PART 16 :-
ARRIVING AT THE PARTY
Bond perspective :-
[At Lyra's Vault.]
"Hey, are you guys ready!!?"
Today is Minidra's birthday, so there's a party at her home, and we're all invited. We get ready and head there, but the old man stops us.
"Is this what you guys are wearing!???"
"What's wrong with it!???"
We're all wearing our regular clean clothes.
"Oh, come on. It's a party, and it's a VIP party. Stay here."
He goes to search through an old box.
"Ahaa… found it."
It's a formal shirt and pants.
"I can't let my image down."
He gives each of us an outfit suited to our personalities.
"Now, look. Behaviour is the most important thing. Listen carefully, all three of you. No matter what happens, don't pick a fight with anyone and ruin your friend's happy moments."
"Yeah, yeah…"
We leave the place and start heading toward the palace.
"Hey, these clothes look antique and used as well. Are they his clothes from childhood?"
"No… they're not that old. They belonged to someone else. We'll never know who, though. After all, we should be glad—we could never afford clothes like these."
........
Mc perspective :-
"Wooo, they decorated the palace really well. So this is what a rich family's celebration looks like."
"Sir, which clan are you all from?"
"Ahh… we're members of the princess's group. Here's the invitation card." Bond handed the guard our invitation card.
"How did you guys get that!??? It's a platinum card. Ahh… this way, sir."
I'm wearing a deep blue suit with a white shirt underneath. Bond is wearing black, while Dex is wearing a purple shirt with a deep white-ash-colored suit.
"Who's that guy in the middle!!!?? He looks so handsome." The girls had already started talking about Bond.
"Oohhhh—you guys look so good. Did Sagurd give you these dresses?"
"Yeah… do we really look good, Aunty?"
"Yeah, you look fantastic."
"Many high-profile people came today. Isn't that!??"
"Yeah, this is how a party looks like. Although my lady didn't expect it to be this grand after what happened months ago, her father wanted it."
"Do you think it's okay for us to be here?"
"Hmm… I'm not the one who should decide. But if you want to know my true feelings, I don't think there's any shame in you guys being here. Just be confident."
After saying that, she leaves us when someone calls her.
We start looking around at the decorations.
"Waaahahaaaa…"
A kid starts crying after falling to the floor while running.
"Ohh… did my little prince get hurt!?"
A woman, probably his mother, comes over and starts patting his head. Then she hugs him.
"Does it still hurt!??"
"Noo… hehehehe…"
"Does it feel that great when a mother loves her child!??" I look at Dex.
"What are you looking at!!!???" he yells at me.
"I'm also an orphan like you. Did you forget!?? We grew up in the same place."
Well, he's right, though.
"It feels safe…" Bond starts speaking. "When a mother hugs her child, the child feels like the safest and happiest person in the world."
"How do you know that!??" Dex asks him.
"The only thing I remember about my mother is when she loved me."
I wish I knew what it felt like. I wish I could hug my mother too. I want to know what she looked like… how she sounded… what it feels like to have parents.
"The Princess of Scribes is now coming to join the party."
Someone announces that Mini is now entering the party.
......….
PART 17 :-
EYES OF BEAUTY, ONLY FOR ONE
MC perspective :-
[Minidra entered the party wearing a stunning white classic ball gown, amazing everyone present.]
Par…
The moment I saw her, everything around me seemed to fade away.
The voices, the footsteps, even the wind—I barely noticed any of it. My eyes remained fixed on her, as if my mind had forgotten how to look anywhere else.
Her white dress, her eyes… she looks like the brightest moon in the darkest sky.
She is just so beautiful…
"Wow, look at the princess. She is so gorgeous. The dress perfectly matches her hairstyle and her face."
People started talking about her.
Those earrings!!! They're the same ones I gave her that night. She wore them to such an important event. People might laugh, but… she looks so good wearing them.
"Even look at her earrings. They look so cheap, but they beautifully match her."
What!!!?
[Mini starts searching for someone. She smiles when she finds him and rushes toward him.]
"Hey…"
"Hi… aaa… Happy Birthday…"
I just don't know what to say to her. Even though I've been preparing for this for a long time, the words just won't come out.
"How am I looking!!??? I wanted to wear a simple dress, but Iras forced me to wear this…"
"You look gorgeous…"
My words seem to shock her, I guess…
It takes me a moment to realize that everyone is watching us.
"My lady, there are other people waiting for you as well…"
I only realize it after Aunty calls her.
"I'll be right back…"
"Wait…"
She stops after I call her.
"Your present… I almost forgot to give it to you."
"For me!?? You can give it to me later. It's not like I'm going to leave you."
"No, it's just that…
I could have kept it with me a little longer, but what value does something precious have when it's kept away from the person it was meant for?"
Her face turns red.
Did I embarrass her!????
I give her the present I made.
Aunty told me that she loves the moon and would be happy with anything I gave her. Dex suggested giving her a necklace or hairpins. I searched many shops but couldn't find anything that felt right, so I made them myself, with Juha helping me figure out how to make them.
"Can I open it now!!!?"
"It's yours. You can open it whenever you want."
She opens it…
She looks shocked.
"Ahh… sorry, it's not as expensive as the other presents. Aunty told me you like the moon, so I searched for something but couldn't find anything. So I made this myself…"
I made a necklace for her, along with two simple hairpins because I had some extra raw materials.
I even had to pack them myself, placing the necklace and hairpins in the middle.
"Thank you… It's the best present I have ever received."
Her eyes sparkle as she says it.
I'm glad to hear that.
She smiles at me, then quietly says something before leaving. I can only read her lips.
"I'll be right back."
"Hey, we're both here too, you know…"
I look behind me and see Bond and Dex. Bond is leaning his weight against Dex's shoulder.
"Woo, come on. How could he notice us? After all, he lost his mind the moment he saw her."
Dex is making fun of me now.
"Shut up…"
"Hey, boy. Do you have a moment?"
A voice interrupts us.
It's Mini's father.
"I'm Minidra's father. I want to talk to you alone."
......….
PART 18 :-
THE DANCE OF REALISATION
Valen perspective :-
"Ooo… the Head of Scribes… how are you!!!??"
"Good, until I saw you, Scar. I don't remember inviting you."
"Hmm hmm… hehehe… I don't need anyone's permission except the King's to go anywhere. And the King sent me here."
"Why!!!?"
"Who knows!!!? Maybe he's interested in your daughter."
I grabbed his collar and quietly said in his ear,
"Just because it's my daughter's party, and I don't want to ruin it, is the only reason I didn't cut your throat. But I won't tolerate this next time…"
"Relax…"
He points out the number of soldiers mingling among the crowd.
"Next time, they might ruin the party."
He leaves after saying that.
"Sir, the princess is ready to arrive."
Minidra entered the party.
Wow… she looked like a goddess.
No, she's always been a goddess.
Ahh… she's just like her mother.
That boy!!!!
She didn't even look anywhere else when she found him.
I have to talk to him.
——
"I'm Minidra's father. I want to talk to you alone."
The other boys leave.
"I want to see what my daughter sees in you. You're not that handsome."
"I'm also wondering what makes a man choose his clan's duty over his daughter."
"Aaaa… sharp and straightforward. I like that. Although I must say, she hates me, but that doesn't mean I'll leave her with just anyone…"
"She doesn't hate you. You're the one who hated her. At least, that's what I know. Whenever she talks about you, she says that her father hates her."
"Ahh… she told you that!!!?"
"Ohhh mannn… you should talk to her instead of me. You're the one who created the distance between you."
"Yeah, because I didn't have a choice…"
"No reason can be big enough for a father to stay away from his daughter."
"Yes, there is…"
"Would she die if you stayed with her!!!?"
"Why do you ask me that!!!?"
"Would you allow me to stay with her if you learned that being with me would hurt her!!!!?"
"No, absolutely not… I would never… Wait!!! Why did you ask that!!!??"
"I was just wondering!!!?"
It's the same as my situation.
But did he find a better solution than me!!!??
"Look, it doesn't matter if she chose you. What matters is whether you're willing to protect her, even if it costs you your life."
"If I protect her at any cost, then is it okay with you if she stays with me?"
I don't want to say it.
"Only if she accepts you. She's free from every chain. She can choose whatever she wants. I just want her to be safe."
"I promise you. Whether she stays with me or not, I'll protect her from everything that could hurt her."
"That's good to hear.
I have one more question. Do you like my daughter?"
"Umm… if I say no, I might be lying.
But I don't know what she thinks about me. It's just that she's like a moon I can't reach.
She is… you know, you said she hated you, but I don't think the moon can hate anyone. It might get angry and hide, but after some time, it comes out again and brightens your night.
Looking at her makes me happy."
[A certain memory comes to Valen's mind. He hears words he had almost forgotten.]
"Look, Mana, you're like a moon. Without you, I'm like a lost person in the night. I know we can't be together. I know you hate me. It's just that I don't want you to die because of me. I'll love you even though you hate me."
"I never hated you…
You said I'm a moon. So, you must know that the moon never hates anyone. If it did, it would never show its beauty to others. It might get angry, so it hides, but it always comes back."
"You don't hate me, even though you know I'm a killer who has killed innocent people!!!"
"You're like the sun to me, leading me to see the outer world. Without the sun's light, the moon is nothing. That's why I'll always love you, even if no one accepts us."
[Valen is shocked for a moment as he hears his beloved's voice again.]
"Hello… you went completely silent, sir."
"You can go now…"
He's just like me.
I hope they don't end up like us.
"Hey, never forget those words… You'll protect her, even if it costs you your life, or if someone else tries to hurt her."
I called him back and told him the words no one had ever told me.
"Of course…"
He leaves me after saying that.
......….
Mc perspective :-
Well, she looks busy right now.
Ahh… I can't look anywhere else besides her. I'm hopeless.
"Now it's time for the dance." Someone announces it.
I wish I could dance with her. There are so many people asking her to dance.
"Hey, don't just stand here and watch. Go ask her to dance," Bond says.
"Don't be stupid… Do I look like someone who knows how to dance!!??"
They look at each other.
"You dance all the time when you fight," Dex says.
"It's different…"
"You're hopeless. Be a man and go ask her."
"Wait…"
They push me toward her.
"Hey, you don't want to dance!!!?"
"Their gazes… I don't like them… at least not with them."
"Ahh… too bad…"
"Why don't you ask me!??"
"Me? I don't know how to dance. I'll embarrass you in front of everyone."
"You don't know how to dance!!!!? Should I teach you!???"
"Is that okay!!?? There are a lot of VIPs here who might not like that."
"Who cares about them!!!!? Come…"
She takes my hand and drags me toward the dance floor, where everyone is dancing with their partners.
The music begins, soft and graceful. She reaches out her hand, and I gently take it.
She carefully guides my hand to her upper back and places her other hand in mine.
I try to follow her movements, slowly and carefully, until our steps begin to move as one.
[The golden lights shimmer around us, but neither of us seems to notice.]
My eyes remain on her, admiring every little expression on her face.
She looks at me with the same quiet warmth, a soft smile resting on her lips.
As we turn together, our eyes meet again.
For those few moments, the music, the people, and the entire ballroom seem to fade into the distance.
[There are only the two of us, moving gently together. We don't need words to tell each other how much we care. The way we hold each other's hands says enough. The way we smile says even more.]
What is this feeling!!!?
I've never felt this kind of happiness before.
I thought love was something where your heart and mind only think about her. But that was attraction.
Love is when you can't imagine a day without her. When you want to protect her from everything, respect her more and more, and never want to see her hurt.
Love is the bond we share… a relationship that makes us move forward. Something that gives us the strength to see the world differently. Something that makes us want to become better every day.
I don't want to lose her…
I want her to smile like this forever.
I don't have to fear anything now. Even if she leaves me, I'll always be there for her, making sure she keeps smiling.
[The love Bright feels for her grows stronger and deeper with every moment. He doesn't need to tell her how he feels. His eyes say everything.]
"Mini, I have to tell you something…"
"KRAK—BANG!!!"
What just happened!!?
The wooden door splinters under the force and crashes open, interrupting our dance.
"My Lord… help me… they're coming…"
Mini's father rushes toward him.
"What happened, Lemon!!!!? Did something happen on your mission!!??"
"They're coming…"
He's deeply terrified… as if he's seen his worst nightmare.
"Relax… tell me what happened!!?? Who's coming!!!? No one is going to hurt you…"
"They're coming…"
His voice trembles.
"The destruction is coming… Everything will be ruined beneath their feet…"
He looks at everyone with terrified eyes.
"The Doomwalkers!!!!! They're coming…"
......….