Chapter 80: Chapter 80 - Farewell To Jennie ( Part 4)
There were four days left.
Sunlight fell warmly on the Royal Academy.
It was the end of the day.
Students rushed into the yard, happily discussing the fight with the Demon General.
Whispers followed Jennie wherever she went.
"See... That’s Lady Jennie..."
"She’s the one who fought the Demon General."
"Some say she’s actually the Sword King."
"No way..."
Jennie lowered her head and silently slipped between people.
"...I wish you could all stop looking at me like that."
Excalibur laughed inside her head.
"You killed a Demon General right in front of half the kingdom."
"I know..."
"You can’t not become famous."
Jennie sighed.
"I miss my anonymity."
At that very moment...
"There you are!"
Jennie looked up.
Princess Lilia stood a few steps away from her, wearing a simple white dress instead of her royal attire. Golden locks fluttered in the wind, and she seemed like an angel in the warm sunlight.
She smiled brightly.
"I’ve been looking for you everywhere."
Jennie smiled.
"Is everything alright, Princess?"
Lilia shook her head.
"No."
"I just wanted to spend some time with you."
Jennie smiled warmly.
"Of course."
Lilia hesitated for a while and extended her hands with a nervous smile.
"...Will you come with me?"
Jennie looked at her offered hand.
Without saying anything more, she gently took it.
"I’d love to."
And they silently walked away from the academy to the west hill which overlooked the capital.
It had become one of their favorite places over the years.
From there they could see the whole kingdom stretching towards the mountains far away.
They didn’t rush.
They were simply walking in silence.
Warm evening breeze was carrying the smell of flowers.
Lilia laughed unexpectedly.
"Do you remember how we first came here?"
Jennie smiled.
"You tripped over that rock."
Lilia immediately pouted.
"You promised never to remind me of that."
"I don’t remember promising that."
"You definitely did."
Jennie smiled innocently.
"Really?"
Lilia laughed.
"You are playing with me again."
"I have learned to do that from Lucas."
"You learned too well."
Their laughs echoed softly across the hill.
For those few minutes...
Fate stopped being a burden.
Jennie almost forgot that she only had four days left.
They reached the top as the sun began setting.
And sky above them turned to magnificent colors of orange, crimson and gold.
Kingdom was sparkling in the evening glow beneath them.
Lilia sat under the old oak tree which overlooked the city.
Silently Jennie joined her.
Neither said a word.
Their silence was comfortable.
After a few minutes, Lilia softly broke it.
"It’s amazing."
Jennie nodded.
"Yes, very."
Lilia wasn’t looking at the sunset anymore.
She was looking at Jennie.
Gentle breeze was playing with Jennie’s silvery hair as golden sunlight flashed in her eyes.
For some inexplicable reason...
Her heart began beating faster.
She silently looked away from Jennie so she wouldn’t notice.
"...Jennie?"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
Lilia nervously twined her fingers together.
"After the fight..."
"When Azrakiel called you Leonis..."
"Were you scared?"
Jennie looked at the horizon.
"...A bit."
"Why?"
Jennie smiled sadly.
"Because I thought..."
"...That everything dear to me will change."
Lilia immediately shook her head.
"It won’t."
Jennie blinked in surprise.
"No matter who you are."
"No matter what you will become."
Lilia’s voice was determined despite the blush on her cheeks.
"You are Jennie."
"The one who makes tea for everyone."
"The girl who smiles whenever someone needs it."
"The one who will always protect everyone before herself."
She looked straight into Jennie’s eyes.
"I don’t care if you are the Sword King."
"I..."
"...I care only about you."
Jennie’s heart began trembling.
She quickly looked away so that Lilia wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.
"...Thank you."
Lilia smiled.
"You know..."
"I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately."
Jennie turned to her.
"About what?"
About the future.
Jennie felt her heart tightening.
Lilia laughed nervously.
"At first, I thought becoming the queen will be the most important thing."
"But lately..."
She put her hand on her heart.
"I have realized something."
Jennie listened in silence.
Lilia breathed deeply.
Her cheeks were glowing bright red.
She seemed to be so nervous that Jennie almost reached out and hugged her.
But...
She waited.
"I don’t really understand those feelings."
Lilia confessed, smiling embarrassedly.
"But..."
"Whenever something good happens..."
"You are the first person I want to share it with."
"When something makes me sad..."
"I go to you."
"When I am drinking tea..."
"It tastes better when you are sitting beside me."
Jennie’s breathing became irregular.
"And..."
Lilia laughed at herself softly.
"I keep imagining how tomorrow will be."
She lowered her gaze.
And in the soft whisper, she confessed the fear that tormented her ever since that battle.
"I don’t know why..."
"But every time I imagine tomorrow..."
She slowly raised her hand and held Jennie’s hand with both of hers.
Her fingers were trembling.
"...I am scared that you’ll leave me."
Jennie’s eyes were wide open.
For a while...
She couldn’t respond.
The warm touch of Lilia’s hands.
The sincerity of her trembling voice.
The love behind those words.
Jennie finally understood.
Lilia had fallen in love with her.
Not with the Sword King.
Not with a hero.
With Jennie, the ordinary maid.
A single tear ran down the corner of Jennie’s eye.
Quickly she wiped it away before Lilia could see it.
But her heart already knew...
This confession will become the most painful memory of them all.
Jennie bowed her head down.
Warmth emanated from the hands that gripped hers.
In a moment...
Silence.
Crimson hues spread across the sky, painted by the rays of the setting sun.
Gentle wind rustled through the grass.
And there was a nervous smile on Lilia’s lips.
"...I guess I said something weird, right?"
Jennie shook her head.
"No."
"Not at all."
"That was really beautiful."
Lilia visibly relaxed but the blush on her cheeks grew deeper.
"I never felt anything like this before."
She chuckled to herself.
"I always believed that stories about love were just an exaggeration."
"But then..."
She looked into Jennie’s silver eyes.
"...you came into my life."
Jennie’s chest ached.
"I don’t really know when."
"Maybe when you gave me Crystal Bloom Tea."
"Or maybe when you smiled after saving someone."
"Or when I understood that you care about others more than about yourself."
Lilia gave Jennie’s hand a gentle squeeze.
"But I..."
"...fell in love."
Silence.
Three words resounded in Jennie’s heart.
She fought countless armies and Demon Generals.
But nothing compared to the powerlessness of these three words.
Tears fell down from her eyes.
Lilia suddenly blushed deeply.
"J-Jennie?"
"Did I..."
"...disturb you?"
Jennie shook her head quickly.
"No."
"I’d never imagine such a thing."
She took a step closer.
Then another.
Until just one breath separated them.
Lilia’s heartbeats echoed in her ears so loudly that she thought Jennie could hear them.
Jennie smiled.
Gently.
Beautifully.
And sadly.
Without saying a word...
She took Lilia into her arms.
Princess froze.
"...Jennie?"
Jennie hugged her tightly.
Trying to memorize the feeling that she would lose soon.
Lilia wrapped her arms around her.
Her face nestled against Jennie’s shoulder.
Her fingers could feel the rapid heartbeats.
Frightened and uncertain.
Then...
She felt warm tears dripping from her shoulder.
Lilia’s eyes widened.
"You’re..."
"...crying?"
Jennie couldn’t stop.
She buried her face into Lilia’s shoulder.
"I..."
"I’m sorry."
Lilia gently stroked her silver hair.
"There’s no need to apologize."
"If you’re suffering..."
"You can tell me."
Jennie wanted to.
She wanted to tell Lilia everything.
That in four days...
Princess will wake up and forget about the girl she loved.
That every tea they drank together...
Every laugh...
Every sweet memory...
Will be gone.
But she couldn’t.
So instead...
She hugged Lilia even tighter.
After a while, Jennie whispered,
"Lilia..."
"Hm?"
"Whatever happens..."
She tried to keep her voice steady.
"...please smile."
Lilia blinked.
"What?"
Jennie gently pulled back.
Her eyes were red from crying.
But she was still smiling.
"The world becomes brighter when you smile."
Lilia tilted her head.
"I don’t understand."
Jennie reached out and brushed aside the fallen strand of golden hair.
"You have always been smiling for others."
"Promise me..."
"...that you will smile for yourself too."
Lilia looked into Jennie’s eyes.
There was loneliness in her gaze that she hadn’t seen before.
It frightened her.
Without thinking...
She gently cupped Jennie’s cheeks with her hands.
"If you’re sad..."
"Then stay with me."
Jennie’s breathing stopped.
Lilia continued gently,
"We can drink tea together every morning."
"We can graduate together."
"You can continue working at the palace."
"And..."
Her cheeks turned completely red.
"If..."
"If one day..."
"...you want to..."
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Jennie smiled through tears.
She understood.
Better than anyone else.
Little voice in her soul desperately wanted to say ’yes’.
Gently pushing her forehead against Lilia’s, Jennie whispered,
"So close..." - Lilia breathed.
Jennie closed her eyes.
"If everything were different..."
She stopped.
She couldn’t give any promises she wouldn’t keep.
So she whispered instead,
"Thank you."
"For loving me."
Lilia’s eyes widened.
"You knew?"
Jennie nodded with a tiny smile.
"I think..."
"...I knew for a while."
The princess chuckled shyly.
"I wasn’t very good at hiding my feelings."
"No."
"You weren’t."
They smiled softly.
For just one moment...
Destiny seemed not to weigh down on them anymore.
They were just two girls in a beautiful sunset.
Lilia gathered her strength.
"Jennie..."
"Can I..."
She hesitated.
"...kiss your forehead?"
Jennie opened her eyes.
For a second...
She looked into Lilia’s eyes.
Then...
She nodded.
"...Yes."
Lilia leaned in with trembling hands and gently kissed Jennie’s forehead.
This kiss was tender.
Full of affection rather than passion.
When she stepped back, her cheeks were glowing with embarrassment.
"I-I have never done that before."
Jennie chuckled softly through her tears.
"I know."
"Felt strange?"
Jennie smiled warmly.
"This was amazing."
Lilia’s smile returned.
The brightest smile that Jennie ever saw.
Jennie memorized it.
Every detail.
Every sparkle of her blue eyes.
Every curve of her lips.
Because she knew...
Very soon...
It would be only in her memories.
Sunset finally disappeared behind the horizon.
The first stars twinkling in the sky.
"It’s already late," Lilia said reluctantly.
"We should go back."
Jennie nodded.
"...Yes."
When they got near the palace gates, Lilia stopped.
"I had an amazing day."
Jennie smiled.
"As well as I."
"I hope we will watch the sunset together one more time."
Jennie’s heart ached.
She tried to smile.
"I hope so too."
It was the only lie she told during the entire day.
Lilia waved happily and went back to the palace.
Jennie stayed standing under the gates.
Looking until Lilia disappeared from sight.
Only then...
Her smile disappeared from her face.
Covering her mouth with her hand, she tried to keep herself from crying.
Scalding tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks.
Excalibur murmured.
"You love them all too much."
Jennie gazed up to the darkening sky.
"...That’s why it’s so painful."
She wiped away her tears.
And quietly whispered into the empty wind.
"I’m sorry, Lilia."
"When you wake up..."
"You will forget loving me."
She stood under the stars.
Four days remained.
And each step towards the next day felt heavier than the previous one.
