King of Hearts

54.

Ulio turns his gaze up to the stars. He looks so peaceful and satisfied as if nothing can bring him down. That feeling of having reached your goal.

"Do you have any dreams, Val?", he asks out of nowhere. The soft wind brushes his hair and gives him a boyish look.

"Of course, I do. Don't you?", she responds.

"I do." Ulio leans his head back. "I already told you about my fear of loneliness. Therefore, my life goal is to find my true love", he sighs, and silence brings back memories of their chat on this balcony yesterday. Why is he telling her that now? "What is your dream?", he asks her without digging further into his.

"You probably didn't know, but I'm a painter", Val finally decides to open up. Ulio's mouth forms an "O" and nods in approval. He waits for her to continue.

A sudden rush of adrenaline kicks in. "I want a career that involves art. I need it in my life. It's a big part of me, it's my only passion. I cannot live without painting, inventing, and imagining. This is me." Val's insides feel like twisting and a dreadful feeling creeps up her body. "My only obstacle is my family. My parents don't trust this life path. They want something "better" for me. They don't care about my passion. They just want me to make a ton of money. I know they want the best for me which is why I don't want to disappoint them." Ulio nods silently in comprehension and gladly continues listening. "But is this right?", Vals asks. "To sacrifice my dream for someone else? Of course, they're not just "someone", they're my parents and they love me. Just as much as I love them. But I also love myself, and I want to make myself happy. On the other hand, I feel like I would hurt my parents, that way", Val mumbles as her mind goes in circles and tears already forming. She's frustrated, stressed, angry, and hurt at the same time. But most of all, she's confused. What is right? Should she sacrifice her or her parents' wish?

Val wipes away a tear. "I'm sorry for constantly being an emotional mess. It's just, I feel lost. I don't know what to do." Ulio grabs her hand and starts rubbing her palm. "Don't apologize for having emotions", he says softly. It's weird to experience him so caring and gentle. Only a few days ago they hated each other.

"I can imagine how you must feel. You clearly love your parents more than anything. To the point where you would even give up on your biggest dream. I'm not a great advice giver. I still have a lot to learn in life but trust me, if your parents truly love you as much as you love them, then they would accept every decision of yours. Once they see how happy you are, they'll automatically support you", Ulio explains, still rubbing her hand. It's funny how Val gave Dánica the exact same advice but won't follow it herself.

"I don't know. We've fought a lot in the past years. I don't talk to my father anymore because of this. I don't think they will ever accept it", Val insists. Ulio carefully wipes away a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, but if that's the case, then they clearly don't deserve you. I know, they're your family, but seriously, if they love you, they'll let you be free. Life's too short to depend on others. You need to do what makes you happy. You need the freedom of choice. If you're not free, then what are you living for?" Ulio shifts into a position where his presence is fully directed to her. His eyes shimmer a gold euphoria. The vitality and energy of this man is insane. He looks like someone who could conquer the world and make it a better place.

"You'll be a great king", Val responds truthfully. For the first time, Ulio is taken aback. He must have not expected her sudden bluntness. Ulio's face shifts from stunned to perplexed to flustered. "What makes you think that?", he wants to know. Val shrugs. "Don't know. Just an instinct", she teases him. "And your father shares my opinion, but shh", Val places a finger on her lip. Ulio raises an eyebrow as if suspicious of whether he should believe her. Then he gifts her a charming smile. It's not just his mouth, his eyes, his cheeks, his whole face is smiling and it's quite funny. He's refusing to take his eyes off her and the same for her.

It's the very first time in her life she's experiencing this kind of feeling. It feels as if she has spent her whole life looking for a specific thing, and now she has finally found it. It's his soul. The soul that belongs to her. They are both so different but at the same time so similar. Val likes, no, loves to just talk to Ulio. About anything. For the first time, Val is experiencing true love and she has no intention of denying it anymore. The love of her life is right here, in front of her. Staring back at her with the most loving and sincere eyes. Val feels so incredibly happy and fulfilled but at the same time a dark grey cloud of sadness forms at the back of her head.