As soon as Emi and I left the room, we started walking around the academy. Most of the presentations and attractions were already finished, and several people were also walking around, looking at everything. We could see several couples too. This made me wonder if Emi and I looked like a couple as well.
Every now and then, we stopped in some rooms that were serving food to the visitors. From sweets to full meals, it was possible to find basically everything as long as you went to the right place.
While we were walking around the school, Emi stopped at an open window and leaned in, starting to look at the flow of people entering the academy. I wondered what Emi could be thinking, and soon her voice echoed low but steady, audible only to me.
"You know, when I was a kid, I had a dream I wanted to fulfill... no, I still have it even today"
Emi said as she looked out the window. Her beautiful white hair swayed in the wind, making her even more beautiful but at the same time giving a sad feeling.
"Yes"
I said, looking directly into Emi's eyes. Even though she wasn't looking at me, I felt that I should look into her eyes to show that I was listening correctly. After all, Emi was talking to me about her past, indicating that she trusted me enough for this.
"I always wanted to do something that would change the world, something that would make everyone detach themselves from my appearance... that when someone remembered me, they wouldn't remember me because of my appearance but because of something bigger and less superficial than that"
Said Emi, her hands clenching tightly as she seemed to be remembering something. When I heard her words, I turned around and also started to remember when I first heard about her, about how she was hailed as the prettiest on the continent since she was a child.
"But in the end, I am still a princess. I will need to marry and have children someday. That is my duty as a princess of the Solaris kingdom"
Said Emi with a sad smile on her face. Listening to her words, I could only think how much we both were alike. Me, in my past life, not being able to escape my illness, and Emi not being able to escape her duties as a princess. While I was thinking about this, Emi's voice echoed again, bringing me back to my senses.
"I'm sorry for making you listen to something like this. I know it has nothing to do with you, but... I just wanted you to listen"
Emi said as she looked at me with a soft smile on her face. As soon as I looked at her smile, I felt that it carried a lot of feelings and frustrations. Hearing this, I began to wonder why I fell in love with Emi. I am not hypocritical enough to say that her looks had no influence on that, but still, as I got to know the person called Emi Tulipal Solaris more and more, I fell in love.
Her serious yet gentle manner, her character that made you naturally admire her, and along with all of this, her fragile appearance that seemed like it would shatter in the wind. To me, Emi is much more than a princess or an intelligent person. To me, she is someone stubborn who always fought for what she wanted and never gave up on her goals.
"It was probably this determination of yours that made me fall in love with you"
I said, making Emi's eyes widen. Seeing her expression, it was easy to know that she wasn't expecting me to say something like that. But this is the truth; in my old world, I was always weak and sick since I was born. I didn't have dreams or a future. Every day, I only thought about how to make my parents suffer less in my death.
To see a person like Emi, who even now is still pursuing her dreams, is something that makes me look at her in a special way. After all, even if she doesn't get what she wants, she still tries to fight for it, even if in the end, she gets frustrated.
As soon as I thought this, a self-mocking smile appeared on my face for thinking for a moment that we were alike. In fact, Emi was much stronger than I was. She was much stronger than I even thought she was. The mere thought of thinking we were alike made me feel angry at myself.
(She and I really are nothing alike)
I thought as I turned my gaze to the outside again. At this point, the flow of people was even greater than before.
"The way you keep visualizing your dream is really something to be admired"
I said with a soft smile on my face. Hearing my words, Emi's cheeks took on a slight reddish tinge.
"I-I admire you even more"
Emi said, turning her gaze to the outside as well. After that, we were silent for a few seconds; the only noise that could be heard was the laughter coming from the people who were walking around.
"But... I'm glad to know that you think that of me"
Said Emi with a big smile on her face. As soon as I looked at her face, a smile formed on my lips.
(Yes, you look much prettier when you smile)
I thought as I looked at Emi. After that, we both continued walking around the academy as we looked at the rooms. Some rooms did simple presentations while others went quite far away talking about mythology and beliefs.
In the end, we kept doing this for quite a while until two hours had passed. Finally, it was time to show the world what I and my whole class had been working on all this time.