Chapter 11 – Part 6

“What am I going to do with you?”

Calix tilted his head as he looked at the silent Eliana. The tilt of his head only made his handsome features stand out even more.

“What do you mean?”

“Should I follow you?“

“……”

“Or should I get down and beg you not to go?“

‘And if that doesn’t work, should I stop you from leaving?’

He didn’t say the last part. He didn’t want to risk her rejecting him again, like she had that day, significantly when her reaction changed slightly.

“Calix…“

“……“

“Why would you kneel in front of me? Don’t joke like that, even as a joke.“

“It’s no joke that I want you to stay. If you stayed by my side, I wouldn’t care about kneeling. I could do it a hundred times.”

It was impossible not to notice the sincerity in his confession. Even a fool could see it.

Calix’s eyes moved from her forehead, tracing down to her nose, lips, and slender chin. His gaze was so intense that it made Eliana feel even more flustered.

“I mean…”

Just as she was about to say something, the fountain suddenly sprayed its water higher into the air in sync with the music.

The water shot towards them, and just like earlier, when Calix protected her from the crowd, he reached out and shielded her from the spray. In that brief moment, he managed to move fast enough that most water only soaked his hair and clothes.

“Oh no, are you okay?”

This was nothing compared to the small splash on Eliana’s dress earlier.

Eliana quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe him off. But as she started to clean him, she realized she was touching him all over and awkwardly tried to hand him the handkerchief instead.

“……!”

However, Calix placed his hand over hers, right on her wrist. The warmth of his hand made her flinch.

“Keep wiping it off for me.“

“……“

“Without pulling your hand away.”

Though it was a request, his voice held strength. Once again, Eliana found herself unable to refuse, holding her breath without realizing it.

‘His gaze, full of emotions he can’t hide, is focused only on me.’

Even her own heart was pounding wildly. Without thinking, she handed him the handkerchief and said,

“I… I just can’t do it.”

She shook her head.

‘Ha.’

Calix smiled to himself, finding her embarrassment endearing.

“Are you okay, Eliana?“

“Y-Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t get wet at all.“

“That’s a relief.”

Calix wiped off the water quickly.

The water flowed calmly as if the fountain had never splashed them. What had just happened seemed almost like a dream.

Her mind drifted back to their conversation from before.

‘I can’t say I won’t go.’

Eliana knew she had to say it. She turned her eyes toward him, ready to speak, but Calix was already looking at her with a gaze that silently begged her not to say the words.

His face, as perfect as a finely sculpted statue, was filled with earnestness and even a touch of sorrow. It seemed that being in the position of asking had made his expression vulnerable.

“Ah… wait. Just a moment.”

Eliana stood up.

Calix understood the meaning behind her words.

‘She needs time to think.‘

‘

He didn’t say anything more.

“I’ll be back in a bit, just going for a quick walk. Wait here.”

Eliana stepped away from the spot.

* * *

She needed time to collect her thoughts.

‘……’

The feeling she had when she heard his first and second confessions was definitely different from how she felt now.

Eliana had seen Calix as just a friend for so long that the idea of being in a romantic relationship with him had seemed impossible. She had only considered their bond as a precious friendship.

But just moments ago, hearing Calix speak, her heart wavered more than ever. His intense feelings, his desire for her to stay by his side, pierced right through her.

When their fingers had brushed against each other, she instinctively pulled her hand away, afraid that even the slightest touch would be too much.

‘This doesn’t feel like friendship anymore.’

It may not have been friendship for Calix for a long time but for Eliana…

‘Do I like him too? Or am I just confusing these feelings with my affection for a dear friend?’

At the first party after her return, the Lequize family party, Eliana realized she had been wrong about leaving Moira without a second thought. There ‘was‘ something in the empire she would miss—her childhood friend, Calix.

He had been the only one in her previous life to reach out, promising to find her, and before she left, she had planned to offer him advice about the war to ease his burden a little.

‘I thought that would be enough.’

But day after day, after seeing him and crossing paths with him so many times, Eliana realized she had received more from him than she had ever given.

‘From helping me meet Vero to standing up to Cedric in the hunting grounds, to making sure I didn’t feel small at the Madrino party…’

Calix had done things for her that no one else had ever done. And the root of all those actions was love.

‘Even if I leave and find happiness elsewhere, will I ever be able to live without regret, knowing I left Calix behind in Moira, all alone?’

That thought crossed her mind, and she couldn’t stay still any longer.

She walked and walked. The wind tousled her hair, but she let it be.

‘I’ve come quite far.’