Something I’m afraid of

"The journey from here to there takes more than a week. Even though it is a port city and quite advanced compared to other cities, it is still far away."

"The city is indeed a suitable place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital. Have you been there before, Your Highness?"

"Back then, but only twice when I was little. I don't remember much about that place."

Elroy's eyes kept watching Mariette's carriage depart. When the carriage disappeared at one point, he let out a long breath.

There was no dramatic goodbye. Mariette only visited briefly and said that she would leave this afternoon. Only Louisa let her go with tears.

"We'd better get back in," said Elroy. He turned to Louisa. "Your Highness, you should also stop crying. You remember what Lady Mariette said just now, right?"

Louisa gave a slight nod while wiping away her tears.

They came back together.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" scolds Ferdinand once they are alone. "To be honest, I thought you would have done something silly or embarrassing when Lady Mariette said goodbye earlier."

Elroy chuckled. "Don't ask. Of course, I'm sad. But she chose to go. So what can I do but wait for her promise and keep mine?"

"Are you seriously going to wait for her?" asked Ferdinand in disbelief.

"Mariette doesn't mind if I wait for her," said Elroy.

"Even though you don't know for sure until when?"

"Yes."

Ferdinand shook his head. "It seems the man destined for Lady Mariette is indeed you. I didn't know anyone would dare to fight this hard."

"Well… because that's all I can do."

If Elroy didn't find anything in the books Anatole had brought, he would look elsewhere. If the way he finds is dangerous, then he will find another way. And if all of that is impossible… Elroy will do whatever it takes to unite with Mariette.

One day God will be angry because I love His creatures too much, thought Elroy.

On their way back, Elroy and Ferdinand ran into Anatole who seemed to have just finished a meeting with his men. Elroy and Ferdinand saluted, but Anatole's men gave the impression of disapproval.

Elroy was already wondering where Anatole was since he hadn't shown up earlier. Turns out he was on business. Elroy felt a bit sorry for him for not having had time to see Mariette off.

"Go first. I'll catch up later," Anatole told his men.

"Eh? Where are you going, Captain?"

"I have something to talk with Sir Elroy."

Not only Elroy, even Ferdinand was shocked. Remembering what happened when the two of them were alone back then…

"I just wanted to talk," said Anatole, as if he understood the meaning of Ferdinand's glare. "Sir Elroy, if you will?"

Elroy followed Anatole to an unfamiliar part of the Palace. As soon as they arrived, Elroy realized that Anatole had brought him into his study.

The whole room was clean and tidy, but the desk itself was quite cluttered. There were piles of papers on the table and books on the floor. When Elroy glanced at him, his desk had many ink drips.

Such was Elroy's role model knight room in his time.

"I found an interesting book that might help you," said Anatole, looking around his bookshelf. "I got it after contacting someone far away."

"Oh, thank you," said Elroy as he received the book in question. A thin book with a nearly torn cover. The paper already looks very fragile.

"How is your work progressing? I hope there are no other surprises," Anatole asked.

Elroy was silent for a long time before answering, "Two more books left."

"And what did you find?"

There is nothing new. Elroy couldn't answer that.

"There's something I'm afraid of," said Anatole slowly. He turned his gaze to the large window in his study.

"I've promised many people not to do anything stupid," said Elroy quickly.

"Not you. I already know how loyal you are to this kingdom. After all, you're the son of Marquess Gauthier – there's no way you'd dare do anything like that," said Anatole. He gave a long pause. "But Mariette…"

"What's wrong with Lady Mariette?"

"We who have a heart will judge our actions based on our thoughts and feelings. As for Mariette, she was educated to think about all her actions based on good and bad. Mariette has a tendency not to think about herself.

"And I feel… Mariette has been weird lately. For me, her move is a rash act. She is a very loyal and responsible person in her work, so it would be strange for her to decide to resign."

"What are you trying to say?" asked Elroy timidly. He thought he knew the answer but was afraid to admit it.

Anatole's window curtains waved gently in the breeze. The seconds before Anatole said something was very tense for Elroy. He kept wishing Anatole would stop him from saying something.

"Don't you feel..." Anatole said slowly, "that Mariette is going to be gone forever?"