In the following days, I studied the map to find my way up to Sylvia's room, but no matter how much I planned, I didn't have the courage to actually go through with it.
There was something inside my heart that felt heavy, a kind of fear I couldn't quite name.
I was scared of what she might say if I asked about Julius or about the demons and dark sorcerers.
What if the words in that book were true? What if everything I believed in, everything I fought for, crumbled right in front of me?
And worse, what if Sylvia knew all along and never told me?
What would I do then?
Would I feel betrayed? Would I start to hate her?
I didn't even want to imagine it.
My head was a mess. Nothing felt right anymore, and my thoughts kept spiraling no matter how hard I tried to shake them off. I needed a break, badly.
Thankfully, it was now Saturday. The one day I could sneak out of this place!
And so there I was, standing beside the abandoned temple a whole three hours before our designated meeting time.
Pathetic, right?
I couldn't help it.
I even put on the nicest dress I owned, not that I had many to choose from. Honestly, I wasn't even supposed to wear dresses like this, but Sylvia had secretly made a few for me over the years.
This one was my favorite.
A white dress with long puffed sleeves and sky-blue ribbons. It was a little worn from age, but it still fit me, and it was the most decent-looking thing I had left.
I looked down at myself and fiddled with the ribbon at my chest.
"I wonder if Rin will like it,"
I muttered without thinking.
The moment those words left my mouth, I slapped my own cheek.
"Enough of this, Lia. How indecent of you to be thinking such silly things right now."
Still, my heart wouldn't settle down.
There was still plenty of time before midnight, but to my surprise, I saw him approaching from the forest.
"You're here already, Lia?"
Rin called out as he stepped into the clearing.
He grinned in that annoyingly smug way of his.
"Looks like I'm not the only one looking forward to today,"
he teased.
"It's not like that! I just… had nothing else to do, so I came here to wait. That's all," I protested, crossing my arms as if that would make my excuse sound any more convincing.
Though honestly, he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Which means,"
Rin said, leaning in a little,
"we might as well head out earlier than planned."
"Huh? Head where?"
I asked.
"You'll see."
He didn't give me any chance to question him. Before I could react, he suddenly lift me up into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey! Wait! Don't just carry me around like that!"
I shouted, flailing a little as my face burned bright red.
"You don't want me to? That's odd. You seemed pretty happy last time. I caught you smiling at me, you know."
I exploded in embarrassment, pounding my fists against his chest, though it wasn't hard enough to actually hurt. I just needed to hit him, if only to get my dignity back for a moment.
He saw that?! I thought he was too busy looking at the path when we were heading back!
"Don't hit me too hard, you might damage your present,"
he grinned.
"Eh? What present?"
"Check the inside of my coat,"
Rin said with a smirk.
Suspiciously, I reached inside his coat and pulled out something unexpected.
Chocolate bars.
I blinked in surprise, then broke into a wide grin as I held them in my hands.
"Chocolate!"
I cheered, hugging them close.
"See? I knew that'd cheer you up."
"Now then, Princess, are you ready for our second date?"
he asked, his grin widening.
"Wha- what second date?!"
Before I could protest, he was already running toward the forest.
We sprinted through the trees, the cool night air brushing against my cheeks. The world around us felt quiet, like it was holding its breath just for us.
"You can eat your chocolate while we head there,"
Rin said, glancing at me with a grin.
"Okay,"
I replied softly, hugging the chocolate bars to my chest.
Honestly, I didn't feel like arguing anymore. Besides, I'd been craving this for days now.
So I opened one of the bars and nibbled on it while he carried me through the woods.
In Dion's mind, watching her eat like that made his heart feel strangely light.
There she goes again, eating like a cute little animal.
And he couldn't help but smile.