"Well, I'm just going to leave these lovebirds alone."
"But you said you're invisible, Eugene. So..."
Eugene winced and narrowed his eyes at me. I gulped, somewhat regretting what I just said—somewhat. I didn't know much about him except for the fact that he was Maltyie's younger brother, and Caesar's as well in this case, but he had proven himself to be a nice guy.
A trustworthy individual. Someone that wasn't in it for himself, but for others. Eugene portrayed his unwillingness to back down in a difficult situation.
Okay, wait. I didn't actually see him do stuff, but Maltyie (and a few others) said these about him so it must be true.
"..."
"I'm outta here. Oh, and Sis, be nice to Mister Derrick if he rejects you. Alright?"
A visible vein popped up on Maltyie's forehead, and that was Eugene's cue to run away for his life... and he did just that.
All said and done, everyone's attention shifted back to Maltyie and Derrick. And Elle too but it seemed like she would burst into tears at any moment. Ah, no... she cried on Maltyie's lap.
"Maltyyyiiiee! Waaaaah!!"
"E-Elle? Don't cry..." Maltyie patted her head ever so gently.
"I missseed yooou! I miss you sooo muuuch! Maltyiiieee!" Elle hugged Maltyie and refused to let go. She shook her head several times, but Maltyie herself seemed to not mind it. Elle rubbed her eyes and tried to restrain herself from any more crying.
"I miss you too, Elle," said Maltyie softly.
"Maltyie..."
"Yes?"
"Can you be my Mama?"
"...H-Huh? Wait a minute... Eeh?" Maltyie's cheeks flushed and she glanced at Derrick, whose face was red as well. Maltyie's eyes locked with his, and they stared at each other for a few moments.
"I never know how it feels like to have a mother. But my friends, all of them have their own mother. So... can you be my mother then, Maltyie? Please?"
"..."
Derrick and Maltyie looked at each other bashfully. Well, if I had to really describe it in detail, Maltyie cast expectant glances towards Derrick and he knew what she had in mind—or wanted to say. At a few points, he looked at the rest of us in that infirmary.
To me, it seemed like Derrick loves Maltyie as well. Maybe.
"...You can't?" asked Elle. Oh no, she was about to tear up again.
"I-It's not that I don't want. I love to—"
Maltyie covered her mouth quickly. She slowly shifted her gaze to Derrick, and voila, the guy's jaw dropped. I didn't get it. Is it that surprising? I mean, Maltyie had confessed to him not too long ago, so...
"...Derrick."
"Y-Yes?!"
Maltyie called his name softly. She took a deep breath and affirmed her gaze. "I know what you truly feel. Deep inside, you don't really feel the same way. I understand that. Remember that promise I made? In the future, I will become the C.U's ruler, and I have no intention to renege it now. So... S-S-So, when that time comes, with the authority that would be given to me, I will try to express my love to you. Maybe I'll send gifts or something along that line."
"W-What? Huuuh?!"
"I will do everything I can to make you love me the same way. I know this is like me being obsessive. Maybe I am."
"No, you're not. You're just... determined," muttered Derrick, almost like a whisper to himself.
"As I was saying, I..."
"YAY! Maltiye's gonna be my mother!" Elle jumped around excitedly and shouted over and over how Maltyie would be her mom and all. Besides me, everyone else in that room smiled at that.
Derrick let out a loud sigh, which was unexpected.
"...Derrick?" asked Maltyie.
"I was hoping that you would give me the chance to explain myself."
"...Hmm? Wait. You..."
"I actually love you, as well, Maltyie," said Derrick with a serious expression.
"...W-W-Wha... Eh? Oh, well... I... Ah... That's... kind of... cheating, Derrick. You said it too late..."
"...My bad. Anyway, from what you, um, said, it was like you proposed to me."
"I want to be your wife as quick as possible. I'm tired of waiting," said Maltyie smoothly, and then she blushed from it.
"Papaaaaa!" Elle leaped into his father's embrace. "Will Maltyie be my mother?".
"I don't know a lot about this... but, when proposing, one should have a ring, and I don't have one right now," said Maltyie.
"It's fine. Wait. I should be the one who does the thing!"
"Too late! I can't wait any longer."
"...Maltyie, I don't have a ring too, you know. Even so... will you be my wife?"
Maltyie looked at Elle, whose eyes sparkled in anticipation.
"Haha... Yes. Yes, I want to."
The lovebirds looked at each other, and for some reason, I imagined a pink background around them, complete with beautiful white flowers.
"Now kiss."
Eugene peeked from the slightly open infirmary door and narrowed his eyes at Maltyie. No one realized he was there all along until he blew his cover by saying those two words.
"Eugene!!!" Maltyie was about to get off from her bed to chase after him, but Derrick held her back. It was comical how even after that, Maltyie just went off on Eugene from her spot.
"M-Maltyie, calm down!" said Derrick.
"...Sorry."
After a few minutes, everyone was at ease again (Eugene still peeking, but no one minded him). Maltyie looked at Derrick with a smile.
"When I become the ruler, I will give you whatever you want."
"Huh? Wait, wait. You don't need to. Hahaha."
We all laughed, even Maltyie, and the atmosphere lightened up in a split second. Though, Maltyie eventually got up from her bed and chased after Eugene anyway with Derrick trying to calm his future wife.
♢
♢
After some time (about half an hour), everyone settled back to their own spot. By that, I meant Maltyie was no longer chasing after Eugene and the guy himself just sat at a lonely corner. We were still in the infirmary— Qara, Odval, Ulii, Lily, Khenbish, me, Derrick, Elle, Erhi and those two.
I thought what happened between Derrick and Maltyie had made them closer, or something like that, but... now they were back to being awkward to each other. Ah, wait. Perhaps they regretted confessing and proposing in front of us? I could see that.
Anyway, I asked both of them about it, quite boldly— away from any naughty eavesdropper— and what I guessed was spot on.
I giggled at it. Hope would love it if I told him this.
...When that time comes.
"Everyone, how are you doing?"
Klaus and Gray walked into the infirmary with a casual gait. They were smiling, for some reason. Klaus looked up at the ceiling and I followed his eyesight— a surveillance camera had been propped up at one corner.
I got it. The guy must have been watching the whole thing. Klaus and Gray probably spotted the earlier altercation and decided to step in. His amicableness was shown all over his face.
"Is this about the war?" asked Ulii.
"Precisely."
Oops. I was off the mark. I thought of something else entirely.
"Just a brief heads up for what's to come and what is the current situation right now on the frontline."
Klaus coughed. "About an hour ago, the C.U's forces at the northern front retreated. The front in Bulgaria. Probably because of Leah's fall, the so-called secret weapon Amathelia had asked Alicia to design."
"Oh. That flying fortress," I said.
"More like Amathelia forced her to do it," stated Derrick.
"Uhuh. And, their forces in Finland retreated as well bit by bit. The coup and The People's Light are scrambling to regroup. In the eastern front, the same thing is happening. The enemy retreated, but this time, it's because of their inability to penetrate Gheele's Aegis dome protecting Neo Africa."
"What about the Atlantic Ocean, the western front?" I asked.
"Nothing changed so far. Aside from what Hope did to halt the enemy's advances, its a stalemate for now."
"What Hope did?" I inched closer towards Klaus. "I only heard a bit about it, but, what exactly did he do?"
"Ah, well. He used his Aegis to form a barrier separating the C.U's fleet from ours. It was to delay the enemy, while he went out of his way to—"
"To save me..." I said.
"Yeah."
The scene when Hope comforted me as his Aegis mutated— it was heart-wrenching. All I could do was cry at that time. Useless. I couldn't do anything.
He sacrificed so much for me. Someday, I will repay him.
"Ava..." Erhi patted my back, and I wiped my tear-filled eyes.
"Maltyie. If you want to announce to the whole world that you will become the next ruler, now's the time," said Klaus. "It will reignite the coup's lackadaisical spirit, and at the same time, weakens the enemy. Amathelia is out of commission, so right now, they don't have a leader. There's no better opportunity than this," emphasized Klaus.
"I understand." Maltyie turned to Derrick. "Can I?"
"Eh? Of course. Um, why are you asking me?"
"I will be your wife sooner or later, and the wife must seek permission from the husband, right?" said Maltyie with flushed cheeks.
"Oh..."
A beaming smile flitted across everyone's face, and so was I.
After all, a new era was about to begin after Maltyie took over. The war would end soon, so it was only a matter of time.