Winston was avoiding me.
The days following my return to the Cassandra grounds, he bolted whenever he saw me and refused eye contact whenever our interaction was inevitable.
…
"It's your scars!" Shire declared after I consulted with him while helping him complete the lightest of his tasks. "He doesn't want to be near you 'cause you keep showing them off!"
I scratched my face dubiously.
With my bandages now removed, everyone could see the outcome of what happened at Claymore's Peak: ragged gashes ran down the length of my left forearm, and a row of scarred punctures enclosed the right of my shoulders.
Additionally, the left side of my face was now a bumpy red, the skin there having been ripped off before what remained threaded itself back onto my flesh as the flesh healed over.
And the flap of my left ear was also gone, leaving behind only the earlobe to knot and hang there desolately.
Gruesome as they were, however…
"Winston isn't avoiding me because of my scars," I responded firmly to Shire. "There must be another reason."
"Are you sure they aren't scaring him off?" Shire teased. "You're not so pretty as before, so maybe he doesn't like you anymore~?"
I growled under my breath.
Though I had been self-conscious the first day I removed my bandages, Shire's and the other squires' support—(teasing)—quickly made me accustomed to the newfound attention. That, and…Marchioness Cassandra's and Sir Ruloc's ironclad declaration that I was beautiful, regardless.
…
But what about Winston?
What were his thoughts?
And what about his wounds?
Had they healed over just like mine?
I wanted to talk and catch up with him, but…that was impossible since he fled whenever I called to him.
…
Speaking of which…
Someone familiar entered the courtyard where Shire and I were at, someone with stark freckles and golden hair and blue eyes.
[Winston.]
"Oi!" Shire hissed when I set down the crate we were both carrying.
"Sorry," I murmured as I walked away, my focus entirely on Winston.
How long would he avoid me without telling me why?
Lady Cassandra had granted us both two weeks of leniency to readjust and recuperate, and I had waited for Winston to approach me on his own accord, yet…
Those two weeks were now ending, and I wouldn't wait any longer.
Winston's head snapped towards me as I sped towards him, and he froze when our eyes met.
Then he swiveled and bolted—and I sprinted right after.
I was going to confront and squeeze the reason out of him—today, once and for all.
=====
Winston gasped for air as he ran across the castle grounds, unsure of where he was heading but just knowing he needed a place to hide—fast.
So, when he reached the gardens of the manor and spotted the trunk of a large tree, he immediately dove behind it.
Catching his breath, he crouched against the tree and leaned back, squeezing his eyes shut.
…
He hadn't wanted to avoid Airee.
She was all he could think about the month she was gone, after all.
Yet…seeing her there before him…with her scars in full view—
"Caught you," Airee's voice huffed.
Winston's eyes flew open in shock, and he sprang to his feet, ready to flee.
Before he could, however, Airee shot her arms out and widened her stance, backing him against the bark of the tree behind him.
Cornered, he had no choice but to face her directly—
[No!]
Winston clenched his teeth and turned his head to the side, averting his gaze.
…
"…Talk to me…please…" Airee breathed out, the hurt and frustration in her voice making Winston flush with guilt and shame. "Tell me why you're avoiding me… Are you mad at me? Because I yelled at you? I didn't mean to—I was just upset…and scared…and relieved…and that's why I broke down like that—so, I'm truly sorry—"
"It's not—it's not because of that…!" Winston interjected hotly. "You shouldn't even apologize for that, so why're you…?! I'm not even mad at you—how could I be when...when…"
[…when everything was [my] fault…?]
Winston stopped speaking, his emotions overwhelming him as his chin scrunched and his eyes flushed, the beginning signs of tears.
…
"…Then…it really is my scars you're avoiding?" Airee uttered. "They scare you that badly…?"
Winston flushed with shame, still incapable of looking at her directly.
There was a long, fragile moment of silence where neither of them said anything.
Then, Airee spoke quietly—resolutely—of which alarmed Winston.
"If that's how you feel…there's nothing I can do," she said quietly, turning her back towards him. "These scars are a part of me, now. And…I won't hide them…nor feel shame. So…you'll have to endure the rest of our time together… And I'll try not to get in your way."
Winston's chest throbbed with pain, and his entire being froze when she began walking away from him.
[No.]
…
[This isn't what I want.]
…
[Don't go—]
"Airee…!" he shouted, his hand reaching out to grab her arm before she could leave.
Airee looked back, and his chest squeezed even further when he caught sight of her forlorn expression.
"Everything—everything is my fault…!" he broke down, tears blurring his vision as he met her eyes for the first time in a long while. "If I hadn't wanted to prove myself—if I hadn't chased after that thresher, you wouldn't be like this now…! I'm the reason…! I'm the reason you bear those scars! So how can I face you, Airee…? I never wanted to avoid you either, but…I just feel so guilty whenever I see you…!! I'm sorry, Airee—I'm sorry…!!"
Airee stared at him for a second before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him into a hug.
"You're an idiot…" Airee whispered as he sobbed in her arms. "But…I'm an idiot as well. We're both idiots, Winston."
"…N-N-No…!" Winston blubbered, trying to deny.
"Heh…we are," Airee softly laughed before going silent. Then she said, "Winston. What happened was an accident. And maybe we both could've made safer choices, but…in the end, we acted on our own decisions. So, even though you're feeling guilty now…it's not your place to carry the burden of the choice [I] made."
"But if I hadn't gone after that thresher—" Winston repeated before stopping, stilling as Airee's fingers brushed the back of his neck.
"Winston. Do you blame me for this?" Airee asked, referring to his newfound scar that was peeking from underneath the collar of his shirt.
"Of course not!" Winston exclaimed, pulling back with outrage as he scrubbed his tears away.
Just as that thresher of a mountain lion had left scars on Airee, Winston himself too bore remnants of that incident: deep, large imprints of incisors encircled the side and back of Winston's neck and spine, a horrendous sight at first glance.
He miraculously retained full mobility, but though he sometimes experienced the phantom pain of having his neck crushed in half, never once had he thought to blame Airee!
"And I also don't blame you for this," Airee said, raising her scarred arm close to her scarred face. Her golden eyes stared firmly at his own blue ones. "I never will," she stated.
[…]
"But…but you [will]…" he countered, hanging his head as guilt rushed through him. "Because..."
…
"Winston…?" Airee spoke when he paused for a minute too long.
"MARRIAGE!!!" Winston finally blurted out, flushing with embarrassment.
Airee immediately choked, and a fit of coughs soon overtook her.
"…That was…unexpected," she rumbled, pounding her chest as she cleared her throat. "But…why bring that up?"
…
"I know…about you…and the second prince…" Winston confessed, averting his eyes. "Won't this…ruin your future? Your future…with…him…?"
"…Probably not," she responded shortly, her nonchalance baffling him.
"You're not worried?" he asked. "I thought that was important to you?"
Airee scratched her face before sighing.
"Winston. I'll tell you [this]," she said quietly, stepping closer. "I'm not concerned about marriage, whether if it's between me and the second prince, or between me and somebody else. That isn't important. What [is] important is me becoming an E-knight. You asked if my scars would ruin my future?" She shook her head. "In the future I'm envisioning for myself, my scars aren't hindering me. They won't stop me from joining the Branch Sect, after all. So, if it was my future that was bothering you all along…thank you, but I'll be alright in the end.
"So, please don't avoid me anymore," she fretfully added. "I mean it, I don't think I could ever not speak to you ever again."
[…]
Winston solemnly looked at the ground.
[Me too.]
…
"I'm sorry for avoiding you," he finally uttered. "I won't do it anymore."
"Then promise me," she said, extending her hand for him to take. "If I ever trouble or concern you, instead of keeping to yourself, seek me and tell me about it. And I'll do the same for you."
"But what if I [do] want to keep to myself?" Winston asked, bursting into chuckles when Airee deeply frowned.
"That's fine… There are days like that… But please tell me in advance when you're purposefully ignoring me, so I don't feel hurt," Airee mumbled.
…
[Adorable.]
Winston sadly smiled and took her hand.
"It's a promise," he whispered.
║║║║║║║║║║
"You two rascals finally made up?" Shire asked when I returned with Winston.
"Yes," we both proudly confirmed.
"Great!" Shire laughed, reaching over to ruffle both of our heads. Then he promptly handed us each a heavy crate. "Now help me finish moving these!" he steely grinned.
[…]
║║║║║║║║║║
By the time we were done, the sun was setting, and we were all hungry.
I had a meeting with Lady Cassandra, however, so I couldn't follow Shire and Winston into the knights' warm and lively dining hall.
"See ya," Shire yawned, and Winston gave me a small nod.
I waved in farewell before turning and heading towards the castle manor.
"What did you want to discuss, Airee?" Lady Cassandra asked after I was guided into her private study for our meeting.
"Grandmother," I began, setting down the foundation to which would fund my future, "I have a business venture to propose to you."