Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SOLENE WAS WILLIAM’s first and only love of his life. He had yearned to see her again for several years, and fate was kind enough to intertwine their paths again. He didn’t let this chance slip away, showering her with so much love that it could make the earth crumble apart. He always knew that expressing his love for her was a natural thing, a second nature, one that was defaulted into his system like breathing. For the previous months that they had been together, making her feel loved and special was an easy task.
Except for the day of hearts, a celebration in the Clover Kingdom meant for the citizens to pour their love for their loved ones: families, friends, and partners through presents, feasts, or simple date nights. William had never celebrated this day before, and it bothered him once that Yami—that unromantic Black Bulls captain—had beaten him to it. He didn’t even have any experience. Before, the day of hearts was nothing more special, especially to the Golden Dawn who prioritized their duties over relationships. But of course, everything changed for William when Solene showed up, and now he regretted using those times to be the perfect, elegant captain instead of—at least once—observing how romance unfolded between two people.
He had to admit: strategizing for missions was easier than coming up with plans for Valentines. Romance was still an unfamiliar battlefield for him, as someone who had never taken interest in women before Solene. Still, he was determined to make this day perfect for his girl. He didn’t just want it to be special and grand, but also extra memorable for her.
“See, I have carefully tried to list down the step-by-step methods we must follow for Valentines, as per your suggestions,” William muttered as he put down the chalk after he had written his members’ suggestions for his Valentines plan for him and Solene.
Mimosa, Yuno, Klaus, and Sophia gathered into a conference room, their notepads and quills ready on the table. Their faces were solemn, lips forming a line. They had shown up when William summoned them first thing in the morning, expecting a report or an assignment. But just like when he had called them before—when he was planning on confessing to Solene—he had just wanted to take advice.
“I don’t really think we’re suitable for this, captain,” Yuno said, quite uncomfortable. Since when did William even think he had a knack for romance?
“I agree,” Klaus said. “I mean—Mimosa and Sophia suggested the majority of those written on the board.”
Sophia tossed her hair in confidence. “Well, duh! I’m an expert in romance. Call me Master Soph—wait on second thought—call me Aphrodite instead.”
The two men’s brows creased. “Aphrodite? What are you even saying?”
Mimosa chuckled. “It’s the name of the goddess we’ve read in the headquarters library. She is the goddess of love and beauty, known for matchmaking people and stuff.”
William nodded faintly. He had read about that too. There were many myths related to the goddess, but one myth stuck to him. The one about her forbidding a love between his son, a god, and a mortal woman who fought and persevered against all the odds that the goddess had thrown at her. It struck his heart like a sharp blade. The story hit with familiarity close to his own experience with Solene.
“Oh, I know! Since we’re helping Captain Vangeance arrange this surprise date with Solene, let’s make a team name!” Sophia exclaimed, her eyes beaming.
Klaus sighed. “There she goes with the names again. Don’t you ever get tired of that?”
“Nope! It's part of me, Klaus. It will only be removed once I'm dead.” She clasped her hands together. “How about Cupid’s Squad? You know, Aphrodite’s son who carries a bow and arrow, shooting the people and they fall in love? We are now his arrows, and we have come to pierce Captain Vangeance and Solene’s hearts!”
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
“REMEMBER, I do not want just an ordinary date. I want a fantastical and ethereal date, one that looks like it is cast out of a fairytale,” William said to them.
They paused, thinking. Klaus put his chin on his palm, pretending to think. Yuno stayed quiet, thinking that a simple picnic date would suffice. Sophia had suggested a date in a luxurious restaurant in the hills of the Noble Realm, where they could see the breathtaking view of the Royal Capital from afar, and the fireflies above shone like the stars. William considered this, until Mimosa raised her hand.
“Once I read in my house’s library about a legend,” she said, “it says that there is a rare celestial phenomenon that happens once a year during the night of hearts. A floating enchanted garden appears in the skies above the Royal Capital. But it also says that this mystical place is hidden in the veil of the night, and only those who know the entryway will be able to access it.”
This newfound knowledge caught William’s attention. As a royalty, Mimosa had access to a huge variety of texts and information about anything in the Clover Kingdom, and perhaps, even reaching outside—to the other three kingdoms, or even outside the continent. He asked for this specific book, and when Mimosa had given it to him, he immersed himself into reading it in the library, under the warm glow of the lamps and the smell of wood, leather, and paper.
There was excitement brewing in his chest. If this legend was true, even though Mimosa said only those who knew the entryway would be able to access it, William would do anything to bring Solene there. It was the perfect place, somewhere that probably nobody in the kingdom right now had been before.
“The entryway can only be unlocked with mana-infused crystals, which can be found in caves bordering the Heart Kingdom and the Clover Kingdom, where mana is the greatest—the Strong Magic Regions.” He read what was in the script, trailing the words with his finger.
He had brought out a map next, looking at where he could find the locations of those caves. It seemed like hard work and a tiring adventure, a quest with risks and dangers. Strong Magic Regions were inhabitable places due to the chaotic mana within it.
But he had to get a crystal to unlock the entryway of the garden, assuming it would appear tonight. It was truly a risk. He had no certainty whether there really were mana-infused crystals in those caves. He did not even know how he would get them. But for Solene?
