The next day, Ruby and her friends went to visit the Moniyan Empire like Lesley had said they would. Ruby couldn't help being nervous about it. She hadn't seen the Lightborn squad for ages. Except for Harith, of course. And, she didn't know why, but she sort of wanted to see Alucard. Her feelings for him had long since faded away, but sometimes she still wanted to be friends with the guy. He was a pretty fun person.
As they were walking, Ruby sidled up to Kagura. 'Are you looking forward to seeing them?' she asked her friend curiously, glancing at her.
Kagura gave her an inquisitive look and shrugged. 'Meh. A little. I mean, aside from their rank, we hardly know anything about them.'
Aside from Harith and Alucard, whom Ruby had known really well at some point, what Kagura said was right. Besides, Harith and Alucard's real selves were both too goofy for Ruby to see them as the saviors of Moniyan. 'That's true,' admitted Ruby.
As usual, they found Silvanna, Granger and Alucard at the center of the Imperial Palace, standing around a huge table in a center which Silvanna and Granger were seated at. Knowing Tigreal and Fanny, they were probably busy with work again. Alucard was merely leaning against one side with his arms folded, looking bored. Ruby couldn't help being proud of herself for hardly feeling anything even when their gazes met involuntarily.
His eyes widened in shock. 'Ruby, you're back?' he said in disbelief, pushing himself off the table and running towards her hurriedly. Before Ruby knew it, he was hugging her, making her stumble backwards in surprise. She didn't do anything but remain still as he squeezed her tightly, disorientated and not knowing how to react. She let out a breath she'd been holding when he finally let go and took a step back.
'I'm so glad you're fine,' he said to her, smiling a little shyly and sheepishly. For a moment, Ruby forced herself not to crack a smile even though she could tell the relief and gratitude on his face was genuine, but then she gave in and returned his slightly awkward smile, averting her gaze from his.
'I'm glad to see you, too,' Ruby replied cheerily, not knowing if her words were sincere or not. Probably a little more than she wanted to admit.
'I know you probably won't believe me, but when I heard that you and your friends had been kidnapped, I freaked out. I really thought you might be...' Alucard angled his face away, his expression dark. However, a scant second later, he turned back to her with a wide smile. 'That's why I'm glad all of you are okay. Especially you, Ruby. Don't you dare get yourself kidnapped again.'
Ruby wanted to spit at him, if you really cared so much, you would've followed your brother to come and save me, but resisted the urge to do so. Silvanna and Granger were there too, after all. Saying something like that to Alucard, right in front of them, probably wouldn't end well.
Silvanna and Granger stood up from their seats, their faces filled with wonder. 'Lesley, you went to rescue them?' she asked, sounding awed but still a little disapproving. Not having seen Silvanna for a long time, Ruby was couldn't help being shocked by the slight resemblance of their facial features. Their hair was the same pale blonde, too.
'Yeah,' answered Lesley. She turned to Harley and placed her hands on his shoulders, steering him forwards. 'This guy helped me, too,' she told them.
Harith fidgeted frantically, looking alarmed. The rest of the Lightborn Squad had already began to stare at him murderously. 'So that's where you went, Harith?' demanded Granger, looking angry.
Ruby was surprised. They hadn't known about it at all? Silently, she shot Lesley an uneasy glance.
Before he could say any more, though, Silvanna cut him off. 'Gods, Harith, you really have to stop running off like that. I can't believe you dared put yourself in so much danger without telling anyone where you'd gone.'
Harith made a 'tch' noise, looking surly. 'I always do that,' he muttered.
Alucard glared at him. 'Well, stop,' he said seriously. 'One day you're gonna get yourself in serious trouble. So stop it.'
As much as she felt bad for Harith for being the one taking all the blame, Ruby was relieved that Lesley wasn't in trouble for getting one of Moniyan's greatest heroes involved in something so dangerous without telling the others. Besides, Silvanna, Granger and Alucard were right. Harith really ought to stop going on reckless adventures without informing anybody.
'So what the evil prince said was true, then?' Granger asked Lesley, a wary look on his face. 'He really wanted them to escape?'
Lesley nodded. Ruby merely stared at them, a little confused. How much did the Lightborn Squad know and how much did they not know? Lesley would have to explain things to her later.
'But why?' asked Silvanna, looking frustrated but ever so slightly hopeful. Dyrroth was her brother, after all. 'He said we were still his enemies, right? Then why would he want to help them for real?
Ruby knew Silvanna and her friends probably wouldn't trust her as much as they trusted Lesley, but couldn't resist the urge to speak anyway. 'He's not as bad as you think,' she began uncertainly, feeling incredibly self-conscious when all their eyes swiveled towards her. 'He is evil, and he's still our enemy, but he's really not such a heartless person. I...got to know him a little during my imprisonment in the Abyss.'
She probably shouldn't have added that last part. Knowing Granger and how he didn't trust as easily as Silvanna and Alucard, he would probably suspect her of cavorting with the enemy. 'Really?' asked Silvanna, a little quietly. Then, much to Ruby's surprise, her face lit up. 'That's great,' she said brightly. 'In fact, it's exactly what I've been hoping for.' She turned to Ruby and smiled. 'Thanks for telling me this, Ruby. It's great to know that my brother still has a bit of human in him.'
Ruby was momentarily caught off guard when Silvanna called Dyrroth her brother, but thankfully managed to recover in time. She really had to get used to them being siblings. 'No problem,' she responded, returning Silvanna's bright smile. 'Oh, and, by the way...'
'Yeah? What is it?'
'The Abyssal demons are going to invade Moniyan again in six days.'
She saw all four of the Lightborn members stiffen completely, immediately pinning their stares on her. 'Seriously?' asked Alucard, his eyes wide with shock. 'Why didn't you say so earlier?'
Before Ruby could answer, Silvanna spoke. 'This is bad,' she said, her voice filled with dread. She spun around to face Granger. 'Granger, I need you to find Tigreal and tell him this. Right now. We've got to gather as many capable people as possible from the nearby lands and ask them to join us in the war. We just only got attacked a month ago, our defenses are weak. Go!'
Without another second of hesitation, Granger was off, breaking into a swift jog. Silvanna immediately spun back around to face Ruby, her expression panicked urgent. 'What else is there? Do you know anything else?'
Ruby thought hard, trying to recall everything Dyrroth and Moskov had leaked to her. 'I don't think there's anything else,' she said after a moment. 'Actually, there is. They've been invading smaller, weaker cities all this time, either to slaughter the citizens so that they can't join Moniyan, or to take them prisoner and force them to fight alongside the Abyssal Demons.'
Silvanna's mouth tightened. 'Really? They've been doing that?' She angled her face away, practically radiating anger. 'To think that my own brother could do something so monstrous. I'm going to destroy the demon in him and bring him back no matter what.'
For a moment, Ruby considered telling Silvanna what was going on between her and Dyrroth, but decided that it would be a bad idea. She didn't know Silvanna well, so she had no idea how she would react after hearing that. Besides, if Silvanna didn't entirely trust Ruby, she would probably think Ruby's loyalty was divided.
'If we can't do that, though,' said Alucard slowly, looking at Silvanna with a carefully shuttered expression, 'we've got to be prepared to kill him if we've got no other choice.'
A feeling of slight dread curdled in Ruby's gut.
Silvanna lowered her head, gritting her teeth. 'There has to be another way,' she said, sounding angry. 'There has to be a way to turn him back into a human permanently. As long as there's such a possibility, I'm not going to let him die no matter what.'
Alucard merely stared at her silently for a few more seconds, then turned away, seeming shrouded in thought.
'Well, we'd best hope things turn out that way,' he said grimly.
---
Once Ruby and her friends were back at Lesley's house, the sun was setting. Kagura and Harith had gone back to their respective homes, leaving Ruby with Lesley and Harley. She couldn't help feeling a sense of peace she hadn't felt in ages during their walk back to the house. The sunset painted everything a beautiful shade of pinkish orange, and its colours were more vibrant than Ruby had remembered them to be.
As she walked inside the house with her two friends, Lesley halted abruptly, looking as though she'd suddenly remembered something. 'Oh, yeah,' she said, sounding uncharacteristically. 'Ruby, I've got something for you.'
Ruby blinked a few times. 'Something for me?' she said.
'Yep.' Lesley looked at her friend over her shoulder with a wry smile, then disappeared into the storeroom. 'Be right back.'
Ruby stared after Lesley cluelessly. She looked at Harley. 'What's she talking about?'
Harley rolled his eyes, visibly fighting back a smirk. 'It belongs to you, actually,' he said.
Several seconds later, Lesley was back, carrying something heart-wrenchingly familiar and large in size in her hands. Ruby's eyes widened in shock when her gaze settled on it, unable to believe what she was seeing.
'No way,' she said breathlessly. 'How did you get my scythe?'
Lesley threw it to her without warning, and Ruby frantically caught it with unsteady hands, nearly dropping it inelegantly. 'You dropped it in the forest the day you got captured, idiot. I can't believe you could be so careless.'
Ruby gazed down at her favorite weapon, inspecting its crimson, razor-sharp blade and bejeweled gray handle. It looked as new as ever, and she couldn't help suspecting that Lesley had polished it a little for her. Ruby felt a pang of gratitude. 'Thanks, Lesley,' she said brightly. 'Thanks so much. I was wondering if I'd ever get to see this again.'
Suddenly hit by an irresistible urge to try swinging it around a bit, Ruby gripped her large scythe with both hands and tried to spin it, nearly losing her balance in the process because she'd forgotten how heavy it was.
'Oi!' yelled Harley from behind her, making her jump. 'You nearly killed me! What the hell?'
'Huh?' Ruby whirled around, panicking, just only having remembered that Harley had been standing behind her. 'Sorry!'
Lesley let out an incomprehensible groan and plucked the scythe out of Ruby's grasp. 'Ugh, I can't trust both of you with these kind of things.' She set it carefully against the wall, placing it in a position where it wouldn't slip. 'Also, Ruby, there's something I have to ask you.'
Ruby gave her friend an inquisitive look. 'What is it?'
'Kagura, Harith and I will all be fighting against the Abyssal Demons during the war, we've done it before anyway, but are you sure you're completely prepared for it?' asked Lesley, sounding genuinely concerned and worried for Ruby. 'War isn't pleasant at all, Ruby. Far from it. It's bloody, violent, brutal and senseless. I don't want you dying during your first time experiencing a war upfront.'
Ruby softened a little, letting Lesley's words sink in. After merely remaining quiet for a moment, she spoke in a barely audible voice, 'I know how bad it is. I am prepared. I just...want to protect you all. Before I lose anyone else.'
Lesley gave her a look of sympathy and understanding. 'Ruby, you don't have to do that,' she responded, sounding a little sad.
Ruby forced a beseeching, slightly awkward grin. 'Yeah, but...I don't know, I just feel like I owe all of you so much. This is my chance to repay your kindness. I'll help you defeat your enemy, even if it means I'm going against someone else I care about.'
Her friend looked a tiny little bit frustrated. She blew out a breath through pursed lips. 'You know, Ruby,' she said with that familiar sarcastic tone of hers, 'sometimes I wish you weren't so independent.'
Ruby huffed out a laugh. 'It hard seeing someone who's been like a younger sister to you for years suddenly grow up, right?' she said teasingly. 'How many years have we known each other now?'
'I'm not sure,' said Lesley, a crooked grin on her face. 'Probably around four.'
'Only four?' Ruby wrinkled her nose. 'That's pretty disappointing.'
'Of course you'd think that.'
Ruby grinned at her best friend. 'So, the war's in only six days, isn't it. Are you excited?'
It wasn't lost on Ruby that Lesley had stiffened a little when she said this, and for a moment she hesitated uncertainly, afraid she'd said something tactless. 'I don't know. Kind of, I guess. I usually do enjoy battles, but the amount of bloodshed during war is just too much for me.'
Yeah,' Ruby agreed, feeling a little guilty that she'd asked such a question. 'Well, since it's going to be my first time in a war, I'm going to at least try to enjoy it. So I don't end up being traumatized for years after it's over.'
Lesley gave her a small smile. 'I don't think it'll be your first time seeing gore and death in person, right? If not, then don't worry. You'll get through it just fine.'
Ruby managed a small but hopeful smile. 'I hope you're right.'
From the corner of her eye, she saw Harley fold his arms behind her. 'Be grateful you even get to participate in the battle,' he said sourly. 'I want to go, but everyone says I'm too young.'
'They're right,' Ruby told him, ruffling his curly amber hair as she brushed past him. 'You're way too young.'
Harley's face contorted into a scowl as he inched away from her, ducking his head. 'Oh, shut up,' he muttered. Ruby merely chuckled at that and decided to not annoy him any further.
---
That night, Ruby came up with an excuse to go to bed early and woke once more at midnight. She'd only gotten scarcely more than an hour of sleep, but it would have to do. She could come back later and get more sleep anyway.
She felt bad for deceiving Lesley and sneaking off like this, but there was no way Lesley would allow her to meet Dyrroth in the forest alone, let alone enter such a dangerous place so late at night. So she simply couldn't let her know about it. Though if she were to be discovered, Ruby was dead. Dead.
Ruby pushed herself to her feet silently, making sure not to make any sounds, and crept out of the room. Thankfully, the hinges of the door didn't create a single creak. As much as Ruby tried to, she couldn't quell the feeling of mingled guilt and dread in her gut.
Was doing this really okay? Wasn't she betraying her friends' trust in her?
Still, Ruby gritted her teeth and forced that unlikeable thought away, burying it at the back of her mind. She could leave the guilt for later. What mattered right now was that she'd promised to meet Dyrroth at night whenever she had the chance, and she couldn't break her promise and chicken out now.
She tiptoed down the stairs with careful steps, keeping her hand on the railing so that she wouldn't lose her balance in the near darkness of the stairwell. The house was so silent, it made the beating of her own heart sound deafening. She forced herself to keep her breaths steady and quiet, afraid she would wake someone.
Once she'd finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Ruby walked carefully towards her scythe, which lay against the wall of the living room where Lesley had left it earlier, memorizing its exact position so she could put it right back where it had been later. As she picked it up carefully, inspecting its sharp silver blade which glinted under the dim moonlight pouring through the window, Ruby felt an inevitable pang of guilt hit her again.
However, once more, she pushed it away and made her way towards the front door.
---
She hadn't been in the forest this late at night, all alone, when she ought not to be for a long time, and a wave of overwhelming nostalgia hit her when she realised how closely what she was doing now resembled what her past self had always done. Except the reason why she was there had changed, of course.
So had she.
To Ruby, the forest felt as though it had an empty, lifeless air of loneliness practically radiating from every corner. Even though she could hardly make out anything in her pitch-black surroundings, the absence of the village that had once been there was as clear to Ruby as ever, and it filled her with a great sadness despite that she'd been without her village and all her old friends for a while now.
Once she'd walked long enough to instinctively know that this was somewhere around the spot where she'd caught Dyrroth peeking at her - or stalking her - for the first time, Ruby came to a stop and looked around, breathing steadily. She could still remember the first time they'd met - the entire scene was still clear as crystal in her head to this day. Yet again, a huge wave of nostalgia hit Ruby.
'Hey,' said a masculine voice from behind her.
Ruby jumped and spun on her heel, startled, her scythe raised reflexively. Much to her relief, all she saw was a familiar tall, broad-shouldered figure with silver hair and spiky armor. He put his hands up, the faintest trace of a teasing smile playing across his lips. 'Relax, Ruby. It's just me.'
Her eyes widening, she lowered her scythe. 'Dyrroth,' she said in breathless relief. Then, without another moment of hesitation, she sprung forwards and threw her arms around him.
The prince took a sudden step back, as if taken by surprise. 'Damn, you missed me, didn't you?' he said jokingly, putting his arms around her waist after a few seconds. 'Although it's only been two days.'
Ruby pulled away shyly, her cheeks flushing. She couldn't believe she'd acted like that the moment she saw him. Did she really have to be so embarrassing? 'I guess so,' she answered, looking anywhere but at Dyrroth, who still had that lopsided grin on his face. 'I mean, haven't you missed me as well?'
'Of course,' he said, his smirk broadening. 'How could I not miss you? My life was so much more peaceful without you being there to pester me.'
Ruby shot him a dull but slightly murderous look, and the prince let out a lighthearted laugh, sounding a little intimidated. 'I'm just kidding, Ruby,' he said.
'I know that,' said Ruby, relaxing a little.
Not even sure of what she was doing, she not-too-roughly grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him close for a kiss, having to get onto the tips of her toes to reach him. As their lips touched, she felt Dyrroth smile more than saw it, and couldn't resist smiling as well.
Their kiss was slow yet passionate. Once they'd finally decided to draw apart for breath, Ruby's lungs were aching. 'Hey,' Dyrroth said in a low, intimate voice that made heat suffuse Ruby's already warm cheeks, gently resting his forehead against hers, 'you're okay, aren't you?'
Ruby met his purple-eyed gaze curiously. 'Yeah, I am,' she said, slightly confused. 'What do you mean?'
Dyrroth finally pulled a bit further away, letting out a sigh and pressing a hand to his forehead. As he swept his disheveled silver hair out of his face, Ruby couldn't help being transfixed again. There was no way someone was allowed to be that hot while pushing hair out of their face. 'It's nothing,' he said, sounding drained. 'I was just worried about you. Because, you know, shit's really hit the fan back in my home. A lot of the demons, mostly the mindless ones, have been creating all kinds of chaos in places they shouldn't. I'm stressed as hell, but I guess I've just gotta endure it.' He let out another frustrated sigh.
Ruby smiled grimly, able to understand what he was going through. 'You're right,' she said, folding her arms. 'All you can do is endure it. Besides, it'll be over soon. So don't worry.'
The prince merely looked at her thoughtfully for several seconds, but then he forced a strained smile. 'Yeah, that's true,' he said with a smile that was sheepish and humourless at the same time. 'It's all gonna be over in...five days, right?'
'Yep. Five days.' Ruby matched his hollow smile with one of her own. 'It's gonna be my first war, you know.'
'Oh, really?' That was when Dyrroth's smile wilted a little, replaced by a look of slight worry. 'Wait, I didn't know you were going to participate too.'
'Well, I'm going to participate. I'll be on Moniyan's side.'
'Nice. Are you excited?'
'As if.'
Dyrroth smirked at her, once again somehow managing to paralyze her for a few seconds just by doing so. 'It's not as bad as you humans view it to be,' he said. 'Once you've gone through it all a few times, you actually start to enjoy it more and more. Because for once, even though you know you might die, you also know being so close to death isn't that bad. It's actually pretty thrilling.'
Ruby thought about all the times she'd broken out of her cell alone in the Abyss, and couldn't help but shudder a little. Dyrroth was sort of right, though. 'I think I get what you're saying.'
'Of course you do, smartass.'
Ruby cast a scowl in his direction, although there was a smile pulling at her lips too. 'Are you excited?' she asked. 'For the war.'
'Me?' said Dyrroth. For a while, he merely stared at nowhere in particular, tilting his head back to gaze up at the sky after a moment had passed. 'Yeah, Ruby. I can hardly wait. I just want to get it over with.' A slight shadow came over his face. 'But...I don't even know if things will get any easier afterwards.'
For a long, long time, there was only silence between them, Ruby and Dyrroth both staring up at the night sky, which was illuminated with thousands of tiny white stars. Then, very quietly, Ruby spoke. 'Dyrroth.'
The prince looked at her. 'Yeah?'
'I told the Moniyan Empire your plans.'
Even from the corner of her eye, Ruby saw Dyrroth stiffen, his entire body going rigid where he stood. After another immensely long silence had passed, he finally managed to utter in disbelief, 'With all due respect, Ruby, why?'
'I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect my friends.' She knew such a reason wasn't enough for Dyrroth, and that she'd done something far more selfish than she thought, but it was the truth. Her expression turned hard as she continued to speak. 'I have so many kindhearted people that I care about in Moniyan, Dyrroth. I've already lost my family and my village. I don't want to lose anyone else.'
The prince merely stared at her for a few seconds, as if unable to believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. 'B-but...' he began to stammer, 'if you've told them, that means they're going to be prepared. It's just going to be a repeat of the previous time. The Abyss is done for.'
'I'm sorry. I know it's selfish, but it just felt like the right thing to do.' Ruby's expression was grim and mirthless. 'I have to protect my family. That's the reason why I'm going to fight alongside them, too.'
Dyrroth's mouth tightened. 'So that's the reason why. I thought you were just being reckless again, like you always are.'
Ruby stared at him. 'I'm not that reckless,' she said to him indignantly. 'I wouldn't go as far as to get myself involved in a war for fun. I value my life, okay?'
'Fine. That's good to hear. I know a lot of people who had bad things happen to them and threw away their lives getting revenge.' Dyrroth smiled bitterly, as if thinking of someone. Then his smile faded abruptly when he turned his gaze back to her. 'Ruby, I can't believe you ruined my people's plans when we were this close to invading Moniyan. I seriously trusted you.' He paused for a moment. 'But, honestly, I understand why you did it.
Ruby looked at him quietly. 'Are you mad at me?'
The prince let out a light sigh, walking over to the nearest tree and resting his back against it, looking up at the night sky again. 'Who knows,' he answered. 'I mean...even if I lose my trust in you now, it won't change anything, because it's not like...' A small, bittersweet smile graced his lips, 'we have a future together.'
Ruby had no idea how to respond to that, but his words had undeniably invoked a deep sadness in her, because they were the truth. 'Do you really have to be that pessimistic?' she snapped, sounding a lot harsher than she'd intended to. 'Come on, Dyrroth. Don't talk about that. You're just ruining the mood.'
Dyrroth smiled apologetically. 'Sorry,' he said, sheepish.
'It's fine. I didn't mean it like that,' she replied after a moment, mirroring his embarrassed grin.
'I know.' That was when Dyrroth's grin turned a little sly. 'Besides, who even cares if we don't get to officially end up together? Meeting in secret like this is fine. In fact, it might even be better.'
Before Ruby could answer, the prince was right in front of her, and his lips were on hers. She felt his arms circle around her waist, gentle but insistent, felt the warmth of his body so close to her own. Ruby blushed uncontrollably. Could he not?
'Dyrroth,' she whispered a little indignantly when they drew apart for a split second, but all he did was smile at her knowingly, place a gentle hand on her cheek, and lean in to kiss her again. He didn't seem to be holding anything back at all, and Ruby didn't know how to feel about that. No matter how much she tried to convince herself things would be okay afterward, she always wondered how things would go on after Dyrroth was married to Selena. It was the day Ruby dreaded most.
'It's fine, Ruby.' Dyrroth's voice was firm but soothing. He gently ran his fingers through several locks of her hair, his forehead resting against hers. 'You've just gotta believe everything will turn out fine. Relax a little.'
Ruby gave him a desperate look. 'But - the war's in five days, Dyrroth.'
'So? You can't do anything about it. Loosen up a bit.'
She bristled a little irritably. 'I know I can't do anything about it. But - you know - doing this while knowing I might die five days from now-'
Dyrroth looked a little shaken by that, and firmly grabbed Ruby by the shoulders to look her in the eye. 'Don't say that, Ruby. Do you seriously think you're going to die? Of course you aren't. You're really skilled in battle, right? You're not gonna die in the war. We're not gonna die. Trust me, Ruby.'
Ruby shut her eyes briefly. When she opened them, she couldn't help but feel unthinkably tired. She was only sixteen, yet she felt as though she'd aged so much over the past few months. 'I really, really want to believe you, but I'm sorry, I just can't,' she said. 'It's probably natural to feel this way before my first war, anyway. Besides, either way, since I might die...I'm just gonna enjoy myself tonight.'
Before the prince would say a word, Ruby got onto her tiptoes again to kiss him gently, inwardly wishing she were taller. She dug her fingers into Dyrroth's surprisingly soft blonde hair, feeling him kiss her back with equal fervor. Once a minute or two had passed, they finally drew apart for breath once more.
'Hey, Dyrroth, I have a question,' Ruby said softly.
'What is it?'
'When we kissed for the first time back in the Abyss, was that your first kiss?'
The prince let out a chuckle. 'Obviously. Who else would I be willing to give my first kiss to?'
Ruby couldn't help but blush a little. 'Really? But...if that was your first kiss...how in the hell are you so good?'
Dyrroth smirked at her knowingly, making even more heat rise to Ruby's cheeks. 'Who knows. Maybe I'm just naturally good at stuff like that.'
'I beg to differ,' she scoffed, swatting his arm.
He walked closer to her and wrapped his warm, strong arms around her waist gently, pulling her close. Surrounded by only the cold night air of the Dark Forest, Ruby instinctively clung to his body warmth like an anchor. 'I've got a question to ask, too,' he told her. 'Why are we always making out in lonely and miserable places?'
Ruby let out a laugh. She hadn't thought of that before. 'No idea. If we ever get the chance in the future, we should probably pick a slightly nicer place.'
'Yep,' said Dyrroth. 'A castle or something. I'm the prince after all, so the chances of it actually happening aren't that small.' He grinned at Ruby.
Ruby rolled her eyes. 'You're pretty good at pretending there isn't a war between the Abyss and Moniyan in five days, you know?'
The prince let out a sigh, sounding slightly frustrated. 'Damn it, did you have to remind me again? I've been trying so hard to just forget about it now and only get it over with when the time comes.'
A corner of Ruby's lip lifted. 'Sorry,' she said with a lopsided smile. Then her face fell when a sudden thought crossed her mind. 'Hey, Dyrroth...'
'Yeah?'
'What if your demons get defeated another time? What's gonna happen?
Dyrroth gave her an irritable look. 'I've told you that already, haven't I? I'll get dethroned. And probably die.'
Ruby stared at him. 'And...how are you not worried?'
'Well, when the time comes, what happens will happen. I can't do anything about it now, so I'm just gonna have as much fun as I can and not think about the war.'
At last, the puzzle pieces finally clicked together in Ruby's head. So that was why he was deliberately trying to forget about it. Because if he failed to conquer Moniyan this time, it was the end for him. Gosh, how had she not realised earlier? Ruby couldn't even imagine what he was probably going through right now. He was ten times more likely to die than she was.
'Fuck.' Ruby hardly knew what she was about to say before the word slipped out. 'Why didn't you warn me you that you might die?'
'You wanted to enjoy yourself, right?' Dyrroth smiled at her, a little sheepishly.
Ruby's face fell. 'You...you idiot,' she said, tears suddenly pooling in her eyes. 'How could you not warn me about that? How can you be more worried about me right now?'
Dyrroth hastily reached out to brush away her tears, his fingers surprisingly gentle against her skin. 'I care about you, Ruby,' he said. 'That's all there is. I don't care if I'm gonna die as long as I get to see you in my last moments.'
'Even if I'm the one who told the Lightborn Squad your plans?'
'Yeah. I understand why you did that, so I'm not mad at you for it.' He gave her a small smile.
Another wave of tears rose inevitably inside Ruby. 'Dyrroth,' she said, desperate and frustrated. 'I don't want to lose you. Please, I don't want to lose you.' Even if it causes Moniyan's demise.
For the first time, Ruby truly realised the circumstances they were under, in full light. It was either Dyrroth or all her loved ones, and by giving away the Abyssal Demons' plans, Ruby had just increased the chances of Dyrroth's side losing. Realising all that made Ruby want to scream in frustration. If Dyrroth's side really lost, she'd blame herself for it, and only herself. Why had things become like this?
Once more, Dyrroth quietly brushed her tears away. 'It'll be okay,' he said in hardly more than a whisper, pulling Ruby into a hug. 'Like I said, it'll be okay. Once you've gotten past all of this, you'll be stronger than you ever were. Believe me, Ruby. You'll be fine.'
Ruby held in her tears as much as she could, quietly resting her head on Dyrroth's shoulder. 'I will be,' she said, knowing the words she was about to speak were probably the most genuine ones she'd ever spoken. 'As long as I have you.'