Ace Attorney: Fading Bloodlines

Turnabout From the Sky, Part 19 (Pieter)

As soon as the trial got out, I ran from the courtroom. I was glad that this hell was over. I hated the thought of this. Staying under an alias was far more difficult than I had thought. I didn't know it was that hard... I must applaud Chrysalis for doing it as an official occupation.

Before I could talk to any of my siblings, I felt arms around me. I gasped as I noticed who it was: Victoria.

"Come here..." I whispered, hugging her back. I stroked her gently.

"I missed you so much...!!" Victoria told me, her eyes glossing over with tears. Whenever she cried, I always felt bad, but now it was even worse since she was crying because of my wrongdoing.

"Listen to me, Victoria..." I whispered. "I missed you more."

"I don't think that's possible," Victoria joked. She started laughing, but I could tell that she was faking it so that I wouldn't worry about her. I didn't like it when she did that...

"But... Either way, there's something important I need to tell you," I said, pulling away from the hug. I held her hands and stared into her eyes. "Over the years, I've really grown to love you. I care about you more than you can ever know. You're the best woman I've ever met and one of the three people I care about most in the world. Because of that... I want to make our relationship grow even more than it already has."

"I don't understand..." Victoria whispered. "What are you trying to say, Pieter...?"

"I care about you more than anybody else in the world. You mean the universe to me. I truly mean it. You're the best woman I've ever had contact with and I want to prove it to you more than anything else," I told her.

"I don't understand what you're saying even after that..." Victoria admitted. Her cheeks were starting to turn bright red. She didn't know where I was going, but I had just the right idea.

I messed with my pocket, pulling out a small box. I dropped down to one knee and opened the box to display a diamond ring. "Victoria von Graye... Will you please do me the honor of being the happiest man alive by marrying me?" I asked hopefully, a smile spreading across my lips as I spoke the fateful words.

Victoria didn't speak for a few minutes. Her cheeks were turning more and more red as she teared up. I hoped that this wasn't a bad thing.

Suddenly, her face broke out into a smile. "Pieter... You didn't even have to ask," she answered. Tears fell down her face as she went into a hug. I hugged her back. I just been waiting for months to do this... I got the ring two days before we left because of Cotoli, Chrysalis, and Sora's father. It had hurt everyday that I hadn't given the ring to Victoria, and now that I finally did... It was the best feeling I'd ever experienced.

I stroked her back as delicately as I could. "When you're done hugging me... Let's make sure that I got your ring size right," I said, my tone joking.

Victoria giggled and pulled away from our embrace. She held out her left hand and waited for me to slip the ring on. I pulled the box from my pocket and extracted the ring. "This is beautiful," she murmured breathlessly as I put the ring on her ring finger. "Thank you so much for this, Pieter... It means so much to me..."

"I got this before we were forced to leave. Two days before, afterwards. I had been planning on proposing sooner, but I didn't get the chance," I admitted. "I'm sorry that I had to leave... But I promise that it was for your own safety! I just didn't want you to get hurt because of Mr. Starr!"

Victoria took my hand and stroked it. "It's okay... I know for sure that it wasn't your fault. It was his fault for making you feel lot that was necessary," she assured me. "I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to help you out sooner..."

"That much isn't your fault. You didn't know and you couldn't have done anything if you didn't know," I told her. I hugged her as tight as I could. "Don't blame yourself for things that aren't your fault and never will be your fault. It's all okay."

"Thanks," Victoria whispered into my ear. She closed her eyes and sunk into my arms. She was always adorable when she did these things.

"Should we go and start planning our wedding?" I asked with a hopeful smile.

Victoria nodded. "Of course. I've been waiting for this day for years."

"As have I..." I muttered, feeling pink flush my cheeks. I wasn't used to these sort of things, but I was sure that I could get used to love moments with Victoria. I'd sort of have to if we were really going to get married like we both wanted so badly.

Victoria took my hand with a wide smile. "You look so cute when you blush like that," she said. "You're absolutely adorable, Pieter."

My face only got redder and redder with all of this. Sometimes, I felt like she flattered me just for the sake of flattering me. Well, that and embarrassing me. It's what Victoria does.

"C-come on... Let's go back home so that we can start planning out the wedding..." I suggested.

Victoria squeezed my hand gently. "Fine by me," she smiled. She led me out of the courthouse. The entire way, I could feel the metal of the ring I had bought her. It felt comforting to me. I had messed with it when I missed her these past two months, but now, I didn't need to do that. I wouldn't be missing her anytime soon because she's I've with me always.

That probably sounds creepy.

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I'm almost done with this book y ells

-Digital