Published at 21st of July 2023 06:59:44 AM

A second passed like a minute. She felt her eyes closing, and her senses became more sensitive.

She felt Asrahan getting closer, and soon the tip of his nose lightly brushed against hers. Finally, the texture of his rough lips was transmitted. In that very moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped. Her long pink eyelashes fluttered with an exhilarating tension.

Asrahan gripped Lariette's face tighter and pulled her closer. It was a moment when their lips slightly parted and were about to properly overlap.

"Lari! If you're awake, eat!"

Hamad's voice roared through a cloth door. It was so loud that it felt as if he were shouting right next to her ear. She shuddered and tried to ignore his call, wanting only to kiss Asrahan and leave everything else aside. However, Hamad's unintentional obstacle was not yet over.

"Eat, eat!"

"Did you receive a ghost who died because they couldn't eat?" Lariette murmured in her heart, anger rising to her head. Asrahan also thought it was going too far in this situation, so he slowly bit himself.

It only took about 1 second! No, it's embarrassing to say it's arrived. It would be more accurate to express that it passed. Lariette bit the inside of her lips resentfully. Her violet eyes burned with resentment towards Hamad.

"...let's go."

"Yes, let's go together."

Lariette smiled awkwardly at Asrahan's suggestion and didn't regret the kiss; she hadn't finished the conversation with him yet, but it was so insignificant that it was interrupted. But after a little more delay, Hamad seemed to fully enter the room and shout, causing her to sit up with a small sigh.

She was in very good shape, perhaps due to the deep sleep. Then, Asrahan's wounds were in view again. Lariette urgently called for him to heal before eating.

"Asrahan, first, your wound..."

"I'm fine with this kind of wound. Take care of yourself first."

Not much time had passed since he woke up. Asrahan added firmly. Then he left the room without hesitation. Lariette followed his back and insisted that her mana had returned a lot and that she could do enough with healing magic, but it had no effect.

"Is my butt that heavy? Don't move fast! The food will get cold."

Hamad, sitting on the couch, grumbled as he watched Asrahan and Lariette walk down the hallway. Contrary to what he said, the table full of food was still steaming white. Lariette carefully sat down on the couch. Asrahan sat beside her and gracefully lifted a spoon.

"This is the dinner of the Lord of Astar and the Duke of Candel."

Lariette sipped on a hot mushroom soup and thought that in the most spectacular dining hall, it wouldn't be enough to eat fancy food at a long table with tablecloths.

But now she was sitting on a simple couch, eating a homemade meal on a wooden table. It was a peculiar situation. Asrahan naturally drank white wine over the topic of the patient and briefly nodded towards Hamad.

"The greeting is late. Thanks to your help, I was able to be safe. Thank you."

If Hamad hadn't led the army to rescue Lariette, the two of them would have truly died. Therefore, Asrahan erased the resentment he had confessed at the Isis festival and expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Uh, uh, yes."

Hamad responded with a perplexed look, perhaps not knowing that Asrahan would courteously leave, as the Asrahan in his memory was a man who put a sword in his hand as soon as he saw him. Scratching his short hair for a while, he immediately said, "Oh!" as if he had a good idea. He then asked with a bright smile.

"If you're grateful, can I dance with Lari at the festival in a few hours?"

He couldn't practice his solo dance because he was on his way to save him. Hamad added confidently. At the end of his speech, Asrahan smiled softly and replied with a gentle voice.

"No."

"Never."

Asrahan responded once again and emphasized his intention. His lips continued to smile, while his eyes didn't smile at all.

Hamad raised his eyebrows with regret. He didn't want to meet her when his lover was by his side, yet he wanted to dance alone once, one last time with his lingering feelings.

"Today is the day of the festival."

Lariette surveyed the situation and picked up a fruit salad. She wondered how long she had been depressed and that a day had passed. Perhaps because it was a holiday, the outside seemed to be particularly noisy.

"I'm sorry..."

"Isn't that something you should ask me first? Lariette's doctor comes first."

Asrahan finished his speech with wine once again. Of course, if Lariette said she would dance with him, he would do anything behind her back. For example, secretly break his leg. Hamad responded with a gruff voice, unaware that Asrahan was entertaining such a terrible idea.

"Ah, I asked Lari. She said she wouldn't give me space if someone she loved hated it. So, I was wondering if it would be okay if they allowed it."

"Ugh!"

Lariette, who had been eating her salad, was so shocked by Hamad's shocking comments that she spat out what she had in her mouth. After chewing, the leaves fluttered and landed on Hamad's face.

Hamad muttered, closing his eyes tightly. "...If you don't want to dance, just say it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

It's because you said something weird! Lariette launched an angry attack in her mind and glanced at Asrahan's eyes. He was looking at Lariette. The blue eyes trembled. The slightly open-mouthed expression was so subtle that she couldn't tell if he was surprised, sad, or angry. And when he finally opened his mouth to say something, the interruption started again.

"You're not a herbivore, just eating salad. Eat meat too! Eat bread too!"

Hamad, shaking off what landed on his face, frowned even though he was close to her, his will to make that thin woman healthy was still there.

He thought they were lovers after a long time, and he didn't know the misunderstandings and incidents between the two, so he didn't realize that there would be a problem with what he said. Because it was a serious matter, he only thought it wasn't a joke even between lovers. Asrahan, who wasted time, closed his mouth again.

The eyes fixed on Lariette also turned towards the food. However, the confused emotions were still slow to eat. Lariette was the confused one, so she also absentmindedly waved the fork. Finally, the meal ended with Hamad's shout to eat properly.

--------------------------

Lariette returned to the room as if the doctor's words had pushed her to quickly retreat and relax. The conversation she wanted to share with Asrahan had been there for a while, so she looked at him with remorseful eyes. However, all that came into view was his back facing the assigned room.

"Asrahan..."

Lariette stopped speaking after calling his name. She wanted to heal his wounds, but his firm rejection came to mind. Perhaps Asrahan's own heart is a burden. He might feel conflicted between resentment towards himself and his past love.

"He said it was okay, but..."

How could it be okay? Lariette had no explanation for him. The matter's letter was left in Doha's hands, and the story of misunderstandings never properly started because Asrahan stopped talking. Even if he knew the situation, forgiveness wasn't easy. She couldn't even guess the extent of the betrayal he would have felt.

Asrahan left without looking back, even though he should have heard Lariette's voice. His departure added to Lariette's anxiety.

"Was the kiss impulsive? Was it upsetting to hear Hamad say it?"

Unanswered questions kept circulating in her head. Unless she asked Asrahan, it was something she would never know. Lariette stared out the window for hours. Before she realized it, the sky had turned dark. Laughter and cheerful singing from the festival could be heard from afar.

"There will be fireworks soon!"

"Let's go!"

The young maiden babbled as she passed by the annex where Lariette stayed. It was nice to see her holding hands tightly.

"Fireworks."

In an instant, Lariette's gaze shifted. She murmured with a confident voice, just like a few months ago when she didn't realize the idea that she was dying anyway.

"Now it's my turn."

Lariette jumped to her feet. Without hesitation, she walked straight towards Asrahan's room.

------------------

As she approached the Ashtar-style door, where the fabric fluttered, anxious thoughts resurfaced. But she took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"Asrahan, it's me. Can I come in..."

Collect~

The fabric was grabbed before Lariette could finish speaking. Asrahan, with a look of surprise on his face, looked at her.

"Why did you come all the way here when you weren't feeling well?"

"I'm here to tell you something. Can I come in?"

Asrahan stepped aside as if to let her in. Not forgetting to hold the fabric so that she could pass.

"Sit down."

Concerned about Lariette's health, he quickly offered, but immediately regretted it. Unlike the rooms in the capital, there was no place to sit here. Only the bed. After pausing for a moment, Lariette sat on the bed, not paying much attention. She futilely thought that the blanket wouldn't get dirty because it was only used indoors.

"What do you have to say?"

Asrahan, seeing Lariette sitting on the bed where he had slept, bit his lower lip hard and regained his composure, then asked her coldly. Lariette's heart ached at his unusual cold demeanor. But she clenched her fists and took a deep breath again.

"I have a question for you."

"Tell me."

"Was the kiss you were about to give me impulsive?"

Asrahan was so surprised by the straightforward question that he almost bit his tongue. His blue pupils trembled like mad. He hesitated for a long time.

He seemed very concerned, with his hands on his forehead, but after a moment, Asrahan slowly looked up and met Lariette's gaze. There was a deep and complex feeling in his eyes as he followed with a low voice.

"No."

Asrahan took a deep breath. And then he continued.

"I didn't kiss you on a whim."

Her heart, trembling with anxiety, quickly filled with joy and couldn't help but overflow like the water that springs from the capital, even though it might be too soon. She struggled to keep her mind high and tried to answer his question again. She was about to ask if his heart was overwhelmed. Asrahan took the lead and said.

"I also want to ask you something."

"Yes, yes. Ask me anything."

Lariette nodded vigorously. It was because Asrahan's eyes looking at her seemed subtly anxious. And soon the reason was revealed.

"The one you love, as the Lord of Ashtar said. He... Who is it?"

The end of Asrahan's voice trembled slightly because he was afraid. Perhaps the beloved was Mikhail Dohabellion, not himself.

When the Lord mentioned the story, he became even more anxious when he felt that Lariette realized it herself. Asrahan's face, which had always been impassive, was tinged with anxiety.

"Ah, we were worried about the same thing."

Then she realized that it wasn't just her concern that had changed, and that was the answer to the question she was about to ask.

People cheered from outside the window. The fireworks were about to begin. Lariette, briefly turning towards the dark sky, opened her mouth again and looked at Asrahan. It was such a predictable answer that there was no hesitation.

"Asrahan."

"...Yes."

Lariette's serious expression was tense, and Asrahan's body was tense, and then a beautiful smile filled his vision.

"I love you."

Poof! Poof!.

Beautiful fireworks embroidered the night sky. The response to the confession she would hear at the Festival of Isis was now returned correctly.

"I love you so much."

Something warm, a little warm, filled the corners of Asrahan's eyes. It seemed that in the past few days, all the tears he would shed in his life had been shed.

"May I kiss you?" Lariette asked, as her thumb gently wiped his eyes, as if she was repeating the conversation in Isis, in a dream. A thick tear rolled down Asrahan's cheek. His eyes were happier than ever.

"If you allow me."

And finally, their lips met, this time without any interruption.