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It was never new to see the name Lee Chaeyeon and the word genius put together whenever you refer to the greatest mage in the history of not just the Roviose Empire but the entire world.
She is a prodigy with dozens of titles.
A girl who could wield all the elements at ease and is loved by everyone due to her humble and kind heart. It was said that even the gods and goddesses favor and adore her that's why she was chosen as the Saintess by the divinities, someone similar to a pope but close to being a demigoddess. Saintesses are revered by everyone as the proxies of the heavenly kings and queens.
She is the eldest daughter of the duke house who has been a loyal subject to the royal family since the establishment of the mightiest empire.
A person gifted with beauty, riches, and golden heart.
Perfection.
The people would praise her for every little thing she does. Princes and princesses from all around the globe would try to court her even without the knowledge of her title. However, there was just one thing others find problematic recently.
"Lady Chaeyeon!"
"Miss Lee Chaeyeon!"
"My lady!"
"Have you tried looking for her in the royal garden?!" A strict looking but charismatic old man angrily shouted at the top of his lungs, his elegant white tailcoat adorned with golden embroideries swayed in every turn he made.
Why is that girl being rebellious ever since the marriage announcement?!
The old man gritted his teeth and clenched his fist to control his seething anger.
The servants around him flinched in terror and started scrambling around once again, searching in every nook and cranny of the royal palace as if their lives depended on it, magical lamps on their hands as the darkness of the night tried to swallow everything whole.
As they busied themselves, a pair of eyes were just silently looking down from the sky. The young woman scratched her cheek before wiping the sheepish smile on her face with a sigh. "He never listens."
She doesn't want to cause a problem for their servants. But she had made up her mind and it was a habit of hers not to take back the words she had already said. That, however, is a different thing. She found herself empathizing with them and felt bad. They shouldn't suffer because of her stubbornness so, in order to save them, she finally decided to show herself.
The mage let herself slowly descend beside the white castle, just behind the old man who was emitting a rather murderous aura.
"Your Grace." She smoothly gave him a bow of formality.
"!!!" The old man's eyes opened wide in shock before he cleared his throat to recompose himself. "Where have you been, my dear daughter?"
"I was quietly watching you, dear father." She smiled while pointing upwards at the endless starry sky.
"Chaeyeon, you—"
"I won't give them my blessing. That is my final decision, dear father."
"Wh-what are you talking about?!"
"I've said my piece. I only wanted to tell you that. Please let our servants rest."
"Why do you not listen to us lately? Where is my sincere child who's always sweet and timid?!"
Chaeyeon took a deep breath and sighed. "Let me be selfish for once, dear father. I have my own reason."
"This is plain reckless! Foreign envoys are here as well! Stop putting our ducal house to shame!"
"Even so, I shall stand my ground."
"You are a proud daughter of our house and what you're doing could be considered lese-majeste!"
"Disown me if need be, I will not take my words back." She gave her father a weak smile.
"Why you!! Come back here! That is irresponsible, Lee Chaeyeon!! We are of the crown princess' faction!"
She heard him shout behind her which made her stop on her track. Indeed, they are supporting the future empress of the empire but her house is just blindly following whatever the emperor wants. They were their yes men whether it's for a just cause or not. She didn't want to be a part of it. She wishes to become independent, to become neutral. It was what she learned after being proclaimed a Saintess but...
I simply don't want her to get hurt.
"Chaeyeon, you should let them tie the knot so it will be guaranteed that the second princess will be forfeiting her right to the throne."
Finally casting her levitation spell, she turned around and grinned. "I'm sorry but see you around, dear father!"
The girl could still hear her father yell incoherent words but she couldn't care less as she flew away and stealthily headed towards the open window of the tallest tower in the palace.
Soft sounds of chimes rang as the wind accompanying her blew the moment she landed her feet on the crimson carpet of a personal library. Shelves are as high as the ceiling, there were hundreds or maybe a few thousands of books so thick that the thought of reading it gives her headache, of course, there's familiar smell of old papers lingering in the room, the magical phonograph playing a piece of recorded music performed by the most famous minstrel, balls of golden light floating near the ceiling fueled by magic. The typical scene that welcomes her whenever she barges in her place.
"Why are you here?" A voice came from behind the shelves. The tone sounded quite irritated but for Chaeyeon, it was as if the angels started singing in chorus from the sweet but deep sound.
"I just wanted to visit you."
"...I heard about what you did earlier." The other person boredly said before finally showing herself to the mage. "What are you planning, Chaeyeon?"
"Words sure travel fast." Chaeyeon smiled at the sight of a goddess emerging in front of her eyes as she muttered her name. "Sakura."
A beautiful woman in her early twenties was illuminated by the room's magical orbs. She was wearing her simple white nightgown hidden by a dark blue robe which perfectly complements with her milky white skin, her medium-length black silky hair with red tips made her already small face even smaller, her big doe eyes were adorned by a monocle on her right making her appear intelligent and there was also an opened book on small hands.
It was just the usual Sakura but Chaeyeon couldn't help herself but fell in love once again.
She was sure her father would probably punish her for disturbing this person at night but she didn't care. She just wanted to see the girl who makes her smile like a fool ever since she met her years ago.
An amused look painted Sakura's face. "You really don't use any honorifics when referring to me huh."
"Well, it just feels wrong to use it when we're alone, right?" Chaeyeon smirked.
"Your father will cry if he finds out that you're referring to the empire's crown princess casually like that."
Sakura gave her a sweet smile. It was enough to make Chaeyeon's head malfunction for a good five minutes, making her fail to realize that the girl put down her book and closed the distance between them.
"Chaeyeon, your soul's leaving your body again." She teasingly whispered to Chaeyeon's left ear making the girl finally snap back to reality.
"S-Sakura, you're too close." The mage covered the lower half of her face with her hand, hiding her blushing cheeks while looking away from the princess.
"Not like I mind. But you haven't answered my question earlier yet." Sakura slowly reached for Chaeyeon's hand to peel it off from her flushed face while her other hand reached for the side of the mage's cheek to let their eyes meet. Her fingers brushed on her jaw while her thumb softly caressed the girl's skin.
"Why didn't you give them your blessing?"
Chaeyeon sighed.
It was widely known among the nobles that the first princess is in love with the daughter of Duke Kwon, the rival of Duke Lee, who is Chaeyeon's father. The said girl, however, is already engaged with the princess' younger sister, Her Highness, Princess Hyewon. She didn't want to admit that she's not planning to give the second princess and the daughter of another duke house her blessing because of Sakura. The wedding is supposed to take place in the morning so she was captured by her father and was held off in the deadly labyrinth underneath the palace after she had voiced out her objection. She was glad she escaped from her room and disappeared. With that, the wedding would be as good as not having the gods and goddesses to agree to the ceremony as The Holy Saintess of the Empire refused to give them her blessing. She was willing to face treason if it means stopping the marriage and giving Sakura a chance to be married to the person she loves. It was the first time she felt that way, the first time she experienced the thing called love and she'll do anything to make the person she loves happy... even if it was not her who she will end up with...
...even if it meant breaking her heart in the process.
"Chaeyeon." Sakura gently called out to her as she has been quiet for some time.
"Sorry, I can't tell you." Chaeyeon gave her a smile, putting her hands over Sakura's which was still giving her cheek warmth.
The princess sighed. "...is it because of Lady Eunbi?"
The mage flinched in response to her words and that only made the princess shake her head in disappointment. "Chaeyeon... give them your blessing. Please."
Chaeyeon could feel sadness in Sakura's voice but it still sounded firm and final... like how a king commands her subjects. The mage mustered up all the courage in her system and looked at Sakura directly in the eyes as if peering through the seemingly infinite depth of her soul.
"B-but what about your love for her? Are you going to give up?" Worry was painted all over the younger's face.
"It's okay." The princess smiled at her.
"I don't want to see you hurt once they get tied to each other."
"...I won't be hurt." Sakura softly said as she leaned forward and let their foreheads touch. "I have you with me, my only precious friend."
Chaeyeon could feel her heart get heavy from the last word Sakura muttered but nonetheless, she placed a kiss on the princess's hand tenderly before chanting a magical spell.
Magic circles appeared overhead and below the two of them then a blinding light surrounded them in an instant. Before Sakura knew it, they were already in her royal chamber, just beside her bed.
"You didn't even warn me about the teleportation." Sakura giggled.
"I figured you'd want some cuddle right now and your private library is not a good place to do it." Chaeyeon laughed before letting themselves collapse on the bed while hugging making the other girl yelp in surprise.
A few seconds... or maybe even tens of minutes have passed but the pair didn't move from their positions. They were simply enjoying the warmth of one another's body, savoring their time together.
"...we're dead if someone catches you with me in the middle of the night."
"I could just hide under your bed."
"What are you? A mistress of some sort?"
Chaeyeon frowned before bursting out in laughter. "Where did you get that from? Why mistress? People would usually think monsters hide under the bed."
"Read it in one of the books in my library. It was accidentally included in my studies." Sakura shrugged.
"A romantic novel?" The young mage scrunched up her nose.
The older girl nodded before she wrapped her arms around the mage tighter, burying her face on Chaeyeon's thick black robe. "Your peach scent really calms me down."
"O-oh. I'm glad it does."
Sakura hummed in response.
There was another silence enveloping the two of them. It was not awkward since the two found it rather comfortable. They found each other's presence so soothing as if their impressions from years ago were nothing but an illusion.
"Why am I suddenly remembering our first meeting..."
Chaeyeon snorted at Sakura's words. "Actually, me too. It was literally a disaster."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Yours?" Chaeyeon smirked.
"Who was the girl who suddenly landed on top of me out of nowhere again? I was just peacefully reading my book under a big tree."
"Chaeryeong?"
"Don't even..." Sakura groaned and slapped her shoulder. "Why are you even mentioning your younger sister when everyone knows it's you. You're the only one who's capable of teleportation. You should've been more careful. You fainted on top of me back then."
"Well, sorry. I was in the middle of experimenting at that time. I still couldn't control my mana consumption."
"I was always the victim of your experiments. You almost burned me to death when you summoned a fire salamander which suddenly appeared in front of my face." The princess shook her head.
"It's not my fault that you're too engrossed reading a book that you didn't even look at where you're going! You just entered the summoning circle out of nowhere!"
"Fine, that was my fault. But why were you even in that place? I've never asked but it's supposed to be a garden for royalties only."
"Your father, the emperor, told me to secretly practice my magic there after he found out about my magical ability. He also said there would be no one to be harmed there as it is a vast place. What I have to ask is, why do you always appear in front of me back then? The Royal Garden is almost as big as a small city. What are the odds of running into each other every time?" Chaeyeon started pouting.
"Why are you asking me? I just let my feet lead me towards wherever they want. Everyone bugs me that I have to exercise so I walk in the garden. Anything else is too tiring."
"...why am I not surprised?"
"You should at least be happy that you were able to meet the empire's future empress."
"Whatever you say, Miss Ethereal Wallflower Princess."
"That sounds disgusting and lame." Sakura couldn't help but frown at the title.
"That's what people call you. There's even the Goddess of Knowledge. I think I've also heard some noble refer to you as The Library Muse or The Beautiful Hermit. Oh wait, my friend called you Empire's Phantasmal Divini—"
"Don't you even dare finish that!" The princess massaged her head in frustration. "This is why I hate showing myself."
"No, it's precisely because you don't show yourself that they started thinking you're just an illusion. Most people don't even know what you look like. They only know you as the crown princess who is rumored to be more intelligent and wise than the greatest sage in history... tho I doubt that. I mean... wise people don't just walk in the middle of a summoning circle like you." Chaeyeon cackled.
"Shut up!"
The princess wanted to be mad at her yet she ultimately failed because of the other girl's infectious laughter. She ended up feeling herself smile upon seeing how much the young girl is having fun conversing with her casually like that.
"Smiling really suits you the most."
At her words, Chaeyeon started choking on air but Sakura ignored her and let their fingers intertwine. "Can I request something?"
The mage who was still flushed nodded vigorously while hiding her face once again with her free hand.
"Come on, why are you so embarrassed? I was only telling the truth." The princess chortled.
"N-nothing. What's your request?"
"Can you take me out for a bit? Let's go watch the city festival from afar. People should still be awake at this time of the day especially when one of their beloved princesses is about to have her happy wedding."
"O-oh..."
"It's okay. I'm telling you, I'm not going to be hurt even if they get married." Sakura squeezed Chaeyeon's hand to reassure her.
"But..."
"I already love someone else, Chaeyeon."
The mage snapped her head towards the princess who was smiling at her sweetly, her eyes almost about to bulge out of their sockets. "Pardon?!"
"I won't be hurt because someone else owns my heart now."
"Wh-what do you mean? Is it the prince from the Zelkova Empire who was set to marry you? D-did you fall in love with Prince Hirate after spending time with him?"
Sakura looked at her blankly.
People say you're perfect but you're so dense.
Sakura laughed at her thought before clearing her throat. "It's not him. She's someone who has been bugging me a lot ever since I met her. Someone hopelessly in love with me."
"...I don't know anyone like that. A-are you secretly meeting someone?"
"Chaeyeon..." The princess couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. "You do know I don't get out of my room nor do I let other people visit me, right?"
"Ah... then who?"
"Seriously?"
"I-I don't really have a clue..."
"I can't believe you."
"I-is she a maid? Or a knight stationed outside of your room?"
"...you know what? Forget it. I want to sleep." Sakura pushed Chaeyeon away and tucked herself inside the duvet, her back facing the mage.
"But you haven't told me who yet! I won't leave until you tell me." The young mage huffed and grabbed her shoulder, forcefully making the princess face her.
So much for being a Saintess.
Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Last clue. That person is someone who took my first kiss."
"I—" Chaeyeon frowned before she suddenly chanted a spell which covered Sakura in white light a couple of times.
"What did you just..."
"Oh. Nothing. I just had the urge to cast it."
"..." The princess stared at her in disbelief making the mage scoff.
"What? It's just a purification spell." Chaeyeon said under her breath. "Anyways, I really won't leave here until you tell me who you fell in love with. I want you to be happy so I'll help you."
Chaeyeon was trying to sound enthusiastic but Sakura could hear the hint of hurt in her tone.
"This is absurd." The princess sighed.
"What's more absurd is the fact that you're only telling me this now. I had to go through a lot just to stop the wedding." Chaeyeon trapped the princess between her arms as she pouted.
You don't even realize our weird position right now. Is this what they call a naturally smooth person?
Sakura retorted in her mind. "It's not my fault that you're as dense as a black hole."
"I don't know what a black hole is but I feel like you're insulting me."
"I am."
"That's... cruel."
"Before you complain, will you please get off of me?"
"...oh crap—"
"Actually, forget it. Stay on top of me."
Chaeyeon wasn't able to finish her words as Sakura snaked her arms around her neck, their faces merely a few inches apart. She let her finger run through the mage's short locks. She had cut it recently for some reason.
"S-stay on t-top of you?! Th-th-that's out of question!" The mage struggled out of the hold but failed. Forcing herself up would hurt the girl in front of her and she doesn't want that. Even if she's physically stronger than the beansprout princess, she couldn't break free from her fragile arms.
"I knew you won't be able to escape from me." Sakura wore a victorious smirk. "Even though I'm but a frail human princess who can't even wield magic like her sisters or you, I have my brain to compensate for that."
Chaeyeon could feel her cheeks grow hot. "Fine. You know you always win against me."
"Yeah, I know. Because you love me."
"Hah?! Wh-what are y-you talking about?!"
"There's no use denying it. I've known about it for as far as I can remember."
"B-b-but th-that's—"
Sakura closed the distance between them. Letting her lips touch Chaeyeon's, she was able to effectively shut the stuttering girl up.
"Calm down first. You're stammering too much."
"Wh-what j-just—"
The princess once again kissed the girl on top of her.
"I said calm down."
"Y-you k-ki-kissed m-me—"
"I won't stop kissing you until you don't calm down."
Chaeyeon pursed her lips after being kissed for the third time. Sakura could almost see steam come out of her ears as the girl's face was as red as her now cherry lips after her once pinkish ones were painted crimson by the princess' lipstick.
"Good girl. Now, do you know the person I love?"
The mage's face suddenly showed a frown.
"For goodness' sake..." Sakura groaned. "Fine then."
The princess pushed Chaeyeon to her side before climbing on top of her, switching positions with the mage. "I love you, Lee Chaeyeon. You're such a dense prick but I fell for you. Do you get it now?"
"...b-but you said you fell in love with the person who had your first kiss. I don't remember kissing you in the past."
Ah... that.
"Of course, you won't remember."
"What do you mean?"
"The day you appeared in front of me, five years ago. It was the first time I saw magic, also the first time someone kissed me... because she fell on top of me, unconscious."
"...we kissed back then?"
"Yeah. Believe it or not, that time I was so taken aback." Sakura giggled at her memory. "The magic residues produced sparkles which made our first meeting... well, and first kiss, really magical. I was not a fan of romance back then. I find love stories disgusting but then, that happened."
The princess looked at the girl below her with affectionate eyes. "As someone who couldn't use magic, it made me feel like that encounter is something like destiny. As lame as it may sound, did you know that the tree I was leaning on when we met was the Tree of Fate, Aiki?"
"Aiki as in that tree?" Chaeyeon looked at her, shock evident on her face.
It only made Sakura smile. "Yes. It is the tree planted by the first Saintess thousand of years ago. It's one of a kind and is said to guide you to your fated one."
"I see." Chaeyeon couldn't stop herself from smiling, her eyes shining in happiness. "So we're fated, huh?"
"Well, maybe we are." The princess was just staring at the mage fondly.
"Hey, Sakura."
The princess hummed.
"I love you." Chaeyeon reached for her face, holding it dearly and lovingly. She felt her eyes getting teary from the happiness coursing in her system. "I love you so much that I'm willing to sacrifice everything just to make you happy. I love every fiber of your being. I just love you. I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Sakura giggled. "I love you so much too. You just didn't realize it but I love you a lot more than you think. Blame that denseness of yours."
Chaeyeon chortled, her eyes turning into beautiful crescents. "Everybody knows that you hate socializing so I guess your simple touches shows your love for me.."
The princess smiled. "That's a given fact. I don't touch people. You know how much I hated associating myself with others yet I find myself addicted to your warmth. You found me and pulled me up from negativity."
Sakura closed her eyes as she put her hands over Chaeyeon's. They were warm, so, so warm that she can't help but let her supposedly icy heart melt from affection. "Because of you, I was chosen as the crown princess. I, who was once invisible was given meaning. You were the reason why I was given a chance to be able to show my skills in front of my father and the entire empire. I became a hero who solved mysteries and stopped tragedies with not just my wisdom and knowledge but mostly with your help too. I wouldn't be here, in my position, if not for you. You were always beside me, supporting me... even sometimes from the shadows. You might think I don't know but I knew the things you've done for me, probably not all, but I know how much effort you put for me. Thank you... for always making me feel loved and needed. I love you, Lee Chaeyeon."
Chaeyeon was close to crying. The gush of emotions swirling in her mind was enough to make her feel faint. She's the happiest person in the world. The person she loves the most loves her back...
...yet they can't be together.
The mage pulled her towards her, hugging her tightly. "I can't have you because of my position but no matter what happens, I will make sure that we'll end up together. I'll talk to the gods and goddesses. Beg for it, on my knees, if needed, cast aside my powers if that means I get to spend my life with you."
"I'll work on it too... I'll do everything just to make you officially mine. I'll rake up more achievements, become the best ruler of the empire. Anything to be with you."
A Saintess is unattainable. A being almost equivalent to a demigoddess, someone out of a human's reach, however, Chaeyeon and Sakura are willing to change that fact, alter it to give both of them the happiness they're looking for.
"I know loving you will be full of challenges but that doesn't matter. As long as we're together, we'll be able to get through it." Sakura broke free from their embrace to look at her beloved before smiling. "I'm all yours. I really love you, Lee Chaeyeon."
"Yes, and I am all yours as you are mine. I love you too, Miyawaki Sakura. I swear to do so forever."
Chaeyeon, for the very first time, sealed her vow with a sweet and slow kiss.
The pair enjoyed each other's touch for a while before Sakura spoke up once again. "You have to sleep and prepare for the wedding tomorrow now, okay?"
"As you wish, Your Highness." The mage giggled. "But didn't you say you want to go out? Why don't we go for a secret night date under the moonlight? I could cast a transformation spell for us to go around the busy streets unnoticed. Or would you like to stay in the sky and watch the stars with me while floating?"
"Why don't we have fun and enjoy the street lights first before stargazing then?"
"Oh wow. Certainly, my love." Chaeyeon winked awkwardly.
"Stop it. Both of us are unsightly when winking." Sakura couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"We're that destined for each other."
"That's right."
Their giggles dissipated into the night with the chatters of the people celebrating a festival for the wedding of the second princess and the greatest female knight from a duke house.
That day was an event intricately recorded onto the history of the empire as the start of the legendary love story between the unyielding Saintess and the wise empress and their struggles for their dreams to be realized as it eventually led to the birth of new epics and adventures, showed in plays and performances for generations. (It's said that the Saintess was the one who gave too much information to the grateful historians which just made the empress sigh in defeat)