"So tell me once more, why do I have to stand out here in the cold just because you want some sort of teary-eyed meeting with your old friend?"
Standing on top of the castle, me and Ezral were currently hiding, waiting for Sarah to come out from the building. Looking over the little park filled with blue flowers called 'Winter Blooms', one of the few flowers that could survive the harsh winter, I could see her breath illuminated by the moon.
Having no choice, I reminded the woman who was clearly too lightly dressed, wearing only her thin red dress as usual, "Because if you aren't here, there is no way for us to suppress the princess' memories in case she doesn't sign the contract. If that were to happen, there is a chance that the country of Mensch would come to Kurat looking for me, and who knows what else they might find. Maybe a certain demoness who is manipulating the king?"
"Tsk! Just make it quick then. Shit! I can't believe a human like you thinks he can order me around like this..."
Crossing her arms, which gave me a blissful sight of her assets getting squished once again, there was nothing she could do about it. Thankfully, the demoness didn't have to wait for long before we saw a golden-haired woman clad in a white coat walk out into the garden.
*Flap!*
Materializing my wings, I jumped from the roof, steadying my mind for the meeting that had to be done.
****
[Sarah's Pov]
'What am I even doing here...'
With my mind in turmoil, I had for some reason followed the directions on the letter, coming out to the garden on my own, risking the life of the royal heir of Mensch. Even so, I had come here, alone, knowing full well what was at risk.
I was the one who would have to carry the weight of our country, and because of all that had happened, I knew that day would come sooner rather than later. A country in this world couldn't be represented by someone weak, and right now, there was no one weaker than my father.
Drawing my gaze upon the blue rose-like flowers around me, a moment of weakness fell over me. Just a moment, I let myself lose myself in the ambiance of the garden. "How pretty..."
"Aren't they? They are called 'Winter Blooms'. Supposedly, the only ones that still exist are right here in this garden."
Watching my breath slowly dissipate in the air, I felt a moment of tranquility. Just a second of feeling like everything would be alright somehow when I heard the voice of the one I had missed the most coming from behind me.
Not wanting to turn around, I kept my eyes locked on the flowers, letting myself live in the illusion for as long as possible. "Is that so? That is a pretty fitting name..."
"Mmm... It truly is. A flower that can bloom even in the coldest of winters, a being with the strength to stand against even the worst of circumstances and still come out beautiful. It's hard not to feel envious, isn't it?"
"I guess so."
Letting silence envelop us and the light of the moon gently kiss our bodies, neither of us spoke for a long time, both knowing that eventually, this moment would have to pass. Memories of sitting with James at the cafe, bantering and laughing played through my head, quickly followed by a feeling of what could have been.
There was a world where James had come with us to Kurat, where we would have come to this little garden together without a worry in the world, just us appreciating the sight of the beautiful flowers.
A world where we could have been a Winter Bloom.
Sadly, this was not that world, "I need you to do something for me."
Not caring about the tears that were streaming down my face, I finally turned around, and started my meeting with the demon.
Just like at the square, I was not met by the dark-haired boy, always clad in either the student uniform or training wear, that I had spent time with before. Instead, the demon was wearing the gray suit he had shown before, and his long hair seemed whiter than the snow around us.
Fortunately, his face was still covered by the mask with red stripes, making it so I did not have to see the face of my former love. Steadying myself, I cast off the skin of a girl who was still wallowing in sorrow and took on the costume of a princess.
"Why do you think I would do anything for a demon? What reason could I possibly have to not just send a message to my father about how you are happily living in Kurat?"
A small tinge of pain emerged in my heart when I saw that even the mannerism of the demon was the same as James, with him scratching his head before talking, "A demon? Guess that's one way to see it. No matter. So, do you truly want me to tell you the reasons why you will have no choice but to listen to me? If possible, I would want to abstain from that, as it will make our conversation a lot less enjoyable."
Taking a deep breath, I grit my tear-filled face and tried to put a stop to his charades, "Demon, I am not here to play games. Truth be told, I shouldn't be here in the first place. So, tell me why I am here and tell me why I shouldn't tell the world about you, or I will send the message that is preloaded on my smartwatch right now."
Putting his hands up in the air, it looked like the demonspawn finally gave in, "Haaa... Fine. I'll tell you. First of all, you should probably not tell anyone about our meeting here as it will result in quite the dilemma for you in the future."
"How so?"
"Because if you do, the nation of Kurat will think that you are attacking a person that they have protected and kept hidden, meaning that there is a large chance for it to be the final spark to finally light a war."
Although I couldn't understand exactly what he meant, I couldn't help but feel furious, "Why would they protect a demon?! There is no way that the king would do something like that! You are lying!"
Taking a step forward, the suited man opened his mouth again, "Then try it. Send that message and see what will happen. For me, I'll be on my way long before anything would happen to me anyway."
In the end, I had to give in on trying to go hard on him, mostly because I was still in a situation where I could lose my life at any time, although he would have to make the trade that the automated message I had written would be sent out when I died.
"Fine. So, what do you want? You should know that there are a lot of things I would never do, even if it means losing my life."
If the demon had retained even a glimpse of the intelligence that James had, there was no doubt that it would understand that there were a number of things that would be impossible for me, given my status as the heir to Mensch.
He shook his head while explaining what he had in mind, "It's nothing hard, and it will do no harm to your precious kingdom. I have even gone as far as to print a mana contract with all the details of the deal."
While speaking, he took out a contract from the inner part of his suit and handed it to me, "Here. You have until tomorrow to read through it and think about it."
Without even looking at the piece of paper he had given me, there was still one very important question to ask, "And what if I refuse? What if I decide to not even read it? Shouldn't you make sure that I sign it before I go back to my room?"
What he did next completely broke my heart, and the tears that I had stopped from falling started to slowly creep their way back again. Taking off his mask, he revealed the same face that I had talked with, laughed with. The face that I had been comfortable enough to cry to, and the face that had encouraged me when I was down.
He spoke with a sad smile on his face, a smile that couldn't hide the pain in his eyes, "Because you wouldn't do that to me. No matter what you are telling yourself, you know that I am still me. And thus, you will read that contract, and, in the end, you will sign it. Because if you don't, I can't guarantee that everyone will survive."
Then, two majestic wings appeared on his back, constructed from his mist. Knowing that this was where our meeting would end, I tried my hardest to keep standing until it was over.
*Flap!*
"I've missed you, Sarah. I'm sorry that it has to be this way. Have a good night."
As he took to the air, I fell to the ground, my eyes continuing to act as mirrors to the pain in my heart.