“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Reid?”
Reid answered calmly, even though his face felt warm.
“Yes, it has been a long time.”
They walked in silence for a while, neither of them having a clear destination.
“Arttu has grown quite a lot, hasn’t he?” Emilia was the one who broke the silence.
Reid’s expression softened immediately.
“He has, right? He used to be a little baby. He had the biggest and cutest eyes.”
He put his hands on his chin, thinking.
“Though… he still has big, cute eyes.”
Emilia laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
“You really love your little brother, don’t you?”
Reid looked away, scratching the back of his neck.
“Of course I do.”
Right after that, he looked at Emilia with bright eyes.
“Anyways, what have you been up to?”
Emilia put her index finger on her nose as she spoke.
“I mean, many things have happened. I went on quests. We fought Zoria… and the Cult of Hatred.”
She paused for a second as a thought crossed her mind.
“Oh, you probably haven’t heard of this, but Zereth infiltrated Tollia and captured the capital. Both the king and the queen passed away. The prince’s condition is unknown.”
Reid looked at Emilia.
“That Zereth guy is pretty dangerous, isn’t he?”
Emilia looked concerned for a second.
“Yes, he is. He has gotten the entire east.”
In that moment of fear, Reid smiled.
“But don’t worry, Emilia. If the push comes to shove, we have lots of strong guys here. Sir Harven, Sir Baranor, Lady Lunia.”
His confidence shone brighter. He pointed at himself with his thumb.
“Even me.”
In that moment, for Emilia Reid was…
…shining. Like a blinding light.
Emilia laughed at Reid.
“Don’t you forget about me. I am stronger than you, dumbass.”
Reid replied with another confident laugh.
“You wish… pretty eyes.”
Both froze.
However, it was Emilia who overcame that stillness.
“I think I couldn’t hear it. Could you repeat that again?”
Reid looked like his brain had completely shut down.
“What, repeat what?”
Emilia forced him a little more.
“Come on, you said something about my eyes. What eyes?”
In that moment, Reid looked like he was one second away from fainting.
But one little world came out of his mouth. Like a whisper. So small, so quiet but clear.
“Pretty.”
Emilia’s teasing completely backfired.
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They looked at each other, neither of them able to say what was on their mind.
Somehow.
For some reason.
They caught a glimpse of the other. Red. At the same time. They…
…laughed.
So loud that even a full football stadium could hear their voices.
But at the end of their laughs, they had the brightest smiles.
Pure.
Gentle.
Lovely.
“Would you like to go somewhere?” Reid asked.
Emilia smiled.
“Where do you suggest?”
Reid smirked.
“I just know the place.”
He held Emilia’s hand and started running.
“Let’s go.”
First, they went to a tavern.
That tavern was not a casual tavern.
No, there were no drunk people drinking until they passed out.
It wasn’t a karaoke bar where you could go and sing your favorite song.
No, it was…
…A BUG FIGHTING TAVERN.
People went there to make their favorite bugs wrestle.
The rules were simple:
- No magic.
- No biological enhancements.
- Simple bugs fighting one another.
Every year in Aquilonis, a tournament of bugs would take place. It normally takes two days to complete the whole tournament. However, there was one particular tournament that lasted four days because one match was deemed “too long.”
Last year's winner was an Ucrona. A beetle-like bug with spider legs. It could fly and land on any object. It has a strong grip, and it can also produce silk from the back.
The first match was between last year's winner, Ucrona, and a Slinik.
Sliniks were known to be slow, steady.
However, they are not well-known for their fighting abilities. Everyone in the crowd knew that…
…this was an easy match for the Ucrona.
The match started with the whistle of the referee.
The Ucrona started the match by forming a cobweb around the Slinik. The Slinik waited without doing anything.
After forming the cobweb, the Ucrona flung itself from the ceiling to attack the Slinik. Everybody knew that it was over for the Slinik.
The moment the Ucrona hit the Slinik with its head—
The Ucrona was shattered into pieces.
Everyone opened their eyes in disgust. While the owner of the Ucrona started crying.
“NOOOO, UGLY! How could you die?! Ugly!”
Reid looked at the man and said,
“Hey man, it’s not cool to call someone 'ugly' just because they won.”
The man continued crying.
“NOOO. I was talking about ‘ugly’ my Ucrona.”
Emilia let out a small giggle. But she stopped when she saw the man’s face.
Reid froze and immediately regretted what he had said.
“I am sorry. I am really sorry.”
The man continued crying throughout the other matches, so the staff escorted him out.
The matches continued. And in each match, the Slinik won because the opposing bug “self-destructed.”
The final match was between two Sliniks.
Both looked at each other. But stood still without doing anything. It was as if they were not there to fight but just to sleep. After ten minutes of nothing happening, the referee came out and declared both of them winners.
It wasn’t long before the authorities made adjustments and banned Sliniks from the tournament.
Next, they went to a swan pond. It was one of Aquilonis’ best “tourist attractions.”
Reid found a small boat and gently pushed it into the water. After helping Emilia in, he took the oars and began to row.
The pond was filled with swans. It was called a swan pond, after all—of course there would be.
Swans were elegant creatures. They glided across the water with quiet confidence, their movements smooth and unhurried. Yet despite their beauty, they usually swam alone. It was rare to see two swans moving side by side.
This pond was no different.
Each swan drifted on its own.
Swimming.
Silent.
Reid slowed his rowing without realizing it. Eventually, he stopped altogether. The boat continued to drift, carried only by the gentle movement of the water.
Emilia noticed first.
“Did you stop?” she asked quietly.
Reid nodded.
“Yeah.”
Neither of them spoke after that.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt… soft. Like the world around them had decided to lower its voice.
Emilia looked back at the swans. Reid looked at Emilia.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither of them moved. No teasing. No embarrassment. Just a shared understanding that didn’t need words.
Out of all the swans on the pond, there was one pair that was different.
That pair was…
Reid and Emilia.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, Reid leaned forward. Emilia didn’t pull away. She met him halfway.
A kiss bloomed between those swans.
It was gentle. Honest.
Their lips touched softly, and a warmth spread through them both—quiet, comforting, and real. Not something overwhelming, but something that settled deep in the heart.
It was innocent, yet powerful.
It was—
…love.
At the end of their kiss, Reid suggested,
“Shall we go back?”
Emilia smiled.
“Sure.”
The last place they went to was the olive tree in the castle.
During their academy days, Emilia and Reid used to go to that specific olive tree together.
They used to have bouts to see who was stronger. For the first two years, Emilia won each fight. However, after that, Reid began to win instead. By the time they neared graduation, Emilia knew that Reid was stronger than she was.
Though Emilia was a competitive student in her academy days, for some reason, she didn't care that Reid had become stronger than her. She even felt happy.
They didn’t just do bouts together. They used to sing songs, run circles around the olive tree, and read some books together. After choosing their squads, they still came here to spend time together.
They weren’t used to going on missions together because Reid chose Harven’s squad while Emilia chose Lunia’s.
Because of that, this olive tree right here was the only place where they could spend time together. The only place that felt like they were safe from all that pain and suffering.
Reid and Emilia sat next to each other. They started reading a book. Reid took one side of the page while Emilia took the other. With each page they read, they sneaked closer to each other.
In fact, they were not even reading the pages. All they were thinking about was getting closer to one another.
In the end, they were as close as petals pressed together in the same bloom. Their eyes were fixed on each other’s eyes.
Their noses touching each other.
Emilia’s eyes started watering.
“Why didn’t you visit here for all those three years?”
Emilia’s sadness grew.
“I have waited for you all those three years, you know.”
Reid started to cry as well.
“I am sorry, Emilia. I am really sorry.”
They hugged each other.
Close.
“Don’t be sorry, you idiot. Just come back again when you’re gone.”
Reid smiled.
“I promise. I will always come back when I am gone.”
Emilia laughed.
“That’s what I like to hear.”