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He stroked the young elf's back lovingly, enjoying the warmth of her presence. The look he gave her was entirely dedicated to her. He would not look at any other woman with such affection. Tess' gaze was entirely focused on the majestic night sky, which was illuminated in bright colors by the Aurora constellation. A peaceful smile adorned her lips and her blue-green eyes looked dreamily into the distance. Her shimmering silver hair reflected the four colors of mana even more. She was a true beauty, not only from the eyes of the man who had long since lost his heart to her. "Are you sure?" He broke the silence with these almost whispered words.
"Isn't it a little too late to doubt it?" Her words were loving and sincere. He read the same feelings in her eyes when she looked him straight in the eyes. "Would we be at this point if I cared who you once were?"
She was right. It was just so hard to admit. The two of them in intimate togetherness, that was something he had never dared to dream of, as unattainable as it had seemed. But even more, Tessia, his wife - a simple word that sent goosebumps down his spine every time - was pregnant! Yes, doubting now would certainly be too late. Perhaps he still had trouble accepting that this was reality. Not a beautiful dream, not a seductive illusion, but real. He leaned down a little and kissed her on the forehead. It didn't take many words between them to express what they felt and yet he couldn't say three words often enough.
"I love you, Tessia Eralith! Always have, ever since we met. I just didn't want to admit it." She snuggled even closer to him.
"I love you too, Arthur Leywin. But you were stupid to wait so long." He deserved that dig. He had his moral reasons for not getting too close to her. In retrospect, however, he had often been annoyed about it. But he was over it now.
"In the end, everything turned out the way it had to," Arthur mused, knowing that this really had been the only possibility. Hundreds of different versions of his life and in none of them had he had a happy ending. Not a long-term one. But this ending was endless. No doomsday scenario approaching and no fear of losing Tessia again. Peace.
"I wish it had turned out differently." A shadow passed over Tess's face and he didn't have to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking. "At least we both kept our promise." The sadness could not be completely banished from her face, but she could not prevent an amused smile from pushing the shadows back. "More or less, at least." As she said this, she stroked his wheat-blond hair. He knew what she was getting at.
"Well, I lost the necklace, unfortunately," he admitted guiltily, remembering that day. The good old days. That one necklace had sealed a promise that neither of them had actually thought they would keep; a promise to stay alive and eventually start a family.
"Don't worry, I think so too. They were turbulent times, but I don't have to tell you that." There was a hint of reproach in her words. "The main thing is that we're both here and alive, that's all we can do for each other." She nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "And I think our wedding rings are a pretty good substitute, too." She smiled and he didn't know if she noticed how she subconsciously ran her hand over the crystal-encrusted ring.
"You're right, Tess," he agreed. The past was past and all they had left was the future and what they did with it. They owed that to everyone who had given up their life to make a better one for the rest.
"Of course I'm right!" Tess' voice was both indignant and amused as she let go of his shoulder and glared at him challengingly. She looked so young and innocent standing there in front of him. Just like the 24-year-old woman she actually was.
"I know." They stood arm in arm in silence for a while on the veranda of the small property. It wasn't just the spectacle of color, the atmosphere was also noticeably saturated with mana. The perfect time for magicians to refine their own core. Even though Arthur had none of the mana, he knew that Tessia was taking advantage of it. Her core was much stronger thanks to the mourning pearl and her beastly will was perfectly integrated into her. Guilt crept up in him for how many problems this beastly will had brought them. But today Tess was anything but weak. After minutes, maybe hours, she shivered a little.
"We should go inside, into the warmth. I can cook something for you if you want," he suggested.
"Your sister said you couldn't cook," she teased before continuing. "But I'd love to see for myself."
"Rest assured, I can cook," he defended himself. He really could... unless he was distracted. And it had been a long time since he'd last cooked. The last time was probably in his last life. "I still owe you a meal." He remembered cooking for her, but the rest of the evening was too blurred by the grief he'd felt that day.
Today, however, nothing would stop him from doing something nice for the woman of his heart. Together they entered the familiar living room. It was noticeably warmer and a fire was burning in the fireplace. He kept the light artifacts dimmed so that it was nice and cozy. Tessia sat down on one of the sofas, one hand on her slightly bulging stomach. From her position she had an almost unrestricted view of the small kitchen. Arthur smiled imperceptibly. "What should I make?"
"Surprise me!" she demanded, smiling. He could do anything, he knew that. It was about the gesture and the affection it implied. "And tie your hair back! I love you, but I don't want hair in my food."
"Of course, my darling." His voice was filled with love and he couldn't help but wonder when he had ever called her a pet name? Too rarely, the more he thought about it.
In order not to upset his sometimes temperamental wife on this perfect evening, he did as he was told. He would do anything for her. He was just surprised that Tess hadn't complained about how long his hair was yet. At least it wasn't longer than hers, but chest-length was perhaps a bit too long. Maybe he could ask her to cut it up? He grabbed a pile of different vegetables and chopped them neatly into small slices. More and more often he found himself looking at Tess and his thoughts reveling in various scenarios. He behaved like a teenager in love! But why not? He had known Tess for almost twenty years and yet his affection for her grew day by day. And today he would not let this rational and pragmatic part of his personality guide him. Sure, sooner or later they would have to think about the future. About the future of their family, about the future of this entire continent, but both could wait a little longer. The fate of Dicathen did not depend solely on him and the newly appointed council would know what he was doing. No, for a while he would simply devote himself to their togetherness as if nothing existed apart from them. With a bowl of salad in one hand and a plate of cooked meat in the other, he balanced himself over to a small side table in front of the sofa before dropping down next to Tess.
"Smells good." Tess smiled at him, only giving the food a quick glance. "You know, evenings like this make me forget everything around me. As if it were just the two of us. Promise me that, no matter what, we'll always make time for something like this!"
"I promise you." His words were sincere and hopeful at the same time. He felt the same way. "The hustle and bustle is over, now nothing can happen that could upset me." Instead of answering, Tessia leaned forward and blew a kiss on his lips. He just smiled and pulled her into another, but this time passionate, kiss. And as their lips touched, he wished nothing more than for this moment to never end.