Chapter 77 - <15>
Four days had passed since the uproar at the castle, and in the early morning, Anna was walking towards a grassy area just outside the royal palace. In the silent castle, only the sound of Anna's footsteps echoed.
She blew warm breath onto her hands, numb from the cold air, and rubbed them together. It was a little warmer than doing nothing, but it wasn't enough to warm up her chilled hands.
Though it was gradually getting lighter, it was still dark outside. It would probably be a little while until sunrise. In the dim light, Anna shivered slightly. The time before dawn was the coldest part of the day.
Slipping out through a gap in the wall in a corner of the castle, she found herself outside. Looking back, the massive royal castle loomed blackly, but ahead, she could only see a grassy field overgrown with weeds and the sky.
It was on top of a cliff, inaccessible from the sea, a small secret plaza that could only be reached through an exit in the palace. Only Edward, Ritz, Shasta, and Patricia knew of that exit.
Edward had told her it was a perfect place to come and rest secretly when he was tired from his work in the castle.
Anna once again breathed on her hands and rubbed them together. By doing so, she wanted to dispel her anxiety, even if just a little.
The occasional glimpses of Ritz's anguish, and his troubles that overlapped with her own… they had been slowly accumulating inside Anna like sediment.
But Anna didn't know what to do about it. Ritz wouldn't tell her anything, even though she was supposed to be his companion, and he wouldn't say anything to Franz either. He just kept it locked away inside himself and put on a cheerful face.
That turned into a small sadness within Anna. Anna trusted Ritz. She took Ritz's words at face value to the point where even he was exasperated with her.
But even Anna could feel Ritz's anguish. And she knew that his smile was not from the heart.
Even if he told her not to worry, she couldn't help but be concerned about those dark eyes he had when he was drinking alone. Ritz probably didn't even realize she felt that way.
For Ritz right now, the only person he could confide in was probably his best friend, Edward.
Anna was a child, a novice, naive, and meddlesome. Her spirit magic was half-baked, and she was, to put it nicely, not a useful companion for Ritz.
But Anna loved Ritz. She thought of him as a precious companion. That's why she wanted to know, and why she wanted to be a source of strength for him.
Last night, Anna, holding an unplaceable, circling anguish, had cornered Edward, who had come to visit Ritz, and confessed the worries she had been carrying.
Edward had been surprised at first by Anna's thoughts, but he had eventually smiled gently and told Anna about the man named Ritz.
Ritz was carrying loneliness.
And it was a thousand years of loneliness…
Having lost his best friend, lost his own place to return to, and yet, a loneliness that continued for hundreds of years with nowhere to go. Because of that, he took his own life lightly and rushed towards death.
Whether he lived for hundreds of years or died now, living on after losing everything important made no difference. In that case, wouldn't it be happier to just die now?
Ritz saw it that way, Edward had said with a lonely smile.
Perhaps Edward, just like Anna, was holding a similar, helpless turmoil in his heart.
Even for Edward, not being able to make his beloved best friend smile must be sad. Edward and Anna were vastly different in age and status, but she thought anyone would feel the same.
Then Edward had also told her about Ritz's words and actions over the past few months.
How he had made a self-deprecating statement about dying for Gerald, how he had come to the castle even at the cost of his own life by taking the narcotic… and so on.
Hearing that, Anna understood.
Ritz had indeed smiled just before losing consciousness. She thought she might have been mistaken, but it was true after all. Ritz had smiled with great satisfaction.
Yes. Ritz's smile then was one of satisfaction at being able to die.
Wasn't that, though passive, the same as suicide? Ritz saw his own life as something insignificant.
But that was just too sad.
Because Anna would be lonely without Ritz, and she loved the Ritz who was always talking about silly things, the Ritz who teased Franz, the gluttonous Ritz, and the Ritz who argued with Edward.
Franz probably trusted Ritz too. He was expressionless, not very sociable in many ways, and surprisingly sarcastic, but even Anna could understand that much.
But did Ritz not understand?
And did he not remember?
That Anna might also come to bear the same troubles as Ritz.
The sea breeze blew up the cliff, stirring Anna's hair. Anna shielded herself from the wind with both arms. The cold wind felt like it was cutting her cheeks.
Slowly lowering the arms that had protected her, she slowly walked up the slope. The top of the slope must be a slightly wider space.
When she came out onto a wide grassy field, a faintly bright, pre-dawn blue horizon and the contrast of green from the leaves, hardened to withstand the cold, spread out before her.
It was beautiful.
The cold, clear place looked like a pure space, untouched by anything. It was beautiful and clear, but somehow, there was no sign of life, and it felt a little lonely.
Ritz was in that cold, clear scenery.
Anna couldn't see the face of Ritz, who was lying on his back. But his slightly long black hair was swaying in the sea breeze.
Was he looking at the dark sky? Or was he listening to the sound of the tide?
Anna let out a small sigh. Even during their journey, Ritz would sometimes be alone like this. When she woke up in the middle of the night, the eyes of Ritz, who was staring blankly at the flames, were empty, as if he wasn't seeing anything.
On their journey, she had always thought it was because he was sleepy or tired, but now that she had heard about the darkness of loneliness from Edward, that figure felt like he was suppressing his loneliness.
She had always seen the bright, cheerful, and fun Ritz, so that made it even sadder.
Anna slowly started walking towards Ritz. Even though he had been unconscious until yesterday, as soon as he was able to move this morning, Ritz had disappeared somewhere.
A frantic Anna had turned to Edward for help. To the anxious Anna, Edward had told her where Ritz would likely be.
At that time, the words Edward had said to Anna stuck with her.
Edward had told Anna, 'If anyone can save Ritz from his loneliness, it might be you.'
But Anna, who was not taken seriously by Ritz and was thought of as a troublesome child who needed looking after, probably couldn't pull Ritz out of his loneliness.
But, even so, she wanted to talk to Ritz. Probably the one who could understand Ritz's troubles the most in this castle right now was Anna.
Because Anna… just like Ritz, might have to live a lonely future with no end in sight.
"Ritz."
She called out to the still-lying Ritz, and he slowly, listlessly, sat up. The moment their eyes met and he realized it was Anna, Ritz's expression changed completely. He had switched to the Ritz of their journey.
"What, it's you, Anna."
Shrugging his shoulders with a wry smile, Ritz adjusted the winter garment he had draped over his shoulders. Since he hadn't been able to go home since that incident, Ritz was wearing the winter garment over that military uniform.
He probably couldn't just wear the hospital pajamas. Underneath the sloppily worn military uniform, a state that was far from fully recovered, Anna knew.
His chest was wrapped tightly with bandages, and the various large and small wounds covering his body were almost untouched. Because saving his life had been the priority, his wounds hadn't been treated until he regained consciousness.
"What's wrong? What are you doing here?"
Ritz smiled at Anna with his usual cheerful smile. He was pushing himself, even though he wasn't in a condition to be moving yet. It must be painful even to smile.
"I was looking for you. You can't be up yet, you're not healed at all."
She sat down quietly next to Ritz, and while feeling the cold grass beneath her, she looked straight into his eyes and told him.
She was truly worried about Ritz. But Ritz, as if nothing had happened, replied with his usual transcendental smile.
"My bad, my bad. I'll be back in a bit, so you go on ahead."
"But…"
"It's cold out here. If you catch a cold, Patty will scold me."
Even though he was smiling. Even though it was his usual cheerful smile, Ritz was completely rejecting Anna's presence here.
Was it because he wasn't back to his usual self yet? She could faintly see through to what was in Ritz's heart.
Anna was a nuisance. He was feeling, 'leave me alone,' 'go away.'
If that was the case, he should just say so. There was no need to hide it deep in his heart like this.
"Why… aren't you being honest…"
She unintentionally muttered. The sound of the tide drowned out Anna's voice, and Ritz was still smiling.
"What's wrong?"
At his usual cheerful attitude, Anna felt a sense of helplessness and anger. The sadness of not being trusted as a companion welled up as anger.
Pushing himself, telling nothing but lies, and then trying to die on his own was wrong.
Did no one's words reach Ritz's heart? How could her heart reach his closed one?
"Ritz, you're always like this."
"Huh?"
"You're always, always deceiving me and everyone else like this, closing your heart with a smile."
"Anna?"
Ritz's voice was troubled. He was perfectly, as a guardian, worried about Anna, with a smile on his face.
His attitude made her sadness and anger overflow.
"…Are you going to live like that forever, Ritz?"
"What's going on? Did something happen?"
To the trembling Anna, Ritz returned from his smile to a serious face, looking bewildered.
"What's wrong with you, Anna? This isn't like you."
"Not like me…?"
"Yeah. Did something happen? I'll listen if you want."
Ritz looked at Anna with concern.
Did Ritz realize? That his concern came from a sense of duty, because Anton had entrusted Anna to him, and not because he was genuinely worried about Anna.
Right now, Ritz was dominated by the regret of not being able to die and by his loneliness.
"It is like me. It's very much like me!"
"Anna?"
"I'm always like me! But you're different, Ritz. You're not smiling from the heart right now. You're trying to shoo me away with a smile because I'm bothering you."
When she said that firmly, looking into his eyes, Ritz's gaze wavered slightly. But in an instant, he shrugged his shoulders and smiled as usual.
"That's not what I meant. I just thought it would be bad to let you catch a cold."
"Liar. You're always deceiving everyone like that, and you're okay with it, Ritz?"
"What's gotten into you?"
Ritz scratched his head, looking bewildered. He wouldn't be fooled by that. She wanted to talk to the real Ritz that she could faintly see.
"Are you going to just die on your own, leaving behind your companions and important people? Are you okay with that?"
At Anna's earnest question, Ritz quietly clicked his tongue.
"Was it Ed?"
"Yeah."
"He talks too much…"
Ritz muttered quietly. His attitude made her anger well up even more.
Anna was certainly Ritz's ward. Her adoptive father had asked him, so there was no mistake. But on the day they set out on their journey, Ritz should have told her. That from now on, they were companions.
And yet now, for Ritz, both Anna and Franz had become troublesome wards. Ritz's companions now were Edward and Patricia.
That was frustrating.
"I heard a lot from Ed-san. But it wasn't to pry into your business, Ritz. It was necessary for me. It's not like Edward-san was tattling or anything."
"Anna, what are you trying to say?"
Ritz scratched his head, looking even more bewildered. He probably thought he could still deceive her somehow. She could tell from his composed attitude.
But she wouldn't be fooled today.
"Ritz, you're disappointed, aren't you?"
"…About what?"
"That the head army doctor and I saved you."
For a moment, Ritz was at a loss for words, but he quickly returned to his smile.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm grateful. As expected of a water spirit user."
Ritz looked at Anna, still with his usual smile. His large palm rested on her head, as it always did.
If Anna had returned the smile and said, as she usually did, 'Eheheh. Right? I'm glad you're okay, Ritz,' everything would have been as before.
As before, Anna would have remained Ritz's ward, a distant stranger to whom he told nothing of the truth.
But she was tired of it. She wanted to step into Ritz's true feelings. She wanted to become true companions.
"Ritz, you're a liar. You've been lying to me all this time."
"What's gotten into you? You're being really confrontational today. Are you hungry? We still have a while until breakfast, want me to share some of my food?"
Another one of his usual light jokes. Ritz was determined to deceive Anna, who had heard Edward's story, in this state.
Anna bit her lip. She didn't know how to break Ritz's completely unflappable mask. Because she didn't know, her sadness turned to irritation. Her emotions were getting the better of her.
"I will never forgive you."
"Forgive what, exactly?"
Ritz sighed and scratched his head. She stared back into his eyes. Anna stared fixedly at his dark brown eyes, which she had rarely looked at so intently before.
Ritz tried to look away from her, but Anna didn't want to let him escape anymore. She forcibly cupped Ritz's face with both hands and turned it towards her.
"Ritz, you were trying to die then. When I saw you, you looked so happy. Even though you knew you were going to die."
"…Hey, hey. Anna?"
Ritz replied in a cheerful tone, but she could see the brightness gradually fading from his eyes. It was scary, but she felt that if she stayed silent now, it would be the end.
The precious relationship Anna had with Ritz.
"You were happy to die, weren't you? You were satisfied, weren't you?"
The wind from the sea coldly caressed the cheeks of the two, who had fallen silent. The morning wind was crisp and pleasant, a feeling she usually loved. But now, the wind just felt bitingly cold.
"You were thinking you'd rather die than be left alone after Ed-san and the others die, right? But that's cowardly!"
Without a word, Ritz removed Anna's hands from his cheeks and turned his face away. To that, Anna threw her words at him emotionally.
"That's just too sly! If you die, Ritz, Ed-san and the others will be sad, right? Are you okay with inflicting pain on the people you love, as long as you don't suffer yourself? That's cowardly!"
Ritz let out a small sigh. He was probably still thinking about how to get rid of Anna. But she wasn't going to give him that time.
"Isn't that right?! Answer me, Ritz!"
She stared at him, waiting for his words. After a while, Ritz let out a small sigh that was close to resignation.
"…So, you're getting involved with me because you can't stand to see Ed and the others sad?"
His tone was dismissive. Like the Ritz who had been pretending to be a mercenary, his words lacked warmth and softness.
"Your favorite meddling has started again."
"It's not meddling…"
"If it's not meddling, then what is it?"
"Huh…?"
Stared at by Ritz's cold, condescending eyes, Anna couldn't move.
"Ed and my problem is ours. When my life ends is my business. If I want to live, I'll live, and if I want to die, I'll die. There's no room for your meddling."
After saying that, Ritz brought his face close to Anna, who was sitting next to him. Ritz's eyes, staring at her from up close, were as cold as ice.
Right in front of the gasping Anna, Ritz quietly threw words at her that were close to a final farewell.
"I don't know what Ed told you, but don't force your meddling into my life. I've had enough of you getting deeply involved in my life and death just for your own pleasure or displeasure."
With that, Ritz pulled back slightly and lightly flicked Anna's nose.
"I have no intention of satisfying your meddling."
After his cold words, Ritz turned his face away from Anna as before. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the sun had not yet risen.
Anna clenched her fists. Ritz had said she was a companion, hadn't he? He had said Edward, Shasta, and Patricia were also old companions.
So were the old companions precious, and Anna just a meddlesome stranger?
"Ritz…"
"Now, go home. If you're not there when dawn breaks, the head army doctor will worry. Leave me alone."
"But…"
"Forget what just happened. I'll be my usual self at breakfast."
Ritz was still trying to pretend nothing had happened. He was trying to deceive himself. The thought of it made her angry.
"I won't leave you alone! Even if you hate it, Ritz, I won't leave you!"
When she declared that, Ritz clicked his tongue. Even if cold words came from Ritz again, Anna absolutely did not want to give up.
If he called it meddling, then fine, it was meddling. She wanted to hear the words of the Ritz she loved. She wanted to understand him so he could truly smile.
"Because I'm your companion, Ritz!"
"I know that."
"You don't know! I'm your companion, Ritz! I can understand your suffering!"
When she declared that, staring at Ritz, he muttered quietly.
"…Like you could understand…"
The slowly turning Ritz had none of his usual brightness, put on with cheerfulness. The same eyes he had when he was drinking alone, with darkness lying at the bottom of his deep, dark brown pupils.
"Like you could ever understand. Go back to the castle."
At his words, which were almost spat out, Anna flinched for a moment. But if she stopped here, it would all be for nothing.
"I do understand."
"Because you're a companion? Don't talk like you know. There's no way a happy-go-lucky meddler like you could ever understand how I feel."
"I do understand! The one who doesn't understand anything is you, Ritz!"
She had meant to be calm, but her tone had become rough.
"What exactly do you understand? You, a kid."
Ritz stared at her. Irritation grew more than fear. She wanted to tell Ritz, but it was frustrating that it wasn't getting through.
"Ritz, you're from the spirit tribe, right? Your lifespan is set at a thousand years."
"So what?"
"Your father and mother are in the forest, and you can eventually go back there, right?"
"Hah. Are you telling me to spend my life hiding in the forest with parents who have the same lifespan? Are you saying that's what it means not to be lonely? If I hide, will my loneliness be healed?"
"That's not it!"
"Then what is it? What are you trying to say?"
With his cold eyes still fixed on her, Ritz was, to be honest, a little scary. For a moment, she understood how an enemy glared at by Ritz felt.
But she wasn't an enemy; she was supposed to be a companion. That's why she wanted to get closer. To understand each other.
Because Anna thought she could surely understand Ritz. That thought pushed her forward.
"I'll return your words right back to you, Ritz. A happy, selfish person like you could never understand me!"
She stared back at Ritz with all her strength.
"You'll be lonely? You'll die because you'll be alone? You don't even think about the people you care about, you're selfish, and you're being spoiled, aren't you?"
"You!"
"It's ridiculous! You're the happy, selfish, and spoiled one, Ritz! And yet you don't even realize it and blame others. You call me a child? You've got to be kidding me! You're much more of a child, Ritz!"
"…What did you say? Say that again."
For the first time, she had her raw emotions thrown at her by Ritz. But she couldn't stop anymore.
"You don't even look back at your own happiness, and you just keep crying about dying, that's what I said is being spoiled!"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
To the enraged Ritz, Anna shouted.
"The loneliness you're carrying isn't just yours, is it!"
"What?"
"It's my loneliness! Don't you be the only one with a pitiful face!"
Ritz frowned, as if he had heard something unexpected. Anna let out a deep breath.
"I don't have real parents. In a few dozen years, my human adoptive father will die too! I'll be alone!"
"…"
She felt like crying. She felt like crying, and so the words wouldn't stop.
"You know how long your lifespan is, Ritz. You have a place to go back to. But I don't even know what I am. I might just keep aging at half the speed of a human…"
Anna looked down.
"I might stop aging altogether midway. I don't know what my race is! I don't know when I'll die, or how long I can live!"
As she spoke, she realized. The loneliness and the unknown fear that had settled deep within her without her noticing.
"After my adoptive father dies, and Franz and Ed-san die, and Joe dies, and all my friends and companions… and you die too, Ritz, if I end up living forever alone, what should I do?"
Anna grabbed Ritz's clothes.
"Hey! Answer me! Would I be happy if I committed passive suicide like you? Or should I end my own life in front of everyone before I lose them? Like you, Ritz! If I stabbed myself in the chest in front of you saying 'I don't want to be alone,' would you be okay with that?! Would you think 'I'm glad she's dead'?!"
Ritz silently lowered his eyes. She could see a deep regret in them. Ritz had probably forgotten about Anna's lifespan. That's why he could only think about himself being crushed by loneliness.
"I have a mask of being cheerful, happy-go-lucky, and naive too. You of all people know the me from Vishnu, right, Ritz?"
Ritz nodded slightly. Ritz had seen Anna acting like an adult as a caretaker for the children. Anna couldn't stop her words anymore. She continued to speak her jumbled thoughts, driven by emotion.
"Usually, it's not a mask, I'm really like that. I get to experience so many things, everything is surprising, and every day is so much fun. But there are times when I intentionally act, you know. You've probably… already forgotten, though."
Anna let out a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. Ritz remained looking down, not raising his face.
"I haven't always thought about these things. But every time you think about death, Ritz, I'm forced to confront my own loneliness. Every time I witness someone's death, I get lost. Even if it's the death of a human who's become a monster."
Her voice became a whisper at the end. She had brought an enemy to their death. It was necessary, and she couldn't help it, but it weighed heavily on her.
"You and I are the same, Ritz. We'll both encounter a lot of death. Because we have long lives."
Ritz had been silently turned away from her, gazing at the sea, for a while now. The twilight of the pre-dawn sea was gradually beginning to dye the ocean.
"But I don't want to die on my own, holding onto memories. I want to live. To live, I want to live my life to the fullest right now. I want to live, holding onto lots and lots of happy memories."
The waves quietly lapped at the shore below. Only that sound filled the space.
"Ritz…"
She peeked at his face from the side, but his expression didn't change. Were her words still not reaching him?
Anna quietly sat back down, hugged her knees, and silently stared at the dimly lit horizon, just like Ritz.
How much silence had passed? They were both at a loss for what to say next. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't… Anna just stared at Ritz's face.
Unconsciously, a word slipped from her lips.
"Would I not be good enough…"
"Huh?"
Ritz looked up. His eyes, wavering with confusion, looked lonely.
"Could I not live with you, Ritz?"
"Anna…"
Anna looked straight into his eyes.
"If it's painful to live alone, I'll be with you forever, Ritz. I don't know how long we can live, we won't know until we try, but I can surely be with you longer than any of our companions. I can hold onto the memories of Ed-san, Shasta-san, and the Queen so you don't lose them."
She slowly stretched out her legs, which had been hugged, onto the cold grass and slowly looked up at Ritz.
"I think it would be fun no matter where we went, as long as I'm with you, Ritz. I don't know if I can be like Ed-san or Patty-sama, but I think you're very important to me, Ritz. You're a beloved companion, you know?"
"Anna…"
Ritz quietly called Anna's name. It was a faint voice, the likes of which she had never heard before. Anna looked back at him.
"I want to carry your loneliness with you. I want to live with you."
It was Anna's heartfelt answer.
"So, could you entrust me with the choice of dying because you don't want to be lonely? I'll keep it safe inside me…"
Before she could finish, Ritz had pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Hey, that's tight…"
Though she protested verbally, Anna didn't resist. Through his clothes and bandages, she could feel the emotions he held in his chest.
Loneliness, sadness. And hope…
Did he understand? That she loved and cherished him, that she sincerely wished for him to live…
"You really are… a good-natured person."
Ritz whispered.
"…You think so?"
"Yeah. Even though I said such terrible things…"
Being held by the quietly muttering Ritz, she felt like she was the one holding him.
Anna slowly wrapped her arms around Ritz's back and held him. Their touching cheeks were cold, and his hair tickling her cheek in the wind was ticklish. But it felt incredibly warm.
Anna gently patted his back, just as she did for the orphans in the orphanage who had left their parents and were trembling with loneliness.
The hands holding Anna loosened just a little, and he seemed to be entrusting himself to what she was doing. He seemed calm, his heartbeat steady.
The usually transcendental, cheerful, and strong Ritz was, in Anna's arms, quietly accepting what she was doing, like a spoiled child.
What was this? A strange feeling. Ritz, who had always been her protector, who would definitely save her, was somehow cute.
"…I'm sorry."
His muttered voice reached Anna's ears.
"…It's okay."
"I was thoughtless. I'm sorry for hurting you…"
"It's not just me. You have to properly apologize to Ed-san, Patty-sama, and Shasta-san too, you know?"
"You're right."
"You can't try to die like that again, okay?"
"I know."
"I'll be with you, always."
"…Yeah."
Ritz's hands holding Anna tightened again. Anna suddenly looked up at the still-dark winter sky beyond Ritz's arms.
The horizon was gradually turning orange, but the sky was still a star-filled expanse.
The shining stars, embraced by the deep darkness, looked like they were about to fall, and they were incredibly beautiful.
She thought that even after fifty, a hundred years, she would never forget the sky she saw from here.
Even if, from now on, all her precious friends disappeared, when she remembered this sky, she could probably remember everyone together.
Lira, Dill, Joe, and Greig. And her companions who would end their lives much sooner than her, Edward and Franz…
As long as she cherished them in her heart, they would not disappear. Perhaps that was what it meant to face loneliness.
After silently feeling Ritz's warmth for a while, she felt the焦燥감 and the anxiety that had been quietly accumulating in her heart gradually disappearing.
It was strange. For Anna, Ritz was becoming the person who warmed her heart the most. Being in Ritz's arms was very comfortable.
She hoped Ritz felt the same way, Anna thought, and she peeked at his face from below. She couldn't see well, but she felt that he looked a little bit calmer.
Had she been of any help at all?
"Ritz, let's go home. Everyone's worried."
Anna said to Ritz, unusually cheerfully.
"…Yeah, you're right."
Slowly, Ritz loosened his arms, and Anna was finally freed from his embrace. Perhaps embarrassed, Ritz gently averted his gaze from Anna.
But only now did Anna remember.
"Oh right, you had a broken rib! Oh, did they set it? Are you okay? Does it not hurt?"
At the moment she was freed, Anna returned to her usual self, and Ritz gave a wry smile.
"I'm fine. I'm tough."
"That's right. You're tough, aren't you."
Anna stood up while looking at Ritz.
"Let's go home, Franz is probably waiting. We haven't been to see him."
"You're right."
To Anna, who was walking a step ahead, Ritz called out.
"Anna, thank you."
When she turned around, Ritz was there with a gentle smile. It was a kind expression she had never seen before.
"No, I didn't do anything."
"No, you're amazing."
His words, acknowledging her, made her happy. She felt like singing a song. But to the soaring Anna, Ritz cleared his throat and continued.
"And Anna. Keep what just happened a secret from Ed and Franz, okay?"
What just happened? Was it about him hugging her? Or was it about him being like a child, letting her do whatever she wanted?
But from Anna's perspective, she didn't see any reason to keep it a secret.
"Huh? Why?"
"…Because it's embarrassing."
After muttering that with a red face, Ritz slipped past Anna and walked ahead without looking back.
"I'm leaving you behind."
"Wait, Ritz!"
The royal palace was still in a state of chaos. Both Ritz and Anna still had much to do.
The newly risen sun dyed the castle a soft orange, and a new day began.