[Elsword] - Accidental Affection

Chapter 6 - Desires

[Raven's Point of View]

...

"Say... what are your desires?"

The question had struck me as odd. Desires? What was with this topic all of a sudden? I've known Seris for most of my life. Ever since she was a child, I was appointed to be her servant. At the time, I was only a knight-in-training. My schedules were constantly filled with battle lessons and serving Seris simultaneously. She would often chat about herself and her own accomplishments and goals, but the conversation was ever so rarely focused on me.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but she somehow seemed... different. Even the date appeared a slight bit peculiar at first; I was never expecting for the Queen herself to propose such things.

 Or was I hallucinating again? The woman beside me was still Seris nonetheless.

"Hmm. I don't suppose I really have any, to be honest." My lips swerved into a small grin. "As long as the kingdom remains safe and sound, free of tainted darkness, then I will be satisfied. My duty as a Veteran Commander is to ensure that Velder will be an area happy for all. Does that count as an acceptable answer to your query?"

She giggled with a polite nod. "More than enough, Sir Raven. Thank you for your wise words."

As we stared out into the landscape, Seris' hand had reached over to mine, as our fingers entwined. What was this feeling? I didn't particularly mind.

...

We spent the rest of the day ambling through the Clock Tower Square after departing from the Hope Bridge. The Queen was staring into the display cases of various boutiques, seemingly fascinated at their contents. It wasn't unusual for the girl, but there were several people who recognized her appearance, pestering us with inquiries and whatnot. During these times, escorting a member of royalty was a chore.

Finally, Seris wanted to relax by a field of flowers at a park, within the Harmony Road. Despite window-shopping for such a long duration, she didn't actually purchase anything. In a sense, I couldn't understand females...

"Phew. That was a mirthful walk." Seris sat down on the grass, careful not to obliterate any flora and fauna in her surroundings.

"Indeed." I took a seat beside her, my gaze averted to the Queen's presence.

Promptly, she rested her head on my shoulder, and I allowed her to do so.

"Ah, this feels nice. You would make a wonderful pillow~" she joked.

A suppressed chuckle escaped from my mouth. "Is that so?"

"Mhm. Now, I know it's probably weird for me to be asking again, but I have more things to converse about, regarding the 'desires' subject. You wish for the kingdom to remain 'free of tainted darkness', correct? But, what if it was already corrupted?"

'Already corrupted'? What was Seris talking about? I was utterly confused, Velder looked fine to me. However, I never left the castle grounds often, so I wasn't a fair judge of the discussion.

"What do you mean?" I sternly queried as the chatter made a twisted, more serious turn.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry for scaring you! It's nothing at all, I'm just creating philosophies, you see. Let's return to the palace now. Today was quite fun, Raven, don't you agree?"

"Yeah..." I stood, giving her a helping hand afterwards.

When Seris accepted my aid to stand, I pulled her into my arms, pecking a kiss on her soft cheek. It all occurred in one swift movement, that I wasn't even aware of until it all transpired, flashing through my eyes. I had no clue how or why it had happened, but it just did. My actions were automatically decided somehow; how embarrassing my subconscious was!

The Queen's face was tinted with a reddish shade, her stare refusing to meet mine. "R-Raven..?!"

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness..! It was unintentional, I swear." I attempted to beg for forgiveness, the event was superfluous.

"I-It's fine. J-Just take me back to the castle, alright?"

"Affirmative."

What on Elrios was wrong with me?

...

---[CHAPTER 6 - DESIRES : END]---