Gardenia’s Heart

Abelia had never seen the woman before her fight with such vitality. As though she had finally unleashed what had been trapped in her heart, Cleomel swung her spear with a ferocity that seemed capable of moving mountains.

“I love you...” Repeating the words she had just heard, Abelia found herself frozen in place.

It wasn’t a simple phrase of affection. It was a pure, genuine declaration that the woman would fight to the very end of her life for her.

Even with the colossal monster flying through the skies and the horde of creatures attacking, the only thing Abelia could focus on was the sight of that woman’s back.

“The way you make sure everyone else has food on their plates before you even think about being served,” Cleomel began speaking, her voice somehow reaching the person she loved despite the chaos of the battle. “The way you tell me my cooking is delicious.”

Her spear moved with remarkable freedom. Leaping forward, Cleomel impaled an ice fox that had been attempting to conjure crystals from a distance. As her weapon pierced the creature’s flesh, she drove the spear deeper into the ground to use it as leverage, spinning her body through the air and pushing back a horned bear that had been closing in, even though the maneuver left fresh cuts on her legs.

“The way you chose your haircut because you overheard waitresses at a restaurant saying it was the most popular style among young women.” Even through the pain, she laughed joyfully as she spoke.

Her eyes darted quickly in every direction, her mana concentrating in her knees and feet for another charge. This time, aiming upward, she swung vertically, slicing through the wings of clawed bats.

“The way you stay up late at night studying in secret so you can help your children in the future.”

As Cleomel fell to the ground again, two ice foxes awaited her, biting into her waist and legs before she could recover. Gritting her teeth to endure the pain, the knight used her free hand to forcibly pry the creatures’ jaws open and, with a single kick for each, ended their lives.

“And the way you, without even realizing it, gave me a reason to live—I love all of it!”

Her breathing was heavy, her short hair disheveled, and blood streamed down her body. But no matter how terribly she was wounded, not a single monster managed to reach Abelia.

“Cleomel...” Abelia clutched her chest with both hands, watching the woman fight with every ounce of strength to protect her.

No matter how much she screamed for Cleomel to run, she knew she wouldn’t. Cleomel would never retreat. She would never abandon her.

Abelia understood this.

The woman she had spent the last fifteen years of her life with would never leave her behind, not even at the cost of her own body, not even through unimaginable pain. That woman would follow her to the depths of the world without ever asking for anything in return.

“Because she loves me...” As those unbelievable words left her lips, Abelia couldn’t believe she was the one saying them.

Abelia had never believed in love.

Abandoned by her family and forced into marriage with the king, she had never developed feelings for anyone. The woman who had never thought herself capable of being loved had hardened her heart as much as she could to endure the life she led.

“No... that’s not it.” Shaking her head, Abelia denied her own thoughts.

It wasn’t because she had been born without the right to be loved.

It was because she believed she had no right to be loved that she had hardened her heart.

However, the woman in front of her was charging against a horde of monsters, shouting to the heavens and the world all the love she felt for her.

”That... fool...” Abelia murmured, her vision growing blurry as the corners of her eyes stung, tears starting to form.

Every time she felt fear, it was Cleomel’s hand she reached for. Every time she had doubts, it was Cleomel she sought for advice. Every morning when she woke, Cleomel was the one she greeted with her first “good morning.” Whenever she sat down, it was by Cleomel’s side she remained. And every time she faced troubles, it was Cleomel’s name she called out for help.

That feeling had always been there. It existed deep within her chest, every time her heart raced in Cleomel’s presence. She just never knew what to call it.

”I’m the idiot, aren’t I?”

If this wasn’t love, there was no other way to name it.

Her desire to have Cleomel by her side wasn’t because she was her friend, nor because she was her knight. It was purely and simply because she loved her, too.

Before her eyes, Cleomel kept advancing with her spear, serving as an unyielding wall of protection.

Her right arm bore countless bite marks, and her clothing was tattered with cuts. Even when she was pushed back, Cleomel would step forward again.

But after countless battles, the number of wounds on her body made it impossible to dodge a charging horned bear, which sent her flying with its powerful blow.

Seeing the woman she loved taking such an attack, Abelia, her legs trembling, dragged herself faster than her strength should have allowed until she reached her.

”S-So this is as far as I go, huh...” the dark-skinned knight murmured, her vision beginning to blur. She no longer had the strength to even hold the spear at her side.

”Cleomel! Cleomel, please!”

Reaching Cleomel quickly and pulling her into her arms, Abelia looked over her knight’s body. Never in her life had she seen her so injured.

“I’m sorry, Lady Abelia...”

As tears streamed down her face and fell onto Cleomel’s, Abelia felt the knight’s hand reach for hers.

“Why are you apologizing!? Don’t speak now.”

Abelia replied through her sobs, desperately trying to do something—anything—to tend to Cleomel’s wounds.

”I never had the courage to say what I felt, and even when I did, I wasn’t strong enough to protect you.” Cleomel could barely make out the face of the noblewoman to whom she had sworn her life, but simply knowing she was there filled her heart with joy.

Using one hand to cradle Cleomel’s face, Abelia leaned so close that it was impossible for Cleomel not to hear her.

”I love you too, Cleomel!”

With a tearful smile, Abelia pressed her lips to hers.

Even though she was over thirty, even though she had children, it was on this day that she had her very first kiss.

Cleomel’s lips were warm, just like her body. Her kiss was clumsy, marked by inexperience, but it was filled with passion for what she was doing.

She loved her.

At some point, Cleomel had become an essential part of her life.

“Don’t leave me, Cleomel, please!”

Though she was happy in a way, though she still wanted to talk more, darkness began to overtake Cleomel’s mind, and her body gave in to unconsciousness.

Abelia couldn’t accept it. There were so many things she wanted to do. So many things she wanted to experience with her.

Running away or closing her eyes—neither option could change anything now. Even with her limited strength, Abelia wrapped her arms around Cleomel, tears streaming down her face, in a desperate attempt to shield the knight with her own body. Cleomel had always been the one protecting her; at least at the end, she would be the one to protect the woman she loved.

She could hear the roars of the monsters drawing closer. The ground trembled with each step of the approaching creatures.

Curling up with all her might, she could only imagine the scene that was about to unfold—the moment her newfound joy would be consumed in a red haze of pain and suffering.

Seconds passed, and yet the inevitable, painful end never came.

That’s when Abelia noticed something strange.

She didn’t know what had happened, but the fact that she could still think about it meant she was alive.

Her dazed head turned slowly to look at the monsters that should have been surrounding them. Her heart pounded in panic, but the moment her eyes took in the scene, all her fear melted away.

“I’m glad I made it in time.”

That person had arrived to erase any trace of terror.

Before the two of them stood a figure with silver hair flowing in the wind. A girl in a black dress and a cape as dark as the abyss stepped forward with majestic grace into the crowd of monsters. In her right hand, a sword of stardust pulsed with a radiant blue aura.

Surveying the plain before her, she extended her left hand, and instantly, a large section of the grassy field was coated in a thick layer of black ice. On the battlefield, now transformed into her domain, Lily advanced without a moment’s hesitation.

Purple tentacles surrounded her, lashing out as she cut down any monster that dared approach.

It was a chaotic dance of destruction, yet at the same time, it was as beautiful as the performance of the most skilled dancer.

Before her, ice foxes shattered with a single strike, unable even to retaliate with their crystalline attacks. When horned bears tried to charge her, their massive, multi-ton bodies were effortlessly lifted and thrown aside by the purple tentacles.

In less than five minutes, with only the rain washing the blood from her blade, Lily had slain over a hundred monsters.

Seeing that all nearby monsters had fled, the girl turned and ran back to the two women.

Still unconscious on the ground, Cleomel’s breathing was ragged, her body covered in wounds and dark bruises.

“You really are one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever met.” Even Lily had to admit it as she observed the knight.

Cleomel had fought to the point of absolute exhaustion, only stopping when her brain could no longer withstand the pain coursing through her body.

Carefully, Lily reached out her hand toward Cleomel. A viscous, gelatinous substance slowly dripped from her fingers, entering the knight’s airways.

Lily then closed her eyes, as if waiting for something, her expression calm and unchanged, even as the rain fell upon her.

Abelia didn’t understand what was happening, but holding tightly onto the hand she had sworn never to let go of again, she waited patiently.

Slowly, after a few minutes, the gelatinous substance that had entered Cleomel’s body began to emerge, returning to Lily’s hand and disappearing into her own body.

“The internal injuries aren’t too severe—it was just a concussion that caused her to pass out. But she’ll need plenty of rest to fully recover. When she wakes up, give her some intermediate healing potions.” Turning to Abelia, Lily spoke with a smile, pulling a few potions from within her cloak and handing them to the woman.

“Th-Then... she’s going to be okay?” Abelia asked through her tears, clutching Cleomel’s hand even tighter.

“Yes, she’ll be perfectly fine.” Lily’s reassuring smile brought visible relief to the noblewoman, whose expression lit up with joy.

The moment Lily’s words sank in, Abelia hugged Cleomel’s unconscious body with all her strength.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Tears continued to stream down her face as she held the woman she loved.

Cleomel would be fine. Every fiber of her being was grateful that the woman in her arms was no longer in danger.

“I love you, Cleomel. I love you!” she whispered over and over, close to the knight’s ear, stroking her hair and refusing to let even a single inch separate them.

Though Lily didn’t know how everything had unfolded after they had parted ways, as long as they were safe, she was content.

Looking to the sky, Lily fixed her gaze on the enormous monster still circling above. It hovered as if waiting for the right moment to strike, lightning crackling around its massive wings, each flap amplifying the storm’s intensity.

“I’ll handle the situation here. You two, go through this portal—it’ll take you underground where Alice is. She’s safe, and you’ll be too,” Lily said, conjuring a portal in front of them that resembled a starry sky. She prepared to assist the two women through it.

Abelia couldn’t have imagined shedding so many tears of joy in a single day.

“You really did keep your promise,” she said, overwhelmed with emotion as she looked at the silver-haired girl.

Even with trembling legs, Abelia stood up, carrying her beloved in her arms. Though it was difficult, and she could barely manage it, her heart refused to let anyone else carry Cleomel.

“Lady Lily, please, you have to go help my son. He and his group went to the castle alone!” Before stepping through the portal, Abelia turned to Lily, her voice filled with worry as if passing on this message was an absolute necessity.

“Don’t worry, Abelia. Oliver will be fine.”

Placing a reassuring hand on Abelia’s shoulder, Lily spoke with a broad smile.

“The person I love most in the world went to take care of it, after all.”

---

The grand hall’s doors opened without a sound, yet every presence in the room instinctively turned toward them, as though their very beings resonated with the one who had entered.

Would interrupting such a battle be fitting? Or would it be seen as a grave affront?

The presence that felt utterly out of place in the surrounding atmosphere seemed unconcerned by such considerations.

One step followed another, and the sound of her high heels was the only noise permitted to exist in the now-silent hall.

Two crimson eyes, reminiscent of radiant gemstones, shone magnificently amidst her violet hair. Her black dress, beginning at her shoulders, extended to the tips of her fingers but barely concealed her modest chest, tracing the curves of her toned thighs beneath a flowing white skirt. The dress’s interior was a striking red, matching the choker adorning her neck and contrasting with the white fur trim that decorated her attire. At her waist, a solitary black sword swayed with her movements.

At the highest point of the castle, within the enormous throne hall where everything seemed on the brink of being torn apart by an unprecedented wave of destruction...

All the monsters present retreated in fear, shrinking back in the face of that single, overwhelming monster.