Chapter Text
"Dark Cacao…"
She wasn't prepared for such a dark look. She wanted to hide: She felt not just the greatest sinner, as before, but the devil himself, who had smashed and destroyed everything that was dear to he.
And so it was.
Dark Cacao was breathing heavily, his eyes boring into Lily's face. His lips tightened into a thin line. He roughly took off his gloves, walking towards her with heavy steps. The dishes in the cupboard behind her rang, clattering unpleasantly against each other.
White Lily was scared. Right now, she was afraid of Cacao, who was capable of anything in anger. She was a criminal to him, and he had plenty of reasons to hate her.
She wanted to hide, but it was too late to run: Dark Cacao approached her face, blocking the light of the chandelier. The amethyst eyes darkened, examining every detail of Lily, as if checking if everything remained the same. It had only been a few months for her, but for him it had been painful decades, leaving their mark with wrinkles, gray hair and incredible fatigue.
Cacao cupped her face in his hands, scratching her delicate skin with calluses and squeezed slightly, forcing her to look at him.
"You haven't changed."
The weather has not been pleasant at all in recent days. White felt terrible, preferring to stay in her room. She didn't like thunderstorms.
"You haven't changed, Lily, as if we saw each other yesterday. It's so strange to see you here now."
"Dark…"
"Are you scared? The storm has always tormented you. Or are you afraid of something else?"
The callous warrior was not going to retreat. His low, velvety voice made her tremble even more. White missed him, saw him in her dreams, but was afraid to meet him.
Their love story is now filled with blood, longing and cold.
"Do you feel sad, Lily? Was there a day when you missed us?"
"Cacao, please…"
Dark Cacao was her executioner. Guilt overwhelmed her; tears filled her eyes, blurring his face.
In the ground floor of the Vanilla Palace was lively: the ancient heroes had finally come together again, including the fairies from the Beast-Yeast. Hollyberry diluted the tense atmosphere by offering drinks. Elder Fairy was the first to lose the battle with her, shamefully sliding under the table and falling asleep until the morning. The rest enjoyed their vacation, having small competitions and laughing merrily.
"I hated you."
It was quiet on this floor, only Dark Cacao's piercing voice filled her entire space, settling like a heavy weight in her chest and stomach. White Lily felt like she was being cut with a red-hot knife. She forgot to breathe.
"When you left, I hated you. I hated what you did to me. I was supposed to be an indestructible leader who is able to protect his people, and you made me vulnerable and left me in a difficult moment. I didn't understand, had I not given enough? Have I done too little for you? Or didn't talk about love enough? I wanted to rip out my heart and erase from my soul these fucking feelings that tormented me every day. I hated you because you left your mark on every corner of the citadel. But soon I hated myself. I'm so pathetic because I couldn't tear up your portrait. I couldn't throw away the pinyo I've been making for you for so long. Anger was suffocating when I left the hall, where I snapped at Clotted, who dared to throw mud at you in front of my eyes."
Cacao was pressing, and it seemed like he wanted to push White into her spine. Girlish tears flowed down his palms and dripped onto the floor, lost in his sleeves and the collar of her dress. White tried to say something, but could only move her lips helplessly.
"I'm pathetic, Lily. I wanted you to feel all the pain and despair that I had to feel, so that you would understand how unbearable it is. But instead, I took out my anger and resentment at Choco. I couldn't stand that the sparks in his eyes were the same as yours. He was smiling your smile."
The wind was humming terribly. The gust was so strong that the unclosed windows on the ground floor shattered.
She went deaf; Lily lost track of where she was, and Cocoa dug his fingers into her face even harder. White clutched at his rough palms, trying to tear them off, scratching, but could only hang absurdly on his arms, continuing to choke in tears.
She lost control of her body.
"Tell me, Lily, are you happy? Was the truth worth it all? Well, why don't you say something?"
Lily was hysterical: She squirmed in his arms like a wild bird, sobbing and squinting. Dark Cacao began to lose his temper, rubbing her face.
Lightning split the sky, and thunder stirred up the ravens, who screamed in fear.
"Tell me! What have you achieved?! Speak! I want to know, was it worth it to ruin everything? Stop crying already!"
From an overabundance of feelings, Cacao lost his balance and, stumbling over a low table, collapsed on the sideboard, hiding Lily in his arms and covering her body with a cape. An unreliably secured sideboard collapsed on the warrior and overturned, breaking the table, fragile dishes broke, and fragments bit into the scalp and face.
When the ringing died down, there was silence in the room, interrupted only by the girl's occasional sobs. Dark Cacao, showered with shards, slightly opened his arms, letting Lily breathe. Carefully, not allowing the glass to get on her body, Cacao pressed against the wall and opened the cape.
Lily was clinging to his chest, staring into space and wiping her nose with the palm of her hand. Cacao gave them another moment to come to their senses, and then carefully turned her face towards him. Finally, she focused her gaze on his eyes. The amethyst brightened – the anger and resentment were gone, leaving only a quiet sadness. He touched her cheekbones lightly with his knuckles, as he used to like to do. Lily closed her eyes from exhaustion and kissed the man's hand.
They both loved it. That unique and inexplicable feeling of peace, silence and tenderness. The feeling of home.
"I tried to kill my feelings, but I couldn't."
Lily listened with her hand pressed to her face, which she had recently tried to tear away from herself.
"I love you, White Lily."
Cacao whispered wearily. For the first time in a long time, his face was so painful and exhausted.
"How many more years in hell do I have to endure for you to come home?"
Lily smiled gently. Rising slightly, she awkwardly kissed Dark Cacao on the corner of her lips, pressing her cheek against his cheek.
"Will you let me come back with you, my dear husband?"
The clouds have cleared. Moonlight filtered through the stained glass windows, painting delightful patterns on the floor and walls.
The long-awaited peace has come.