Chapter 822

Chapter 822

At the cafeteria next to the central plaza.

Junior and Hecate, who had been watching the disbanding of the CFHMRC (Crossroad Female Heroes and Mercenaries Rights Committee), covered their mouths and chuckled as they sipped their wine.

As the noise from the plaza quieted down a bit, the two started chatting softly.

“Junior, you said you were going back home for now?”

“Yes. My siblings live in a seaside village to the east. I haven’t seen them in a long time, so I should at least show them that I’m still alive.”

Junior smiled.

“After that, I’ll head to the Imperial Capital... to attend officer training. If I want to work for the history foundation His Highness suggested, I need to have some basic qualifications.”

“You’ll do great, Junior.”

“What about you, Hecate?”

Junior asked cautiously, and Hecate smiled softly.

“I plan to return to where I grew up... to Whiteblossom Orphanage.”

“The orphanage?”

“Yes.”

Hecate stared at the wine swirling in her glass.

“It’s no longer a facility that raises war machines for the Empire. Now, it’s becoming a normal orphanage... a place to take in the children of war veterans and provide them with an education.”

“...”

“I want to work there. I want to make sure that kids who’ve suffered like me don’t grow up to be adults full of hatred like I did... I want to take care of them.”

Junior nodded.

“You’ll do great too, Hecate.”

“Thanks.”

After a brief silence,

both hesitated and then opened their mouths at the same time.

“I...”

“Hey!”

They both widened their eyes at each other, and then burst into laughter.

“You go first.”

“No, you go first, Hecate.”

“Please, go ahead, Junior.”

“Ahem. Alright, then...”

Junior fidgeted, squeezed her eyes shut, and suddenly blurted out.

“Do you want to live together in the Imperial Capital?”

Hecate blinked in surprise at the unexpected proposal.

Junior started babbling as she explained her idea.

“Well, I mean... The housing prices in the Capital are quite high, right? Even renting is too much for one person to handle alone. So, um, I thought it would be nice to have a roommate, and you’re the only person I know in the Capital, Hecate...”

As Junior kept waving her arms around, trying to explain herself, Hecate finally said,

“Okay.”

She responded without hesitation.

Her answer was so straightforward that it caught Junior off guard. Hecate gave a gentle smile.

“I also need to find a place when I get back. Like you said, it’d be more economical to share a place...”

Hecate extended her wine glass.

“And living together would be much more fun than living alone.”

Realizing what was happening a beat too late, Junior hurriedly extended her glass as well.

Clink—

They toasted.

“S-So, this is a toast to becoming roommates?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Hehe, hehehe...”

Junior, happy as a child, sipped her wine and then, with a twinkle in her eye, asked,

“Come to think of it... What were you going to say earlier, Hecate?”

“Oh, that.”

Hecate swirled the wine in her mouth before suddenly leaning forward.

“Why don’t we start speaking casually with each other?”

She suggested.Th.ê most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m

This time, it was Junior who blinked in surprise. Hecate shrugged.

“We’re the same age, after all. And now that we’re going to live together, it’d be awkward to keep using formal speech all the time.”

“Ah... That’s true, but...”

“Now that it’s been brought up, how about we start right now?”

“Y-Yes? Right now?”

“Yes, right now. Come on, go ahead.”

Hecate gestured for Junior to start, and Junior stuttered.

“Th-then...”

“...”

“I’ll start talking... casually. Heca...te.”

“...”

“L-Like this... right?”

After listening to Junior’s awkward attempt at informal speech,

“Pfft.”

Hecate couldn’t hold back and let out a small sound before bursting into laughter, holding her stomach.

“Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

Junior’s face turned bright red.

“Why, why are you laughing?! I mean, what’s so funny?!”

“It’s just... I’m looking forward to it.”

Hecate said as she effortlessly switched to casual speech, extending her wine glass once more.

“To us living together in the Capital.”

“...!”

“Let’s watch performances at the Grand Theater, go on yacht tours along the Inner Sea, and stay up all night during the New Year’s fireworks festival. Thanks to being dragged around by His Highness during my school days, I know all the fun spots in the Capital.”

Hecate shook her extended wine glass.

“It’s going to be fun. Definitely.”

“...Yeah.”

Junior extended her glass again, clinking it against Hecate’s.

“It really will be fun.”

“Oh, man, old man! What are my hands and feet supposed to do now? Ugh, my face is burning up. I’m so embarrassed just hearing this!”

“I’m not embarrassed at all.”

Peeking through her fingers, Evangeline saw that Lucas’s gaze remained unwavering.

“Because it’s the truth, and there’s nothing to hide.”

“Wow, seriously... You’re something else in so many ways...”

Evangeline slowly lowered her hands from her face.

She tapped her now-bright red cheeks with her fingertips, then looked directly at Lucas.

“It’s so cheesy I need a palate cleanser.”

And then,

She stood on tiptoe, stretching up.

She wrapped her arms around Lucas’s neck.

And gently pressed her lips to his.

Neither Lucas nor Evangeline had any experience with romance, so their kiss was clumsy at best.

Both of them were afraid of breaking each other, so they carefully held each other in a gentle embrace, sharing a tender kiss.

“...But.”

After their lips parted slowly,

Lucas looked into Evangeline’s face and squinted his eyes.

“You just threw up a moment ago.”

Evangeline snorted.

“So what? We’ve seen each other in much worse states before.”

“That’s true.”

They kissed once more.

This time, it was bolder and more daring than before. They wrapped their arms around each other’s neck and waist, pulling each other into a deeper embrace as they kissed.

When their second kiss ended, Evangeline spoke.

“Here’s what I think.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re more of a bad boy than His Highness.”

“Depending on the perspective, that could be true.”

“Wow, you’re not even denying it?”

“I figured it’d be easier to score points by starting as a bad boy and becoming a good one.”

“See, that kind of mindset is what makes you a real bad boy...”

Evangeline chuckled softly before speaking seriously.

“I feel the same, Lucas. I’m now the Margrave of Crossroad. The lord of this city.”

“...”

“There will be times when I prioritize my citizens over my own husband, over my own family. No, those times will be frequent.”

Just like her father had.

As a public figure representing people and governing land, there would be many times when she would have to prioritize the value of the city over personal happiness.

“But if you’re okay with that, I want to confess too.”

“...”

“I feel the same way you do.”

Caressing both of Lucas’s cheeks, Evangeline smiled warmly.

“We’re still young. So let’s set some shameless goals.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s not miss out on either our dreams or our love.”

As a knight of the Emperor.

As the lord of a city.

They would both be true to their own lives, while also being true to each other.

Lucas chuckled bitterly.

“It’s going to be tough.”

“Of course it will be. But.”

Evangeline playfully winked her big emerald eyes.

“How could it be harder than the past three years?”

“...”

Lucas couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

Because truly, truly—Evangeline was right.

They had survived three grueling years, standing against the end of the world.

Compared to the hardships of those three years, the challenge of balancing dreams and love was, honestly, something worth trying.

“I’m going to be an incredible Margrave. And an amazing lord, too.”

Evangeline, with her characteristic cocky smile, hung onto Lucas’s neck.

“Even if His Highness becomes the Emperor, I’ll make sure you want to see me more. I’m going to be a stunningly remarkable woman.”

Still holding his steady gaze, Lucas wrapped his arms around Evangeline’s waist.

“I’ll become the best man ever, so that you’ll want to see me more than you care about the citizens of Crossroad.”

“You’re really working hard to make us both neglect our duties...”

The two shared their third kiss.

After the long kiss, as they parted their lips, Lucas chuckled. Evangeline blinked at him.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, it’s just...”

Lucas spoke honestly.

“I’ve tried so hard to live as a model knight all my life, but now that I’m bending the rules a bit... it’s more enjoyable than I thought.”

“You’ve really become a delinquent knight.”

Evangeline giggled.

“Then I’ll be a delinquent lord, just for today.”

“It’s not even been that long since you became a lord, and already...”

Lucas didn’t finish his sentence. Evangeline’s lips cut him off.

The night was short, and they were both young.

The two continued kissing until it no longer made sense to count.

The bright moonlight illuminated the alley, as if blessing the newly formed couple.

–TL Notes–

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt