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𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝
“Luke!”
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Alma woke up with a start, calling out.
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“What. . .?”
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She looked around, puzzled, to find herself in St. Arrogas Park.
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“What happened to me. . .”
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Trying to recall past events with a fuzzy head.
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She remembered. . . being saved by a man with white hair. . .
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“I see. . . it was just a dream. Luke being alive. . .”
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With a sigh, she lay back down on the bench.
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“It’s not a dream.”
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A voice came from above her head.
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Looking up, she saw the face of the white-haired young man from before.
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And realized she was resting her head on his knee.
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“. . .!”
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In her haste to get up, they bumped foreheads.
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“~~~~~~~~!”
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The two of them held their heads in silence.
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“As always, you’re still clumsy.”
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The young man, with tears in his eyes, smiled.
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Those gentle eyes were just like Luke’s from their school days, whom they had exchanged glances with many times.
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“Luke. . . Is it really. . . Luke?”
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“Yes, I’m your friend Luke Surberry. I came to see you as promised. But it’s a surprise, meeting you in such a place. . .”
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“Luke!”
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Alma hugged him before he could finish speaking.
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“A, Alma?!”
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Tears fell from Alma’s eyes as she looked up at Luke.
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“What were you doing all this time! If you were alive, at least contact me! When I was told Luke had died, I was so. . .”
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Her words turned into sobs.
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Luke gently stroked her head, holding it in his arms.
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“I’m sorry. I wanted to see you all this time. To let you know I was alive. But I could only do so recently.”
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“No, it’s okay. Just knowing that you’re alive is enough for me. . .”
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Wiping her tears, Alma looked up at Luke again.
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“But can you tell me what happened? Where were you, what occurred?”
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“Of course, it’s a long story, but. . .”
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As Luke began to speak, the sound of a church bell rang in the distance.
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“Oh no!”
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Hearing it, Alma stood up, her face pale.
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“Sorry! I have to go, it’s time for my shift change! I’m off tomorrow, can we meet again?”
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“Of course! There’s so much I want to talk to you about, let’s meet tomorrow.”
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“Great! By the way, do you have a place to stay tonight?”
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Luke scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
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“Well. . . actually no. It’s my first time back in this city after five years, I’m not familiar with anything.”
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“Then try the Ginsei-tei inn on Minami Street! If you mention my name, they should let you stay. I’ll come to pick you up at 10 a.m. tomorrow!”
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“Got it, Ginsei-tei.”
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“See you tomorrow!”
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Alma nodded happily at Luke, then started running, turning back to look at Luke.
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“Luke, you won’t go anywhere this time, right? You’ll stay in this city?”
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To Alma, everything that had happened felt like a daydream.
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If I run away from here, everything will disappear, and it might all turn into my delusions, she even had such a feeling.
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“It’s okay, I won’t go anywhere anymore. I promise. Alma, I came to see you.”
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“Good. . . Then tomorrow, at the Ginsei-tei! I’ll definitely go!”
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Relieved by Luke’s gentle smile, Alma exhaled and ran away, waving her hands repeatedly.
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“Sicily!!!! What should I do!!!!!!”
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After work, Alma burst into the room where Sicily Windsor was resting before dinner.
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Sicily Windsor is Alma’s only close friend in St. Arrogas.
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Meeting her in the guards’ team, she was born the third daughter of a middle-class merchant, a completely different world from Alma, the only daughter of a noble, but they surprisingly hit it off and now live together, sharing a room.
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“Wait a minute, Alma. Aren’t you in charge of today’s meal? What are you doing?””Luke is alive!”
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Alma exclaimed, not listening to Sicily’s words!
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“What should I do, what should I do! I said I’d meet him tomorrow! What should I do? What should I wear? What should I talk about? Isn’t my hair weird? Didn’t I cut my bangs too short?”
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“Calm down.”
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Sicily swung a hand chop down on Alma’s head.
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“I can’t see the whole story, so take a deep breath. Who is alive?”
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“Uh. . . sorry. . .”
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Holding her head, Alma began to explain everything that had happened.
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“. . .I see. So this Luke is the Prince Luke you’ve been talking about.”
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“Wait, wait! Did I say that?! When?”
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“How many times do you think you’ve told me?”
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Sicily sighed.
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“Every time you get drunk, you go on about how handsome Luke was then, how kind Luke was then. Think about how it feels to listen to all that. And then you start crying asking why he died.”
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“I. . . I’m sorry. . .”
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Alma shrunk, her face turning bright red.
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“Well, that’s okay. But, this Luke-sama was supposed to have died in an accident, right? How come he’s alive?”
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“Actually, I haven’t asked him about that yet. I’m meeting him tomorrow, so I thought I’d ask him then. . .”
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Alma suddenly opened her eyes as if she had an idea.
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“That’s right! That’s why I wanted to ask Sicily, what should I wear when meeting a man? I have no experience with this. I don’t have any cute clothes, only official ones. Can I borrow some of yours?”
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“Oh? You think your violent breasts will fit in my flat-chested clothes? You say interesting things.”
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Sicily grabbed Alma’s face while a vein throbbed on her forehead.
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“Hey! Stop it, I’m conscious about that!”
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Alma blushed and held her chest.
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“Well, that’s not important. But Alma, are you really okay?”
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” What do you mean?”
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Sicily, who now wore a worried expression unlike before, was asked curiously by Alma.
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“Because, you know, someone who was said to be dead suddenly appeared? Shouldn’t we doubt that there’s something behind it, rather than being moved by the reunion?”
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“Uh. . . well, that is. . .”
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“You have a nice face and style, but you’re too cautious around men, aren’t you? This makes your relationships with the opposite sex quite poor. I worry you might get easily deceived if someone exploits this weakness.”
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“That’s. . . not entirely. . . untrue. . . But. . . it was Luke, after all. . .”
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Seeing Alma stutter, she sighed.
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“Alright, alright. I’ll join you tomorrow. Let’s assess whether this person calling himself Luke is trustworthy or not.”
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“Really?”
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Alma’s face brightened up at those words.
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“I am a merchant’s daughter, after all. I like to think I have a decent judgment of people.”
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“Thank you! I love you Sicily!”
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Alma hugged Sicily tightly, making an unpleasant creaking sound.
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“Stop, stop! I’ll die, I’ll really die! Anyway, let’s choose what to wear for tomorrow. Let’s take out everything you have, and if necessary, we might even consider buying something new early tomorrow.”
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“Understood!”
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And so, the two continued their endless selection of clothes.