It's alright to cry

"Did she accept you?"

Kiara smiles, " Surprisingly; she did straight away. Our leader was always complaining about it before, ' Hey, why is she accepting you so easily but rejecting me.' Lyn didn't accept that person straight away; she was cautious around him. Yet he would always show up in front of her, and eventually, it seems she broke the wall."

Someone who's persistence, huh? That guy would definitely get mad if he hears about this.

Kiara continues, " Even though Lyn says she doesn't have a type. That's clearly what her type is. A persistent guy, a guy who won't give up on her no matter how cold or harsh she is. Perhaps someone who will accept her for who she truly is".

Rhys sighs, " I can see why I lost now." And he really could. The reason why Lyn chose Kazuya after a few years of traveling and not seeing her. He understood.

That's right, because back then. Back then, he couldn't accept it. The attitude she had towards other people; to him, it made no sense. It made no sense to him why she would treat them that way. She called it honesty, and yet he called it ' cruel.' Saying things so bluntly to the point others disliked her - he always did wonder why she would do something like that. '

If you want to play, make-believe friendship. Please do it elsewhere.' When she said that to the other girls, he had overheard and didn't waste any time getting mad at her. Though at first, he had tried to settle it calmly. But that just made Lyn's remarks grow harsher.

It ended with him yelling at her and embarrassing her. Yet that gaze on the girl's expression never faded.

' I thought that at least you'd be able to see it. It seems as though I was wrong, huh?'

'I would have liked to say it to you. '

Back then, those words she said briefly, he wished he had paid more attention to them. But the him at that time was too angry and caught up in his emotions to respond to that. In fact, he was thinking that ' what on earth is she saying now? She should just apologize.

How wrong had he been?

After all, two days later, those girls weren't friends with each other anymore. In fact, one of them became a victim of severe bullying, and the ring leader was that other girl. Lyn had been right, and...that's probably why the victim girl got angry. Because she had pointed out this flaw, pointed out that someone had deceived her. Said what she had been desperately wanting to hide out loud.

His thoughts broke when he feels someone lightly pat his hair. Only to find the lilac hair girl that sat opposite him now stood behind him.

"There there. It must have been quite difficult, wasn't it? Keeping it all to yourself - worrying about it anxiously by yourself. Worrying constantly to the point you got no sleep and didn't know what to do anymore. Wanting to say those words and yet always being prevented from doing so. You've gone through a lot. Although what happened between you two ended up this way, I don't believe that either of you were wrong at all. In a sense, it was something that was supposed to occur. But even if that's so I wish the burden on you wasn't this harsh," Kiara's soft and gentle voice filled his ears, as he struggled to keep the tears in his eyes.

"It's alright, you know. For you to cry. Though there's that stereotypical viewpoint of guys not being allowed to cry because it makes them look weak, I don't think that's the case at all."

At that comment, he really couldn't help it and turn to the lilac haired girl. "Sorry, lend me your chest for a bit."

"That's alright. Cry as much as you want. Your human too."

His eyes widened, geez....he has to hear that comment now of all times. Fate really does love to mess with him in so many ways.

'There's no need for you to apologize to me. Although I'll admit, you were completely out of line the other day. I can't expect people to have the same deduction and knowledge as I do. For that reason, I should be the one apologizing. After all, I'm quite cruel, telling the truth. Almost like I'm pulling out and exposing all those things that should not be said. So you had every right to be mad at me. But I do wonder; I do wonder why they bother hiding it. Wouldn't it be simpler if they just say what there thinking? Instead of remaining in this illusion. Rhys, I'm saying this mainly to you. Those girls aside, I believe that you truly reacted then because you felt it too. That I was correct. Even if we have a different mindset, in the end, your human too, so us drawing to the same conclusion isn't unusual.'

People say that men can choose his own fate – whether to ignore the circumstances or be consumed by them. In his case, he chose the latter, and this is where it brought him – a twisted set of emotions and cases.

Fate really has a way of delivering a joke.

Really, there is nothing about this that's fair.

…..

When he returned to the mansion, he found her in the gardens taking care of the flowers. She looks so carefree, thank goodness.

"Lyn," Rhys hugged her from behind. "I'm back."

"Ah, welcome back," she turned around. "Aren't you tired? You should rest."

"I'm fine. What have you been doing?"

"Gardening, the flowers here are very pretty."

"Yeah, you like it here?"

"I do!"

'Then stay here forever with me,' Rhys held himself back from saying those words. He couldn't say it. "Where's Ayah? Have you two eaten yet?"

"Ah, she told me she wanted to practice her magic. So I left her alone in the South tower."

Practice magic? Rhys frowned, "You do realize that…"

Lyn shook her head, "Ayah is fine now. She will take the right side," she trailed off. "You really do look pale, won't you...uh rest?"

"Come with me."

"Rhys, don't you know I have to meet with the soldiers? For the attack?"

"You can go once I've fallen asleep."

"Rhys, say, aren't you just taking advantage of me?"

"How sharp Queen Lyn, but as you know your in my territory now."

Lyn sighed, "You don't have to pretend to be threatening. I'll come with you. Were just sleeping on the same bed," she walked back into the house, and he followed after her.

'Just sleeping on the same bed?' Since when did she talk like that? If it were in the past. She wouldn't say such things. Eventually, they arrived at his room, and Lyn started to set the pillows out. Rhys frowned, isn't she way too calm? How frustrating.

Rhys decided to close the distance but, Lyn looked at him sharply. "Kiss me, and I'll stab you."

"It's just kissing."

"No means no!"