As she looked at their eyes, her mind changed, "On the other hand, please forget my question. That was out of line for me, I shall be staying here as per your highness wish. Thank you for such opportunity."Before any of them could reply she spoke up once again and both of them have nothing more to say. Despite wanting to, it felt like they really can"t.
"Very well, have a good night. Dinner shall be served to you in a while," Rino answered before he and Karen left.
They didn"t want to but they have decided to still lock the door behind them.
"Hold it in, wait until were alone," Rino whispered to Karen before holding her hand and guiding her to their room. Allowing her to finally cry it out as he held her tight with his eyes showing signs of tearing up as well.
Eureka stared at the closed door for a while before looking back outside the window.
"Their eyes are the same," she muttered to herself.
True to their words dinner was served to her, the maid who served it was mind blown when she came face to face with Eureka. She have never seen such a beautiful person before, if not for her thinned face due to her long slumber, surely she would even be more beautiful.
Eureka in the past always had the same cold look and her hair is tied up in a ponytail. She rarely smile and her face was always indifferent to things. If she was not training anyone would rarely see her.
That one time that she attended that ball, people were already blown away. But her always blood stained face, resembling that of a death G.o.d, made people forget of that beautiful lady.
Now that her face was serene and she would even smile. Adding with her eyes that was far different from her ice cold ones, her beauty took a whole leap.
After having dinner and still feeling tired, she decided to retire for the night. Due to her calm look no one could truly say what was going in her mind or what she was truly feeling.
This is maybe something that haven"t changed about her, the way she can hide her emotions perfectly. The only difference was, in the past she hid it with her cold and indifferent demeanor. Now, she hides it with her serene look and her calm eyes that was unfathomable.
It may not be intentional but she was doing it quite fine.
Two hours past midnight, while she was asleep, a shadow approached her. He stood just beside the bed and watched her sleeping figure for a while.
He brushed a few strands of hair that have fallen on her face. This movement made her brows to knit together but soon she fell back to her deep slumber.
"You took your sweet time," he said as he lean close to her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
"But, you have no memory now, what is it really that you want?" he added in his head, he stayed there just before the sun rises, watching her sleeping figure as if she would disappear all over again.
*****
"Tsk, for you to actually return before the time is up. You really didn"t want to let me go until the end don"t you?"
His cheeks were puffed and his brows were knit together. He had imagined that he would be free in another six months or so. Who would have thought that she would return before the time is up?
"Oh well, since you"re here already, let"s see what more can you show me."
His figure jumped down the tree and started walking towards the castle, his hands behind his head as he whistles. Leisurely walking as if he owned the place.
*****
In the inner hall, Feena, Hideyos.h.i.+, Mamoru, Azusa, Rino, Karen, Yukimura, Akihiro, Haruka and Raven were facing each other.
"As you were already informed, she had returned. But just as all of us have dreaded, she had forgotten about all of us. The reason why I called for you first is that I want to know what she truly wants with this decision."
Akihiro spoke up after they have gathered for ten minutes. He can see the excitement in the eyes of these group of friends, he knows they wanted to see her already. But seeing Karen"s eyes, he knows that what they will face might hurt them in the process.
"That is why, I wanted all of you to just contact her like normal. Approach her just like people who wanted to meet a new person. Let"s try it that way for now, not until she asks herself. No one must tell her anything about her past here."
Azusa and Feena showed unwillingness after hearing this.
"Let"s do it that way," Karen spoke up after seeing this.
"But Karen," having only their group around, they started using names instead of t.i.tles. This was something they have promised after Karen"s wedding.
Hearing her accept what Akihiro have just said, the other two couldn"t help but to protest.
Karen smiled at them, a weak one, "You"ll understand once you meet her. Somehow a feeling would sprout in your heart. That you wouldn"t want this person to remember anything about her past."
Raven looked at her and in his mind, he made a mental note.
Hearing Karen speak in such a way, Feena and Azusa have no more words to say. They could only accept what was laid down in front of them.
"We understand."
Hearing the other four"s approval, Akihiro looked at Raven.
"I shall follow your order, but it shall be up to me when I should meet her or if I would meet her."
Raven"s reply caused all of them to be shocked. Isn"t he the one who was waiting for her the most? Shouldn"t he be the one who would have wanted to meet her the most?
"That person who returned was just a sh.e.l.l of her"s. If time would allow it then maybe we would get to the time before she disappeared but right now, I feel repugnant towards her. Just as you have said your highness, we should interact with her like normal, until we find out what it was that she really wanted."
They looked at him and listened intently at everything he was saying.
With a sigh he continued, "Do you think I was someone who would meet and chat with her like normal just because she suddenly appeared in our kingdom? Even in the past, despite my father being the head knight, I only spoke with her and interacted with her when we needed her help during the graduation compet.i.tion."
He looked at each of them, "She is nothing more than a stranger to me now."
Everyone could feel it, a coldness he was exuding towards her. Is he mad? Why si he suddenly mad at her?
Akihiro could only sigh, Raven and Eureka are the only ones whom he could barely change their minds, if this is what his decision is, then he could only accept it.
"Dai," he called.
After stepping down from the throne he left Dai to Rino, but even so Dai still listened to him as the former king.
"Your highness," he knelt before him and respectfully said.
"I want you to watch over Eureka as well. Sooner or later we"ll have to make her stay outside the castle. And in those time just watch over her," Akihiro commanded.
They can"t make her stay in the castle in her condition. Rino have told him about her question of being well treated, if they told her that she shall be staying in the castle with her background, she"d feel something was off.
And their plan of observing her for now would surely not go as they wanted it.
"Go and speak with Hikari," he then face Haruka.
After they left Eureka to her room yesterday, they brought Hikari to her room in the castle. In there they were shock that she knew who Eureka was.
~"Mother, that was elder sister right? The first time I layed my eyes upon her I knew it was her."~
"Tell her to keep it to herself, what she knew about Eureka. She"s a smart child, she"ll understand once you explain it thoroughly to her."
Haruka nodded in agreement.
The meeting ended with the air surrounding all of them being a bit heavy. But they all have decided to check her condition before moving on with a different plan for her.
If she were to be curious of the fact that she might have indeed come to this place then they will decisively tell her everything. But if she were not to ask anything for a long time and remained with her current ident.i.ty, then they will just leave it as it is.
This was not a happy thing for all of them but she had done so many things for them that if this is what she truly wishes then they will just learn to accept it.
The only thing that they worry is the fact that Raven and Eureka, once she remained in her current ident.i.ty, may no longer be the one for each other.