- "Agh... A-AURËALIS? Tsk... W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I asked, startled, quickly getting up.
But just as fast as I stood up, she grabbed my hair and pulled me back down, forcing me to lie on her lap again.
- "U-woah…" I said, surprised by the sudden gesture.
- "Agh... W-WHAT ARE YOU—" I began to speak, but suddenly, Aurëalis placed her index finger on my lips, silencing me.
- "Shhh… you'll draw too much attention like that!" she whispered, with a soft giggle as if she was enjoying the situation.
I, on the other hand, was still trying to process everything while lying down and looking at Aurëalis. She stared at me intensely, as she always did, with that unique gaze that seemed to strip my soul bare.
- "Tsk... what are you doing here? And why won't you let me go?" I asked quietly, as she held my head with one hand and gently stroked it with the other.
- "Pfff... I never get tired of your reactions, Kyrion," she said almost in a whisper, laughing softly.
- "I couldn't come see you today because I had to prepare for a dinner tonight… you got my scroll, didn't you?" she asked, still keeping that teasing gaze.
- "Tsk… yes, I received the scroll," I replied, remembering the words written in it and the dream I had.
At that moment, I felt my face start to burn with embarrassment.
- "That's great. So you shouldn't be so surprised to find me here after reading it," she said, this time starting to pinch my cheeks.
- "...Ouch… A-Aurëalis—" I tried to complain, but again she placed her index finger on my lips, stopping me.
- "Shhh… I already told you... you'll draw attention to us if you start talking too loudly," she whispered again, this time closer to my ear.
- "Ugh… S-so... tell me, how did you find me here?" I asked, increasingly embarrassed by the situation.
- "Well… I came here for a dinner about a possible arranged marriage between the kingdoms of Lumina and Howlia, the realm of the Moon Wolves," she replied quietly.
- "But no matter who they bring here or who they want me to marry… I won't marry," she continued, with her gaze more serious than usual as she kept stroking my head.
- "Ah… I see," I said, now much calmer but with a tightness in my chest at the thought of what Aurëalis was going through.
It was a fact that we were reaching our mature ages, which made the kingdoms desperately seek alliances. Arranged marriages were used both to keep families in power and as strategies to strengthen ties between realms. At that moment, I felt privileged not to be someone so important and, consequently, not to have to go through something like that.
- "Tsk... damn it... now that you've told me what you're going through... I feel sorry for you," I admitted, closing my eyes and enjoying the gentle caresses she gave to my head.
- "...Sigh... I'm starting to feel sorry for myself too," she said, with a deep sigh.
- "But… can't you do anything to stop these marriage attempts or even refuse to participate in them?" I asked.
- "Sigh... I wish I could avoid these stupid meetings... but I can't," she replied, shaking her head with a tired and sad look.
- "Really? There's nothing you can do?" I insisted.
- "Hmmm… is it just me, or are you worried... about me?" Aurëalis asked, staring intensely at me, almost pleading for my concern to be genuine.
- "W-WHAT?... I-I…" I began to stammer, completely caught off guard by her question and unable to finish my sentence immediately.
- "L-look… I just think that if I had to marry, I'd hate to do it with someone I didn't like. Besides, you're a good person and deserve the best. So, I'd hate to see you marry someone unworthy," I said, averting my gaze, trying to avoid her piercing stare while feeling my face burn with embarrassment.
Aurëalis paused for a moment, surprised by my response. Then, a big, happy smile lit up her face. Her eyes shone more intensely than I had ever seen, and her already flushed cheeks turned even redder. She cast such a deep gaze that it seemed to peer into the very primordial energy I was created from. Even without looking directly at her, I could feel that gaze burning in my direction.
- "B-but… changing the subject... Why are you here? Shouldn't you be... at a meeting?" I asked, trying to shift the focus away from the uncomfortably warm situation.
Still lying on her lap, I felt her move, leaning her face closer to mine. I could feel her breath brushing through my hair, as if she was taking in its scent. After a few moments of silence, she chuckled softly, her hands resting on me, gently pressing as if holding back something she wanted to do but knew she shouldn't.
Finally, she pulled back slightly, returning to her initial position, and began to speak.
- "Well… yes, I'm in the middle of something similar to a date..." She said
- "Sigh... But I couldn't bear to stay there with him any longer, so I decided to step out, get some air, and relax," she continued.
- "When I got here, I caught your scent nearby, and that made me extremely… happy," said Aurëalis, seeming to choose her words carefully.
- "So, I just trusted my sense of smell and followed it… and there you were, peacefully asleep on the bench," she concluded.
- "So I decided to sit here and take care of you until you woke up," she went on, as she continued to stroke my hair.
- "I-I see..." I replied.
- "Yaaawwnn… and… don't you have to go back?" I asked, struggling against the sleepiness caused by the incredibly relaxing head massage.
- "Hmmm… I do, but… do you want me to go back?" she asked, looking at me with a gaze that seemed to almost beg me to ask her to stay a little longer.
- "I-I..." I began to say, but couldn't find an immediate answer.
- "W-well… ahem… I-I mean… uh… wait… just… a little longer," I murmured, utterly embarrassed.
- "Hm? I didn't hear what you said," she whispered in my ear.
- "I… I said just wait… a little longer… and then… we'll both go back. I have to go back too," I replied.
- "Hehe, okay," she responded, continuing to caress my head.
For a few more minutes, we stayed just like that. I won't lie: if I could, I'd never let that moment end, as it was that amazing. However, as with all good things, it eventually had to come to an end, and we had to head back to the hall.
- "W-well… that's it, I think it's time for us to go back," I said, reluctant to get up because I didn't want to leave.
- "Hm… already? Are you sure?" she asked, with a look that seemed to want to tease me, accompanied by a small mischievous laugh.
But I knew we couldn't stay there much longer; the risk of someone seeing us and causing trouble for Aurëalis was too great.
- "Tsk… don't make this harder than it already is for me," I muttered in a more serious tone.
This time, Aurëalis heard me perfectly and looked at me with a deeply surprised expression.
- "W-what? Harder… than it already is for you?" she asked, her gaze growing happier by the second.
- "Are you… by any chance… not wanting to be away from me—" she started to say, but I stood up, blushing furiously, cutting her sentence short.
- "W-well… it was great talking… but we need to go back before someone sees us here and causes problems for you, right?" I asked abruptly, heading toward the door to the hall.
However, Aurëalis didn't let me take another step. She grabbed my arm firmly and intertwined her arm with mine, as our hands clasping together just like a couple's would. Then, I felt her lean against me, resting her head on my shoulder as if laying on it. At that moment, my mind short-circuited. I had never gone through something like that before and had never allowed anyone to do anything similar to me. However, Aurëalis was different, for a reason that, though I knew very well, I still refused to accept.
- "Well… weren't we… going back?" she whispered in my ear playfully, knowing very well I couldn't take another step.
- "Tsk… Y-you…" I murmured as I forced myself to walk toward the door to the hall, still with Aurëalis holding my hand and leaning on my shoulder, giggling softly, clearly enjoying the situation.
Where we were, many couples could see us and draw all kinds of conclusions, which would bring me headaches and problems for Aurëalis. However, she didn't seem to care at all. In fact, she seemed happy, unlike the little act she always put on when she was among her friends, at dinners, or during dates.
After some effort, I finally managed to reach the door to the hall, albeit slowly.
- "Pfff… what kind of walk is that?" she whispered while laughing.
- "Tsk… quiet," I whispered back, embarrassed.
Then, after a few minutes, we reached the hall's entrance. Out of habit, I extended my hand to the doorknob to open it. However, before I could turn it, Aurëalis extended her hand, stopping me. She leaned close to my ear.
- "...I'm sorry… but I already made up my mind the day I saw you," she whispered.
And, in a sudden act, so quick I didn't even have time to react, she turned my face toward hers and kissed me briefly.