I was walking in the garden, trying to clear my head when I heard footsteps. I turned around to see Estelle coming my way.
She hugged me.
“You've grown quite affectionate,” I teased.
“Tease me all you want; I'm a mixed bag of emotions right now,” she pouted. “I have so much guilt inside me for fighting you and so much anger because of your carelessness.”
“Come on now, let bygones be bygones,” I suggested, trying to change the topic. “So, is he free to meet now?”
Estelle shook her head, signaling a negative response.
“He's still recovering and is advised not to meet anyone right now,” she explained.
I sighed. It had been a few days since the incident, and my head had been in a mess.
To clear my thoughts and express my gratitude in a better state, I had been trying to meet Rushford for some time, but due to the royal physician's orders, we couldn’t meet.
“Where are you lost?” Estelle asked with a mischievous grin. “Are you thinking about the time when Prince Rushford raised you in his arms to save you from that inferno?”
When I didn’t reply, she continued, trying to get a response from me. “Or are you—”
“Estelle,” I interrupted, speaking more seriously. “I have something to confess.”
Sensing the change in my tone, she became serious, too.
“What is it, Nico?” she inquired.
“𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐤𝐢,”
I sighed in relief. The thing I had wanted to confess for so long was finally out.
“I knew it,” Estelle responded.
“Knew that I liked Ruki?”
“Knew that your fate is filled with twists and turns. You can’t survive in a peaceful condition for long,” she remarked.
“Estelle!” I whined.
“What?” she replied. “I knew that you liked Ruki, but I was also sure that after what happened during the ball, you would surely have feelings prioritizing Rushford. Who knew the heat would bring you some late realizations?”
I looked down in guilt.
“I'm sorry,” I murmured.
“Look at me.”
I did as she instructed.
“Never apologize for your feelings,” she advised. “If you feel good or bad, if you feel love or hatred, never ignore them nor let anyone undermine them. You like him, so be it.”
“But what about Alveria?” I asked.
She smiled while patting my head. “You're wise. I know you've already considered every possible way, and you also know this idea is plausible. You’re just afraid.”
“Estelle,” I said softly, “they will resent me.”
I had written my family a letter, telling them about my well-being and apologizing for my rude behavior from our last meeting. Now that I had gathered the courage to restore the broken bonds, it felt heavier than ever to risk breaking them again.
“Is Ruki worth the resentment?” she asked, looking at me intently.
“Huh?”
“I have never met him and have only seen him through your eyes, so I can’t say much about him,” she said. “But I can give you one piece of advice: if looking at him makes you feel like you have the power to fight the entire world just for one moment with him, then he is the right one.”
“Este—”
“Don’t say anything right now, Nico. Go to him,” she urged. “Know that severing this bond will make people from not one, but two nations resent you, and the citizens of the world may laugh at your foolishness. But if today you go to him knowing this, and still feel that being with him matters more than the burden of the world’s hatred, then I advise you to choose him over everyone else.”
I nodded and began to run toward Ruki. But after a few steps, I turned back to hug Estelle.
“Thanks for your advice,” I whispered. “Always know that I can take the hatred of the world for you without a second thought, too.”
I ran off again to meet Ruki.
YOU ARE READING
"Eclipse"
Romance"𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧." In a kingdom where 𝐚𝐥...
