thought, “This is what I have to do for Eugene-san’s sake,” and forcefully deceived myself about my own feelings. But now, I’ll stop pretending to be a good girl.”
Mabel gazed at Eugene and asked, “Would you be disappointed in someone like me?” Accepting her green, unwavering gaze, Eugene quietly shook his head and said, “Of course not.”
“If anyone should apologize, it’s me. Because of our engagement, I heard that you’re being called a pitiful princess. I regret what I’ve done.”
He thought that because he had wished for the engagement, he alone should bear the burden of the rumors, but now he realized that it had hurt Mabel as well.
“So I thought that if we broke off the engagement…if I were no longer here, you could be happy,” he said, recalling the words he didn’t really mean.
Hearing those words, Mabel felt pain in her chest.
Eugene had known all along. He knew how she was being talked about.
“That’s not true at all.”
“I, I can’t be happy without you, Eugene-san!”
As Mabel firmly asserted, Eugene’s lips relaxed into a slight smile.
“…Just as he said.”
Confused, Mabel tilted her head, and Eugene crossed his arms with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Amane told me, “Did Mabel say that?” Looking back, I realized I was just running away…”
As Mabel wished for Eugene’s happiness, Eugene also wished for Mabel’s happiness.
Although they both wished for each other’s happiness, they didn’t express it honestly. They kept it in their hearts, assuming and misunderstanding each other―as a result, they almost lost each other.
“I was scolded a lot. I made you feel uncomfortable,” He paused for a moment and continued, “”It made me angry, but it also opened my eyes.”
Eugene had wished to become like Amane. But in reality, he had only been thinking about it and hadn’t taken any action.
If he wanted to change, if he wanted to make a difference―he had to take action himself.
If Mabel was in a difficult position, it was because his existence was feared.
So if Eugene could convey that he was not some evil and terrifying being, it might reduce the strange looks directed at Mabel.
“I won’t let them say you are a pitiful princess that was sacrificed to a monster. That’s why…I want to change,” Eugene said hesitantly, then lowered his head. Mabel approached him and gently placed both hands on Eugene’s cheeks, peering into his face.
“Well then, I’ll do my best too,” Smiling happily, she added, “I’ll properly refute that I’m a pitiful princess or a sacrifice to a monster. No matter what others say, I’ll say that I truly love Eugene-san.”
Surprised, Eugene blinked his eyes, and Mabel smiled gently as usual. She reached for his mask and removed it.
Eugene’s revealed face was still perfectly beautiful.
But his frantic expression showed that he was not a frozen demonic being, but that of an unmistakable young man. His fair skin was now flushed red.
“Whether you’re a mage or a human, it doesn’t matter.”
“Mabel…”
“I love you, Eugene-san. I want to be closest to you and be together forever.”
Mabel let go of his arm and tightly held Eugene’s hand, covered in black gloves. Feeling the strength in her grip, Eugene raised his eyebrows and smiled gently.
“I, I love you too. Stay by my side,” He blurted.
In response to his answer, Mabel smiled with satisfaction.
Eventually, the shadows of the two merged seamlessly.
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