Published at 23rd of January 2021 07:21:12 PM
Chapter 107
Two years have passed since Alicia secluded herself in that little cabin .
In some ways it felt like an eternity, but at the same time, looking back, it feels like the days passed by in an instant . That may seem contradictory, but that’s how I truly feel .
During that whole time, I just continued to read more and more books . Since I knew that Alicia would be using the time to grow stronger, I knew that if I wanted to be able to remain by her side, I couldn’t just let that time go to waste . That’s why I’ve been working hard to increase my knowledge .
And now finally… . Finally I can see her again .
I woke up extra early this morning so that I could be here when she first woke up, no matter how early it might be, and now I’m just standing outside the little cabin, waiting .
I left before anyone had woken up, and most likely they’re all still sleeping even now . I bet even the servants haven’t started working yet .
It’s currently 3:30 AM… . the sun hasn’t even risen and the landscape is still completely dark with a thick fog wafting about the ground . The air is damp with dew and still quite chilly . But I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy . Despite having to wait in the cold and dark, I can feel myself grinning ear-to-ear .
I suppose the last time I felt even remotely excited over these last two years was when I realized that I had grown a little taller . Too bad it was only by a miniscule amount . I must be the smallest 11-year-old boy ever . But, what I’m lacking in height, I make up for in intellect . I’m sure my brain has grown much larger than anyone else’s .
Aside from changes to my height though, I’m very much the same as I was two years ago… . Which makes me wonder, how has Alicia changed after all this time? I suppose she’ll look a little more mature than when I last saw her, but I can’t imagine her looking too different .
I also wonder how she’s been bearing the solitude . For two whole years, she hasn’t had the chance to exchange a single word with another person . She’s just been devoting her time to practicing magic in that tiny gardener’s cabin .
… . I don’t think I could stand to be alone for that long . I think the silence would drive me crazy . But I guess the fact that she was able to stay sane under those circumstances just shows how strong her desire to become a villainess is .
… . I wonder when she’ll come out .
Maybe after another two hours or so? Not that it matters . An hour, two hours, three, it’s entirely irrelevant . I can easily wait for that long . After two whole years of waiting, I’m at least sure of that much .
The day after Alicia had left felt like the longest day of my life .
Although it was still only 24 hours, it somehow felt like weeks had passed within that period . Even my favorite books held no appeal . I found myself reading the same sentence over and over, unable to concentrate at all on the words .
Thankfully, that distraction didn’t stay with me long . And over the next months I read more books than I ever had in my life . Each new book I finished took my mind off the passage of time for a while, but in between each book it felt like the seconds ticking by were years in and of themselves .
Then, finally, I was told that today was the day that Alicia could leave that cabin . Arnold, her father, came to inform me of the news personally .
He’s been treating me surprisingly well over these last two years .
I’ve been using the library practically 24/7 but he didn’t complain . He let me use it as much as I wanted . And, on the occasions when I fell asleep there, I hear that he was the one who would carry me back to my own room .
When he first came to tell me what had happened with Alicia, I couldn’t have hated him more . The mere sight of him set me in a foul mood for the rest of the day . From the bottom of my soul, I was infuriated that he gave Alicia those damned idiotic conditions .
But over time, after realizing that the one regretting that decision the most was actually Arnold, himself, my anger slowly faded . And by the time he came to the library to talk to me yesterday night, I had completely forgiven him .
But even if I hadn’t, his words would have made me let go of the last dregs of my hatred . After telling me that Alicia’s seclusion was ending, he asked me if I would go greet her as she left the cabin today . And he told me that I should go, that if I was there to meet her, his mind would be at ease .
Obviously, I was already planning to go, but that fact that he asked me to be there, that he actually wanted me to be there, was startling . I never imagined Arnold would say that sort of thing to me .
And ever since then, I’ve been wondering what I should say to her first . As much as I wouldn’t mind filling her in on what she had missed, I haven’t exactly been keeping up with current affairs myself . I haven’t been attending the academy at all, so I have no idea what the situation might be like there . I can only guess at what Liz Cather’s been up to for the last two years, though I don’t really want to . I’m sure it would just give me a headache the size of the flower field that’s growing in her brain .
And, as I’ve only spoken with Henry and Duke a couple of times at most, I haven’t been able to hear many updates from them either .
Aside from those couple times, and the times I went to go see Gramps in the impoverished village, I’ve spent every second I could reading in the library . That means I’m effectively as clueless as Alicia is .
As I’m absentmindedly lost in my thoughts, a loud creek screams out at me from the direction of the cabin . I look up to see the door swinging open with the hinges complaining about the sudden movement every step of the way .
My breath hitches and I can feel my heart start to hammer violently in my chest .
… . . Finally . Finally! I can see Alicia!
My heart is beating so loudly that I can’t hear the creeking groans of the cabin anymore . My ears are filled with nothing but its racing, thudding beats .
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Sweat slicks my palms, but I viciously scrub them dry on the sides of my pants . I’m holding my breath without even realizing it .
“Good morning, Gilles . You’re here quite early! How have you been?”
I’m completely overcome by Alicia’s appearance . I can’t take my eyes off of her . The moment I catch just a glimpse, my arms instantly break out in unending goosebumps .
Even though my heart had been beating painfully fast before, in that same moment it stopped dead with a wrenching jerk .
I know my eyes must be gaping open at her, but I can’t help it .
I can scarcely breath, she’s so breathtakingly beautiful .
I haven’t changed much at all in these past two years… . That’s why I was expecting her to be mostly the same as well, so this unbelievable change is overwhelming . Her features are obviously still the same, but the air that she gives off is entirely different .
Her beauty has matured into something so ethereal that with the morning fog blanketing the air around her… . it’s almost like a goddess has just descended into the human realm .
Her raven black hair has grown down to her waist and is every bit as glossy and radiant as it was before . Her unwavering golden eyes seem to pierce through me . The childlike roundness of youth is now completely gone and she is left with an impactful and mysterious upward slant to them that is so charmingly captivating, I can hardly bear it . And, I’m not sure if it’s because she hasn’t left that tiny cabin at all for these last two years or what, but her skin almost seems luminescent . It’s a brilliant pure white, like snow, which only emphasizes the slight pink of her beautiful lips . They are slightly thin and pouty and just perfect .
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Until this moment, I had never known true beauty .
As she walks closer to me, she looks carefully into my face . Her eyes are so attractive, so seductive, that I can only stare stupidly at her, dumbfounded .
The closer she gets, the more violently my heart pounds until I’m sure that any moment it will explode right out of my chest .
When she’s standing in front of me, I realize that she’s not only grown more beautiful, but she’s also taller now as well . Her eyes which have always housed intelligence, now drip with an alluring depth of wisdom and knowledge .
“Gilles? You do remember who I am, right? You recognize me, don’t you?”
Somehow, her voice sounds a bit softer than I remember it .
I give her a huge nod of my head since words have still not managed to find their way through the labyrinth of my befuddled brain down to my tongue yet .
“Come on! There’s still somewhere that I need to go before meeting up with everyone else . ”
As I thought, her voice is much softer than it was before . Is it because she hasn’t spoken with another person in so long?
Without waiting for my reply, Alicia loops her arm through mine and breaks off into a run .