Happily Ever After

Chapter 29

Alois POV

"Good day, Uncle (Y/F/N) and Auntie (Y/M/N). Early as usual, I see."

"Alois, my boy! It's good to see you again." Uncle (Y/F/N) shook my hand. "How are you? Have you been taking care of yourself?" He asked.

"Yes, of course. (Y/N) would have definitely scolded me if I didn't."

"Oh she certainly would. (Y/N) is such a caring woman, and you know, she loves you very much." Uncle (Y/F/N) smiled. "I entrust you with her, Alois. Please take care of our daughter, and whatever you do, do not break her heart," He said with seriousness.

"(Y/N) might seem like a mighty fortress of stone on the outside, but inside those sturdy walls is a fragile heart made of thin glass," Auntie (Y/M/N) stated.

"I know, Auntie. Don't worry, I won't break it... no matter what." Their words made my heart sting as feelings of guilt erupted from within. Nevertheless, I reassured them the best I could with the most sincere smile I could ever display. "Speaking of (Y/N), where is she?"

"She went off to collect seashells and build sand castles. She likes them very much even up to this day. It never gets old." Auntie (Y/M/N) replied.

"Oh, alright. I shall go look for her. See you later."

I waved goodbye and proceeded to search for (Y/N) along the coast. Without even realising, my feet subconsciously led me to her favourite spot on the beach. There are some things that mind may forget, but the body always remembers.

I reached (Y/N)'s favourite place in no time. I expected to see her playing with the sand, but the expectation was far from reality. 'Oh no, not again,' I thought.

There she was, standing her ground, as a group of men teamed up on her. I rushed over to help, but she was quick to take them all out in a short span of time.

"(Y/N), are you alright?" I gently held her face with my hands, scanning for any injuries.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" She said confidently.

"A group of fully grown men teamed up on you."

"And I took care of them in jiffy. Why, were you worried about me?" She nudged my shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yes, yes I was," I replied. "I do not wish for history to repeat itself," I mumbled quietly.

"What did you say?"

"O-oh, I said that you should take care of yourself. You always get into trouble whenever we visit the beach. Please be more cautious next time." Phew, I almost slipped up. I should choose my words more carefully.

"Sigh, I know. Trouble seems to follow wherever I go. I promise to look out for myself even better, so don't worry your pretty little head about it." She gently tapped my head three times, emphasising the words 'pretty little head'.

"What was that for?" I asked.

(Y/N) simply shrugged in response. "Do you want to build sand castles with me? We can turn it into a competition if you want," (Y/N) suggested.

"Is that a challenge?"

"What if it is? What are you going to do about it, hmm? Although I have to warn you. I've gotten a lot better than before." (Y/N) cracked her knuckles.

"Alright, may the best builder win then." I held out my hand.

"May the best builder win." (Y/N) shook my hand.

"Claude!" I called out.

"Yes, your highness?" Claude appeared from behind me.

"Wow, how did he get here so fast?" (Y/N) asked.

"Immediately responding to his master's beck and call is what makes a Trancy butler, Miss (Y/N)." Claude placed a hand on his chest and bowed.

"We both have an hour to make the best sand castles with our own two hands. You can use whatever tool you want whether it be a bucket, a spade, etc. However, you cannot request any form of assistance from other people." I announced.

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright. Claude, start the timer in three... two... one... go!"

(Y/N) and I started to gather the needed tools and materials to make our envisioned castles into reality. I went off to get two buckets of different sizes, a spade, some seashells, and a few plants nearby for the finishing touch. Then, I proceeded to construct the foundation of my palace with a trench surrounding it. After that, I started to build the castle walls and a few watch towers to accompany them. For the finishing touches, I decorated my sandcastle with various seashells and flowers. (Y/N) on the other hand, did her own thing. I didn't notice what she was doing until the very end for I was too immersed in my own work.

"Three... two... one... and stop! Time is up," Claude announced. "Please step away from your works."

"Whew! I'm glad that's over." (Y/N) wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Wow, Alois! I must say that your sandcastle looks quite impressive."

"Why thank you. I haven't made one in years, so I was a bit rusty. I'm happy I still managed to pull it off in the end." I said as I scratched the back of my neck. "By the way, your castle looks awesome! My, my, you certainly weren't lying when you said you've gotten better."

"Thanks! I did my best to make it look as amazing as possible." (Y/N) beamed at me.

"So, how are we going to decide on who's the winner?"

"Oh I know! We can ask my parents, along with the other servants, to vote for their favourite castle. Who ever gets the most votes shall be crowned as the victor!"

"Alright! Let's go and tell them."

And so, we spent the whole day like the children we used to be. No worries, no problems, even for just a short while, simply enjoying life itself without a care about in world. I wish we could always be like this. I never want to let go of this warm feeling I have whenever I am with her.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever...

~•~

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