18 - Anne 70%

The grass here is a bit pokey, I think they are a little dry, and I’m thankful I brought a piece of cloth to lie on.

We stare at the stars together, and then… the moons. There’s two moons in this world, or more, but for now, there’s two of them, high up above the night sky, surrounded by the stars. One is larger than the other.

“Aria, and Aira.”

Creation mythology in this world has the two moons were once whole, but somehow split into two. Now they chase after each other in the night sky, wishing they were together once more, but alas, what is done, cannot be undone, so the split is permanent.

Anne smiles, and under the glow of the two moons, her eyes seem to glimmer like the stars themselves. She leans in, and I could faintly make the scent of her hair, and the natural herbs she uses to clean herself every day.

It’s a gentle fragrance, and, perhaps a mark of her faith in the men protecting hs, that she still uses it.

“I liked that story.” I smile, and I know that story too, from Prince Carlos’s memories.

She pauses and her hand reached out to touch my arm.

“When you had that accident and hit your head, I was right next to you. There was so much… blood.”

I didn’t know this part. I was afterall bedridden and asleep, and at that time, not really me. Or when I had the accident, all I remember during those last moments were absolutely hazy.

Maybe Carlos would have died. Maybe.

“We rushed you back to the mansion and called every healer we could to help you, while we tried to stop the bleeding. The healers said you might make it, but you will end up being in a vegetative state even if you survived.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I think I see a bit of a tear in her eyes, or maybe it is a bit watery. Prince Carlos, the old me, wasn’t exactly a jerk. Playful, softhearted, and generally kind. Brought up without the pressures of the throne (being so far away from the succession hierarchy), the people around Prince Carlos are not there for a share of his wealth, or his power. In some ways, that allowed Prince Carlos to grow up relatively well mannered and centered.

“I was really sad… those days. I cried a lot, and one night, when the sky was unusually clear, I made a wish to the stars that you would recover, and come back to us.”

I smile back at her, and place my hand on her hand. “Thank you. It seems your wish worked, and I am here.” Now, she doesn’t need to know that the real, actual Prince Carlos’s soul is probably dead. Either that, or is asleep, and within me.

She rubs her eyes a bit, and then she turns back to the stars. “Yeah.”

She put her hands together and made some kind of prayer.

“Another wish?” I wonder.

“Just saying my thanks.” She closes her eyes, and somehow, that moment of her sitting on the grass fields, under the sea of stars, making a prayer, it feels like that is a moment I should have captured with a camera.

“I guess I should make a wish too.” I too get into a similar position as her.

She notices, of course, and nudges me. “No copying.”

“I am making a wish, not saying thanks.”

She’s done, and she turns to face me. She pouts.

Well, I am not exactly making a wish. Hmm, no, maybe I should. I decide to wish for safety. That we survive whatever challenges that gets thrown our way. So I clasp my hands together and pray.

And when I’m done, Anne is staring at me.

“Yes?”

“... nothing.” Anne shakes her head, her hair a bit dishevelled from the breeze. We are still sitting side by side, the rest of the men cleverly not ruining the moment for us.

But, we turn our gaze back up, to that gorgeous night sky. And we just sat there, for maybe a minute plus, in that comfortable silence.

It felt really nice, to be looking at the stars together.

Stars.

“I like looking at the stars.” Anne broke the pleasant silence first, she said it before.

I nod. “Me too.”

“I like being with you too.” She said, and then she blushes.

I nod, “Me too.”

She smiles, and we look into each other's eyes for a short moment. It didn’t feel strange, instead it felt really comfortable and warm.

And she leans closer.

Our arms and shoulders touch. And then, I stretch my arm out and give her a sideway hug.

She blushes, and I too feel a bit flushed. I hear a bit of muffled cheering. I think the men are spying.

“The guys are watching…” Anne whispers.

“I know.”

I tighten the hug a bit more, and Anne somehow shrinks. I think she’s happy, but embarrassed.

So I lean in, and I kissed her on the cheeks.

[+2 skillpoints!]

[Anne will learn the skill - Blessed Maiden’s Protection]

And I hear more cheering.