Since the Harvest Festival is about to begin, every house went full out with the decorations, some kind nobles visited the local farms to thank them and give a gift for their hard work.
The harvest festival is like the biggest festival of the year, everyone gets to join, it's that time of the month where the Emperor along with the royal family will show up and take part in the festival for a little while before returning to their palace.
"Sera? Sera? Are you there?" Someone was waving their hand infront of my face, I just signed deeply in disappointment, in what? Disappointed that I didn't get to retire, that now I'm more tied up with those yandere jerks.
"Yes Leo, I'm here" I said, The man just pouted like a child, whining that I'm not giving him that much attention.
"You've been like this ever since you took a break from your job" for the record this white haired Adonis doesn't know that I'm a knight, he just knows that I work somewhere.
"Sorry, things at work just have been....hectic" yeah, as if 'hectic' is enough to describe what happened.
"Really?" He asked, standing up while dusting his clothes, Today is the night before the harvest festival which is as lively and festive as the actual festival, everyone in town is bringing something to the town square for everyone to share, kids running down the streets laughing in joy, couples on a romantic dates, the elderly gathered while chatting with each other, the street lit up with lanterns and the festive lights from the houses.
"Yeah" I shortly said, before combing my loose hair, I'm so stressed out, my injury is still not that healed up yet, thankfully I used the cold weather as an excuse to wear glove just so I could hide my injured and still slightly bleeding hand.
"Well, I don't know much about that but I do know what will cheer you up" he said, grinning widely, playfully raising my eyebrows at him pretending not to know what his talking about.
"And what is that?" I said, he winked at me before pulling me by the hand to stand up, our faces just an inch apart, he grinned even more "ah!" He sneaked up his hand to yank my hair tie out of my ponytail letting my hair loose in the air.
"Leo!" I scolded him, I was about to take my hair tie from him when he flung if away! Really!.
"Come on Sera, it's the harvest festival, you love the harvest festival!" He said, hugging me by the waist while lifting me off the ground, spinning us in a circle while laughing.
"Ok, ok, now please let me down!" I said while laughing, he eventually did but then he dragged me by the hand and went through the sea of people.
We reached the town square, music greeted my ears as couples danced across to the music.
"Sera! Sera!" I heard someone calling me, but because there are too many people here, I can't actually see who it is or where they are.
"Did you hear someone calling me?" I asked Leo, an unknown look in his eyes as he played innocent and shook his head.
"Nope! Not a thing, you must be hearing things" he said, I can tell his hiding something.
"Sera!" There it is again, looking to my right I saw the one and only heroine dressed in a casual commoner clothing while wearing a hooded coat.
"Ellie!" There she is! I thought she won't show up, she never missed the harvest festival, it's like the only night where we would totally loose control of ourselves and just have fun.
"I was looking all over for you" I said, we hugged each other for a second, she let go and glared at Leo.
"Yeah, so was I!, I kept calling you but someone keeps on dragging you away from my sight, geez, I wonder why" she sarcastically said, still glaring at the white haired man.
"I have no idea what your talking about" this is like a thing between them, they would always bicker and fight over the most simplest thing, they never get along and that's weird for a heroine who is supposed to be friendly, loved and kind to everyone, well infact Ellie have been acting WAY TOO out of her character, it's.....weird.
"Break it up you two, quit fighting over Sera" Mrs. Dalton came out of nowhere.
"Grandma!" Leo whined, the elder woman just teased her grandson with a knowingly look.
"Come on now, the night is still young, go have some fun!" Leo's Grandfather who is usually too ill too go out had a nice smile on his face, surrounded by children who adores the old man.
"Let's dance!" Leo and Ellie asked at the same time, upon realization they again glared at each other, I just laughed awkwardly, this has become an everyday thing to us.
"Why not the both of you dance---"
"No!"
"Ew, no!"
Sighing helplessly, I just grabbed one of their arms and pulling them in the dance floor.
"Then let's all dance!"
---
"I never knew they do this"
"There is a lot of thing you don't know little brother"
"and what's that supposed to mean?"
"Quit it you two"
Unbeknownst to any of the people below them including Seraphina, Leo and Ellie, six hooded figure hid on the church's shadowed rooftop, they watched the festive lights and people dancing below them.
Raphael stopped Alistair and Akio from fighting, Akio is teasing his short-tempered little brother.
"Isn't that Ellie?" Niko suddenly pointed out, seeing his beloved dancing among the crowd, her beautiful smile flashed on her face, the smile that she never shown to any of them, it was genuine and clearly in love, they don't know if they should feel jealous or sad, jealous at the person who made her smile like that or sad to the fact that she never showed that smile to them, the only expression she ever had when she's with them is irritation, annoyed, and sassy.
"Tsk" Daichi said in annoyance, trying to spot the person she's with until they saw him or her....
"Seraphina!!?" They said in a shock, the usual stoic, expressionless and strict looking Female Knight is holding hands with Ellie while laughing and smiling, something they never saw!!(or at least forgot about).
The two girls danced in circle while holding hands, they spun and twirled around having fun.
"Are you sure that's her?!" Alistair angrily asked, his not angry to the fact that she's dancing with his beloved but to the fact that this Walking stone face is actually capable of emotions!!.
"Her hair, body, face and everything else resembles Seraphina" Niko said, also in a daze for what his witnessing.
"but is that! The Seraphina WE knew!?" Akio said, he couldn't accept the fact that he never noticed just how beautiful she truly is.....but wait a minute, is it that he didn't noticed it or he just....forgot about it...forgot about her.... about her very first friend ever......a sudden feeling of guilt hit his heart.
"She's recovering fine than I anticipated"
Raphael said, He always had a feeling that Seraphina is a total different person outside of the palace walls.
"Oh, look at them go" Benjiro cheered at the sight, seeing Ellie and Seraphina dancing around the fountain while everyone of the crowd cheered them on, the girls just laughed while spinning and twirling around, raising their dress skirt a little for more movement.
"I never thought those two could be this..... Untamed" yeah, untamed, as if that's enough to describe the fun they are having, the shoes they had was already throwns somewhere as the two continued dancing around the fountain barefoot.
"Since when did Ellie and Seraphina became this close?" Akio asked again, he followed Ellie for the whole time since he knew got to know her and never once did he saw Seraphina and Ellie being close, that maybe because Seraphina knew that Akio was following Ellie like the creepy stalker he is so she always came in unnoticed in his sight and helped Ellie get away from his sight, the two would then spend the day having fun while avoiding the creepy figures in the shadow, it went on like that for a year or so until now.
"Ever since they met at First Miss Amrita's coming-of-age ceremony" Daichi said, remembering the encounter between Seraphina and Ellie during that night and also....another thing.
"That's like six years ago!?" Akio shouted in shock, Seraphina and Ellie have know each other for more than six years!!! He shouted in his mind.
For the whole night, the six of them found themselves staring at her--at Seraphina and not Ellie which is....... surprising.
---
"Yeah!"
"Go Big sis!"
"Hahahaha!"
The children danced around with us while carrying flower petals and throwing them in the air, the elderly sat while cheering some of them were clearly drunk like the others.
The other girls danced around with us, the men just cheering while drinking liquor, everyone is wasted like hammered hard.
With one of our arms hooked, we danced around like there is no tomorrow.
By the time we had enough, Leo was there ready to catch us.
"Woah!" He said, Ellie and I fell to his arms while still laughing.
"That was the most fun I ever had!" Ellie shouted in the air, none of us drink but someone can easily mistaken her as drunk by the way she's acting.
With sweat running down my body I accepted Leo's handkerchief that he offered me to wipe away the sweat on my forehead.
"Thanks" I said, the next minute was....the usual, as always.
"Come on, let's take her home" Leo said, Ellie was knocked out cold from all the dancing we had, she doesn't have that much stamina, I assisted her to get on Leo's back, we are taking her home via piggyback ride.
"Her mom should be waiting for her at the back gate" like always, Ellie is a wild horse that you can't tame so her mom gave her much freedom as she can.
"I'm surprised Duke Amrita let his daughter participate in the harvest festival" he said, I shook my head.
"oh no, Duke Amrita doesn't know about this and the two rarely spend time because hid always busy, and Ellie and her....older sister doesn't really get along that much, So she sneaks out, Ellie hates noble life and being told what she can and can't do...so her mom gave her freedom as much as she can like helping her and covering her when she's out" I wish I had a mom like that, Ellie is a lucky girl to have such a family--excluding Madison and the toxic servants and maids in the house.
"That's nice" Leo said, not long after we reached the Amrita Mansion, Ellie's mom and her trusted maid was waiting by the gates, after handing Ellie to them, they thanked and said goodnight to us before they took Ellie to her room before anyone notice.
We walked back to town for a little more sightseeing before going home, while walking I didn't notice my glove was drenched in blood, my blood, I might have danced too hard that my hand started to bleed, of course I didn't realized it before...
"Sera your hand is bleeding!" He panicked, I tried to get my hand out of his sight but he moved so fast than me and grabbed my hand, taking my blood dyed glove off, the white bandage around my hand was soaked in blood, how come I didn't felt anything when it's bleeding this hard?!.
"Leo its fine---!" Picking me up bridal style, he dashed toward my house.
"I'm fine, and my hand is the one that's injured not my feet, I can walk Leo" I told him, he pretended like he didn't heard anything, why this....
---
"There, good as new" after wrapping a new white bandage around my hand he finally breathed out of relief.
"Your panicking for nothing" I said, it wasn't that bad...right?.
"What do you mean it's nothing, why didn't you told me that your hand was injured?" Shooting one after another question at me, his acting like this is a big deal.
"Who even did that? Or why is it that?" He asked again, indicating my hand wound.
"It's nothing, just a little accident at work Leo, stop being so overdramatic" I said, rolling eyes out of annoyance.
"It's not nothing, if there anymore wounds that I should know of?" Hinting hard, he glared at me, I then remembered the wound on my shoulder.
"Nothing else" I lied, his not gonna know anyway.
"Sera---"
"Look, the fireworks is starting!" I immediately changed the subject, pointing to the beautiful colors and light exploding in the sky, Leo thank you for caring for me but I can't answer all your questions right now, I already have a lot of things in my hands.
"You do know that I'm still not letting you go after this"
Hehehehe....I know.