Minutes passed with the two people hugging. Well, it was Leislet who was hugging Acht while the latter wasn't doing much but it was still considered a consensual hug since he didn't refuse nor push her away.
Leislet was basically on cloud seven at that moment, she felt her heart beating so fast that she thought it might explode from happiness. She had never felt such a soft, loving hug.
'Did I convey my feelings right? Did I actually make him understand? Is he now feeling better? Did I help him?' She thought to herself as she unconsciously tightened her grip on him.
She was so concerned with how Acht felt that she could not stop herself from trying to take a look at his face.
So, with that in mind, she tried to release herself from the hug. However, much to her surprise, Acht grabbed her back and hugged her tightly.
"Wha-"
"Don't move." He said.
"O-Ok…" Leislet replied with clear bewilderment in her voice.
She didn't know why he was doing this but it wasn't as if she would refuse a hug from her beloved.
Her face blushed furiously and her eyes closed, trying to savor this moment. How long did she dream of such a thing? How long did she wait for it? She didn't even know the answer to that.
But, when she thought about it for a moment, she discovered something. Acht's tone when he spoke was somehow weird and unusual.
It wasn't his usual calm and composed tone that she grew familiar with.
'Wait…is he…crying?' She thought as her eyes widened considerably.
But, before she could even say anything, Acht pulled away from her. She immediately checked his face. But, no signs of him crying appeared on his face.
His eyes weren't red nor did his cheeks seem wet from tears. He looked exactly like he always did.
? Even though she could see that her assumptions were mostly wrong, she couldn't hold herself from asking.
"Acht, did you.."
"We should go back, it's already late." He said as he put everything in his spatial ring and walked away hurriedly.
Leislet looked at his back as he went farther and farther away from her.
"It's still morning…idiot." She muttered as her face blushed even more.
**************************
A week passed after that conversation, and Acht and Leislet continued their daily lives seemingly as usual. On the surface, nothing weird happened nor did they feel awkward whenever they were together.
But, deep down, things did change. Leislet could feel that Acht's attitude toward her was somehow different from usual.
He was still cold and calm but he was now more gentle with her. Small gestures like waking her up or even talking with her were now not as harsh as usual.
This change wasn't apparent at first but grew more and more noticeable with each passing day.
Not only that, but the boy also seemed to be smiling more these days. Normally, he would never smile or maybe smile once in a while but now his mood seemed to get better as he joked with her sometimes and even chuckled at her own silly jokes.
It was such a good atmosphere that Leislet questioned whether she was dreaming or not. Everything seemed to go perfectly well.
A daily life where they didn't have to fight anything. A daily life where there was no blood, no pain, and no suffering. Just pure calm and relaxing life.
This was something she wanted with every fiber of her whole being. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that such a life with her most beloved was her sole goal in life.
And now, she finally achieved that goal. What more could she ask for? Maybe one thing…for this life to last for eternity.
But, deep down, she knew this was impossible to happen. She knew that even though things were calm now and everything was perfect, that won't last long.
She and Acht would have to eventually come back to their old lives. It was just a matter of time. One year, or maybe more, it wasn't something she could predict.
That's why she decided to try and do everything she wanted with Acht before the time was over. She wanted to see how life could be beautiful if they could pass their days idling around, not having any big responsibilities or things they needed to do.
The time now was dawn, Leislet somehow woke up before Acht and even before the sun fully rose to the sky.
Usually, it would take her a few more hours to wake up. By wake up, it meant getting kicked out of bed roughly from Acht.
So, she walked out of her room toward Acht's room. She then sneakily opened the door and entered inside.
Acht was deep in sleep so he didn't feel her entering the room at all. It was one of the things that changed in his attitude toward her. He now slept freely without keeping himself alert whenever she was around.
That meant that he fully trusted that she could protect him in case anything bad happened. These small gestures that could go unnoticed were things that Leislet saw and appreciated immensely.
'Whenever he's sleeping…he just looks like a mere child.' She thought.
She then approached the bed to take a closer look at him. Her eyes softened greatly and her face relaxed. She had a look of a person madly in love without lies or hidden motives.
'Who knew you were actually older than me? Fate is truly a weird thing.' She thought.
Then, her hand extended to touch his face. She hesitated to do so since he could wake up but ended up doing it. Luckily, Acht was still asleep.
Her fingertips touched his cheek and traced his face.
'Don't worry, Acht. I will protect this life that we are living at the moment. I will protect this happiness that I am feeling at the moment…So, just rest assured and don't worry about anything….I love you.'
Then, she bent down and kissed his forehead very gently.
But, as she was about to sit down to keep watching him, the door knocked.
She wondered who could come at this time in the morning.
So, she stood up and left the room to check the door. When she opened it, her eyes widened in surprise.
"....You.."
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