Chapter Text
“Amazing!”
Yuzuri’s glee was palpable as she examined each of my seedlings, now well and truly grown into the flowering plants they were intended to be. Each type of glitter crystal stone I’d melded together had yielded different results from their control group: some had grown twice as much as the others; some had flowered while others had not. I’d brought each plant to Yuzuri’s botany laboratory, hoping she’d find it interesting - but also hoping for confirmation, from someone in her field, that I had indeed done something of worth. I had, at last, succeeded as I’d wished: I’d be able to report new scientific findings under my name, proof that I was not bound to the titles and roles my family had always laid out for me.
“The others here will definitely want to take a look at this, Féanne.” Yuzuri clapped her hands together, almost giddy. “You did well, for someone who’s never even tended a garden before!”
I rolled my eyes, but chuckled anyway. “Maybe the glitter crystal stones gave me strength.”
“Something sure did!” She winked at me, tracing her fingertips over the leaf of the final plant on her desk. “Or some one …?”
I knew, of course, what she was implying - after all, I had not done the bulk of this work in Yuzuri’s quarters. In the end, though, Lata was no botanist, and had suggested I go to see Yuzuri now that most of the plants had bloomed. She and I took the afternoon to measure and examine each, and I ultimately felt confident I’d be able to write a proper report on which stones produced the best results as fertilizer.
“Ah, never mind that,” Yuzuri corrected herself, waving a hand dismissively. She grinned. “You did the work, so you deserve the credit! You ought to go out tonight and celebrate.”
“I probably shouldn’t celebrate before I’ve written the actual report.”
“Well, consider it like a treat to motivate yourself!” She tapped her chin while I collected my basket of plant seedlings as I prepared to head back out. “I hear the lighted tents are setting up this evening for the first night of the winter! You haven’t seen those yet, have you?”
“Lighted tents?”
“They’re these spacious little heated tents with pillows and lanterns,” Yuzuri explained, forming a triangle with her fingers to give me a better picture. “You can rent them for an hour, and it’s a nice spot to just relax and enjoy the night! Suzu and I might go, sometime soon…”
I hummed, mulling over the idea. Certainly, however, I did not want to go alone - for what would be the purpose of that? I’d have to convince someone…convince Lata . Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, I grabbed the basket of seedlings and made for the exit door. “Thanks again,” I called back to Yuzuri, who gave me a wink and a wave in return.
It was odd to admit that, in the two weeks since my return from Elsignia, not much had changed. Lata and I had resumed our work right where we'd left off before the fateful banquet, speaking as little as we normally did - and save for that relatively frank conversation in Diratz, we never talked about all that had occurred between the pair of us. We dined in the taverns and talked about nothing and everything, went on menial excursions to the marketplace for supplies, and, on nights where neither of us had work looming over our heads the next morning, spent the evening in either my quarters or his, to bask in the peaceful presence of the other. It was similar to how things were before , yet indescribably different - different in a way I had not realized I’d been yearning for.
Today, I opted to stop by my own lodgings before returning to the mineralogy hall; I had left some of my early notes at my desk, and felt it best to retrieve them if I was going to get a head start on writing that report this afternoon. Keeping habit by checking my mailbox at the base of the building’s steps, I was somewhat surprised to see a modest, carefully wrapped package bearing my name and address. It was stamped with the Aureville family crest, and I feared, at first, it was some sort of retaliation from Aleyan. Not bothering to go inside to open it, I tore open the wrapping there and then in the snow - and out fell a thick (and full ) drawstring burlap bag, accompanied with a handwritten letter.
Dearest Féanne,
Let me begin by apologizing once more for how things transpired at the Harvest Banquet. I should not have stoked the flames of Elder Brother’s ire, especially not when its fire burned both you and Lord Lata Forzeno as well. My contribution was inconsequential in the end compared to his swordsmanship, but I am grateful nonetheless that Lord Forzeno was not injured further. I hope he is recovering well.
My main purpose for writing this letter is to deliver some news that you may find to your liking. I will be traveling to the College of Natural Sciences, as you did three years ago, in the new year to study as a botanist. I recall you saying you had a good companion whose area of interest was also botany, so perhaps I shall take my chances and come to Lyrias once my studies are complete. I do hope you will help me get settled when the time comes, and that I may come visit you in the interim.
I know it is selfish of me, but I wish to thank you again for coming to Elsignia after so long. It was unbelievably lovely to see your face, and to hear the words I needed to shake me out of the miserable routine I was shackled to. Please also extend my greatest thanks again to Lord Forzeno, for sharing with me both his courage and wisdom.
All my love,
Feiran Aureville
P.S. I remembered your desire to collect dirt from the vineyard for your studies - in the chaos that ensued during your visit, I doubt you had the opportunity to do so. May this sample be enough for your work, and I will try to send more in my next letter.
For all my shock, my excitement, my delight…all I could do was laugh to myself. Feiran, in Lyrias? Had I not read the words twice, three times more, I would have thought I was hallucinating - the news was simply too good to be true. And I knew that he would likely not have made such a decision - a decision bold enough to be in character for me , not Feiran - had Lata and I not gone to the Harvest Banquet as we had. A warm sort of flutter flickered in my chest at the thought, and I smiled as I bent down to pick up the fallen sack of soil. Perhaps I could actually conduct those last experiments after all - I could not wait to show Lata.
I all but skipped to the mineralogy hall, in such a cheerful manner that would have surely had Lata muttering comments about how he had not the slightest inkling of who I was and why I was at his side. I did not bother my usual little ritual of knocking before entering his research lab - our research lab, I supposed - and burst through the door with my basket full of seedlings. Lata, seated at his desk and sorting crystal samples, did not pay me much mind, but after hastily setting the plants down, I walked over to him and dropped the bag of soil from my satchel onto the desktop.
He glared up at me and frowned. “What is that?”
“Feiran sent me earth from Elsignia’s vineyard,” I explained, “which means…we can finally finish the rest of those glitter crystal stone experiments.”
“You mean you can finally finish them,” Lata corrected, his face nevertheless brightening noticeably while he regarded me. “It was your project, after all.”
“I had some help.” I leaned against his desk and crossed my arms cheekily. “Funny enough, from the same noble-turned-researcher who gave my swordsman brother a run for his money.”
“Interesting fellow, he sounds like.”
I snorted. “Believe me, he is.” At the memory of that duel, I remembered the most important news of all: “Feiran also told me he will be leaving Elsignia in the new year. He’s heading to college as I did, and will be coming to Lyrias once he’s finished his studies.”
Lata hummed. “A lick of common sense came upon that boy after all, then.”
“He had some help, too,” I pointed out. My shoulders softened as my voice turned solemn. “Were it not for you…”
“It’s far too early in the day to get so sentimental,” Lata interjected, waving me away, yet his eyes grew clear and bright as he spoke. “You got what you needed from Yuzuri?”
“Yes, she gave me some details on the plants’ properties and health.”
“Then you have work to do, too, don’t you?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get out of your hair,” I said, letting my hand run through Lata’s black locks for a moment on the way to my little corner of the room. I noticed how he relaxed into the touch for a beat before reaching up to swipe a hand my way, but I’d had enough experience with evading my elder brother as a child that I dodged it with ease. Feigning offense, I added, “Are you upset with me, now? And here I was thinking we could go out and celebrate my work getting this far tonight.”
I heard him huff out a sigh, the chair creaking as he leaned back into it. “If you let me get this work done,” Lata muttered, “perhaps I’ll even consider treating you to a meal.”
I paused where I knelt with the bag of soil, ready to begin pouring it into waiting terra cotta pots even before writing my report. I gazed over my shoulder at Lata: bangs falling into his golden eyes, brow furrowed in concentration, lab coat atop fine clothes, his desk a mess of papers and gemstones in front of him. There was nothing particularly remarkable about Lata on the outside, I noted, and had I dug in my heels and written him off as impossibly insufferable, I might have missed out on the warmth in my heart that currently bloomed at his characteristically gruff words.
The moody nobles who refused to blend in with the other haughty aristocrats had found each other once again - it had only taken ten years to do so. I would never pass up the opportunity to spend time with him again, no matter how ridiculous the invitation was.
A wry smirk formed on my lips as I met Lata’s eye. “In that case, I’ll be on my best behavior,” I sang, and he offered up a defiant nod that was surely intended to make me keep my promise, but only served to make me repress my contented laughter.
*
It was bitterly cold once Lata and I emerged from the comparatively warm restaurant; it was all I could do to not turn around and rush back in. My woolen cape was usually enough for crisp Lyrias evenings, but tonight, I may as well have not been wearing anything at all. Lata did not appear to mind it much, but he stuck his gloved hands into his pockets nonetheless, and we began the trek back towards the mineralogy hall.
The streets seemed busier than usual, and though we seemed to be moving along with the crowd, the occasional passerby bumped into either Lata or me - much to his displeasure. It was then that I recalled Yuzuri’s suggestion that I go to see the lighted tents for their debut this evening; perhaps it was there that all these people were headed. I shot a quick glance in Lata’s direction, but he remained facing forward. I was curious about these tents, now, and the idea of sharing one with Lata definitely had potential - that was, if I could convince him to do so.
“Hey.” I tugged on his sleeve, and he paused and at last looked down at me. “Yuzuri mentioned something about these heated tents…it must be where all these folks are headed.”
“Huh. Must be.” Lata shrugged, unmoved.
“Do you want to go?”
“What? Where?”
“The tents…!” I jerked my head in their likely direction. “It might be fun.”
“You and I have very different definitions of ‘fun’.” He crossed his arms. “If I wished to sit outside in the bitter cold for an hour, I could do so for free.”
“Come on,” I nagged, tugging on his sleeve once more. “I’ve got more than enough dir on me to pay. And they're supposed to be full of pillows and lanterns.” I let my shoulders drop and made a show of pouting. “I’ve never been in a tent before.”
Lata sighed, the puffs of his breath visible in the bitterly cold night air. Something about my persistence must have gotten through to him, because he took off marching forward towards the tents, leaving me behind. I rushed to catch up, my boots crunching through the icy snow. “Oi, you could at least tell me if I’ve won our little headbutting match,” I called after him.
“Do not make me regret this,” he replied evenly, keeping his gaze ahead. I huffed and let my mitten-clad hand wrap around the sleeve of Lata’s coat, with him continuing to drag me towards the array of tents and the crowd of citizens. The line to pay for an hour’s rental was moving surprisingly fast, and I couldn’t help but notice most of the people exiting the tents were happy couples, smiling to each other as they walked past us hand in hand. Happy couples. Lata and I were… a couple .
It finally came our time to pay, and I handed over a handful of cash to the attendant, who escorted us to a large, brightly-lit tent. The pillows and blankets had been fluffed and folded before our arrival, and I wasted little time making my way to the covers to warm up. Lata stared at me a moment, but at last came to join me, our knees brushing up against each others’.
I took advantage of the closeness to lean my head against his shoulder, humming contentedly from beneath the blanket, and pulled it up further till it covered Lata’s own legs. “See, this isn’t so bad,” I said, and Lata offered up a half-hearted grunt in reply. Still, he wasn’t moving from his spot, so he couldn’t have been too uncomfortable.
After a quiet pause, Lata suddenly turned around, removed his gloves, and brought his fingers to the space beneath my chin. “You still have this on,” he said, and I felt him tug at the pendant around my neck - the one with rozenstone he had made for me himself for the banquet. Truth be told, I had not removed it since then, except when going to the bathhouse - and that was only for fear I would lose it. It was a comforting reminder that I was safe and loved in Lyrias; that I never had to worry about Aleyan or Elsignia again, and that it was thanks to Lata's doing.
“Of course I do.” I reached up to cover Lata’s fingers with mine. “It’s beautiful, I love it.”
“I could make you a better one with more time.”
“For a price?”
“Mmm.” Lata dropped the pendant and sat back against the pillows. He closed his eyes. “Or for free.”
“Oh?” I raised a brow. “Am I that special?”
“Do you really need me to answer that?”
“I suppose not.” I let my own eyes close, and the silence resumed. Only the murmurs of the crowd outside were audible, and I knew not how much time had passed till I opened my eyes again. Lata's features were so tranquil I genuinely believed he might have fallen asleep - against his insistence that there was no way he could sleep in such a place. Without thinking, I bridged the distance between us and placed a kiss on his cheek - just as he had done to me the night of the Harvest Banquet.
Lata’s eyes cracked open and he looked at me curiously. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. You are simply easy to love,” I blurted out, before I could stop myself. It was true, of course it was, but I had not been so forward since my infuriated admission to Lata in Diratz that I did, indeed, love him. By now, surely he couldn’t think that I did not . But his eyes grew wide and stunned, and it was as though he had not been expecting my feelings at all. Did he not feel the same? He’d said I was “everything” to him, back in the inn… but did that not encompass love?
“‘Easy’ is not the word I thought you’d have in mind,” Lata mumbled after a long bout of silence. He fixed his gaze down at the corner of the blanket, fidgeting with it, and I felt my cheeks burn against the heat of the lantern.
“Do you not feel the same?”
“Eh?”
“About me.” I took a steadying breath and continued to stare at him. “Am I not easy to love?”
Lata’s eyes flickered up to meet mine for the briefest of moments. “I would not be in this tent if you weren't.”
It was my turn to be too stunned to speak; it was as much of an I love you as I'd ever gotten from Lata, in his own sort of roundabout way. Yet his actions had always spoken much more than his words ever could, and the few words he’d just offered up - in conjunction with the sheer fact he was here in this tent with me at all - was more than enough.
I clicked my tongue, suppressing a giddy grin. “In that case, I am glad to know the sentiment is mutual.” And with that, I leaned in to kiss him again, sitting back on my heels to do so properly: my lips on his, my hand curling in his hair.
It was warm and pleasant and sweet, and it removed any residual doubt I might have had about my feelings for Lata not being reciprocated; his arms wrapped around my waist to bring me into his lap, and he held me, as Feiran had said, as though I were something too precious to lose. And when I at last drew back to meet Lata’s tender gaze, my fingers trailing down to cup his face in my hands, I could only offer up a wry, besotted smile in return.
I had just so happened to find someone who could match my temperament, someone with whom I could bicker and tease and jab, and who would never fail to do the same in return. I had found someone who entertained my many whims, be it begrudgingly or otherwise, yet who would support me in my goals and aspirations - because his were so in sync with mine, like I was traversing on a path he had walked before himself, and on which he hoped to walk for a very long time.
I had done what I’d grown up believing to be impossible: I had found someone in the nobility who, like me, nevertheless despised it, and we had carved a little corner of the commoner world to share our greatest passions together - for as long as Lata and I would hold each other.