Chapter 59

"Winner, Knight Percival, promoted two ranks. With this, I declare the martial arts tournament concluded! I am grateful to all the knights and citizens gathered here today!"

In the twilight, my stepfather's closing remarks were simple.

The thirty knights who fought and Prince Frey stood neatly behind him as my stepfather made the closing announcement. Gradually, the citizens began to leave, but I couldn't stop crying, hunched over on the bench, wetting my handkerchief.

What kind of expression does Sir Percival have? Is he proud? Serious? Perhaps a mix of the heavy burden he will carry and the joy of his efforts paying off?

Still, I couldn't lift my head, having burst into tears after watching Sir Percival all day. My stepmother kept patting my back, but I ended up sobbing uncontrollably.

"Mimosa!"

At that moment, I heard Sir Percival's voice from below. I wondered what to do, but perhaps there was a magic in his voice.

I lifted my tear-streaked face, wiped my tears with my fingers, and ran to the front row of the audience.

There wasn't much of a height difference. Right there, Sir Percival was looking up at me with a smile.

(Oh, Sir Percival is... happy.)

I could tell just by looking at his face. So, with tears still streaming down my cheeks, I smiled back, mirroring his expression. It must have been a clumsy smile.

Sir Percival opened his arms. I didn't understand what it meant, and my tears stopped.

He looked up at me with a beautiful, joyful face, tilting his head in confusion. When I realized what he meant, I must have been quite irrational.

"Come here, Mimosa."

"Yes."

I did as I was told, climbed over the railing that reached the waist of the audience seats, and threw myself at Sir Percival.

I would never do something like this normally. It's scary, and I would be too conscious of people watching and the impropriety. But today, I could.

Today, in the Colosseum, I watched the knight Percival, who was indeed my husband but seemed like a different person. There, I saw the Percival I knew, reaching out his arms to me.

The feeling of my body being thrown into the air was scary, but I knew Sir Percival would catch me.

I stretched out my arms and flew into Sir Percival's body. My arms, reaching for his golden hair reflecting the twilight, tightly embraced him, and Sir Percival, who caught me, didn't fall but held me in his arms, pressing his forehead against mine.

"Mimosa, thank you for watching."

"Yes, ... yes, Sir Percival. I watched your performance the whole time."

"Don't cry so much. It must have been scary, seeing a glimpse of my daily life."

"But, but, I'm glad I could see it... Congratulations, Sir Percival."

We didn't realize that quite a few people were watching us as we whispered to each other, still hugging.

"Percy! Mimosa! What a dangerous thing to do!"

I turned red in Sir Percival's arms and couldn't speak, suddenly feeling the impropriety of what I had almost done. I tried to move to get down, but Sir Percival didn't seem willing to let me go.

"Sorry, Mother. I couldn't help it; I was so happy that Mimosa watched everything today. I'll take her home now. You can scold me as much as you want when we get back!"

"Percy! Wait!"

In the twilight, with my face pressed against Sir Percival's cold armor, I let him carry me away, not letting me go.

Sir Percival, who had announced his intention to escape, headed not to the carriage but to the stables. In the empty stables, where the knights had been called away for the tournament and castle security, Sir Percival approached a beautiful gray horse.

The unique smell didn't bother me. If I had to say, both Sir Percival and I were drenched in sweat and probably smelled terrible.

"This is my beloved horse, Gerald. Mimosa, let's go home with Gerald today."

"Um, aren't you tired? We could take the carriage..."

"No. I've been holding back all this time, and I don't want to be away from Mimosa."

Sir Percival, acting like a spoiled child, lifted me onto Gerald, who had a saddle, and then mounted behind me, enveloping me from behind.

With no place to hold on while side-saddling, I was held by Sir Percival as we rode Gerald out of the stables.

Gerald, carrying both Sir Percival and me without seeming heavy, walked at a steady pace through the beautiful palace at twilight.

While enjoying the scenery together, I was embarrassed by how often Sir Percival looked at me, so I clung to him, hiding my face. My ears must have been red, and I'm sure it was obvious.

I was happy to have this special way of going home just the two of us, and I was truly happy about Sir Percival's victory.

I thought I would feel more scared, or that I wouldn't want him to go, or that I would want him to withdraw, but Sir Percival had proven himself with his sword.

I was really happy. And I was even happier that he came to get me right away.

Although he's not particularly good at talking, I nestled into Sir Percival's arms and slowly, leisurely, we returned home together.

...After that, we received a scolding from my stepmother, took a bath, and had dinner, which also became a wonderful memory.