The day began like any other. The sun filtered gently through the high glass windows of the Student Council chamber, bathing the polished floors in a soft golden hue. Papers rustled in Ariel's hand as she skimmed through a report, one ankle crossed over the other, posture poised, chin held high. It was almost serne an illusion of calm, of normalcy she had so carefully cultivated. Luke sat at the window seat, lazily running a cloth along the edge of his sword, a bored expression on his face.
Sylphy stood by the far table, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. Her voice, when it came, was quiet barely above a whisper. "I think... I think I'm ready to tell him."
Ariel didn't look up at first. Her eyes continued tracing the report, though the words had suddenly lost all meaning. A subtle shift in the air. A tightening in her throat.
"Tell who what, Sylphy?" she asked, her tone light. Too light. Practiced.
"Rudeus," Sylphy said, cheeks flushed. "I want to tell him. About me. That I'm Slyphy... that I've always been by his side. I think... I think he might already be starting to remember."
A pause. Then the report in Ariel's hands folded shut with a soft snap.
"I see," she said. Still calm. Still smiling. But her chest... oh, her chest was twisting.
Luke looked up briefly, eyes narrowing at Ariel, then returned to his sword.
Sylphy continued, emboldened. "He's been so kind lately. The way he talks to me... it's different. And I thought, maybe it's time I stop hiding. I want to tell him how I feel."
Ariel rose from her seat slowly, each movement deliberate. Her heels clicked against the floor as she approached the girl she had come to see almost like a younger sister. Her smile didn't waver. Not yet.
"Are you sure?" Ariel asked softly. "You know how fragile he still is. What if... what if it hurts him?"
Sylphy blinked, surprised. "But I think he deserves the truth. And... and I want to be honest with him. I want to love him for real."
Ariel's breath hitched, just slightly. She turned away, as if to gaze out the window. Anything to keep her face hidden.
"He might not be ready, Sylphy," she said, firmer now. "He might push you away. You've seen how he is with women. He doesn't trust easily. And if you confess, if he rejects you-"
"I know it's risky," Sylphy said gently, approaching her. "But I want to try. It's my decision."
Ariel turned to her, eyes sharper now, the mask slipping.
"Then maybe you're being foolish."
The room fell quiet. Luke raised a brow but said nothing.
Sylphy frowned. "Princess... why are you trying to stop me?"
Ariel opened her mouth to respond—to say something, anything to pull the pieces back into place. But nothing came. Nothing except the storm swirling inside her.
Why?
Because every time she saw Slyphy smiling at him, her chest tightened. Because every time Rudeus laughed at her jokes, she felt warmth where there should be none. Because when he looked at her like she was just a girl, not a princess, not a pawn—it felt like air after suffocating.
And the guilt... gods, the guilt. Like a knife lodged in her chest.
How dare she feel this way? How dare she even entertain the thought? Slyphy had loved him for years. Ariel had watched her pine and hope, had encouraged her to be brave. Se was the one who brought them together. She was the one who promised she'd help Slyphy win his heart.
But now...
Now she wanted to keep him.
Even if just for a while.
Even if it made her a traitor.
She forced herself to meet Sylphys eyes, and what she saw there nearly broke her.
Hope. Trust. Love.
Ariel swallowed thickly.
"I just think you should wait," she said at last, her voice quieter. "Just a little longer."
Sylphy nodded slowly, unsure, but didn't press further. The topic faded into silence, but Ariel knew the words were still lingering in the air like smoke. Poisoning everything.
Later, when she was alone in her chambers, Ariel sank onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.
She felt sick.
She had always prided herself on knowing what needed to be done. On making sacrifices for the good of others. But this... this was the first time she wanted something so selfishly, so shamelessly, it made her skin crawl.
I'm a horrible friend.
But gods help me... I want to be selfish.
She buried her face in her hands.
Just for a little while. Just long enough to know what this feeling is.
She thought of his laugh. His awkward glances. The way he listened, truly listened, when she spoke from the heart.
And the way he looked at her now, like she wasn't a crown, wasn't a burden. Just a girl.
Her throat tightened.
Am I truly that selfish?
Or is it okay... just for once, to want something for myself?
—
Ranoa Academy, Late Night Dormitry Garden
(Sylphy POV)
The moonlight spilled across the courtyard like liquid silver, quiet and unassuming, just like her. Sylphy stood beneath one of the ancient trees that framed the dormitory garden, cradling a cup of warm tea in her hands, untouched and slowly cooling. The soft rustle of leaves above did little to distract her from the weight sitting in her chest.
It had been hours since their student council meeting, yet Ariel's words still rang in her ears — sharp, protective, strangely desperate.
"He might not be ready, Sylphy"
At first, Sylphy had smiled, nodding politely, accepting it as genuine concern from a friend who only wished her well. But the more she thought about it, the more cracks she saw in that perfet mask of royalty Ariel always wore.
She saw the flicker in her eyes. The subtle tightness in her voice. The way she avoided meeting Sylphy gaze when Rudeus's name was mentioned.
Does she...?
The thought hit her with the grace of a brick.
Sylphy didn't want to believe it. Not because she was angry, not even because it hurt though it did, deeply but because it complicated everything. Ariel had done so much for her. Saved her. Gave her a place to belong, to serve, to protect. To live.
She looked up at the stars, her vision blurring softly with unshed tears.
Ariel had never once faltered in her duties. She always led with poise, with strength. But in that moment... Sylphy saw the woman behind the crown. And it made her ache in a way she hadn't expected.
So that's how it is.
Rudeus had been warmer lately. Gentler. His eyes didn't carry as much weight as they used to. And maybe... maybe she had let herself believe that meant something.
She clutched the cup tighter, a tremble in her fingers. Her tail curled slightly around her leg, a subconscious defense against the cold that crept not from the wind, but from within.
She had planned to reveal herself. To tell him that she had always been by his side. That the "Fitz" he trusted and confided in... was her. That she loved hm.
But now...
She smiled through the pain, letting a soft breath out. "It's okay," she whispered to no one. "I loved him enough to let go. That's enough... isn't it?"
Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
Over the following days, her resolve held. She didn't confess. She didn't push. She didn't even hint. She simply... made space.
She still sat beside him at meals, still offered advice when he needed it. Still laughed at his awkward jokes. Still watched him from the corner of her eye when he wasn't looking memorizing every part of him like it was the last time.
But when he reached out, even innocently, she pulled back just a little. Enough that he wouldn't notice. Enough that she hoped Ariel would.
Not out of spite. Not out of bitterness.
But out of love. Quiet, selfless, burning love.
In private, she let the mask fall. In the silence of her dorm room, she buried her face in her pillow and sobbed softly. For everything she could not say. For everything she had chosen to give up. For the love she would carry alone.
And in that soft, broken place of her heart, she still whispered one last truth.
"...Please be worth it, Ariel. For him... please be worth it."
–
(Ariel's POV)
Ranoa Academy Private Tea Room, Evening
The room was quiet, soaked in the warm amber glow of late afternoon sunlight. The fine porcelain teacups sat untouched on the table, steam long since faded. A faint scent of jasmine lingered in the air, delicate, subtle much like the moment itself.
Ariel sat stiffly on the edge of her chair, fingers lightly curled around her cup though she didn't drink. Across from her, Rudeus Greyrat sat with his usual awkward slouch, one brow raised slightly, sensing that this wasn't going to be an ordinary conversation.
He'd come when she asked. That was already something.
"Thanks for coming," Ariel said, voice soft. No royal flair, no performance. Just... her. "I know it's sudden."
Rudeus nodded, his face unreadable but patient. "You sounded serious."
She exhaled. Her throat felt dry. She didn't know where to start.
"You know... everyone always says I'm composed. Smart. Graceful. Like I was born to rule."
He blinked. "I mean... yeah? You kinda give off that vibe. Like a noble aura."
Ariel chuckled quiet and short. "That's the thing. It's all a vibe. A performance."
She set the teacup down with a faint clink, her fingers shaking just slightly.
"Every day, I wear a mask. I smile when I'm exhausted. I lead when I'm falling apart. I act strong because if I don't, the people depending on me... will crumble."
A pause. She looked up at him now really looked.
"But around you..." she swallowed, heart thudding like a war drum, "I forget the script. And I don't know whether to thank you or hate you for that."
Rudeus blinked again, more confused now. "...I didn't mean to mess with anything."
"You didn't," she said. "That's the point."
There was silence. Not awkward just weighty. Thick with everything unsaid.
Ariel's fingers traced the rim of her teacup, nervously. "Rudeus... I want you to be my personal guard."
Rudeus straightened. "Wait, what?"
She met his gaze fully, without hesitation this time. "Not for politics. Not for strategy. I don't care what people say or what they assume. I'm not doing this for appearances."
He opened his mouth, about to ask why, but she beat him to it.
"I want you. Not your strength, not your magic. Just... you."
The words hung between them. Bare. Honest.
"You make me feel real again," she whispered, voice trembling. "Like Ariel, the girl—not the princess, not the future queen. Just a tired, lonely girl who's been pretending too long."
Rudeus stared, stunned. The silence grew.
Then, she smirked faintly, trying to ease the tension. "Also, I talk to my plushies when no one's around. I hoard sweets under my bed. And I may or may not write awful poetry about palace guards with nice abs."
Rudeus choked. "Wait what?!"
She leaned back, finally letting herself grin. "What? I'm baring my soul here. You already discovered my stash of questionable novels, didn't you? Might as well go all in."
He turned red. " HUH! I thought those were Luke's!"
Ariel burst into laughter. A real one. Loud, undignified, and almost... giddy. The kind that made her eyes water a bit. Gods, it had been so long since she laughed like that.
When the laughter died down, the quiet returned but now it was softer, more comfortable.
Rudeus stared at her again, but something had shifted in his gaze. The usual suspicion wasn't there. Neither was the guarded distance he usually held when people got too close.
There was only a quiet awe. A hesitant warmth.
"You really mean it," he said slowly, voice quiet. "You're not... manipulating me."
Ariel smiled, but this time, it was small. Vulnerable.
"No. No tricks. Just me."
He looked down at the table, then at her hands still trembling slightly. Then finally into her eyes.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
And yet, his silence spoke volumes.
She saw it the way he softened. The way his shoulders relaxed. The way the corner of his mouth lifted just barely.
It wasn't a yes. Not yet.
But it was something more important.
He believed her.
And for now, that was enough.
—
(Rudeus's POV)
He hadn't meant to stay this long.
A simple invitation, a little tea, some polite chatter—that was what he expected. Maybe a favor she'd ask, maybe something to do with student politics. But what he got instead...
Was her.
No mask. No cold calculation. No perfect posture.
Just Ariel.
Vulnerable. Human. Raw.
Rudeus wasn't used to people dropping their guard around him like that. Not anymore. After everything after Eris, after the years of running, after burying the brokn pieces of himself under layers of indifference he'd forgotten what it felt like to be needed by someone without being used.
And Ariel... she didn't need his power.
She needed him.
He stared at the girl in front of him the one who could command a room with a glance, but who now looked like she was barely holding herself together. Hands trembling. Eyes glassy. Breathing uneven.
She'd handed him her truth like a blade.
And maybe he was a fool.
Maybe she'd still end up breaking him.
Maybe the guilt she carried would only grow heavier. Maybe one day, she'd forget this moment and crown herself cleanly, brushing aside whatever this feeling was like a forgotten rumor.
But right now?
Right now, she looked more like him than anyone else ever had.
"...I'll do it," he said, voice quiet.
Her eyes widened.
"I'll stand by your side. Not because you're a queen... but because you're you."
He exhaled, his lips curling into the smallest, saddest smile.
"If this is foolish... then let me be a fool."
Ariel didn't say anything.
She only nodded, her throat too tight with emotion to speak. Her eyes shimmered—not with royal pride, not with triumph, but with something far more fragile.
Hope.
—
(Ariel's POV)
Later that night. Her chambers. Alone.
The room was silent, save for the faint sound of wind tapping gently at the tall windows. Moonlight spilled across the floor in soft silvers, glinting off the metal circlet resting in her lap.
Her crown.
Ariel stared at it.
So light. So delicate. And yet, it felt like the heaviest thing in the world.
She turned it slowly in her hands, her fingertips brushing against the smooth gold.
"To rule is to sacrifice..."
She'd always known that.
She'd sacrificed her home. Her childhood. Her name, her privacy. All so that one day she could claim the throne not for power, but for peace. For her people.
But now...
Her heart twisted.
"Why must it always be others who bleed for my desires?"
The image of Slyphy's face haunted her. That small smile. Those trembling fingers. The way her voice had cracked ever so slightly when she said, "It's okay."
No, it wasn't.
Ariel closed her eyes, pressing the crown to her chest like a weight she couldn't put down.
She hadn't said it aloud. She hadn't needed to.
Slyphy had known.
Ariel had chosen herself.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into the quiet. "I'm sorry, Sylphy."
But even as the guilt flared sharp and bitter, something else stirred within her. A selfishness she had buried for so long. A hunger, not for rule—but for something more personal. Something fragile and fleeting.
Love.
"Just a few years..." she breathed.
"I want to be selfish, just a little longer. Just enough to know what this is. And then... maybe... I'll return him."
She stared down at the crown, fingers curling tighter.
But even as she said it, even as her mind tried to believe the lie, her heart already knew the truth.
She wouldn't.
She couldn't.
And the guilt?
It was still there... but duller now. Easier to carry.
She rose from her seat slowly, placing the crown gently upon her desk.
Then she walked to the window, letting the moonlight wash over her. Cool. Cleansing.
A smile played on her lips-bitter and aching.
"Forgive me," she whispered again, though she wasn't sure to whom.
Maybe to Sylphy.
Maybe to herself.
Or maybe to the girl she used to be before the world made her choose...
FIN...