Chapter 16: The Shape of a Dream – 6
ㅤ”Then Chelsea came home covered in mud. But she had such a satisfied look on her face that my parents and I couldn’t bring ourselves to get angry.”
ㅤ”Haha, it must have been a big adventure for her.”
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ㅤLily, sitting across from me, is barely touching the sweets in front of her, happily talking about her sister.
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ㅤI’ve been occasionally inviting her for tea, using the excuse of giving her a break. At first, she hesitated, saying she didn’t have time for such things, but with the encouragement of the Magic Division members, she started to accept my invitations.
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ㅤIt seems Lily, who hides her doting on her sister from others, doesn’t have anyone else she can openly talk about her sister with, and she always chats happily. Her smile, with the corners of her upturned eyes crinkling, is so soft that it’s hard to imagine her usually serious demeanor, and the way she blushes and says,”I talked too much,”when the tea has gone cold is simply adorable.
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ㅤ”Ugh……”
ㅤ”What is it? Have you gone mad from lack of sleep?”
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ㅤJoshua’s cold words are directed at me as I suddenly grab my head in my office. His words are harsh, but he’s still staying late to help me with work, so I think he’s being lenient with me.
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ㅤ”No, I’m getting enough sleep, I’m fine.”
ㅤ”Sleeping is also part of your job, Your Highness, so please refrain from staying up late like this.”
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ㅤMaking time to visit the Magic Tower and have tea with Lily has definitely been cutting into my rest and sleep time. However, thanks to my capable aide, it’s been kept to a minimum, and perhaps because my spirits are high, I’m feeling physically well. The problem is……
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ㅤ”I’m falling more in love with her every day, and it’s troubling……”
ㅤ”I’m the one who’s troubled, having to listen to that every day. Why don’t you just confess your feelings? She doesn’t have a fiancé anymore.”
ㅤ”That’s……”
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ㅤThat might be true, but I’m hesitant to confess my feelings to Lily right now. She’s working hard every day to save Oswald, and I can’t say anything that would interfere with that……or trouble her. I also said we were comrades. Maybe I could feel relieved if I confessed, maybe she would start to notice me a little. But……
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ㅤ”I can’t be that selfish……”
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ㅤJoshua makes an exasperated face at me as I sigh.
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ㅤ”I think love is selfish to some extent, no matter what.”
ㅤ”Huh?”
ㅤ”Right? In fact, there’s a person right here who hasn’t been able to go home on time for the past month because of your so-called love.”
ㅤ”Ugh……Well, I’m truly sorry about that……”
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ㅤ”It’s fine,”Joshua said, taking a document from my desk and placing another one down.
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ㅤ”That Saint is the same, isn’t she? Whether it’s for her sister or whatever, the fact remains that she unilaterally broke off the engagement with Oswald.”
ㅤ”She’s also doing it to find a way to treat Oswald……!”
ㅤ”I don’t know about that. I’m talking about how it seems from Oswald’s perspective.”
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ㅤIt’s unusual for Joshua to be so openly harsh towards someone other than me, and I fall silent.
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ㅤIt saddens me that her actions can be dismissed with the word”selfish.”
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ㅤ”Don’t make that face and at least hear me out, will you?”
ㅤ”Hmm?”
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ㅤJoshua presses firmly on my forehead as I involuntarily look down, forcing me to raise my head. If it weren’t just the two of us, he’d be arrested for lese-majesty.
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ㅤ”I’m not saying that love, that selfishness, is bad. Because that Saint, with her love, saved this entire country, didn’t she?”
ㅤ”Ah……”
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ㅤ『I’m protecting this country not because I’m the Saint, but because I’m her older sister.』
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ㅤI remember those eyes filled with strong determination. A strong and unwavering feeling, different from my love, which I thought I had to share with everyone, even strangers I didn’t know.
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ㅤ”Even if it seems selfish from one perspective, that’s not all there is to it. In the end, we don’t know what will influence what. So I think it’s okay to be straightforward and express your feelings.”
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ㅤHis casual tone tells me that Joshua is speaking as a friend, not as an aide. I’m always the indecisive one, while this friend of mine always makes decisions quickly.
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ㅤ”……Is it love that makes you stay and work overtime even though I told you you could go home?”
ㅤ”Huh? You’re being annoying.”
ㅤ”It’s love, isn’t it?”
ㅤ”You’re so annoying, it’s for the overtime pay. Just sign these documents quickly.”
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ㅤLaughing at his cheap selfishness, I feel my heart lighten a little. Maybe it’s okay to confess my feelings.
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ㅤ”Besides, Lily is the only one who doesn’t know how you feel.”
ㅤ”Huh?!”
ㅤ”Everyone knows, from the Magic Division to the maids.”
ㅤ”You’re lying……”
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ㅤ”Who knows?”Joshua says with a mischievous smile.”I think you’d make a better impression if you told her directly instead of letting it be known indirectly~,”he teases, and that day, the overtime work continued a little longer than usual.
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ㅤThree days after that. As I was heading to the Magic Tower, I happened to run into Eddie. He was clutching a letter, saying,”It’s a letter from Lord Oswald!”He was going to deliver it to the Vice-Captain.
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ㅤI entered the usual room and headed towards Lily and the other members. Eddie went to the Vice-Captain’s office.
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ㅤ”The old case in the neighboring country turned out to be just a legend, even after we checked it out.”
ㅤ”Right……They barely have any magical beasts there anyway.”
ㅤ”Your Highness, we’re sorry to keep imposing on you.”
ㅤ”No, I have to use my connections when I can.”
ㅤ”Thank you.”
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ㅤWe were discussing the research, which wasn’t making any progress, when the door to the Vice-Captain’s office suddenly burst open, and Eddie rushed out. Someone said,”Quiet down!”but everyone’s attention was focused on Eddie’s unusual state.
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ㅤ”The C-Captain……It seems the Captain’s magical power is starting to return!”
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ㅤHis usual loud voice was slightly trembling, and the room fell silent for a moment. Then, a loud cheer erupted, and several people rushed towards Eddie.
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ㅤ”What about the miasma?! How is his injury?!”
ㅤ”W-Well, we don’t know yet……But his magical power is starting to return, even if it’s just a little, and it seems he can stand and walk now.”
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ㅤAh, thank goodness. I don’t know if it’s natural healing or what, and we can’t celebrate just yet since the miasma remains, but it’s progress nonetheless. As I watch Eddie and the others, I hear the sound of a chair clattering to the floor nearby.
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ㅤ”Hey……Are you okay?”
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ㅤIt seemed that one of the members had collapsed onto the floor, knocking over his chair. Supported by the person next to him, he covers his face with both hands and mutters,”Thank goodness, thank goodness.”I’m a little surprised to see him crying through the gaps between his fingers, and another member whispers to me.
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ㅤ”He’s the one who cast healing magic on Oswald. He’s been blaming himself, thinking that the miasma remained because he cast healing magic before holy magic.”
ㅤ”……I see.”
ㅤ”If he hadn’t cast healing magic immediately, there was a possibility of blindness, or even death. We told him that he did the right thing, but……It seems he was still worried.”
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ㅤSaying that, the member who whispered to me rushes over to his sobbing colleague.
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ㅤLily must be feeling a little relieved too. Thinking that, I look around the room, but she’s nowhere to be found, even though she was nearby a moment ago. I listen intently and hear the faint click of heels.
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ㅤI follow the sound of her footsteps down the hallway, and they eventually lead down the tower and stop in the courtyard.
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ㅤ”……Lily.”
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ㅤI approach her as she stands with her head bowed.
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ㅤ”Shall I show you my clumsy magic?”
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ㅤWhen I spread my arms wide, she immediately rushes into my embrace. Once again, it’s in the afternoon sun that my clumsy magic makes her eyes wet.
