Chapter 170: Chapter 170

TRISTAN:

“What kind of question is that?”

I had known Samalah since we were children. We grew up together. How can she ask me such a silly question?

“I know you did… You had only come to like me based on what you see, right?... You haven’t given much thought about liking me for me…”

Samalah… Wasn’t she the one who told me I shouldn’t like her? She said she’d never like me back, and that love is nothing but a silly, fleeting illusion… She told me that our bodies are only meant for pleasure and nothing more…

Seeing her cry like this, I couldn’t tell her to recall all those things that she had said.

Actually, she had been breaking the rules she had set upon herself as of lately, and this included raising a child.

She had a very hard childhood, and the real reason she studied potions and spells was to make sure she never conceived a child.

Samalah was very opposed to having a child of her own, so why was she breaking her own rules?

“Samalah… Why did you decide to have a baby?”

She blinked back at me as if she didn’t understand what I was trying to say.

“Well, is having a child something I couldn’t decide for myself?”

“But -” At that time, I couldn’t remind her that she was the one who had opposed the idea of children…

“Well, if I carry the child of someone I love, it feels like I would always have a part of him even if he forget about me or abandons me in the future…”

“Then, the father of your child… He must be someone you love, right?”

She turned to me, her eyes misting up. “Very…”

I couldn’t push myself to ask her who that person could be.

“Well, I know it’s late, but congratulations…”

“Thank you…”

After that, there was very little for us to speak about. I watched Samalah as she continued playing with the flowers, making flower necklaces and head pieces like a little girl.

I didn’t know she still had that childish side in her. Perhaps she was right. I’ve only always seen her based on her outward appearance and had judged her wrongly based on that.

It seemed there was so much more about Samalah that I didn’t know just like how I didn’t know Dahlia fully.

From afar, Dahlia Hurst was someone who had it all – fame, beauty, power, and position. She could have easily became the queen of Talandor had she wanted it.

But at the end, that was not what she chose. She chose me… She chose to run away with me…

My talented and shy Dahlia, who always thought she wouldn’t be able to do anything was more than capable of doing many things on her own if she just went ahead and trusted herself better…

If I could speak to her, I’d tell her this.

“Samalah, I didn’t love you for your appearance,” I finally said, answering her earlier question. “I had always admired you for your courage, your grit to push through, and your determination to do what you wanted… However, you do know my heart already belongs to someone else, right?...”

“You mean Dahlia?”

I nodded. “You were probably thinking the same thing about my feelings for Dahlia, but I didn’t like her just because she’s really pretty.”

“Then, if it isn’t because of her face, what did you like about her?”

“I like how she always tried her best. She’s very talented yet humble. She’s reliable, and smart, and soft-hearted. Those traits, I know you see them as her weaknesses, but they are also her greatest strengths.”

“How can being soft-hearted be a strength? Did you know how many times I… I mean Dahlia, had been put to danger because of that?”

“Yes, which is why I came to like her more and more. Her heart never changes even if she gets wounded from time to time because of her good nature. She always still continues to be helpful in any way she can.”

“Then are you going to stay by her side until the end because of that?”

I nodded. There was no need for me to hide my true feelings from Samalah anymore. By and by, I could see that she had already changed a bit starting with how she perceived bearing a child and how she had started to show devotion towards Kaist.

Maybe Samalah has really finally fallen in love this time, so I think she would understand what I mean…

“Even if that girl never wakes up from her sleep,” she asked me again.

“Yes.” Even if Dahlia never wakes up, she is still very much the same person I love. That won’t really change anything for me…

Just then, we realized that the sky was turning into a lighter shade.

“The morning will come soon,” I remarked. “What else do you want to do?”

“I… I want to see the sunrise with you.”

My eyebrows shot up in the air. This was really a new side of Samalah I was seeing. Never in my wildest dreams had she ever acted this sentimental.

“Alright… As you wish.” I scanned the terrain. “Let’s go up on higher elevation.”

I let Samalah climb on my back once more. We went to a higher terrain – a small cave that would be perfect for viewing the sunrise.

As soon as we reached the spot, I let her down from my back and cleared some of the hanging vines that obscured our view.

As soon as I pushed away a particularly thick collection of vines, the first few rays of sunlight slipped in. It was indeed a gorgeous view.

“Really… It’s very mesmerizing…”

I looked at the bright orange orb that was quickly rising from the horizon. It was like looking at a splendid miracle, seeing it rise like so.

I turned to look at Samalah’s face, and I was able to see her face light up like a child as the sun rose from the mountain’s peak.

At that very moment, the calming scent of cherries and milk became so strong that I thought I was looking at Dahlia’s face instead of my childhood love.

“So are you,” I mumbled despite of myself.

Our eyes met and for the first time, I felt a sense of dread.

Was something bad going to happen?

“Let’s go now. Let’s head now to Laudicia.”