“Huh?”
Crysta couldn’t comprehend what had just been asked of her.
Seeing the girl’s bewildered expression, Lars cleared his throat, a hint of shyness in his voice. Sensing her confusion, he looked at her and spoke again.
“I love you. Please, will you be my wife?”
“…No way.”
“It’s not a lie. I understand your hesitation. We’ve always been friends until now, so you must be surprised. But my feelings are true.”
“Why?”
“This is embarrassing to admit, but it was love at first sight. Ever since I met you at the entrance ceremony, Crysta, I’ve cherished you.”
Lars offered a wry smile at the stunned girl. He knew the confession was sudden.
However, if he didn’t say it now, he had a premonition he might lose Crysta, which spurred him to be honest.
“You know…”
“Yes? Tell me anything.”
“I’m not the kind of person who deserves to be told by you that you love me.”
“Hmm… but my feelings are my own to decide. I have no intention of forcing them on you if they’re a bother.”
“That’s not it! It’s not a bother at all! It’s just… I’ve been lying to you, Jared, and to my dear friends for so long!”
“I know that. To be honest, I realized you had something going on right away, Crysta. But I also felt it had no bearing on our friendship. Jared probably felt the same.”
“No, keeping secrets isn’t easy. I’m a descendant of the Progenitor.”
Lars embraced the girl tightly as she revealed her lineage. He could sense the immense courage it took for her to say those words.
“And also, I’m much older than you and Jared.”
“You’ve said it bravely. But that’s a trivial matter. What concerns me the most is something else.”
Lars asked, still holding Crysta.
“Do you love me?”
“That…”
“That’s all I want to know. Please answer truthfully.”
At the Prince’s sincere question, Crysta nodded.
“I’ve loved you for a long time too, Lars.”
“Is that so! Then everything else is a trivial matter!”
“But, I did terrible things to Jared and Olivier.”
“I’ve heard about that from Pfeil. It must have been a difficult choice, but there must have been a reason. I believe you wouldn’t do such a thing without just cause, Crysta.”
Crysta hadn’t kidnapped Olivier.
Olivier had visited Cassandra of her own free will.
While the outcome was regrettable, it wasn’t entirely Crysta’s fault.
However, Crysta herself felt responsible because Cassandra, the one she had helped to revive her Progenitor ancestor, was someone well-known. She reasoned that if her older brother and she hadn’t been near Cassandra, Jared and Olivier wouldn’t have been involved.
“Tell me everything, Crysta. I want to support you. If you’re suffering, I want to share that burden with you.”
“…Lars.”
Crysta burst into tears.
From the moment she’d decided to cooperate with Cassandra’s plan, she knew there would come a day she’d regret it.
Her premonition was correct, and the regret was painful.
Yet, Crysta had no other choice if she wanted to protect the one she loved. She likely wouldn’t have made a different choice, even through her suffering.
“I’ll do anything for the one I love. Now, please tell me. Everything you’ve been carrying.”
In response to the boy she loved, the girl nodded with determination. To answer Lars, who had confessed his love, Crysta summoned all her courage and recounted her entire story.
