“Please try to endure it, my cute Verdandi. Bear with it until we get off in Tristain again.”
With powerful wing strokes, the wind dragon broke through the surrounding clouds and changed direction to the Magical Academy.
Saito, with Louise in his arms, looked up at the continent of Albion.
Clouded and empty, blue inside, the Albion continent disappeared. Though it was a short stay there, Saito had various things to remember, as the white country faded from view.
Saito watched Louise lying in his arms. Her white cheeks were dirty with blood and soil, yet even in this state, one could see her aristocratic features. There were two stripes from her eyes down her cheeks left by her tears.
Saito wiped Louise’s face with his sleeve. He could not bear to see the face of his pretty master dirty.
Louise was still unconscious from the shock. Looking at Louise’s face was somehow painful to Saito. “Dear Louise. Louise. My Louise…”
Beat beat, his heart was beating loudly.
Now Saito looked only at Louise’s face pressed gently to his chest.
Meanwhile, Louise was absent-mindedly wandering in dream.
The dream in la Vallière’s place, in her hometown.
A pond in a forgotten courtyard…
There a small boat was floating… There, Louise was lying down. Whenever she was facing difficulties. Louise always hid herself and slept there. This was her world that no one else intruded in, her secret place…
Louise’s heart was in pain.
But Wardes didn’t come here anymore. Gentle viscount Wardes, her childhood noble crush, her fiancé of marriage arranged by their fathers' mutual agreement…
Young Louise sobbed softly, there was no Wardes who would take her from her secret place anymore. He was a dirty betrayer that murdered the courageous prince, those kind hands belonged to a murderer…
Louise cried in her shallop.
But then, someone came.
“Is that you, Viscount?”
Louise asked in her dream. But she shook her head at once. No, the viscount didn’t come here anymore. Then, who?
It was Saito. The sword was hanging on his back, when he, without hesitation about getting wet, stepped into the pond and approached Louise’s shallop.
Louise's heart throbbed.
Saito picked up Louise out of the shallop and held her in his arms.
“Have you been crying?”
Saito asked. Louise nodded childishly in her dream.
“Stop crying. Louise. My Louise.”
Louise tried to get angry. This familiar, how dare he call me ‘My Louise’. But when she opened her mouth to scold him, her lips were closed again with a kiss. Though she wriggled in rage at first, the strength soon left her body.
Louise woke up on a wind dragon's back, in Saito’s arms.
She became aware that she was held in Saito’s arms. They were sitting near the wind-dragon’s tail, and Saito sat there embracing her. She stared at his face from the side as it seemed like he didn’t notice that she was awake.
Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche – all three of them, were sitting on the front of the wind dragon’s back.
The wind was blowing against her cheeks.
“Aah, this isn’t a dream.”
Then…
“I survived.”
Louise’s mind was filled with feverish thoughts.
I was almost killed by that traitor Wardes, but then Saito jumped in. Then I fainted. Then I woke up again and chanted some magic. After that, though, I lost consciousness… maybe Saito won again.
But only we survived, maybe the royal army was still defeated.
Wales died as well.
The happiness of surviving mixed with sadness almost made Louise cry. However, not wanting to cry in front of Saito, she closed her eyes.
She was also ashamed to say thank you. Though she could not understand why, she was comfortable with Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche – with all of them. But thanking Saito before everyone felt really embarrassing. Therefore, Louise decided to pretend she was sleeping.
Nevertheless, Louise still secretly watched him from the corner of her half-closed eyes.
Saito looked into her eyes. He looked directly at her.
Those eyes made Louise recall her last dream.
The air dragon increased speed.
Strong wind hit her cheeks.
But that wind felt pleasant.
That wind and Saito’s burning gaze, aah, Louise couldn’t hide her feelings.
Her mind was in turmoil…
Traitor Wardes.
The crown prince’s death…
The noble union’s ‘Reconquista’ victory…
Reporting to the Princess…
For various reasons, and while Louise felt sorry for them all, right now all Louise’s thoughts were blown away by the wind.
After nearly escaping death, she wanted to savour the feeling of life for a while.
Like that, savouring the feeling of life without limits, while pretending to sleep…
Saito’s face moved closer.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Saito's lips overlapped Louise’s.
Louise instinctively lifted her hand to push him away…but returned it back to her chest instead.
Strong wind hit Louise's cheeks, as Sylphid flew through the sky.
Something warm filled her heart, a heart that was wounded by sad events was healed.
Some time ago she was struggling violently against the feeling in her dream.
But at least for now…
The pleasant wind blew from a different world…
Resting her cheek against his chest, she silently fell asleep.