ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 43 - Answer

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Mayonaka no Door / Stay With Me - Miki Matsubara

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Her voice trailed off before she could go forward with her answer.

    Melanie pulled out the insignia in her pocket, rolling it over in her fingers. Such smooth silver; such meaning behind a small trinket. What did any of it mean? The insignia was her ride or die, but which option would end with which fate? The affiliations were muddled with no clear sign of what was right or wrong.

    Beside her, Albedo offered a supportive hand. He held it there for her to see. It felt more like a test of whether she'd take it and offer the insignia a moment later. All she could do was take it. It's what felt right, and she stood by it.

    She gave his hand a tight squeeze and offered him a warm, shy smile, then turned her attention to Kaeya and Jean. Their arms were crossed in front of them in a very authoritative manner, with only a hint of a scowl lining their lips. Nothing could phase them.

    Melanie sighed deeply, lowering her gaze to the ground. "I've made my decision, and it wasn't easy."

    "Well, what is it?" Kaeya raised a questioning brow, letting his arms drop to his sides. He exchanged a look with Albedo, then tilted his head to the side. If they were trying to communicate without her realizing, Kaeya would be sorely mistaken.

    Albedo dipped his head to avoid all eye contact. From holding his hand, she could feel him trembling just a little. He was scared, or perhaps only nervous by the suspense building. If there were a clock in the room, she feared he would have broken it from the ticking of the second hand.

    Her fingers reached up to touch the bandage on her neck. A glimmer of red peeked through the gauze beneath the adhesive tape, but her mind could imagine it still dripping. "I'll need help if I say anything. Can that be promised?"

    This changed Jean's stern expression to one of more... gentle concern and compassion. Everything about the Acting Grandmaster shifted. Especially with her soft tone, Melanie wasn't sure what to make of it when Jean said, "anything, but what kind of help, exactly?"

    "I'll need Lumine, as we'll have to act fast."

    Albedo furrowed his brows, looking over at her with confusion lighting his gaze. "What do you mean by that? Melanie, what's going on here?"

    The insignia in her hand was raised for everyone to see. She flipped it over in her hand one more time, then offered it out to Albedo without looking at it again. Melanie's extended hand was stared at for quite some time, but she wasn't sure why. Her head was turned in the opposite direction to glare defiantly at the ground.

    She was giving it up for good. However, that didn't mean she was giving in to the Treasure Hoarder's desire to murder Albedo. When she made the promise to protect him, she meant it with every fiber of her being. To her, he meant everything. No amount of cuts to her body would ever make him abandon the man she loved.

    Eventually, Albedo took the insignia between her fingers and clutched it in his own hand. Melanie didn't look to see what he did with it. All she knew was he tackled her the next moment. Squealing, he knocked her to the ground in a tight embrace, kissing her cheek. His out-of-character behavior shocked Jean and Kaeya, who looked at each other awkwardly.

    "Thank you, thank you..." Albedo murmured, lifting her into his arms to hug her as tight as possible. His arms cut off her airway, leaving her wheezing for air, but the smile on her face assured everyone that she was perfectly fine.