Chapter 17: Harvest Festival (6)

Chapter 17: Harvest Festival (6)

Tyria studied Elrics expression.

It was such an unbelievable invitation, on such a day.

It was warming to see him reveal what his true feelings were today.

The words he spoke to her were from a language that only existed in her dreams.

The burning flame illuminated his face.

Languid eyes peered through his brown hair. His lips were firmly pressed together under his high nose. The scar beneath his ear flickered in the red shadows.

As she took in all these details, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and her lips sealed shut.

She couldnt help but be curious.

Why did he give her so much room, making her expect greater things, making her want more?

She trembled with an emotion that resembled longingness.

She tried to hide it as much as possible, but she couldnt hide how her heart felt.

I hope you dont mind, Im worried about your knees. As for dancing

In that moment, interrupting her,

Its okay, I can still do a slow walk to the beat of the drums.

He smiled.

Tyria felt a lump in her throat.

It was the most relaxed, gentle smile shed ever seen from him, gripping her heart and chaining her to him.

Would it be rude to do so?

Tyria shook her head.

She was flustered.

At this moment, she should have been panicked, but all she could feel was determination.

It was all too clear what she wanted to do, even though it was also apparent that it would have a negative impact on his body.

Im glad.

Elric held out his hand and Tyria laid hers on top of it.

Their fingers intertwined, curling around each other.

The warmth theyd shared today surged through their bodies once more.

Tyrias head lowered naturally, whilst Elric leaned on his staff.

Tap

Tap

They started walking.

Elric stepped closer, whilst Tyria stepped back.

Suddenly, she had a ridiculous thought, that maybe her body was moving this way to balance the opposite direction her mind was headed.

Da-dum Da-dum

The sound of the drums resonated throughout her body.

No, perhaps it was her heart.

That was a relief though, as the drums would drown out the nervous beats of her heart.

Im sorry, I can only walk like this.

She shook her head again at his words.

Of course, your body comes first.

She blurted out words that she didnt want to.

It was a selfish thought, hoping that this moment, them walking hand in hand, would last forever.

But she couldnt help it.

She had to fight back the smile that threatened to form on her face.

Her eyes narrowed, and worrying that she would leave a bad impression, she tilted her head even lower, not wanting it to show.

The world around them grew distant as they continued their barely-dancing steps.

The sound of the drums, the laughter of the people, the crackling of burning firewood, and the sound of the wind coming from somewhere, it all faded away into the background.

The sound of his cane grows louder, as if to fill that void.

His breathing became clearer, and the rough sensation of their hands clasped together lingered in her fingertips.

His voice gently crashed into her ears like waves lapping on a beach.

Im sorry.

For what?

For leaving you here.

Youve already apologized for that.

And yet I feel like I have to do it again.

She didnt want an apology.

It wasnt what Tyria hoped for.

Its okay, really.

It didnt matter to her that hed been gone for ten years.

She was just grateful that he was back and was sharing this moment with her.

Her head was blanking out again.

Please understand.

Only his breath and his smile were imprinted on her senses.

Today is the day of the festival.

As Tyria found his excuse appropriate, she began to erase her doubts one by one.

First, their lack of nobility was erased.

Then, their unfaithful behavior was erased.

And finally, the fact that it was all just an act was erased from her mind.

Only one thing remained.

The fact that his lips were just mere inches away from hers.

Yes.

That would be enough.

Today was the day of the festival, after all.

The next morning:

You crazy bastard.

Elric lay in bed, his face buried in his hands.

His exposed ears were colored red.

He had only regained his senses after sleeping.

What the fuck had he been thinking?

He felt like he had been possessed by something yesterday.

All day, his attention had been solely focused on Tyria, and none of his thoughts had been rational ones.

He wished he could make excuses for his actions, but it was clear that what he had done had been inappropriate.

She was a noble by birth, after all.

Wandering around the festival would have already been out of character for her.

Holding hands Okay, lets just say that that was fine for now, but asking her to dance was where he had really crossed the line.

To put it nakedly, he had been openly harassing her.

And that was already a serious offense! He should have just stopped there!

Today is the day of the festival.

Using this line of reasoning, he had been on the brink of making a mistake.

He had almost pulled her in for a kiss.

Did she know that even his excuse of it being just a performance had been a hastily made excuse?

Caught up in the moment, he had almost kissed her on the lips, but thankfully, just before he could, his head had gone cold and he had stopped just in time.

If his mind had been a second late, he was sure that he would have never been able to see her face again.

Bart!

It was all because of him.

If only he hadnt been so drunk, none of this would have happened!

Trembling with anger, he regretted what had happened, but it was already too late.

The festival, which had gone by like a trance, had passed, and now reality was settling in.

Master, are you up yet?

Upon hearing Aldios voice, Elric answered,

Do you mind if I stay in bed for a little longer?

He couldnt bring himself to go see Tyria.

He wanted nothing more than to eat breakfast alone this morning.

You shouldnt stay up late. Youre an adult now.

Aldio opened the door, speaking firmly, as if he had no intention of tolerating any tardiness.

It was in this moment that Elric felt that he could deeply empathize with a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

He was forced to wash his face and change his clothes, all before starting his walk down the hallway to the dining hall that seemed abnormally long.

Creak!

The moment the dining hall door opened, Elric started holding his breath.

Good morning.

Tyria briefly bowed her head.

It was her usual self, well, at least it looked like it.

This only made him feel more embarrassed.

The events of the previous day seemed to come flooding back to him.

Not just the events, but the way she looked up close, the way she felt, the way she smelled, the way she breathed, all of it washed over him.

Uh.

Elrics gaze darted out the window for no reason.

His voice trembled slightly.

Good morning.

Although winter had come, his body was screaming in the heat, as he stood alone in the middle of summer.