Realization
The next morning.
—Knock. Knock. Knock.
"My Lady. It's Schwarz."
The sound of knocking came with Schwarz's voice at Milia's door, but she only burrowed deeper under the covers and gave no answer.
I've lost my mind.
With that thought she let out an unnameable groan from beneath the blankets.
I don't exist. I was never born. I am not a person who has ever lived.
Muttering the words at herself, Milia did her best to ignore the persistent knocking.
"Maybe I should just die…"
Yes. That might not be such a bad idea.
Dying right now or dying of embarrassment the moment she saw Schwarz—what difference was there?
I like you. Schwarz.
")@#(%!(_)#(%!@%$+_@%+@_@!!@#%@!!!"
Even through the haze of last night's drunken memories, that one scene stood out with merciless clarity.
The moment it returned to her, Milia kicked the blankets wildly and screamed without sound.
"What on earth was I thinking when I said that—aaaaah!!"
If not for the continuous knocking, she would have been shrieking loud enough to shake the entire dormitory.
"And why did the kissing even happen—eeeeeh!!"
If she could go back in time she would have thrown her past self straight off the terrace.
And it hadn't even been a light kiss. It had been a deep kiss.
The kind of kiss only adults shared—thick and lingering.
"Kyaaaa…!!"
The strange heat still ghosting across her lips made her squeeze out another moan and bury her face in the pillow.
Today I'll just stay in this room and pretend I'm dead. She let out a short sigh at the thought.
But there was one thing she had overlooked.
—Knock. Knock.
"…?"
The knock was completely different from before. Milia tilted her head.
What had sounded like knuckles on wood had somehow become the clear tap of something against glass.
Wait. Glass?
The realization drained the color from her face. Slowly she peeked out from under the covers and turned toward the balcony door.
"My Lady. I'm coming in."
And there he stood—Schwarz, on the balcony, rapping against the glass door.
What she had forgotten was that Schwarz could fly.
And in the next instant…
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!"
"Ah—My Lady?!"
Milia's scream rang through every corner of the dormitory.
"A dormitory is not a place one lives alone. Please remember that fact, Miss Valentine."
"I-I'm sorry…"
The stern-faced house mother spoke, and Milia answered awkwardly, bowing her head.
The house mother turned and disappeared down the corridor; the students who had gathered to whisper soon scattered as well.
As if nothing had happened, the hallway fell quiet. Milia let out a short sigh and closed the door.
"…"
"…"
When she turned around she found Schwarz on his knees, cold sweat beading on his brow. She sighed again.
"Y-you can get up now."
"Understood."
He rose at her words. Milia pretended nothing was wrong and settled herself on the sofa.
"So. What is it?"
"Does there need to be a reason? I am your personal servant, after all."
Schwarz tilted his head at the way she pressed a hand to her throbbing temple.
A servant standing at his master's side was only natural.
Milia knew that, yet something about his calm presence still irritated her. She clicked her tongue softly.
Silence settled over the room.
They needed to talk about last night, yet she could not find the courage to begin.
"About last night…"
"Hweh?!"
Just as she was steeling herself, Schwarz carefully opened the subject—and Milia made a strange, strangled sound.
It had been so sudden, and she had never imagined he would be the one to bring it up first.
"I… understand. You were quite drunk. People make mistakes sometimes."
"What? Ah… yeah! Right. People make mistakes!"
It wasn't a mistake!!
She wanted to shout it at him that very second, yet the words refused to leave her mouth.
I'm such a coward…
A wave of self-pity washed over her, and she slowly lowered her head.
"I like you too, My Lady. But I'm certain the meaning is a little different from the usual sense of the word."
"Of course it is…"
It was probably the same feeling a puppy had when it wagged its tail at its owner.
Affection for a master. For the lady he was meant to serve.
Yet the more she turned the thought over, the more something sharp prodded at a corner of her heart.
An unspeakable frustration tightened around her chest; tears threatened to spill, but she clenched her teeth and held them back.
Schwarz's voice reached her ears, yet she heard none of the words.
How long they sat like that, she could not say.
"So please try to stay away from alcohol from now on. We can't have another mistake like this. Understood?"
"…"
With that final remark Schwarz offered her a faint smile.
Milia gave no answer.
"My Lady?"
He sounded puzzled.
And then…
"…No."
"Pardon?"
Schwarz's eyes widened at the quiet word.
Milia looked at him with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"It wasn't… a mistake."
"What do you mean…?"
Not a mistake.
Then the words she had spoken that night had been sincere?
The first emotion that hit Schwarz was pure confusion.
Why?
He was a dragon.
Even if he had once been human, the body he now inhabited was that of a dragon—and that fact would never change.
In this world dragons were not the pinnacle of intelligent life; they were regarded as little more than clever beasts.
A dog that could speak human words still did not inspire romantic love. By Schwarz's standards such a thing simply could not—and should not—exist.
"It wasn't a mistake, you idiot—aaaaah!!"
"Ah—My Lady?!"
Unable to hold back the flood of emotion any longer, Milia burst into tears. Schwarz's voice rose in panic.
Am I dreaming right now?
He pinched his own cheek. Pain answered him.
Which meant this was reality.
"Do you have any idea how much I like you—eeeeeh!! You always just pretend you don't know!! Hwaaaaaah—!!"
"W-wait a moment… so… you meant it?!"
"Yes, you fool—aaaaah!!"
Faced with a reality he could scarcely believe, Schwarz asked again. Milia only sobbed harder and shouted at him.
"Then what in the world is this…"
He stared at her, speechless.
He wanted to make sense of the situation, but there was no time for long thoughts.
They said sorrow was contagious.
Watching Milia cry as though her heart were breaking, Schwarz felt an inexplicable ache bloom in his own chest.
Blood rushed to his head; his heart pounded harder than it ever had before.
That strange sensation he had sometimes felt when he looked at her…
No. It can't be.
Yet as he finally faced the feelings he had kept shoved into a corner of his heart, understanding dawned.
From the very beginning… I…
Confronting everything he had denied, Schwarz rose and walked toward the weeping girl.
With every step, guilt pressed heavily on him.
He could finally understand how lonely and painful it must have been for her to carry this alone.
How stifling, how hard it must have been.
At the very least… from this moment on… I don't want to make her sad anymore.
He sat beside her and gently laid his hand over hers.
"Schwa—?!"
Startled by the sudden touch, Milia lifted her head.
And in that instant she felt warmth and pressure against her lips; her eyes flew wide.
A tongue slipping between them, saliva mingling.
For a heartbeat she could not grasp what was happening, yet instinct closed her eyes and she wound her own tongue around his.
In the quiet room only their ragged breathing could be heard.
After a long while—
With a soft pop their lips parted, a thin strand of saliva stretching between them.
"S-Schwarz… kyaa?!"
Still flushed and dazed, Milia barely managed the name before Schwarz suddenly pulled her into his arms, drawing a startled cry from her.
"Since you say you meant it, My Lady, I'll make myself clear as well."
"W-what do you mean…?"
Held against him, she felt her heart race faster than ever as she asked the question.
In truth she already knew the answer.
She simply wanted to hear it from his own lips.
And to that silent plea Schwarz answered with a faint smile.
"I like you too, My Lady. Truly."