"Let's go." Urged Helena.

"Where are you taking Alex, fifth Princess?" Stopped Lady Heliard.

"You don't get to call him that, you thick-faced vixen!" Spat Helena back, pulling us away.

"But seriously, where are we going, Helena?" Asked me, puzzled. Our whole group was there, after all. We have nowhere else to go, strictly speaking.

"We're dancing. I need to dance with you today." Answered Helena firmly.

'Dancing? Hm...?' I cocked my neck to the side, thinking, 'Well, that's new...'

I leaned back and snapped my neck sideways, finding that prideful pair of emerald eyes. "Sure...Dance...Tell me how again...?"

"Just follow my lead. I'll take care of the rest, Alex." Assured Helena.

'Oh, shit! She's really going to do this!' I widened my eyes as she pushed me farther away from our group, confident in her gait.

We stopped shortly after, joining the forming row of people who also had lined up to dance.

"Back away. We need more room." A short sentence akin to an order slipped out from Helena's lips.

Who was I kidding...It was an order...

Fear and discomfort replaced the looks of confusion in the surrounding galleries.

Soon before long, they did exactly what Helena asked. In fact, they were so faithful in fulfilling her request that it somehow turned out that only two of us would be dancing.

'Well...Fuck me...' I could only sigh inwardly to my dismay while waiting obediently to accept my coming fate as more and more people started to form this huge circle around us.

And from among the crowd, I captured two familiar visages. The excited-looking Margareth and Trodin, who look proud for some unknown reason, nodding up and down.

'Spy will never hear this, do you-...Hah...Why bother...'

I was tempted to tell them not to say a word to Clara, but with so many witnesses and due to the whole fiasco with the king earlier, it'd be next to impossible to hide whatever it was that Helena and I did in this party.

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"So, we're good, right?" Queried Helena, pulling me back to reality.

'Good, what? ...what is she talking about...?' I squinted, biding my time to try my luck and guess.

"You haven't said anything about us getting married." Added her, as her patience was running thin.

"Ah. That? Yeah..." I couldn't give her the meaningful answer that she expected. Instead, it was some half-assed vague response. 'Damn it...That? Yeah? I know you're hopeless, but seriously, man...That the best you could come up with? Fuckin' hell...'

All sorts of trivial and absurd remarks and commentary popped into my mind, spiraling into this endless rabbit hole with no answer to be found.

As it threatened to drag me deeper, I felt a tug on my arm, and my eyes moved upward.

There, I saw hundreds of people watching us, and we were there...Alone and estranged.

No one had moved, and even the song had faded away.

Only Helena and I were there.

She was looking at me.

Deep and calm were her gaze, seemingly able to pierce through whatever frail facade that I attempted to put out as a way to protect myself.

"It's okay. You can say whatever you want, for now, Alex...Because I've figured out how to make you love me. I can do it with enough time." Grinned Helena smugly, brimming with credence from her whole being.

I blinked dazedly at her words.

Her confidence was so deep-rooted in her heart that it was almost blinding.

"I don't know much...But I think people used to say that it doesn't work that way, Helena..." I giggled.

Little by little, all those useless thoughts disappeared one by one. Back into the bleak void from which they came.

"Master Maya-...Hm, Mother said that love is contagious because everything that is sincere is always contagious. And that's why I'll be sincere with every minute and every second that I spend with you. If I'm mad, I'll let you know that I'm mad. If I'm lonely, I'll run and hug you. If I'm happy, then I want you to be there beside me. Like now...like this moment...Just the two of us, Alex." Whispered Helena.

'Sincere...' A word that almost squeezed the very breath out of me.

"I don't want to hurt you...Any of you..." Unknowingly, those words escaped my lips.

"Then don't hurt us. But even if you did...we'll be fine. Dawson sticks together, right? I, too, will be a Dawson in the future..." Replied Helena playfully, with a shy smile at the end.

'Fuck...my chest hurts...'

"You're really making it hard for me, you know..." I laughed weakly, feeling the lump in my throat getting tighter and tighter by the second.

"That's what you get for being so secretive and weird all the time, Alex. Now, hand..." Grinned Helena wide, pushing her head closer.

I patted her head gently and stroked the silky ruby hair, watching as it unfurled and fell gorgeously with every stroke.

"Hehe. You like my hair that much?" Helena giggled brightly while the smell of gentle jasmine wafted and tickled my nose.

'Says the one who asks for a headpat all the time.' I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"...Yeah...I really like them, Princess..."

And I answered her...Sincerely...