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Until the affairs in the Legion were completely wrapped up, it wasn’t just Damian who was busy.

Elena, who had to leave Sarham at Joachim’s call, was also spending her days busily for her own reasons. It all began with the rumors about Elena that spread throughout the southern regions.

The sight of her pushing back the monster horde was so striking that it quickly spread among the people, soon reaching all corners of the Empire beyond the south.

Naturally, rumors often tend to be exaggerated and lack credibility, so among the continent’s sorcerers, it wasn’t considered a significant issue.

The southern region, which had long been dominated by prestigious martial families, was a stronghold of magic where sorcerers enjoyed bragging about their might as individual warriors called the sorcerers’ valor.

Even before the rumors spread, Elena was already a genius, one of only two to reach the fifth tier before coming of age. So while it wasn’t exactly a surprise that she achieved remarkable feats on the battlefield, that was about the extent to which they could accept her exploits.

Of course, Joachim, having heard from Arthur who was present at the time, had no chance of being swept up in the rumors and learned firsthand from the Sword Master’s clear and indisputable evaluation that the rumors about the south were indeed true.

Moreover, when it was said that something happened in the south, Joachim’s concern for his daughter reached its limit, prompting him to consider summoning Elena to Merohim.

However, he was also one of the masters of towers considered the pinnacle of the current generation, and as a sorcerer, pure curiosity about her level of expertise couldn’t help but arise. After all, if Arthur’s words and the rumors were true, it meant that Elena had reached a level similar to that of the current tower masters at just over twenty years of age.

“Hey there. How have you been?”

“No, what brings the Crimson Flame’s Tower Master and the Golden Tower Master all the way here? I haven’t received any word from my Elteman.”

“Is it really necessary to treat the person looking after their son so coldly? Besides, is there a law that says we must inform you in advance? We could’ve just come by suddenly after thinking of it. Isn’t that right, Crimson Flame?”

“That’s right? Speaking of which, I recently heard an interesting rumor…”

It wasn’t just a handful of curious individuals; the tower masters of each magic tower were equally intrigued.

Though just a rumor, the gossip about the child they had been paying attention to raised their excitement. So when Elena stepped back into Merohim, she unexpectedly found herself bombarded by questions from the tower masters driven by curiosity.

“Have you not found the egg you’re looking for?!”

Additionally, there was her meeting with Teia, who felt something was amiss with the blue bird being pushed to its limits, meaning that Elena hadn’t been less tired than Damian; if anything, she had it worse.

However, unlike Damian, whose face looked almost lifeless, Elena always had an air of vitality about her, which stemmed from what Damian had said to her before she left for Merohim.

“I’ll contact you once things are sorted. We’ll also discuss our engagement ceremony then, so I hope you come back to Sarham with your father.”

Though it wasn’t a clearly set date, it essentially meant they would hold the ceremony once everything was wound up, and the happiness this brought certainly couldn’t be dulled by the questioning from the tower masters and former teachers.

In fact, as the days passed, her excited heart swelled even more, as if she were enjoying the conversations with them. Elena could wrap up those discussions without difficulty, and it would be safe to say she didn’t experience any mental fatigue during the process.

And soon enough, the day of her long-anticipated return to Sarham was set.

*

When Elena returned to the Lord’s Castle, preparations for the event were already completed.

The documents recognizing the engagement between the Kraus and Edelweiss families had been finished for some time, and as Damian said, the engagement ceremony would take place the very next day after Elena and Joachim arrived at the Lord’s Castle.

Since it was a simple ceremony, there would be no formal blessings from a priest as in a full wedding.

Only family had gathered. The ceremony commenced without any external guests whatsoever. Though it was termed an engagement ceremony, the atmosphere seemed reminiscent of the outings they once enjoyed on Daisy Hill.

Some claimed that it was as splendid as an actual wedding, but Elena didn’t mind this ambiance at all.

Was there really a need for a grand ceremony to announce that they had become a family?

Listening to gentle and peaceful conversations while sitting beside her beloved and gazing at her family felt more than enough.

Of course, like everyone else, she too had a desire to reveal to all that she and he had become lovers amidst everyone’s blessings, but while that might have been admirable in a proper wedding, she didn’t want to make a fuss during a simple ceremony like this.

The spring breeze carried the scent of the garden, swirling around the venue.

Under the warm sunlight, the gentle breeze had a spell that invited drowsiness. As Alphonse felt the wind brush past him, he opened his mouth wide to yawn and continued blinking, subtly showing everyone that he was sleepy.

Arthur, having seen this, slightly curled the corners of his mouth and turned to Joachim.

“Is it because of age? The weather is so nice, I’m feeling drowsy even if I wasn’t before. We can’t fall asleep outside like children, so let’s go inside for now.”

“Considering how you look and how youthful you are, what do you mean by that sudden…!”

Arthur’s hand moved so quickly it seemed invisible. He gave Joachim’s neck a light tap, rendering him speechless. While Joachim looked at Arthur in disbelief, Arthur ignored his gaze.

“Surely, this guy has aged too; he’s getting chatty for no reason… It seems his eyelids are getting heavy. We’ll take our leave first, so you all should come in before it gets too late.”

Saying that, Arthur picked up Alphonse in one arm and grasped Joachim by the back of his neck with the other, leaving the scene.

Elena and Damian watched Arthur until he disappeared from view, at which point Damian stood up first and asked Elena.

“Shall we take a little walk?”

Elena nodded at Damian’s suggestion and took his outstretched hand.

Perhaps due to their time in Merohim, it had been a long while since they had been alone together. For that reason, as soon as Elena realized they were alone, she noticed her heart pounding more vigorously than before.

Since they had even gone through an engagement ceremony, she felt no shame in being nervous. It had been a long time since her heart fluttered with anticipation at the thought of standing in front of him.

Walking with him felt exhilarating, as well, just as it had when they first walked this path together.

Back then, she wished time would stand still; now, it was the exact opposite.

Could it be because she felt at ease?

Though they shared an understanding that it was a precious moment not to be missed, unlike the time when their engagement was precarious, standing at the starting line of change now made it feel like they could truly enjoy this time together free from the anxiety of possibly not experiencing moments like these again.

Elena closed her eyes for a moment.

Relying solely on the hand she held, she moved her feet as he led her. As she followed the scent of hyacinth and the figure of him silently walking beside her in the garden, the line between memory and reality began to blur.

Just as she sensed this boundary collapsing, she opened her eyes again.

A gentle breeze blew, causing flower petals to fall weakly onto the path.

The sky was blue like that day, and the garden remained fragrant as before, but unlike back then, the petals drifting helplessly in the wind signified the passage of time.

Smiling, she said to Damian, “I guess we’ll be saying goodbye to this scene for a while.”

Having spent quite some time here, the garden she had seen at the start of spring was now racing toward the end of it. Her tone wasn’t one of regret, but perhaps Damian felt differently, as he looked somewhat despondent while surveying the flower field.

Another gust of wind blew, causing the flowers to swish and create waves of purple. They both paused to take in the sight before continuing their walk.

The time spent walking with Damian was very quiet.

Normally, they would have filled the silence with conversation, but Elena felt no need to do that. Damian’s expression resembled that of someone resolute about something, so she didn’t want to disturb his thoughts.

What was it that he might want to say with such a serious face? Such questions lingered in her mind, but she kept them strictly internal, choosing instead to enjoy gazing around the garden until he spoke.

After another quiet stretch, they walked a bit more, and just as they neared the Lord’s Castle, he finally broke the silence.

“Elena, do you remember what I said when we first came to the Isilia Pavilion?”

The words fell lightly but made her freeze up at his question. She thought he was about to speak regarding recent events, not at all expecting this subject.

Locking eyes with him, she could hardly keep her mouth shut.

“Yes…”

With a slightly opened mouth, she replied in a voice that barely came through.

She felt strength flowing into the hand he was holding. Even as she knew he wasn’t scolding her, the warmth of his gentle grip made it hard for Elena to unburden her heart.

Unaware if he understood this, he wiggled his fingers, teasing her hand a few times before continuing with a playful tone.

“I did say that engagement was premature. You sobbed at my words, you know? To be honest, I was quite startled back then. I didn’t mean to reject the engagement; I just thought it would be good to take a moment to think. I didn’t expect you to burst into tears like that.”

“That, that’s…!!!”

Elena was greatly agitated by his casual mention of her embarrassing moment from the past. No matter how much advice she had received to act accordingly, being unable to control her emotions and throwing herself at him like a child was something that made her flush even now.

But he wasn’t done yet.

“So that’s why I proposed it. The engagement.”

“Yes?”

“I couldn’t think of any other way to stop your tears back then.”

Elena found herself at a loss for words after his last statement.

Her mind felt as if it had been swept up in a storm.

Now that the engagement ceremony had gone smoothly, she couldn’t fathom why he would say such things. It felt as if he was telling her he was reluctantly making a promise to quiet a crying child. The ties that connected her and him felt incredibly tenuous.

An engagement was nothing more than a simple act; it promised a marriage, but it didn’t really mean they were truly wed.

Elena, who knew all too well just how easily an engagement could be broken, had a wealth of personal experience in that regard.

Looking back on Damian’s past behavior and his current demeanor, she knew she might be overly worried. But in Elena’s state, pondering such things felt beyond her at the moment.

As if echoing his sentiment from the previous day, he cautiously embraced Elena, knowing she needed comfort. The warmth enveloping her body made her instinctively wrap her arms around him tightly as if she wouldn’t let go.

Still, her anxiety didn’t dissipate, and she wished for him to stop talking. However, she couldn’t bring herself to tell Damian that. Since their engagement had begun half-heartedly, it wouldn’t be right for her to protest like a child.

Unlike her turmoil, his voice remained soft as always, but his flushed cheeks and the rapid beating of their hearts told her just how tense he truly was.

At his question, Elena could not immediately find an answer.

Her body was no longer emitting coldness, and the heat he had brought warmed her heart, igniting a fire within. Everything felt so confusing that she struggled to distinguish whether the heartbeat she heard was his or her own.

The warmth flooding her head made it all the more difficult to speak, but it granted her the courage to act.

Raising her arms, she wrapped them around the back of Damian’s neck and, without hesitation, pressed her lips against his.

 

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