The day passed over rather quickly, and the time for the banquet approached.
Quite a few eyes went my way as I waited outside the Imperial Palace's banquet hall for the lady. The sun was setting and a din of nobles moving in and out of the hall, along with the pleasant evening breeze that ruffled my hair made me feel rather strange.
I was initially supposed to be a guard that wasn't going to be involved with this, but the Emperor decided to invite all the adventurers too. On top of that, I was now the hero of the Empire, this treatment was only natural.
But that wasn't what was off-putting.
"Hey, isn't that Nightbringer?."
"Oh my, the stories weren't lying."
"I feel bad for the lady of Acacia, but god if she isn't lucky too."
Whispers that people would just as well scream into my ears surrounded me. Apparently, rumors of Lethe and my story had been retconned to no end before spreading into the entire capital. It helped the Acacia family cover the fact that their daughter had suddenly gone missing, sure, and it also helped both Schwarz and the Empire to create a good fable to divert people to after the demon attack.
But, it was off-putting for me.
It was because I enjoyed the attention a little too much.
I decided to give the ladies looking my way a small smile and wave and they blushed before turning away.
The soft glow that the sun left on the evening sky disappeared. Yellow peeked out from inside the hall as people outside dwindled. The other adventurers, Vienna and Billy, Dawn and the princess, the Duke, Duchess, and Acheron, all of them had long gone in and now only I was left standing outside.
The night was dark, the crescent moon unable to light it up. After a little while, the sound of footsteps rang over the stairs leading to the hall.
With a veil covering her face, a lady with white hair and a white dress matching mine stepped up.
No veil in the world could hide her beauty, a beauty that stemmed straight from the soul.
The lady, Lethe, walked up to me and bowed. I returned the curtsy and slowly took her hand.
Wrapping my arm around hers, just like we had done in the underground district, she took a step ahead, but I didn't budge.
I grasped her hand tight and pulled her away from the banquet, through the sides of the building.
Confused at first, she stumbled over her steps but did not reject following along. Quite a few servants passed us by, but no one got in our way. They only blushed and looked away, aware of the rumors that surrounded this pair.
Eventually, I stopped her at the very back of the banquet hall. Facing a field of flowers, a small terrace was erected in place for occasions when the banquet's hosts would want to be away from people's eyes.
In this place where the moon's light did not reach, I let go of her hand and faced her.
We were already very late.
Just as she tilted her head in confusion, a muffled sound started to leak outside. Strings, percussions, and woodwinds came together to form an ensemble for a waltz.
Instead of saying anything, I reached my hand out. The lady clasped it and came closer.
Slowly, to the beat, we started moving.
Our feet swayed together while our bodies curved. With each high note, we moved in an arc, and with each low note, we closed in.
Her hands fell on my chest, and mine on her waist.
We continued dancing in silence for a while. And then,
"Eugene—"
"Lethe—"
I held in a chuckle. "You first," I said.
Lethe's steps did not slow down, and neither did mine. Still dancing to the growing music, she spoke.
"I called off our engagement father was planning."
My eyes widened slightly, before narrowing down.
I was wrong.
"You..." she continued. "I remember everything I heard from the fairy, everything I saw."
I was wrong. I was dead wrong.
"Eugene... there's still a lot more I want to learn about you. From top to bottom, I want to know your everything. This feeling that I feel in my heart..."
I was never a distraction.
"I want to feel it for your everything. No, I don't just want to know. As you change, as you grow, I want to be with you."
"Lethe..."
She hadn't lost sight of her goals.
"Eugene, I'll be going to the academy after this."
Her words continued. She took long pauses, as if unsure of what to say next.
The sound of the music and our continuing dance spurred her on yet.
"And you'll be leaving too... I wanted to make the most of this little time before we had to separate."
The lady and I continued our dance.
We didn't need the moonlight to know our steps.
We didn't need the music to guide our movements.
"Eugene, I can't ever show you my face."
"I can't ever see it."
"I am a rash, rude woman."
"It's the exact opposite."
"Even if you could see me, I won't be good-looking."
"You're the one person I'll acknowledge as prettier than myself."
"Pfft, what's with that."
"Hah! It's all about self-love."
Lethe and I giggled like two children. Our dance had lost all form and now we were just swaying around.
"Guard..." she called.
"My lady," I answered.
A breeze blew past us.
I could hear her take a sharp breath.
"Eugene..."
"Lethe..."
"I... am curious, about you."
I gently pulled her veil to the side and leaned in.
The music seemed to have stopped.
No light came from the stars or the moon.
"Fine," I said.
Where we needed no one but each other, we kissed again.
For hours and hours, we kissed.
A kiss of a vow.
A vow to learn everything about each other.
A vow to grow with each other.
To remember.
And then, within the next few days. I left the Empire.
***
A/n: Thanks for reading to the end of Volume 2 of This Eroge Won't Make Me Fall! We came a long way from the first one. I am very thankful for all the support that you all have given, it would have been impossible without all of you. I was mostly satisfied with this arc, this last chapter might seem a little redundant to many, but after establishing the romance of two souls that knew nothing of love, I desperately wanted to give them a direction. Other than that, I think I managed to avoid a lot of mistakes from Volume 1 and made many new ones (Looking at you, split chapter). I will do my best to overcome all of it in the future and bring you an even better story. I hope you all stick along as we introduce my personal favorite character in the tale and the regressor squad all in the academy setting! Before that, though, buckle up for the mini arc! (buckle down? You know what I mean)
Thanks for reading! Do consider dropping a review or a comment if you're enjoying the story.
Love,
Chestnutriceeee
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