After spending a few hours packing, it was finally time for dinner.
Alden could already sense the tantalising smell from afar, his stomach rumbling silently.
He knew it would taste heavenly.
…And, soon, he found that his instincts were correct.
Feeling the venison melt in his mouth, Alden expressed pure bliss.
His cheeks reddened slightly, both from the heat and the satisfied look on Celeste's face.
She appeared so angelic; her features emitting a sparkling glow that left him beyond captivated.
Taking a sip of water, Alden swallowed the morsel.
He released a content sigh.
Nothing could beat a warm meal prepared by the one he loved most.
'Ah, I'm going to miss this…'
"What's wrong, Al?"
'Eh?'
He blinked.
"Your face seemed slightly sad for a moment. Is everything okay?"
Celeste sent him a worried glance, an unspoken question lingering in her gaze.
'Sharp.'
Alden chuckled, reassuring her with a small smile.
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm blessed with delicious food and pleasant company."
His eyes twinkled, letting his gaze flicker across each member of his family.
Celeste seemed to enjoy the praise, a shy expression forming on her face.
Alistair and Elara, meanwhile, grinned and shook their heads at his extremely smooth tongue.
"But…"
Celeste bit her lips.
It seemed she still appeared somewhat unconvinced.
He sighed, placing down his fork.
"I've been thinking…"
Alden hesitated, his mind spinning as it rapidly tried to devise a cogent answer.
Eventually, he settled for the one that had been on his mind for the past couple of hours.
"About the future. More specifically, regarding what Swifty said about the Dryads and the snippets I heard from the marketplace."
"Oh?"
He saw the Guildmaster and his wife perk up, curious of his next words.
"Rumour has it that it's not just the Dryads increasing, but also the Dark Elves, Dwarves and Merfolk. If that's the case… I can't help but feel something suspicious is brewing in the shadows."
"Your concern is understandable. However, you don't have to worry so much. These vile creatures cannot harm us while we're inside the Sanctuary. It has withstood countless strikes, even standing firm during the dreadful early years after the Great Collision."
Elara replied with a warm smile.
"Don't dwell over things outside your control, and pour all your attention on what you can change, such as your Rank and unlocking the different stages of your Magic Class."
Alistair echoed his wife's sentiments.
"Hmm… okay."
Alden nodded.
He glanced at Celeste and willed a reassuring smile to manifest on his face.
She blinked and smiled back.
The rest of dinner passed uneventfully.
By the end of it, Alden was patting his bulging stomach contentedly, having devoured a startling amount of food.
'This is the life.'
He thought, already sensing the early signs of a food coma.
He pinched his hand, determined to stay awake.
"I'll help with washing the plates,"
Alden informed Celeste as he stood up, ready to do the dishes.
"No! It's okay, Al. You can rest in the living room, I'll be done in a flash."
"Cece…"
Alden stubbornly held his ground, his tone warm but firm.
"It's not right that you must cook and clean the dishes. Let me help, we can finish faster this way."
"Fine…"
Celeste relented with a happy smile, pouting at Alden's use of her childhood nickname.
The latter cracked an unrepentant grin.
And so, once the table had been cleared of its contents and thoroughly wiped down, Alden made his way into the kitchen, ready to scrub while Celeste rinsed. They had done this numerous times over the years, so it wasn't long before the duo fell into a comfortable rhythm.
"I'm so glad you're back, Al. I don't know what I would have done with myself if you had never returned."
Turning his head to look at his love, Alden's expression softened.
His heart ached to hear the vulnerability in her tone.
A pain… that only increased once he recalled his decision to escape from the Sanctuary.
"What's important is that I'm here now. All's well that ends well, am I right?"
Alden hid his conflicting emotions beneath a leisurely facade.
It wasn't hard for him to pretend he was enjoying himself, as any moment he spent with Celeste made his heart soar with joy. Feeling their shoulders brush against each other, the young man smiled.
A comfortable silence soon fell on the duo, broken only by the sound of scrubbing and flowing water.
After a while, Alden suddenly cleared his throat.
"Celeste…"
Noticing his hesitation and serious tone, Celeste stopped rinsing and turned to face him.
Alden did the same, taking a deep breath as his heart felt like it would race out of his chest.
"I want to talk privately with just the two of us after we finish. Would you be willing?"
He saw the gears in her head spin, wondering what he could not say here.
Alden suppressed a smile, fighting the urge to fidget under her scrutiny.
Eventually, Celeste smiled and nodded.
"Of course, if you knock on the door to my room after half an hour, I should be done bathing by then."
He felt a strange flood of relief course through him.
Alden wanted to have one last heart-to-heart with Celeste before he left.
He inwardly feared she may have been too busy to accept. He would be gutted if he missed that chance… especially considering the important nature of the topics he wanted to bring up during their talk.
Observing her focused expression as she returned to rinsing, Alden had the urge to be a little mischievous. Scooping up a little of the soap, he carefully inched his finger forward until it rested on Celeste's nape.
She shrieked under his cold touch.
Alden guffawed, his sides clenching from the strength of his laughter.
"That's not fair!"
Celeste stared at him with narrowed eyes. Then, her eyes lit up as she sensed an opportunity to retaliate.
While Alden was too immersed in his howling, she swiftly splashed him.
Alden's laughter immediately stopped.
He stared at his childhood friend with wide eyes, caught off-guard by her attack.
Water dripped down from his hair as he sent an uncomprehending blink.
Then, a moment later, a mad grin bloomed on his face.
"Oh, it's on!"
Celeste squealed as she moved out of the way of Alden's soapy hands, sending another wave splashing towards him.
Alden's mad chuckles increased, his shoulders trembling with the effort it took to restrain his laughter.
"You can't run forever!"
He grinned, watching Celeste dash away in hopes of coming out unscathed.
Alden pursued her, hot on her heels.
He continued chasing her, dodging the occasional splash of water she sent whenever she neared the sink.
Just when Alden thought he had finally got her, Celeste slipped on the wet floor, her body falling in a forward tumble.
She let out a surprised yelp.
On instinct, he felt himself move, diving under her to break her fall.
Alden closed his eyes, hoping he had made it in time.
Feeling Celeste's body crash into him, he let out a relieved sigh.
Opening his eyes, he found a pair of emerald jewels staring at him in a daze.
Alden blinked, noticing that he had unconsciously wrapped Celeste in his arms to protect her.
His heart began to race.
Shifting his gaze back to his crush, Alden asked softly.
"Are you hurt?"
He shifted his right arm from her side, moving a stray golden lock from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
The action was instinctive.
Celeste didn't seem to mind that he had touched her, even leaning into it as she unconsciously closed her eyes, seemingly still in a daze.
Alden smiled, gazing at her with tender affection.
He gingerly used the back of his hands to trace her rosy cheeks.
Staring at Celeste's flawless skin, Alden entered his own daze.
'So soft…'
At the back of his mind, he sensed his heartbeat quicken.
Eventually, he broke out of his stupor to find Celeste's eyes open, staring at him with flushed cheeks.
Gazing into those enchanting pupils, Alden had the unspeakable urge to kiss her.
He watched Celeste's blush deepen. However, she made no move to disengage.
Was it just him or did she seem to be moving towards him?
Feeling his heart race, Alden was about to surrender to the intoxicating desire when Alistair's deep baritone broke through his haze.
"What's going on here? We heard screaming."
Alden's eyes snapped towards the man, a scorching heat rising to encompass his whole face, including his neck and cheeks.
Elara stood beside the Guildmaster.
Both adults wore expressions of deep surprise.
"Ah, our apologies, we didn't realise that… ,"
Alistair coughed, averting his gaze.
"Well, we'll, uh, leave you guys to it. Just make sure to clean up the mess you made."
With that, the Expert mage and his wife quickly fled from the kitchen.
"Ah, sure…"
Alden mumbled, his brain overloaded by the recent turn of events.
He sensed Celeste bury herself in his arms, lightly pounding her fist on his chest.
"Dummy. You're such a dummy."
Alden had the inexplicable urge to laugh.