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"Gauche! Grey!"
The brown-haired mirror mage and blue-haired woman turned to face Noelle as she dismounted her broom and quickly set it against the wall. The tall man was currently walking down the road towards the orphanage with a gift bag in hand while his girlfriend calmly walked at his side with a bag of sweets. Her fellow Black Bull nodded his head gently as he shifted his grip on the bag.
"Noelle," the mirror mage offered calmly. Grey smiled softly.
"Where's Asta? He said it was urgent when we were talking an hour or so ago."
"He's—"
"Noelle!"
"There."
Silver locks whipped down the street to the ash-blond running towards her at a high pace. Despite the fact that Noelle was a bit on edge at why she had been called here in such a hurry, she couldn't deny the faintest bit of glee she felt upon seeing Asta running towards her. Glee that soon exploded and mixed with confusion as he reached her and instantly pulled her in for a tight hug. She grunted as his heavy hands wrapped around her waist and shoulders and his face pressed flush against her cheek. Too stunned to do anything, Noelle offered little more than a squeak of panic as he pressed himself against her intimately. Before she could air any concerns his lips were on her ear.
"Do you trust me?"
She stuttered for a moment before noticing that there were people watching them from the end of the street Asta had run down. Nuns by the looks of it but a few individuals the royal immediately recognized as bureaucrats of some sort by their gaudy dress and polished shoes. Something clicked inside her and without thinking she wrapped her arms around Asta's broad shoulders. She sunk her fingertips into the loose locks of ashen hair at the back of his head before she closed her eyes.
"Yes" she whispered back.
"Good," he mumbled against her neck, the sensation startlingly foreign yet exciting. "Then follow my lead. I promise I'll explain later."
He detached himself from her before letting his hand fall into hers—their fingers laced through each other's as he started them back down the road he had taken to get to her. Noelle's face immediately blew up with redness as she tightened her hold on his hand mostly out of nerves. They walked in silence for a few beats as they neared the group of adults standing outside the orphanage, though as they approached Noelle could see the looks on their faces slowly morph into ones of confusion, disdain, and shock. Before she could remotely entertain what was causing them to experience such emotions, Asta said a few words that simultaneously answered every question she had and threw her mind spiraling into chaos.
"Sorry my wife was a bit late, she had a few errands to run this morning before meeting me here."
Noelle's eyes nearly blew out of her head as her heart full-on stopped for a handful of seconds and she descended into a fit of coughs. When she recovered a few seconds later, she looked up to see the group's eyes collectively bearing into them. Jaws slack, faces aghast, body language torn in obvious disbelief—it was no wonder Noelle's reaction had gone unnoticed since everyone was too stunned to pay any attention to her. Eventually though one of the nuns did speak after clearing her throat thoroughly.
"Princess Noelle? Is this true? Are you this man's wife?"
All eyes turned to her and the water mage felt her face burn deeper red than before. She swallowed thickly as she remembered Asta's words to her from less than a minute ago.
"I promise I'll explain later."
You better, idiot
"Y-yes, Sister, this is my h-husband."
A round of gasps, some open and others barely contained, left the lips of the gathered adults in front of them. Asta's grip tightened a bit on Noelle's hand and she returned the gesture eagerly. Even though there was an easygoing smile on his face, Noelle could tell Asta was trying his best to contain and hide his nerves. The only person seemingly not caught off guard by the princess's words was Sister Theresa—the elderly nun smiled coyly from the back of the group. As quickly as the gasps came, however, they disappeared, and the bureaucrats set about dusting their clothes and organizing any loose accessories.
"I'm sorry, Princess, we had no idea that you—"
"No one had heard the news of your marriage so we assumed that his man was just—"
"It's fine!" Noelle tersely cut in. She settled into a demure smile she had practiced since she was little. "It all happened a bit… suddenly so we didn't make much of a fuss about it."
The gaudy men nodded their heads and cast apologetic glances in Asta's direction—the anti-mage's grin broadened by the second and became frustratingly cute. The polished men cast glances back to the nuns who were still too stunned to speak.
"Well then," one of the men began, aiming his attention at Asta, "would you like to pick up where you left off… sir?"
"Yes please!" Asta replied with way too much vigor. He yanked on Noelle's hand and pulled the silver-haired beauty against his side which caused her to squeak in surprise. His hand snaked around her waist. "I'll catch my wife here up to speed if you guys would like to go ahead and get the paperwork started?"
His tone indicated it wasn't exactly a question and thankfully the group of adults seemed to understand that. Spurred into action, the nuns and clerks left the two of them standing outside as they hurried their way indoors. Noelle tried to ignore the way her stomach turned to liquid at that word again: wife. Asta gently tugged on her hand and led her towards the orphanage entrance. When the others were sufficiently far away, she leaned into him a bit and whispered into his ear.
"Care to explain what the hell is going on, Dorksta?"
He dodged the question as he calmly waved to a few staff members who seemed as surprised as the nuns to see him back and hand-in-hand with the Silva princess.
"Come on," he whispered back, "let's go somewhere a bit more private."
—
Asta shut the door behind him as they stepped into the lit room. Sunlight poured in from the two windows on opposite sides of the empty space—one looked out towards the street and one looked inwards towards the playground a host of kids were playing in. The silence did little to calm Noelle's raging nerves and Asta's silence only accelerated her heartbeat further. The royal nervously played with the edge of her skirt. She cleared her throat before speaking.
"Alright, you better explain why you're introducing me as your wife to all these people down there."
Asta nodded his head before nervously popping his knuckles. His emerald eyes met hers.
"I'm trying to adopt a kid."
Noelle's eyes once more nearly blew out of her skull.
"You're what?!"
His face scrunched up under the scrutiny and for a moment she felt bad about her outburst and harsh tone. After another moment, however, his words sunk in again and she didn't feel as sorry.
"Asta, what the hell do you mean you're adopting a kid? You're 21!"
"Yes, Noelle, I know that!" he barked back with a bit of heat. "But I just—"
"No 'buts', Asta," the royal cut in. "I know you want a family and kids of your own but you're way too young to be doing this right now!"
"I know, Noelle! I know that this is a horrible time to do this and I didn't even intend to today. But I can't just walk away from this!"
"Why not?" she challenged. "They haven't told the kid you plan to adopt them, right?"
"Well, no—"
"And you haven't signed any paperwork or documents making you this kid's legal guardian, right?"
Asta flinched as he shook head no. "But I really—"
"Then why can't you walk away?"
She didn't intend to sound so harsh but the implications were frightening: Asta wanted to adopt a child and he was introducing Noelle as his wife—where the hell was he going with this? Did he seriously think he could just concoct this fake marriage and adopt a kid? The princess knew the peasant was dumb but this was a whole new level of idiocy even for him.
The dejected look pulled Noelle out of her rage and for a second she felt a shred of guilt. Asta walked over to the window and beckoned for her to follow. She did. Once there, he pointed outside to the playground where a host of children were playing jubilantly—with one exception: a smaller girl - no more than eight or nine years old by the look of it - alone in a sandpit away from all the other kids. The girl's brown hair had streaks of caramel coloring that popped against the sand around her. She held a few toys in her hands and seemed to be playing with them, but even from this distance Noelle could feel the girl's loneliness. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with.
Despite the pang in her chest, she leveled her voice and head.
"Asta, you can't just adopt a kid because they're lonely. I understand the sympathy but—"
"It's not because she's lonely, Noelle," the anti-mage cut in somberly.
The water mage paused for a beat. "Then what is it?"
Asta shut his eyes and creased his brow. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to take even breaths. Had Noelle paid a bit more attention she would've noticed the way his fingers shook slightly, or the way his Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he swallowed. When he spoke again his voice was quiet.
"Just… look at her. Really look at her."
The rawness in his voice threw the pink-eyed woman off. So much so that she sighed heavily and turned her attention back to the girl in the sandbox. Noelle studied her for a few moments—her eyes drifted back to the child's hair and long blue dress before gliding back down to the few toys in the kid's hands. As her frustrations were building and she felt like stomping her foot (because this was just an ordinary girl so why was she looking at her so much?), she felt it. Or rather, a distinct lack of it. She gasped.
The girl had no magic.
No, Noelle realized, she did have magic, but the mote of mana the royal sensed was so small, so insignificant, that it didn't surprise Noelle that she had missed it. A tiny ember that desperately fought for life at the bottom of the ash pile—flickering in and out of existence. The royal brought a hand up to her mouth as tears stabbed at her eyes. Next to her, the anti-mage slid into the window sill and leaned on her—a heavy sigh falling from his lips.
"The nuns said she was born like this," he commented gently. The pain was evident in his words. "They don't even know what kind of magic she has; she doesn't have enough mana to manipulate anything."
Everything suddenly clicked into place for Noelle. She turned to Asta, his face trained on the girl in the sandbox, and felt all the years of pain, suffering and hardship he had endured come flooding back. While the water mage hadn't been there since the beginning, she knew how hard it had been on her blond companion—over the years he had shared it all with her.
Noelle gently grabbed the sides of Asta's face and angled him down onto her shoulder. The anti-mage followed without protest and allowed his head to fall against Noelle. One of her hands gently snaked into his hair and scratched at his scalp while the two of them continued to look out at the girl with hardly a speck of magic. They stood together in the window in silence for a few minutes. With all the accolades and impossible achievements Asta had accomplished over the years, it was hard to remember a time when he was just a boy with no magic. He had Liebe now, anti-magic, and was a master swordsman—his lack of magic no longer debilitated him. This child, however, wasn't so lucky.
Eventually the swordsman detached himself from Noelle's shoulder (though he stayed by her side) and wiped away stray tears. He cleared his throat.
"I know I'm young, and I know that this is a bad time to try and become a dad, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm meant to be her father. Or at least a guardian of some sort to her. I can't sit back and do nothing while she goes through what I went through. I got lucky, Noelle. Lucky that Liebe showed up and I got Licht's grimoire, but that girl…"
His voice failed him with a choke. He sniffled and wiped his nose.
"I'm good with kids, ya know? And a kid her age isn't nearly as much work as a baby! She's already potty trained and can eat on her own and talk and walk and all that other stuff. It wouldn't be starting from scratch if I were to adopt her. I know how much it takes to take care of a kid but I'm willing to do that if it means giving her a home and a family that loves her. A family that'll shower her with affection and make her feel safe and happy."
His eyes locked with Noelle's.
"That's what the Black Bulls are, right? A family of rejects and misfits—she'd fit right in."
A pain shot through the princess's chest because, yes, the Black Bulls were in fact a family of misfits and a little girl with hardly any magic would be exactly the type of person Yami would want in their squad. Not only that, but try as she might to deny that this was a good idea, Noelle couldn't shake the truth that Asta wouldn't just be a good father, he'd be an amazing one. Was she a bit biased due to her feelings for him? Maybe. But that didn't change the fact that she knew as well as anyone that he'd be kind, strong, protective, loving, encouraging, and so much more for any kid he called his own. The water mage was still cautious about the peasant becoming a father now, but she couldn't brush off that he was starting to make some sense. There was still nagging at her brain, however.
"Why'd you need me?" she asked.
"Hm?" the tanned-man hummed in reply.
"Why'd you need me to come here and pretend to be your wife and stuff?" she clarified. She ignored the burning in her ears.
Again Asta's face fell. This time with annoyance and not sadness.
"They won't let me adopt her on my own," he said. "Something about a 'manaless, devil-possessed orphan' being 'an inadequate and unstable parental authority' for a kid." He shrugged his shoulders gently. "I figured having a rich royal next to me would make my case undeniable."
Noelle's vision tinged red with anger. Of course they'd pull some bullshit like that out now. Of course they'd find a way to look past everything Asta had accomplished and gaze forlorn to his past and circumstances. Of course they'd deny a child a home and father just so they could keep their status quo in place. As she was about to fly off at the mouth about all the injustices their kingdom's bullshit system had in place, Noelle's eyes snapped back to Asta and his crestfallen face. The red dimmed and she reached out to take his hand in her own. He looked at her with a mix of curiosity and despondence.
"I… I don't know if I…" she tried.
"I know, Noelle," Asta cut in. "I'm sorry I called you here out of the blue—I should've thought this through better before—"
"No," the princess interrupted. "No you did the right thing, Asta. It's just… a lot to handle all at once: pretending that we're married; you wanting to adopt; the implications of us being married and adopting—there's a lot to process."
She gave him a small smile that he returned with a sad nod.
"You don't have to be the mother if you don't want to," he whispered. "I know being a mom is a dream of yours but I don't want to take that out of your hands. You just have to sign the papers and pretend to be my wife for a few hours while they see how our home life is and we'll be set."
Noelle nearly laughed at the prospect of trying to sell their "marriage" to the Bulls while simultaneously attempting to prove that the hideout was a functional "home life" for a nearly manaless eight year old. Until she realized that Asta's sentiment was equally relieving and depressing—did he not want her to be the girl's mother? Did he think Noelle wouldn't be a good mom? Or did he simply think Noelle didn't have the skin invested to want to be this girl's mom?
Her temple veins began to throb with stress as she took a few deep breaths and stepped away from the anti-mage. He was right: Noelle had always aspired to be a mother ever since she was little, but was this really how she wanted to go about doing it? Adopting a child with the man she loved when they'd only been on a few pseduo-dates? She knew Asta felt something for her (the spring picnic where they held hands all day and the summer beach trip where they nearly kissed proved that), but did he feel for her enough to be a husband and father? Did she feel for him enough to be a wife and mother? That wasn't even accounting for how her family would react upon discovering their "marriage" and child. She didn't know, but the royal knew that the prospect of raising a daughter alongside Asta felt… not bad at least.
"Can I have a little bit of time to mull it over?" the water mage asked. "It might not seem like a lot but there's a lot more implications for me."
The swordsman nodded his head with an understanding smile. He turned back to the girl on the playground.
"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
And for some reason his words felt like they carried more than just the obvious meaning. It felt like Asta wasn't only speaking to the girl in the sandbox, but to Noelle directly—like he was making a promise to her. A promise to always be there.
She smiled and left the room, uttering a quick "thanks" as the door shut behind her.
—
Playgrounds never made much sense to Noelle—too much noise and chaos. They were borderline barbaric in the royal's eyes. Kids barreling towards each other in games of tag; wooden chips the size of nails lining the ground to "protect" the children that fell from the equipment that in turn was rickety and breaking down—for the water mage that had always preferred the company of her stuffed animals in her room (the ones not torn to shreds by Solid, at least), playgrounds were odd.
The one at the orphanage was no different. Kids flew by at high speeds and there were so many toys on the ground that Noelle's amethyst eyes had to stay trained on the wooden chips beneath her sandals to avoid tripping. A boy - no older than six - bumped into the princess's legs and nearly caused her to tumble.
"Sorry miss!" the kid barked before speeding back off after another boy his age.
Noelle heard a soft giggle coming not far from her and turned her head to see Grey looking her way. The transformation mage smiled at her.
"You alright?" the blue-haired woman asked.
Noelle nodded stiffly.
"Yeah I just… I don't really know what to say or do around kids. I was always the baby of the family so…"
Grey's smile grew a little. Ever since she and Gauche had begun dating ages ago, the older woman had grown into her own skin and out of her nervousness. The Grey now was hardly the shy, blubbering, blushing mess she was when Noelle joined the Bulls all those years ago. While the transmuter still had nervous streaks that popped up (especially in high-stress situations) she was much more confident in everyday life.
"You'll get used to them—it'll take some time but there's nothing wrong with that."
"I suppose so," the Silva commented while she awkwardly rubbed her arm. Another kid blitzed past her as Noelle noticed Grey setting a variety of decorations, plates, and cupcakes out on a table "What're you doing here?" she inquired after a few seconds had passed.
"Visiting Marie!" Grey answered. "Gauche got her an early birthday present and I got her some sweets to go with it. Marie's inside—the nuns are reading a story to keep her distracted while I set up. Gauche ran to the store to get candles for her cupcake."
"Mmm," the royal hummed as she moved to her blue-haired friend's side. "Isn't Marie's birthday in December?" Noelle mused while gazing up at the autumnal sun.
"Like I said," the older Bull commented, "a very early birthday gift."
The two women shared a laugh before returning to set up the table. A few minutes passed in silence as they worked in tandem with each other. That changed though when Grey passed the last set of plates to Noelle.
"I d-don't mean to be rude, but are you okay, Noelle?"
The silver-haired woman tensed.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Grey fidgeted with the strings on her pants for a moment.
"Gauche and I heard what Asta said when you first got here: s-something about you being his w-wife."
The royal's hands froze as she set the final plate. She briefly considered playing it off as some poor joke or even denying the claim entirely. She sighed.
"It's… complicated."
The blue-haired magic knight offered her a small smile—a bit timid but good natured none-the-less.
"W-Well if you want to talk about it, I'm here."
The transformation mage continued finishing the table while Noelle nervously drummed her fingers. As tempted as she was to keep silent, this was realistically the only chance she'd get for some potential advice before seeing Asta again. Gods know she needed it.
"Is it weird dating Gauche with Marie around?" Noelle asked suddenly.
Grey turned to look at her with a confused expression.
"I mean I know he used to have that weird obsession with her, but that thankfully went away after we started dating. Why do you ask?"
"No, I mean is it weird that there's a kid who's dependent on Gauche for things? I know she's his sister but does it sometimes feel like he has a daughter or something?"
Grey brought her finger up under her chin.
"I don't know—when we started dating it was a bit odd having to make plans and such to fit around her schedule, b-b-but that wasn't too hard to adjust to. She spends most of her time here at the orphanage anyways so it isn't like she's constantly coming to him for things."
The transmuter cocked her head to the side.
"Why do you ask?" she inquired again.
Noelle fidgeted with one of the napkins.
"Asta wants to adopt a kid. A girl from the orphanage."
The older woman's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"He what?!"
The royal cringed and hurriedly moved to put a hand over Grey's yelling mouth.
"Shh keep it down!" the Silva whisper-yelled.
"S-S-Sorry but that's just such a huge step for you guys and it makes me really happy that—"
"Whoa whoa whoa," Noelle cut in, "what do you mean it's a huge step for 'you guys'? Asta and I aren't a thing!"
"You a-aren't?" Grey asked. "I-I-I thought you guys were after the summer party! You guys were all c-cuddly and d-dancing together I just assumed—"
"Yeah, well, you assumed wrong; we haven't done anything like that since that party, Grey."
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know and I certainly didn't mean to offend you."
Noelle sighed and pulled the older mage in for a brief hug.
"It's okay. Don't sweat it."
They returned to awkward silence for a brief moment before Noelle felt the words tugging at her throat without thought.
"He wants me to pretend to be his wife so he can adopt this girl—he wants me to sign the papers with him since they won't let him do it on his own."
Grey's reaction this time was a bit muted: a stiff nod of the head and a pained attempt at a brave, yet easygoing, expression.
"A-And how do you feel about that?" she asked the royal.
"I… don't know," the Silva answered honestly. "On the one hand I think it's way too risky and stupid for us to pretend to be married and adopt a kid—my family would exile me, kill Asta, and probably find ways to bury that child's existence entirely. I know he doesn't really understand the full implications of a royal getting "married" to a peasant and adopting a kid together, but I do. It's such a massive gamble that I don't even know if it'd be worth it.
"On the other hand it's almost surreal how badly I want to say yes. I've always wanted to be a mother - even if it scares me to think about it - and being the mom to an orphan while the man I love is their dad is almost a dream come true. Sure I imagined we'd be a bit older when we got kids but we're not in a terrible position now. It's all the social convention and expectations that come with me being royalty that are making me hesitant."
Noelle kept her eyes trained on the table before her; her hands aimlessly rearranged the decorations to keep herself busy. Grey had stopped moving and was paying rapt attention.
"He said I wouldn't have to be the kid's mom—that I only need to sign the papers and then he'd be her parent and take care of her on her own. Is it weird that that kind of hurts to hear? Is it normal that someone saying, 'you don't have to be their mother' pains you as much as it relieves you?"
Grey shuffled heavily. A twinge of regret ran through Noelle's veins because she didn't mean to put her friend on the spot, but now that she was here she was really hoping the transmutation mage had something valuable to say. Anything that could help because the princess felt paralyzed. The blue-haired woman took a moment before quietly speaking up.
"If you weren't royalty, if you were just a common girl with no pressure or expectations, would you do it?"
Noelle didn't hesitate as she looked Grey in the eyes.
"Yes."
Grey's lips drew into a thin, shy smile. One that quickly blossomed into an embarrassed mess of joy and giddiness. She giggled faintly and covered her face with her hands.
"Then I guess the only question that really remains is: do you care about Asta and this kid more than your own royal standing?"
"I don't know. I don't even know the girl's name."
"Well," Grey mused, "where is she?"
—
It didn't take long for Noelle to find her. The sandbox was in the corner of the playground—isolated and distant from the screeching children at play. The little girl in the center was absorbed in her toys as Noelle awkwardly approached and she didn't seem to notice the newcomer. The water mage cleared her throat.
"Um, excuse me?"
She cringed at the way her voice cracked in obvious distress, but the child didn't seem to notice. Brown hair whipped around and striking green eyes bore into the Silva's amethyst ones. The girl's face was cute: a small button nose with a splatter of freckles across it and dimples on her cheeks. Despite the obvious surprise on the child's face, Noelle could see a bit of curiosity hidden in the green that stared into her with an unsettling familiarity. The girl looked her up and down with no finesse or poise that for some reason bothered the princess more than she cared to admit.
"Who are you?" the child asked in a squeaky, yet admittedly adorable, voice.
There was no malice or coldness in the kid's tone, only genuine curiosity, so Noelle stepped into the sandpit before lowering herself down to the cool grains.
"My name is Noelle Silva. Who are you?"
She tried to keep her voice light and friendly. It seemed to work as the kid gave her a smile before returning to her toys.
"I'm Eden! It's nice to meet you, Miss Noelle!"
As soon as the conversation began it ended. Eden immediately found herself immersed in her toys once again while Noelle awkwardly sat in the sand. The 21-year-old water mage twiddled her fingers while watching the child play and was suddenly overwhelmed by the sensation that she probably looked ridiculous doing nothing but sitting there. She shuffled uncomfortably—the sand digging into her smooth legs painfully.
"C-Can I play with you, Miss Eden?" Noelle asked.
The brown-haired girl turned to look at her once more. That same broad smile exploded onto her young face again.
"Of course! I'm playing 'Castle' right now!"
The girl scooted over to make room at the "castle" in the sand as if her declaration was a sufficient explanation of what was going on. Noelle could see a cube shape composed of sand that vaguely resembled a castle, with some cylinders that she guessed could pass as castle towers if she squinted hard enough. The magic knight slid over and grabbed a toy figurine - a knight in armor of some sort - and gently held it in her hands. Eden, hands full with a figurine of her own, mumbled to herself in pretend voices about the woes of being "the prettiest princess in the world!" and "how lonely it was being trapped in the tower!"
The Silva didn't really know why she was here or what to do now that she was sitting next to the girl in the sandbox, but she cleared her throat a couple times before speaking up.
"How old are you, Eden?"
"Eight!" the girl barked out immediately, pride evident in her voice. "How old are you, Miss Noelle?"
It caught Noelle off guard at how easily the child could talk to her—like she was a long-time friend and not some stranger she had met three minutes ago.
"I'm 21 years old."
"Whoa! That's really old."
The royal giggled.
"Yeah, I suppose it is."
The girl quickly ordered Noelle to move her knight closer to the castle so he could begin rescuing the princess trapped inside. The Black Bull obeyed with amusement.
"Eden, why are you playing all by yourself?"
"The other kids don't like me because I don't have a lot of mana," the girl replied easily, like it was a simple pitch-and-catch. "They think I'm weird and that I'll steal their mana if they play around me."
Noelle's heart pained yet she kept her face calm. The way Eden said it told the royal that she was oddly accustomed to the sort of treatment she got from the other kids her age. She wondered how much of that Asta felt when he was younger.
"Are you afraid I'm going to take your mana, Miss Noelle?" Eden asked.
The silver-haired woman smiled.
"No, no I'm not worried about that at all."
The girl's eyes widened in surprise before filling with a brilliant light. Her brown hair with caramel streaks bounced slightly as she giggled and barely contained her excitement.
"I like you, Miss Noelle."
The royal's chest swelled with an unexplainable heat.
"I like you too, Miss Eden."
They continued playing together for some time— the minutes passed by with narratives of knights saving princesses and dragons being slain. As awkward as it felt pretending to be a smitten knight, Noelle couldn't shake that warmth in her chest at seeing Eden's face scrunch up with laughter every time she failed to do an accurate male voice. And watching the young girl live out her obvious dream of being a princess - even if only in her imagination - was enough to steady Noelle's nerves as the knight proclaimed his love for the princess and rescued her from the tower.
It was surprisingly fun. Not because any of it was particularly original, exciting, or impressive, but because seeing the young child's face light up with joy at the ridiculous made-up game instilled a satisfaction in the water mage's heart that she'd never felt before. It wasn't the satisfaction of success she felt when she gained control over her magic, nor the satisfaction of closure she experienced when she defeated Vanica and Megicula. No, this was a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it exhilarated her regardless. Somehow, playing here in this broken sandbox with dirty toys, this girl had impacted Noelle more than any of her achievements as a royal or magic knight ever did.
Suddenly, Noelle was overwhelmed with the urge to buy that sandbox and those toys and invite Eden over to play with them everyday—to see her toothy smile and caramel hair and hear her bell-like laugh. She wanted to spoil her with treats and gifts and see what new ways she could get the girl with hardly any magic to light up with joy. Because while Noelle knew very little about this girl in the sandbox, she knew the man that wanted to adopt said girl, and she knew that he would spoil her rotten if given the opportunity.
And, as she pondered on that revelation, Noelle realized she wouldn't mind spoiling Eden either.
"Miss Eden?" Noelle spoke.
"Hm?" she replied.
"How would you like to be a real princess one day?"
—
"Princess?"
Noelle turned to face the well-dressed bureaucrat. The hallway was relatively empty aside from the occasional busy nun.
"Yes?" she inquired.
"Your husband is waiting with the paperwork—your signature is all that is needed to finalize the adoption."
She breathed in heavily through her nose and nodded.
"Thank you. Do you mind leading the way?"
The man smiled and led her down a few hallways towards a smaller room near the back of the orphanage. Inside was Asta, broad shoulders tensed as he sat at one end of a simple table. The far end held two other elaborately dressed men as well as a few nuns. The man who led her smiled once more before exiting and closing the door. The anti-mage turned to face Noelle and instantly she could read the nervousness on his expression. He forced a smile.
"Hey."
She smiled back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Noelle moved to the chair next to Asta and prepared to sit down. Before she did, she turned her attention to the people at the far end of the table.
"Do you mind giving us the room? There's some things I'd like to discuss with my husband."
They nodded and quietly left the room. The silence that followed the closing of the door was deafening as Noelle slumped down into the chair next to Asta without much poise or grace. The emerald-eyed man twiddled his thumbs and failed at looking calm.
"Noelle, you don't have to—"
"Why'd you ask me to come here?" she interrupted.
His face warped with confusion.
"What?"
"Why'd you ask me to come here, Asta?" Noelle repeated. "Why'd you ask for my help with adopting that girl?"
He gave her a funny look for a few seconds. His brow furrowed.
"I needed help with the paperwork because they wouldn't let me—"
"That's not what I meant," she cut in again. "If all you needed was someone with status and money to help with this then you could've asked Finral or Gauche or Mimosa or even Yuno; why'd you ask for me?"
Noelle tried to still her racing heart as his jade eyes looked at her intensely. There was a pregnant pause for a while that made her increasingly uncomfortable, but she knew she had to stick to her proverbial guns with her question. She'd made up her mind about Eden but the royal couldn't shake the queasiness in her stomach every time someone referred to Asta as her husband or her as his wife.
The way he acted so casually about the entire thing - calmly introducing her as his spouse, the ease at which he touched her and pulled her against his side - was both a blessing and a curse. If he could act so naturally about her pretending to be his wife, why couldn't he pony up and ask her on a real date? The signs had been there for a while - their spring picnic and the close call on the beach - but Asta hadn't closed the deal. He hadn't made his true emotions known this entire time and that annoyed Noelle.
"What are you talking about?" Asta asked, genuinely confused.
"Do you only want me here to help with the paperwork? Or is there another reason you wanted me and no one else?"
This time his head tilted to the side.
"Noelle I don't really know what you're trying to get at. You were the first person I thought of when they said I couldn't get her on my own."
She pinched the bridge of her nose and desperately tried to keep her annoyance in check.
"Why? Why me and not anyone else?"
Please
The anti-mage smiled softly.
"Because I couldn't think of a better person to be the mother to my child. Because I wanted someone that I knew could take care of her if something were to happen to me." He looked at her. "Because you're the first person I think of when I need anything."
Her heart stopped.
"You being rich and stuff was just convenient."
Noelle hardly heard anything over the roaring of blood in her ears and the uncharacteristically heavy breaths she took to try and level out. She couldn't read ki like Asta could but she could tell damn well that he was earnest about every word he had said. So earnest, in fact, that Noelle almost felt silly for ever doubting his intentions—for ever entertaining that he had called on her for her status and privilege alone. She suddenly felt elation and embarrassment in equal amounts.
"I know what I'm asking is really big. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do this. But even if you want nothing to do with it could you at least sign the papers? I'm going through with it regardless and I—"
"Let's do it."
His eyes widened at her words and for a minute he did nothing but stare at her.
"W-What?"
"Let's do it," Noelle repeated with a little more confidence. "Let's adopt her. Together."
Asta's eyes slowly lit up.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes," she replied. She ignored the burning in her face and the warmth that spread through her stomach as a smile broke out onto his face. "I know you said I don't have to be her mother if I didn't want to, but I do. And I… I want you to be her father."
In an instant the swordsman crossed the gap between them and hauled Noelle into a suffocating hug. She yelped in surprise and planted a hand awkwardly on the table to keep herself from sliding out of her chair while Asta wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck. Slowly, the royal returned the gesture, her free hand snaking around his shoulders and gripping the fabric of his shirt. When she was certain she wouldn't fall, she allowed her other hand to leave the table and join in the embrace. Noelle could feel the faintest bit of dampness against her smooth neck as Asta spoke.
"Thank you."
It was barely above a whisper yet it held in it so much emotion that the Silva was briefly stunned. She tightened her grip on the peasant.
No, thank you
They held each other for a while and took their time to process what exactly they were about to commit to. Eventually they separated but not before embracing each other long enough to sufficiently redden both of them. Faces flush and hearts rapidly beating, Asta cleared his throat heavily.
"So, are you ready to do this?"
"Yeah," Noelle curtly replied. Her eyes fell to the stack of documents before them and quickly scanned over some of the details. She was certain they'd cover them all before they would have to sign anything, but even in her cursory scan she noticed something that caught her attention.
"Uh, Asta?"
"Yes, darling?"
She threw him a sour glance yet couldn't stop the fluttering in her chest at the affectionate moniker. The barely contained grin on his face sold him out immediately though. The royal shook her head and pointed at a few lines of text on the papers and brought it to the anti-mage's attention.
"It says here there's going to be multiple visits and scenarios to determine whether we're a good fit for the child. They want to see the home environment but they also want to do a separate interview with just us, want to see how we interact with Eden in a neutral environment… Asta this list goes on for a while! This could take weeks."
"Seven to nine weeks," the swordsman replied. "At least that's what the people in charge of this said. Is that okay?"
The royal's head spun. Seven to nine weeks of pretending to be married to Asta. A couple months wasn't the worst thing but it still set Noelle's skin tingling like needle pricks. She brushed her bangs out of the way and gave the anti-mage a smile.
"Yeah, yeah that's okay," she answered honestly. "I just don't know how we're going to sell our 'marriage' that long—it's not like we're used to being affectionate and stuff with each other."
"We can practice!" Asta declared with a bright smile of his own.
Noelle's eyes widened.
"W-What do you mean by that?"
"We can practice being affectionate and stuff so we'll be more convincing!"
What he said made sense, even if it did conjure emotions deep in the princess’s stomach that were a bit shameful yet exciting. Still, she couldn’t let herself get in over her head too soon, so she patiently nodded. For all she knew Asta could have zero idea what exactly married couples did or how they acted around one another. This entire thing could be a failure right out of the gate.
“Well then, how do we start?” Noelle asked cautiously.
“Let me take you out on a date,” Asta replied instantly, eyes illuminated with glee under the early afternoon sunlight crawling into the room.
Noelle’s breath hitched as she desperately tried to ignore how handsome he looked and the way his eyes flicked down to her lips briefly. She nodded her head once more and stuck out her hand.
“Fine, I accept. For Eden.”
Asta reached out to shake her hand only to circumvent expectations once more by grabbing the outstretched appendage and lacing his fingers through Noelle’s. His eyes stayed focused on her as his smile grew even wider.
“For Eden.”
The rest of the day was a blur of emotions and color as Asta and Noelle signed off on the adoption papers, spent an hour with Eden (who jumped onto Noelle once she learned that her mom would be an actual princess and refused to let go even as they were trying to leave), breaking the news to the Bulls that they needed to kid-proof the base (and failing miserably to explain to the screaming cast of Magic Knights why they were suddenly adopting a kid), having dinner at a far nicer restaurant than the royal thought the anti-mage would be comfortable eating at, and ending it all on a lengthy moon-lit stroll through some random park in the city. It was surreal how fast everything had moved yet there was an abundant sense of serenity and calmness in the young couple—neither worried about the inevitable backlash they were sure to face from their impromptu “marriage” and adoption. Because they knew that they had a family willing to fight for them, and, no matter how much Yami denied it as he threatened to obliterate Asta on the spot, they knew the Back Bulls were as excited as they were to welcome in their new family member.
And just like their picnic date in spring, their hands never left each other’s all day. And just like the beach party this past summer, they may or may not have cuddled against one another when no one else was around to see. But this time, no one got in the way when they finally leaned in for a kiss.