I skipped. I skipped and hopped as I walked through the city, on my way to my room, with relaxation on my mind. That, and nothing else. But what caught my eye promised to be far more interesting and intriguing.

  "Ah!" I exclaimed as I spotted them. "Luke! Roland!"

  They were lounging outside a café. Roland raised his only arm as his eyes met mine. "Hey."

  Casting aside the cookies he was eating, Luke turned. "Oh, hi Selena! Come, take a seat."

  Fain to do so, I sat down at their round table and clapped my hands. "What were you guys doing? Tell me, tell me."

  "Nothing, really," Roland replied friendly. "We were just relaxing. Today everyone's busy giving out chocolates."

  "Why are you here, rather?" Luke asked, tilting his head. "Not spending this day with Jerald?"

  "That was the plan! But one of his friends got rejected, so now they're drinking together. He's cheering him up."

  Luke choked a laugh. "Oof, I feel bad for that man. That mustn't have been nice."

  "He's speaking from personal experience," Roland said, pointing at him with a cookie.

  "Hey! It's good that I got rejected! My heart is only for the baddie anyway."

  Roland rolled his eyes. "Aaah, here we go again… Someone save me, please."

  "Hey everyone."

  "My prayers have been heard…?"

  I turned toward the voice. "Oh, Ceruleo! Here, sit."

  He approached, pulling the chair beside me. At that moment, Luke noticed the bag in his hand. "Whoa, that's a lot of chocolate! Handing out so many?"

  "Hm? These are the ones I received," he replied as he settled into his seat.

  "Huh?"

  "Wow…"

  "That's so unfair! I haven't even gotten one!" Luke exclaimed.

  "You want some?" Ceruleo offered, already extending a box of chocolate.

  He eyed it for a bit. "You're giving away the chocolate girls gave you? You're heartless…"

  Ceruleo looked at him with sympathy. "I can't eat all this chocolate. Come on, take one," he urged, shaking the box.

  "Hmm… Well, don't mind if I do, then…"

  A boy giving chocolate to another boy!!!

  As Luke reached for the box, Ceruleo snatched a cookie. "I'll have this in exchange."

  He smacked the table. "You can order your own!"

  "No way, I don't want to wait. And I never said that box was free."

  "That's cheap…"

  He said that, but still opened the box and popped a chocolate heart into his mouth.

  "So, Ceruleo…" I chimed in, leaning closer. "Did you reciprocate any chocolate? Hmm?"

  He chuckled. "Not really. I tried giving some to Dorothy, but it was impossible," he replied, munching on the stolen cookie.

  "Impossible?" Roland raised an eyebrow.

  Ceruleo nodded. "The Amalgamated Thorny Roses' headquarters are infested with people wanting to give Carolina chocolate. You can't get anywhere near it; it's impossible, and there's a mountain of chocolate boxes piled up at the entrance."

  "... No comment," Roland said.

  "Boys…" I deadpanned.

  "Wait," Luke interjected. "Is that why the roads are blocked? We had to take detours to get here. I thought there was some kind of festival."

  "No festival. Just people trying to give chocolates to Carolina. Some even traveled for days just for this," he explained.

  "... Understandable."

  "Understandable?" Roland repeated, glancing at him awkwardly.

  "You know Carolina… She's just that kind of girl," Luke countered, shrugging, going for another chocolate. "With her kind of fans."

  "I can honestly see you being one of them," he replied smugly, taking his glass in hand.

  "Nah, she ain't the baddie," he grinned right back.

  "You're still on that?" Ceruleo asked, amusedly raising an eyebrow.

  "You haven't seen her, Ceruleo! You can't understand." Luke then turned to me. "Isn't she back yet, Selena?"

  "No. Still no news from her and Crimson."

  Roland frowned. "I wonder if something happened…"

  "I'm sure they're both fine." Luke waved it off, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. "You know who we're talking about. I wonder what they're doing, though."

  I couldn't hold back; I even slammed my hands on the table. "I tell you! They're definitely fucking right now!"

  "Please, Selena, don't feed Luke's head like this…"

  "It's too late," Luke said, covering his eyes, leaning on the table. "My imagination is already running wild."

  "Oh, spare me…"

  "Still, I can't help being curious," Ceruleo interjected, ignoring the theatrics. "We're talking about Crimson… I just can't imagine her going after someone."

  "Ahhh…" I sighed dramatically. Just at the mere thought of it, I had to clasp my face. "The power of love…"

  "I don't know…" Ceruleo scratched his cheek. "I know Crimson, guys. Let's just say she's more the type to make you follow her. Quite literally… on a leash."

  "Like I said, Ceruleo, you haven't seen her," Luke countered proudly. "You can't understand."

  "You keep saying that, but you could at least describe her, you know?" he chuckled. "Just saying she's a baddie and took down a guardian by herself doesn't help me."

  "Well, I wanted you to see her for yourself!" He threw up his hands in the air. "But… alright. She's unique. You've never seen someone like this. Cute face, insane skills, killer body, white hair, and eyes, too, in a way. More silver than white, maybe. Or… both! Really, she's one of a kind! She's beautiful! And don't even get me started on her-"

  "Luke, I'll smack you," I warned with a bright smile, ready for whatever words were about to come.

  "Aight, I'll shut up…"

  "White hair…" Ceruleo murmured, a finger reaching under his nose as his eyes dropped. "And silver eyes…?"

  "See? Even imagining her is difficult!"

  "Well, you'll see her one day," I reassured. "All their stuff is still here, after all. They'll return."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Hmm…"

  "Anyway…" The long silence was making me uncomfortable, and I stretched my arms over the table before continuing. "What are you guys doing this evening?"

  "Hm?" Roland side-eyed Luke. "Well, we've got nothing planned."

  Ceruleo rested his hands back on the table. "Same."

  "Why don't we go somewhere? Jerald has been stolen from me, and I don't wanna spend this day alone now..."

  Luke shrugged. "Fine by me. But where do we go?"

  "There's a new place north of the city," Ceruleo suggested. "I've heard good stuff about it."

  I clapped my hands. "Maybe we'll even get a couples' discount!"

  "You probably will," Luke interjected.

  "Hm? You could also get it."

  Raising an eyebrow, he mockingly looked around. "Oh, right! How could I have forgotten about my invisible girlfriend!"

  Laughing, I ignored that. "You know who I'm talking about!"

  "No, seriously, who?"

  I drifted my finger towards Roland.

  "Don't think about it," he protested, raising his hand.

  "Oh, come on!"

  "No."

  "Just for the discount!"

  "Noooo."

  Alas, convincing them was impossible, and I sulked the whole way there trying to change their minds, but they just wouldn't relent. The place was great, though! And I did get the discount thanks to Ceruleo! Even there, convincing the maidservant that those two were a couple was impossible! Ugh! She understood nothing…

  After the dinner, I returned to the headquarters with Ceruleo. He went straight to his room, while I went to the kitchen.

  "Oh, Joey!"

  "Hey, Selena."

  He looked tired, he sounded tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

  "Are you alright?" I asked him.

  Returning his attention to a teapot, he nodded. "Yes, yes. Just a little tired; the paperwork piled up after the last dungeon. I'm helping Herbaleon."

  "I see…"

  "Would you like some tea?" he offered, turning to me.

  "Huh, sure. Thanks." As my eyes wandered around, I noticed a little box of chocolates on the peninsula. "Who is that for?"

  "Hm?" Following my finger, he glanced at it. "Ah, it was for Elizabeth."

  "Elizabeth?"

  "I was hoping it would cheer her up."

  Just then I noticed the box had no seal, or any wrapping, for that matter. "But it's already open… Did she turn it down?"

  He grabbed it. "No, I just forgot to get the wrapping materials with everything going on lately. I haven't even gotten the chance to give it to her," he murmured, sounding upset. "But it's late now. I should probably just throw it away."

  "What? No, don't throw it away." I immediately grasped his wrist. "You made it yourself, didn't you? Let's not waste it. I still have some tape in my purse. Let's give it to her now, together."

  "But it's late… She's probably sleeping right now."

  "It's fine, it's fine. Believe me, Joey." I was literally dragging him. Unlike the others, he relented easily, and we both stood right outside Elizabeth's room.

  I knocked. "Elizabeth… could you open up?"

  No response was audible from the other side, but after a little, the door partially creaked open, revealing a partially hidden, beautiful and ill-tempered Elizabeth in a nightgown!!

  "What?" she murmured, sounding slightly annoyed. "You already gave me your chocolate…"

  "I did, but he didn't," I said softly, glancing at Joey.

  She couldn't see him, so she fully opened the door.

  "Hey, Elizabeth," he greeted. "It's… always odd seeing you without your hat."

  She looked away. "About that…" Turning, she grabbed it and extended it toward us. "Could you take it?"

  "Huh?"

  "I don't want to see it."

  "We're not here to take your hat, my love," I reasoned.

  "I don't want to see it!"

  Ignoring my words, she pushed the hat against me.

  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Joey stepped forward. "I just wanted to give you some chocolate."

  Elizabeth fidgeted and reclaimed the hat slightly, pulling it to her chest as he turned to Joey, eyes drifting to the box in his hand.

  "I'll take your chocolate… if you take my hat and make it disappear from my sight."

  "Elizabeth…"

  "Alright."

  "Joey?!"

  "It's fine, Selena," he offered gently. "I'll take it."

  Agape, I stood by and watched as Elizabeth handed him her hat. She took the box in return, cradling it in her hands.

  I sighed, bringing my focus back to what mattered. This was for Elizabeth's happiness and nothing else. "He made those chocolates, Elizabeth," I informed.

  Her eyes widened upon hearing that. "You… made them?"

  Scratching the back of his head, he nodded. "I hope they're to your liking."

  Elizabeth stared at the box. Slowly, she stepped back into her room, retreating behind the door, closing it. "Thanks…" she murmured, disappearing from our sight completely.

  Joey followed suit, and retreated as well. I went after him. "What do plan to do with that hat now?"

  "I'll keep it," he said simply, turning to me. "I'll keep it safe."

  "Are you sure that was a good idea? I don't think I've ever seen Elizabeth without it, aside from these past few times!"

  He stopped, juggling the hat in his hands. "She doesn't want to get rid of it. She just needs time. This is her way of overcoming the situation. I… learned this with Argenta," he murmured, smiling softly. "This is her way of accepting the past."

  "Hmm… Alright," I sighed. "If you say so... But you better keep that hat and don't throw it away."

  He chuckled at that. "Don't worry about it. I promise I'll take care of it," he replied, glancing back at the hat. "Do you think she'll like the chocolates?"

  "I'm sure she will."

  Artist: KagamiSei