“I haven’t seen her since she left the office, Your Highness.”
“Why can’t I feel her magic!”
Felix roared. Even when extending his senses, Sylvia’s magic, which should have been faintly detectable even from afar, couldn’t be felt anywhere in the palace. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest in turmoil.
He declared he would go out and search for his companion himself.
With his pupils slit vertically, Felix commanded Hubert and Denis.
“Close the gates!”
Then Felix jumped off the balcony and, using wind magic, soared high and quickly left the palace.
***
Sylvia reached the gates of Nigellus in no time. The Nigellus Palace, where the Capitis Royal Family resided, was different from the past and now heavily guarded by soldiers.
Pulling out her identification documents while in line, Sylvia was still sobbing and sniffling from crying all the way here.
[Stop crying, Sylvia.]
“I’m okay now… Sob.”
Sylvia felt ashamed and foolish. Until now, she had managed to avoid the original story’s flow, thinking that even if he met the heroine, Felix would not change.
That thought was incredibly pathetic.
She couldn’t understand what gave her the confidence to think that way.
No, above all, the pain was unbearable. Her heart ached too much. Even as she fled, she wanted to see Felix so badly that she almost turned back… But she couldn’t face him to say goodbye.
Sylvia, sniffling, approached the gatekeeper when it was her turn.
She presented her identification documents.
“Hmm… It’s strange, there’s no record of you entering.”
Of course, there wouldn’t be any record since she had entered in Felix’s arms.
“Man, the gatekeeper before probably just dealt with it carelessly.”
“Indeed, he got fired for that, didn’t he?”
“Right. He was in cahoots with that Count of Lansmorris and a cousin of a baron!”
“Tch, despicable.”
“Let’s see… Sylvia Arbor, a plant magician.”
“Yes…”
Sylvia answered, holding her nose with a handkerchief.
“Oh dear, it’s not good for a woman to cry like that. Now, off you go. They say the beast is gone, but I’ll pray for your journey’s safety.”
“Th-thank you…”
Sylvia bowed deeply and walked out of the castle. With the beast gone, there were quite a few people outside the castle. It was so bustling that even vendors had appeared. Sylvia walked leisurely through the crowd and entered the forest.
The new nature she had created was very familiar to her eyes. She had been too distraught to look properly before, but now it seemed to lift her spirits a bit.
“Forsythias.”
Sylvia said, blowing her nose with the handkerchief as she walked on.
[Sylvia, what’s that red flower?]
The fairy was fascinated by the flower she saw for the first time.
“That’s a camellia flower… No, did I make that too?”
Sylvia was surprised, her eyes wide open.
The path lined with blooming bright red camellia flowers, separated by a quaint stone path, reminded her of Korea. She thought of the trips she had taken with her friends. Nostalgia brought tears to her eyes again.
Sylvia walked slowly, sniffling again.
[Sylvia…]
Erin called her with a voice full of pity, but she couldn’t stop crying. Overwhelmed by homesickness and loneliness, Sylvia felt bleak about the future. The only consolation was having Erin by her side.
“Hu-hu, Erin, Giumaaa…”
She walked as if she didn’t want to go, dragging her feet. Then, at the end of the path lined with bright red camellia flowers, a figure with even redder hair popped out.
“Jeremy! If I catch this guy, I’ll let him off!”
Ethan crossed the path of camellia flowers quickly, turned his head sharply when he saw a familiar figure.
“Sylvia?”
Sylvia, who had been looking down at the ground as she walked, lifted her head.
“Captain Ethan?”
Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she tried to stop crying, making Ethan’s red eyes widen in shock.
“Sylvia! Why, why are you here…”
Ethan instinctively surveyed her surroundings, then hurried over to her.
“Are you alone? Why?”
Ethan asked, gripping her shoulders.
“No, hu-huk. No… Huh-hung!”
Sylvia finally burst into tears she had been holding back. Ethan was startled and quickly patted her back to comfort her.
“What’s wrong? Did you… fight with him?”
He asked vaguely, unsure of how to refer to the person. Sylvia was heartbroken by the question and couldn’t answer. She knew everyone who knew her would ask about Felix.
What would she do if she thought of him every time?
“Really…”
If he knew Felix, he would never have left Sylvia alone. Seeing her alone made him feel sorry for her.
“I don’t know what happened, but…”
Ethan assumed there must have been a problem since she was a commoner.
“If you have nowhere to go, how about joining us, the Nakri Mercenary Group? The beasts are gone, so there’s less for the mercenary group to do. But, we’ve saved up some money, maybe we could go on a trip. How about it?”
At Ethan’s words, Sylvia finally stopped crying and looked up at him with wide eyes.
“A trip?”
“Yeah! Don’t you want to see the places you’ve created? New places, it’s all the rage now. It seems like the mercenary group is turning into an adventure group.”
Ethan, who had seen everything, thought highly of Sylvia. He wondered if she was really human, her magic was so great.
“Nakri Adventure Group! Hmm, sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Ethan laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.
“How about it, Sylvia! Shall we go together?”
Sylvia’s spirits, which had been very low, seemed to lift a little. She tried to smile, closed her eyes tightly, and nodded.
“Yes, yes. I’ll…”
Just then, a thunderous voice fell from the sky.
“Sylvia―!”
[Gasp! It’s Felix!]
Erin whispered, laying flat on top of her head. Sylvia shivered under the voice filled with immense magical power.
She had no time to wonder why he was looking for her.
“Sylvia!”
Sylvia’s eyes widened as she saw Felix flying around in the sky, searching for her. She just stared at him with a blank expression, tilting her head back completely.
“Feli?”
It seemed like Felix heard her whisper, barely louder than a breath, as he immediately turned his head in her direction. Their eyes met. Sparks flew in his black eyes, covered with madness.
“Sylvia!”
Felix, dressed in a blue uniform glowing with energy, flew straight towards her. His expression was stern. Startled, Sylvia instinctively stepped back. One step, then two, before she turned around and started to run.
Ethan was frozen in place, unable to move. It was because Felix had glared at him as if he would cut off his hand that was resting on her shoulder in that brief moment.
With a hiccup of surprise, Ethan was passed by Felix as he landed on the ground.
“Sylvia! Stop right there!”
It felt like a fireball had been shoved into his head. His vision blurred with heat. The sight of Sylvia running away turned his eyes upside down. He chased after her relentlessly with a dark, cold gaze.
Sylvia instinctively used magic, causing trees to block his path. Felix flew high and landed right behind her. He had only one thought: to catch her.
He bound Sylvia with magic. The magic of the wind tied her legs and arms like chains.
“Ah!”
Sylvia, who had been running blindly, was startled and fell. Felix quickly caught her, taking in a deep breath.
“Sylvia.”
He called her name with a precarious tone.
Felix stared persistently at Sylvia, who was tightly embraced in his arms and only moving her lips. His black pupils slit vertically, filled with a deep sense of possession.
Her small face was pale except for her reddened eyes. Felix looked at her with trembling eyes and dangerously smiled.
“Why did you run away, hmm?”
Sylvia couldn’t follow the situation well enough to respond. The camellia flowers surrounding them seemed to shine even redder than before.
“I told you. To stay by my side. I said it was okay to think it over, just stay by me.”
His voice might have sounded calm at first, but it ended as if frost had formed.
“Do you know what I even thought about? Yet, for you, I endured…”
His voice became increasingly softer, chilling. With his eyes full of obsession, Felix gritted his teeth.
“Why don’t you answer, hmm? Sylvia.”
His low voice was unfamiliar. It was a small, whisper-like voice that made her body involuntarily tremble. Felix’s eyes trembled finely as he looked at her, not responding, filled with sadness and possession.
“You should be by my side. You, and no one else, should be right beside me. If you’ve brought back feelings to me, you should take responsibility.”
Felix pleaded with Sylvia, his expression full of sorrow and pain.
“Say something.”
Sylvia looked at his beautiful obsidian eyes, now filling with clear tears, with a still dazed look.
Without her response, Felix became increasingly engulfed in anxiety. Afraid that what he feared most was happening, he began to speak slowly with a voice full of pain.
“You gave me hope and reminded me of my mother’s love that I had forgotten. You made me feel the innocence and peace of my childhood, and you made me empathize with the fleeting love of my family.”
Tears, hot from pain, fell from Felix’s eyes onto Sylvia’s face.
“You are! Everything to me. You’re like my parents, my only family. You’ve restored everything I had forgotten! You can’t leave me!”
Sylvia felt frustrated being unable to move. She wanted to embrace his crying face.
“Felix…”
Finally, her voice came out, and Felix’s face contorted.
“Please, Sylvia… I can’t live without you now.”
Then, Erin landed on Felix’s shoulder. With tears filling her round violet eyes, the fairy moved her lips along with Felix.
“Sylvia… I love you.”
[Sylvia, I can finally confess the feelings I’ve been hiding.]
“I’ve always wanted to tell you. That I love you…”
[Finally… I’ve conveyed our feelings to you.]
Tears filled her round violet eyes. The figure of Erin sitting on his shoulder began to blur.
“Erin…”
Sylvia just looked at her with wide eyes. Erin, slowly disappearing, smiled brightly as if happy.
[Sylvia, I love you.]
Erin was absorbed into Felix, radiating bright light. Sylvia watched the entire process with her mouth wide open, looking at Felix. The wind brought red camellia petals swirling around them, as Felix continued to cry, his expression deeply furrowed.
Holding her tightly in his arms, Felix lowered his head to touch his forehead to Sylvia’s.
“It’s only natural for the fairies to love you. Because the fairies were me, after all.”
Felix remembered everything as he felt Erin’s return. He recalled being the one who, unable to handle his emotions as a child, had delved into dragon lore to create a being with creation magic.
He had drawn out his emotions and memories, which he considered weak, to create a fairy to protect himself.
He remembered it all.
Before they knew it, the chains of wind had disappeared. Sylvia couldn’t hold back anymore and reached out to wrap her arms tightly around Felix’s neck.
“Felix! Feli… I, I am…”
Meeting you, I thought you had changed.
That’s why I was so hurt and sad, and I ran away without thinking. I’m sorry. It seems I was once again only thinking of myself.
Erasing all the words filling her mind, she brought out the words she had been keeping in her heart.
“I love you too, so very much.”
Though mumbled, Sylvia’s words whispered right in his ear made Felix cry uncontrollably. Holding Felix’s tear-streaked face, Sylvia was the first to press her lips against his.
Her breath was drawn into his mouth as it naturally opened. Felix didn’t hold back and softly bit her lips. He nibbled on her lower lip, then sucked on it, repeating the action. Felix then exhaled a hot breath.
Their tear-soaked lips were warm. The temperature between their lips equalized as if sharing each other’s body heat. Their tears and breath mingled together. Surrounding them, as if blessing their union, the bright red petals danced, filling the air.