Happily Ever After

Chapter 39

Alois POV

"Alois... Alois... ALOIS!" (Y/N) waved her hand in front of me. "Are you alright? You seem to be spacing out."

"O-oh, I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts for a second," I replied.

"I know that something is bothering you. Come on, you can tell me." (Y/N) cupped my cheeks.

Should I tell her? How would she react if she knew? I don't want to hurt her even more.

"I..." I trailed off.

No, Alois. You must tell her. You will cause her more pain if you don't. It is going to happen either way. Be strong. You can do this. Take a deep breath and-

"I'm going to die tonight," I blurted out.

"You- hold on, w-what?" (Y/N) asked in shock. Her mouth fell open in disbelief as her hands started to tremble.

"I said, I'm going to die tonight," I repeated. "I made a deal with Claude in exchange for my own soul. He would help me escape, get revenge on that old man, and avenge my family. He already fulfilled his part of the deal, and tonight I have to fulfil my end of the bargain."

(Y/N) remained quiet, stunned to be exact. She probably did not know what to say, what to do, but how could I blame her? Everything came crashing down on her all at once, and it was all my fault.

"I'm-"

Tears began cascading down her face one after the other as she choked on broken sobs. She buried her face between the crook of my neck and held me tight.

"I should have stopped you from the beginning. I shouldn't have let you take a step near that ship."

"No, (Y/N)-"

"I should have known sooner! I should have figured it out! Stupid brain of mine, why can't you work properly!" (Y/N) repeatedly hit her head. I did not want her to hurt herself, so I caught her hand before she could deliver another blow and restrained the other. "NO! NO ALOIS! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

"No. You could get injured," I said sternly.

"That's the point! I'm stupid, an idiot, an imbecile!" (Y/N) thrashed around.

"I apologise for causing you much trouble." (Y/N) let out a sigh and looked down at her hands. "If only I was strong enough." She clenched her fists. "Curse this weak body!" She stood up and kicked a small rock.

"No you are not! Listen to me, (Y/N). You are the most beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent woman that I have ever met. You are not stupid, you are not an idiot, and you are certainly not an imbecile. You hear me?" I firmly held her shoulders.

"Look, everything that happened those past three years were not your fault. The manor did not burn because of you. Mother, Father, and Luka did not die because of you. I did not go through those horrible things because of you. They simply... happened. We are merely humans, (Y/N). We can't control everything around us."

"It wasn't my fault?" She looked at me with teary eyes.

"No," I shook my head. "It was not because of you," I reassured her and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I made the choices. I made the mistakes. I was the one who chose the path that led me where I am today. So please, don't blame yourself, (Y/N)."

"If that is what you wish for, then I shall try my best not to. Though, I cannot really promise you. I still have to work on that."

"Good girl." I gently patted her head. 

"Alois, I'm not a puppy. Don't you 'good girl' me." (Y/N) pouted, her cheeks tinted with a bright pink colour. 

"Oh so you don't want to be my good girl then?" 

"N-no. I mean yes. I mean- h-hold on! Why are we even talking about this, you dumbarse!" She crossed her arms and looked away.

"Of course I'm a dumbarse, your dumbarse to be exact. I always was, and I shall always be, dumbarse..." I said, whispering the last part while trying to hold back a laugh.

"You little-"

"Alright, alright! I'll stop." I surrendered, putting my hands in the air. "Sorry, angel. It's just so fun to tease you. You look adorable when you're all red and flustered like that."

(Y/N) simply rolled her eyes in response.

"Come on, love. Don't be mad at me please. I couldn't help it."

"Fine. How much time do you still have left?"

"Pardon?"

"I said, how much time do you still have left?" (Y/N) repeated.

"Oh..." For a second there I forgot about my tragic fate and the inevitable demise that I await. Her question brought me back to the reality of the situation I was in, which I can never escape. "I have until midnight."

"Good. I suppose that would be enough. Come with me." She held out her hand.

"Where?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Wherever you want. I would like to spend the rest of the day with you. I wish to be by your side till the very last second."

"I'd love that." I gave her a smile.

"Let's go! Time is of the essence. There is not a moment to waste!" (Y/N) grabbed my hand and dragged my out of the manor. 

We spent the remaining hours, the short-lived minutes, and the last couple of seconds till the clock struck twelve precisely at midnight. We had lunch at our favourite restaurant, we visited the bakery and the Funtom toy store of course, where we saw Ciel and Elizabeth, and took a stroll along the busy streets of London. Next, we stopped by the bluebell field and had a short picnic by ourselves, where we made flower crowns and ran around like the small happy children we used to be. Then we headed towards the (Y/L/N) manor to bid my final goodbye (of course I did not make it too obvious for (Y/N)'s parents). We wanted to visit Brighton Beach for it was a special place close to both of our hearts but sadly, we ran out of time. Perhaps we could visit it together one day in her dreams.