Return from death, p.19
Return from Death, page 19
“Thank you,” she said.
“Why is your face turned like that?”
“I saw a bug.”
“A bug?” Vincent repeated, perplexed.
“It already flew off,” Oriana assured him.
“All right, then.”
By the time she turned her gaze back toward him, she’d managed to put on a poker face—or at least as much of one as she could muster. She tried as much as possible to keep the emotion from showing on her face as she accepted his gift.
“They’re sweets. I bought them at the Enchanted Voyager’s station.”
A fitting present for a friend. Oriana politely accepted the gift bag with treats stowed inside. “Thank you. I apologize for not having anything to offer in return.”
“No, please don’t worry about it. I bought this for you because I wanted you to have it.”
Naturally, since we’re brand-new friends, after all. There is no more meaning to it than that. Don’t expect anything else, Oriana, she admonished herself.
“So, uh…you’ve never bought a gift like this for Miguel before?”
“Our territories neighbor one another. We don’t live far enough away to exchange gifts like that. Besides, I would never go out of my way to buy a man a gift.”
In other words, this was just a special perk for being his first female friend.
Oriana hugged the bag to her chest and smiled faintly. “Thank you again. I’ll enjoy eating these, I’m sure.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’d have preferred noodles, but unsurprisingly, they didn’t sell them.”
Oriana froze. “You…know that I like noodles?”
“It’s all you ever eat.”
He actually…noticed that. Oriana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I can’t believe every little thing manages to get my heart racing to the point I can’t even breathe properly. Love is no joke.
If they continued speaking on this topic anymore, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. So instead, she thought about changing the course of the conversation.
“What did you do during summer break?”
“You already know, don’t you? I spent the whole break attending every opera house hoping to catch a glimpse of you.”
“Well, then your scheming bore fruit, considering we did actually meet.”
“Yes, but it was only for three seconds.”
When she laughed, Vincent laughed too.
“I never dreamed I would see you there,” Oriana said.
“Indeed, but my toil paid off.”
“You’re really going to continue that joke, huh?”
Vincent nodded. “It’s the truth, after all.”
“Well, then my apologies for putting you through so much. I was happy to receive your birthday wishes.”
Memories of their unexpected meeting at the opera house flashed through her mind. If she had seen him looking that handsome now that she was aware of her romantic feelings, she might have screeched like a banshee without even meaning to.
“If only other eyes hadn’t been on us. I wish we could have talked longer,” he said.
“Come to think of it, you and my father were already acquainted.” She suddenly remembered how friendly the two had been, even as they kept their close relationship on the down low.
“Yeah. He did me a favor when I was younger. A bit of a shameful story from long ago, so I haven’t really told anyone about it.”
“Well, so as not to bring back memories of such embarrassing times, I shall be sure to keep it a secret that you two know each other.”
“I would appreciate that.” He flashed a smile at her that was all too gentle and brilliant. She had to count to five as she turned her gaze away, trying to calm herself. Looking at him directly was like gazing straight into the sun. In other words, unthinkable.
“The duke was rather friendly as well,” Oriana said, trying to distract herself.
“If my father accosts you again like that in the future, you can simply call my mother over. He’s powerless before her.”
“Summon the duchess directly? Me? You’re asking for the impossible.”
“Give it a shot. We are friends, aren’t we?”
If we’re friends, you should hop in to save me, Oriana thought. She opened her mouth to say as much jokingly but froze up. Memories of the girl who’d been standing beside Vincent rushed back to her. Assuming we were to find ourselves in such a situation, he’d surely be busy escorting Sharon Beezel. He wouldn’t have time to bother with me.
Sharon was beautiful, and her status matched Vincent’s. Oriana had never considered her own ancestry or her father’s status before, but now for the first time, she was envious of Sharon for being born into the aristocracy.
Oriana couldn’t bring herself to ask Vincent about Sharon, either. Not about their time together at the opera or how intimate the two had seemed the other day. It took every bit of willpower to keep herself from inquiring, and she only resisted because she worried he might sense her jealousy rather than interpret it as friendly conversation. Besides, she didn’t really want to hear anything about Sharon from his lips anyway.
I’m not doing so well at this friendship thing, she thought. Much as she wanted to be there for him the way he wished, the more she clung to their status as friends, the more likely it seemed she’d let her true feelings slip.
Oriana stepped closer to the window, pressing her forehead against the glass. Her reflection gazed back at her. Although she had adjusted her makeup to perfection, her gloomy expression detracted from it. This was not at all the expression of a girl who was with someone she loved.
But I can’t help it, she reasoned. I’m not supposed to fall for him.
Oriana tried to tell herself things were better like this. And with that thought in mind, she sighed, fogging up the glass. She lifted a finger and pressed it against the pane. Vincent drew close to her, his face practically right beside hers. Apparently he was curious what she was about to write.
Um…? Isn’t he standing awfully close? Uh, yeah. Super close.
Had she ever allowed him to be up in her personal space like this before? Perhaps she had. Noblemen like him were accustomed to escorting women, so they naturally had less of a sense of personal space, so she’d probably dismissed it before and thought little of it.
I can’t do this. I can’t even remember how I used to act with him before.
Oriana drew her brows together, utterly perplexed, and bit down on her lip.
Vincent studied her, mystified as to why her finger remained perfectly still. “Oriana?”
“Oriana,” Yana called at the same time, her voice overlapping with Vincent’s.
Oriana whipped around to face her friend, feeling as though Yana’s interruption was a blessing—the Dragon God’s divine intervention.
Yana and Azraq were just exiting the lounge together. Yana said, “I was thinking about returning to my room for the day.”
“All right. I’ll go too.” Oriana stepped away from the window, careful not to accidentally brush against Vincent in the process. She hugged his gift bag in her arms and bowed her head. “Goodbye for now. Thank you again for the gift.”
“Yeah…”
Oriana hurried over to Yana’s side, not even bothering to glance at Vincent’s face before she left. As soon as she reached her friend, the princess immediately started walking. Azraq followed behind them, his broad black blocking Vincent’s gaze from following after them. That brought Oriana such relief that all the tension seemed to leave her body.
❦❦❦
SILENCE hung over the dormitory as people slept the night away. On the bottom bunk of the bed, curtains drawn around her, Oriana restlessly turned over. No matter which direction she tried to face, her thoughts kept wandering to Vincent. She drew her nose toward her shoulder, hoping to catch that cedarwood scent, but her bath earlier had washed it away. All she could catch now was a whiff of her own shampoo. Defeated, she dropped her head back against her pillow.
“Hey, Oriana.” A dark silhouette suddenly appeared on the other side of her curtains, drooping down from above. Oriana squeaked in surprise. Apparently Yana was leaning down from the top bunk, her long hair catching the moonlight and casting eerie shadows on the curtains.
“Wh-What is it?” Oriana responded, pressing a hand over her heart, which was still hammering.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course not.”
Yana always made it a priority to sleep right away in order to maintain her beauty, but today she was up awfully late.
Oriana waved her wand at the magic lantern resting near her pillow. Light spilled over her. She drew the curtains open, and Yana climbed down from the top bunk. The princess was clad in a silk maxi dress-type nightgown.
As she slipped inside, Yana said, “Pardon the intrusion.” Once she climbed under the blanket, Oriana found there was less space between them than she’d expected. She scooted over to share her pillow, but the two were so close they practically had their foreheads pressed together.
“What’s the matter, Yana?” Oriana asked.
“There was something off about the way you acted today in the lounge.”
Oriana was taken aback and embarrassed because she’d been so confident that she’d managed to act normally in front of everyone. “Did…everyone else think I was being weird too?”
“I suspect I only noticed because I was worried about you and kept my eyes on you.”
I hope that’s the case, Oriana thought. I’ll have to be more careful starting tomorrow.
As her expression turned solemn, uneasiness getting the best of her, Oriana realized Yana was staring straight at her.
“Oriana.” Yana’s pitch-black eyes glimmered under the dim light of the lantern. “You’re in love, aren’t you?”
Oriana sucked in a breath. Yana wasn’t mincing words.
Yana stared straight at Oriana, and for her part, Oriana found she couldn’t even peel her gaze away. Seeing the shift in Oriana’s expression, Yana smiled. Not the usual, relaxed kind, but one full of tenderness that came straight from the heart.
“It’s going to make you that much more beautiful, Oriana.”
“Beautiful?” Oriana choked back. She was so sure Yana would ask who the man was that she wasn’t at all prepared to hear that kind of statement.
“Love is painful, isn’t it? Heartrending. But starting now, you’re going to grow in ways you couldn’t have by yourself.”
A tear fell from Oriana’s eyes. All the tension that had built up in her body suddenly faded. Th-That means I can keep loving Vincent…for my own benefit? Her throat tightened. I tried to suffocate these feelings, coming up with every excuse in the book to do it—that Vincent already has someone else, that we live in separate worlds. But now, Yana has saved the very love I tried so desperately to throw away.
By those words, Yana had given her justification for not abandoning the affections she held—because her feelings weren’t for anyone else’s sake; they were for Oriana alone.
Before she knew it, her tears were falling one after the other, and she hurriedly wiped them away. Oriana pulled up the blanket to hide her face, too embarrassed to be seen like this.
“I-I thought I’d be bothering Vincent by feeling this way for him…”
“What’s wrong with being in love? You didn’t develop these feelings for his sake. They’re for you.” Yana gently wrapped Oriana, blanket and all, in her embrace. Being cradled in her petite arms made it that much warmer. “There’s no need for you to tell him how you feel. Nor is there any need for you to abandon your love for him. You are free to treasure it. I’m happy for you, Oriana.”
Although Oriana had found no pleasure in falling in love with Vincent, Yana celebrated it, never once acting as if her feelings were a hindrance or unnecessary.
Oriana clung to her friend and sobbed.
After crying for a while, she lifted her head to find tears in Yana’s eyes as well.
“Right now, I really hate Mister Tanzine,” said Yana.
“I can’t bring myself to hate Azraq at all.”
“Of course you can’t.”
Their gazes met and the two girls giggled. Oriana would likely be able to sleep soundly now, thanks to their talk.
Chapter 8: Date - A Promise to Meet
“VINCENT, do you have a moment? I have something to report regarding the dance lessons.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be right there,” he answered warmly.
Her lips pulled into a smile. Ah, I love the way he says “Yeah.”
The end of winter hailed the coming of spring and with it, the start of their fourth year. The color green soon filled the grounds of Lagen Magic Academy, the Herbology fields busy with the planting of seeds. Their first term exams were over as well, which meant everyone was leisurely passing the time. Well, everyone except Vincent Tanzine.
“About our practice venue… Since we’ll be using it for a prolonged period, our natural first choice would be the assembly hall, but it was already reserved. Instead, we’ve secured two inner rooms on the third floor of the west building, which are completely empty. Along with our written petition, I included a list of 204 names of students who are unconfident in their dancing skills. Apparently, Professor Wilton will be overseeing us twice a week.”
“Thank you. Your assistance has been invaluable,” Vincent said, smiling as if he trusted her from the very bottom of his heart. Each time she saw such a dazzling expression on his face, her heart pounded.
Ugh, stupid feelings. My pulse keeps going crazy at every little thing he does.
Even so, Oriana wasn’t about to be embarrassed of herself or depressed simply because Vincent managed to evoke such emotion in her.
It’s stupid for sure, she thought, but I actually kinda like it.
Thanks to Yana’s encouragement, she was no longer trying to run from her feelings and could instead face them head-on. Once she acknowledged that her feelings were valid and acceptable, she felt much calmer, which allowed her to speak to Vincent again naturally. While she did feel bewildered by her own emotions at times, she no longer got so worked up that she couldn’t interact with him.
“I also managed to recruit some people willing to help as instructors,” said Oriana.
“In that case, we should be able to start before summer.”
Since Vincent was as busy as ever, Oriana was pitching in to help him out; he’d come up with the idea of providing dance lessons for students in anticipation of their graduation ball. Though she was assisting, Oriana was more or less just following the plan he had already come up with. She did also make her own contributions, however; she was the one who managed to convince the teachers to let them hold dance lessons twice a week as part of their extracurricular activities.
“Still, it’s incredible you recognized that many students were feeling nervous about dancing,” Oriana remarked.
“It’s all thanks to you. Though I also referenced the opinions of Miss Bälz and others.”
“Glad to hear it, but…considering how in-depth this plan is, you had to have been putting it together for a while, right?”
“Yeah. I had other things going on concurrently though, so I wasn’t able to move forward with it until now.”
Oriana nodded thoughtfully. “Well, with this, we have over half a year to practice. Constance and the others are over the moon, naturally.”
Most of the people around her were commoners. Those from similar upbringings who’d been instructed in etiquette had no issues dancing, but there were many others who didn’t enjoy that luxury. She could think of two such examples off the top of her head: Edda, whose parents were scientists and knew little about the ways of the world outside their field of study, and Constance, whose father was a knight and single parent, who’d yet to remarry. Constance had polished her sword arm to perfection, but she knew nothing about wearing a dress and curtsying.
“You truly do care about your friends,” said Vincent.
“Yes, I love them all.”
Oriana had spent this past month running around like a chicken with its head cut off, anxious to be of help to her female companions. And not so long ago, she finally managed to take down the last barrier to their plan: Professor Wilton.
While she was busy chatting with Vincent, a few girls called over to him in cutesy voices. “Mister Tanzine?”
Vincent glanced at them and smiled.
Ah, that’s his business smile, Oriana noticed. After being friends for a year, she could spot the subtle difference.
When girls first started clustering around him, Vincent was utterly bewildered by the sudden change, but after dealing with this for four months, he’d naturally become accustomed to it. He no longer grabbed her by the hand and tried to escape but instead greeted the girls with a smile.
Since she had already finished updating him on the progress of their dance lessons, Oriana moved to excuse herself and leave the floor to the group of girls. The moment she moved, however, Vincent’s eyes followed her.
Huh? What’s with him? She wondered, retreating a step. The power of his gaze only grew stronger. Is he trying to tell me to stay where I am? Her heart suddenly drummed louder. Is he maybe…asking me for help?
Oriana put on a graceful expression and stood in place, inwardly praying that her lips hadn’t betrayed her and curled into an idiotic grin. As the group of girls pressed in closer, they glared at Oriana for not moving, even as they circled around Vincent.
“Um, you see, I was fretting over what type of wand I should settle on. Would you mind lending your ear and giving me your thoughts?”
“I would like the same. You use your wand for the rest of your life, right? It’s an awfully heavy decision to make all on your own.”
“I can hardly believe this! You girls, too? I actually came hoping to consult him about the very same thing.”
“Perfect timing, since tomorrow happens to be Flower Day (Saturday). Would you mind meeting us at a cafe in the city to discuss our wands?”
