Lidia moved her hands and fingers at a distance, directing that enormous winged figure made of water emanating from the aquastone, making it spin around and fly over the spectators. It was as if it had a life of its own. It soared up to the glass dome on the ceiling, spreading its wings high above, and the water particles burst into dispersion, gently sprinkling everyone in glowing droplets that looked like small blue crystals falling slowly.
The audience was amazed, and applause and praise immediately followed Lidia, who remained absorbed in the middle of the hall, staring in astonishment with her shining eyes as the particles vanished around her. The praise continued, but she remained lost in contemplation of what she had achieved. When she came back to her senses, she realized that everyone was loudly applauding; she bowed to all present and stepped off the stage, returning to her seat, looking tired and relieved at the same time.
King Van Laar: 『 Thank you very much for your recognition of my daughter. It's gratifying to know that the demonstration was to your liking... Continuing with tonight's itinerary, I will ask the orchestra to resume delighting us with their music to begin the waltz. Of course, everyone is invited to come to the center and participate. Without further ado, let's begin. 』
Once again, the guests applauded, and the musicians started playing their melody to call all the guests to participate in the dance in the uncovered center of the grand dining hall. One by one, the couples began to fill the space and started moving around with such smooth and synchronized movements that it seemed as if they were emulating each other, so precise and exact.
Queen Mireya: 『 ¡Oh, Lidia! My dear Lidia, I am proud of you! 』
Lidia: 『 M−Mother, you are squeezing me a little hard. 』
The queen, who was practically in the background most of the time, hugged her daughter, sitting tired, to congratulate her individual achievement. Contrary to the king, who remained as skeptical as ever, monitoring from his throne the couples on the dance floor and the other people who were still sitting at their tables, having only eyes so as not to lose sight of what was happening in front of him.
Young Tikalt Officer: 『 Excuse me, your highness... 』
One of the young guests, uniformed in that ultramarine gala suit full of medals, stood in front of the queen and the princess, leaning back to bow and extending his hand covered with a white glove, making an invitation to Lidia.
Young Tikalt Officer: 『 Would you grant me this piece? 』
Lidia: 『 A−Ah, I'm sorry. I'm not used to dancing. 』
Queen Mireya: 『 What are you saying, Lidia?! Go on! Have some fun! 』
Doubtful about whether to really do it or not while her mother pushed her, Lidia ended up accepting the invitation of who, surely, was one of her suitors on the waiting list for her. Lidia left her seat at the little time she had to rest and the young man took her hand warmly. She was brought to the epicenter of the great hall so that she immediately became the center of attention in the midst of everyone.
The young soldier began the routine first without announcing: 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; left, right, left, right; one step forward and one step back. Lidia had a hard time getting into the rhythm and follow in the footsteps of the young man, who was smiling from ear to ear, excited like a child who debuts a new toy.
1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; The music played and played. Everyone was in time with the sonata. The men grabbed their respective partners by the waist to push them slightly off the ground, giving a showy jump that spread the ladies' long skirts like pinwheels. It was like a field of flowers in the middle of spring illuminated by the crystalline candlesticks on the ceiling that projected a warm orange light.
1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; The melody transformed into lethargy for Lidia. She couldn't stand having that disgusting smile in front of her anymore. With no opportunity to break away from his strong grip on her hands and waist, the only thing left was to endure. It was time for the spins, the couples separated, did two solo spins and posed with their backs to each other. Finally, Lidia had a great chance to get out of the boy's sight, but she wouldn't be the one to take the initiative to sneak away.
Lidia: 『 Uuah−! 』
Young Tikalt Officer:: 『 … Eh?... Princess?... 』
As soon as I saw an opportunity, I jumped in to grab Lidia and pull her out of the dancing crowd, leaving that poor guy who had now lost his partner. I took her to the balcony on the right of the room to get her out of everyone's sight while they were still busy with their dancing.
Lidia: 『 God! What do you think you're−? 』
Shun: 『 You were taking too long. While you were having fun with that guy−』
Lidia: 『 I wasn't having fun! 』
I wanted to play with her a little so that she would distract herself from the matter while I adjusted the rope to the balcony and it would be firm. However, it ended up being my mistake to continue insisting with my mocking attitude.
Shun: 『 You think so? You seemed to enjoy it. Or maybe, you like blonde guys like him? 』
Lidia: 『 Of course not! And what's the point of saying that, you're also blonde. 』
Shun: 『 Light brown, actually. My hair is not oxygenated enough to be your liking…』
Lidia was silent for a moment and lowered her head, putting on a gloomy look, clenching her lips and her fists, her body trembled with such pressure, warning that something was about to break.
Lidia: 『 … I see, you only wanted to continue making fun of me. 』
Shun: 『 What are you about−? 』
Lidia: 『 You are always like this. 』
Shun: 『 Huh? 』
Lidia: 『 You know I have no voice in this place, that I am only seen as a girl who cannot choose how to dress or what to eat, who plays "school" and "tea time" over and over again; a girl who has to pretend to be an exemplary daughter of two kings who spend all day with a lot of politicians and aristocrats, and who have never paid attention to her; a daughter ignored by her parents, trapped in this huge castle that is nothing more than a stupid cage made for me, and the worst thing is that they think that this is enough for me to believe that it is exactly the same as reality. I am confined in this place... But you!... You!!... 』
Lidia suddenly raised her gaze, light tears began to flow from her eyes that little by little flooded her eyes. She walked up to me and hit me in the chest, giving me a push that made me take a step back. Her tone of voice suddenly rose and she made me feel all her anger and helplessness towards me.
Lidia: 『 You have always been free to leave here! Walking wherever you want and as many times as you want, without any prohibition! You're free to act however you want, but I... I always have to stand straight and show a stupid fake smile all the time! And I... I... I'M SICK OF IT, I HATE THAT I HAVE TO DO IT, I HATE THAT YOU CAN BE YOURSELF AND I'M STILL A DUMB DOLL...!!! *Sob*… It's not fair! Why can't I just leave?!... WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP PRETENDING?!! 』
Lidia knelt against the ground and burst into tears. For the first time, I heard her express herself with such desperation and anger. She held back until that moment to rub all her feelings in my face. All that helplessness accumulated over several years hit me head on and made me see how lonely she really felt all this time, and I was too blind not to see it. I thought I was the only one who could understand her, but I was absolutely far from it.
I always behaved like a clown to try to make her feel a little more carefree, to have someone with whom she felt more relieved and could express herself as she really is; but I caused the opposite effect. I didn't support her properly. I was a complete failure of a friend to her. But, I couldn't just stand there and watch her cry and do nothing. It was time to correct my stupid mistake.
Shun: 『 Lidia, do you remember that time you got sick when we were kids? 』
Lidia: 『 … Yes, I had a very high fever and I was in bed for a week. It was the time you started coming up to my room. You always came to visit me, even after I was cured, and every time you were caught, your mother had to punish you. 』
Shun: 『 Yeah, it's true..., but it was worth it. Even though you told me to stop doing it. 』
Lidia: 『 Because I didn't want them to continue punishing you. And you kept going every day anyway. 』
Shun: 『 Yeah, I didn't care what happened to me, as long as I could see you... Do you remember what I said you that time? 』
Lidia: 『 … "No matter where you are, I will always come to see you." 』
Shun: 『 Well, let me change those words a little... I want you to know that no matter how overwhelmed, sad, upset or alone you feel, you can count on me at all times; even if you have to insult or hit me, I don't care... If taking it out on me makes you feel better, then I will endure it, as many times as necessary... I will always be there for you. 』
Lidia: 『 … I don't understand… Why would you go to such lengths for me?… I've been nothing more than a nuisance to everyone here, I'm not capable of doing anything for myself, I can't even do something as simple as fixing my bed, I always depend on the maids and your mother, I was even able to do that show thanks to your help. If I didn't exist, it would save a lot of work for all the castle employees, I would be one less mouth to feed, less clothes to wash, one less person to wake up. I'm just a burden to you. I'm not worth it at all. 』
Shun: 『 Hmph, don't be silly. You have never been a nuisance, much less a burden... You are the only person in the castle who has treated us kindly, the only one who has smiled at us and thanked us for our work. You've made many of us find a reason to keep going, even after all the complications we have had. You are our inspiration to strive for all those we truly appreciate, for our friends, our families, and also for you. Just seeing you happy, seeing that warm smile of yours... is enough to make us feel happy too. Farmers, gardeners, cooks, laundresses, servants..., all of us owe you a lot of our happiness, even if you don't see it... For us, you are someone irreplaceable. You are part of our family... Therefore, I thank you for allowing me to be part of your life all these years... Thank you. 』
Lidia: 『 … Mmmmgh−BUAAAAAAAAAH…!!! 』
She once again burst into tears, this time with much more intensity and a tremendous scream full of fury and desolation that came from her body. The knot inside her heart was slowly unraveling as she squeezed my suit tightly and shed her tears in front of me.
She stayed like this for a long time until the drops ran out and her breathing calmed down. She wiped her eyes and cheeks with her hands and lifted her face. I asked if she was feeling better, to which she responded: 『 I think so. 』
Now that she was calm, I could focus on getting her out of the castle once and for all and thus prevent her from continuing to suffer. If I managed to disappear her for the rest of the night, I could ruin the intentions of her suitors and make them disinterested in Lidia, making them believe that they were rejected by her. I would sabotage her marriage.
I know that it's a completely stupid and crazy plan, made on the fly and could condemn me directly to hanging if they caught me, I even knew the slime chance of success I had. But giving up was not an option. From that moment on, I promised to be her support and help her in every way possible, and if that meant challenging royalty itself and its laws, I would do it head-on, regardless of the obstacles they put in front of me and the risk that entails. I decided to fight for her.
Shun: 『 By the way, I didn't give you your birthday gift. 』
Lidia: 『 Shun, I'm not in the mood−』
Shun: 『 Ah, don't worry, this is much better than all those materialistic things you've been given so far. 』
I helped her up from the floor and showed her the rope tied to the balcony. Lidia understood what it meant, to which she responded with a sigh and saying: 『 You really never change. 』I checked the rope and made sure that it was really taut we could climb down. Lidia held on to my side and I prepared to descend, with the difficulty of holding her waist. We climbed onto the stone railing to prepare to jump.
Lidia: 『 By the way, where did you get the rope? 』
Shun: 『 A−Ah, it's a long story... Are you ready? 』
Lidia: 『 …Yes…, I'm ready. 』