Interlude: Aria – Part 03
“Wait, please wait!”
Ewen’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She felt more and more confused.
Why did I stop? I was the one who told him to stay away from me.
“Wait, Aria. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. Please, don’t go.”
A raspy no slipped from her lips, and she froze, taken aback. What exactly did she want to do? Did she want to leave, or stay with Ewen? Did she want him to stop her, or not? Her mind spun, and she found herself rooted to the spot, hanging her head.
Amid the bustle of the city around them, they stood there, motionless. A long silence passed, until Ewen’s voice finally broke it.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” he said. “Do you remember the luggage I brought when I arrived in this city?”
Aria vaguely recalled it. She remembered seeing him with a bulging knapsack and an enormous wooden crate strapped to his horse when he caught up with her group after leaving the Militant Nation.
So what about it?
“There was an Infernal Blade from the Militant Nation inside. I brought it here of my own volition.”
Aria’s head shot up. Ewen had a hard look on his face.
“Wh-Why?” she asked.
“I consulted Lady Zenobia about it. The sword had been locked away because of past mistakes, but I wondered if it could be of use in these turbulent times. I insisted it should be put to use. Lady Zenobia agreed to release it, on the condition that I offer it to the Independent Trade City.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
He’s been carrying the sword that killed his father this whole time?
She hadn’t realized. Ewen had never shown any signs of it. How could someone who couldn’t even touch her have carried that sword?
“Why would you do something so reckless?”
“If you want to know, will you follow me?”
Aria’s eyes widened. It was probably a gamble on his part. Ewen stared at her hard.
“All right,” she agreed.
She saw his tension ease into relief. Afraid she’d change her mind, he immediately turned and started walking. Aria followed, keeping a slight distance behind.
Even now, she couldn’t help but wonder why he wanted her to come along. He’d just arrived in the city himself, so he shouldn’t be familiar with the place just yet. Judging by the direction he was heading, though, it seemed like he was going toward the Third District’s shopping street.
“Sorry to ask something random,” Ewen called from ahead. “but you always wear the same clothes, don’t you?”
“Huh… yeah.” Aria glanced down at her outfit, a green-themed dress. “This outfit is made from Aetheria. Every time I change into human form, I gather the nearby Aetheria to form the clothes. When I change back into a sword, it reverts back to Aetheria, so I never need to wash it. Oh, but I can wear real clothes too. And I change into nightwear when I sleep.”
What am I even saying?
“I see. That’s reassuring.” Ewen nodded thoughtfully. “Since I’m not familiar with the city, I asked Patty for help, and she introduced me to this place.”
“Huh? Patty?” Aria asked, confused, when Ewen suddenly stopped. She followed his gaze and saw the building ahead. “Is this the place?”
“Yes. This is it.”
It was a clothing store nestled in a corner of the shopping street. It looked like a high-end shop.
Aria looked at Ewen hesitantly. He gave a shy, awkward smile.
“I’m sorry it’s just rental clothes.”
Staring at the person in the full-length mirror, Aria muttered, “Who is that?”
It was none other than Aria herself, all dressed up.
She was wearing a soft, lace-trimmed dress—white with pale green accents, clearly chosen to match her own colors. The dress had long gloves, a daring neckline, and an underskirt that covered her legs down to the ankles. She had her hair half-up, complementing the dress perfectly.
This is me.
She could hardly believe the figure in the mirror was her.
They were in the fitting room of the clothing store. The dress, apparently reserved in advance by Ewen, had been waiting for her. She had frozen at the sight of it, something she had never worn, never even thought she would wear in her lifetime. With the help of a saleswoman, she eventually managed to put on the entire outfit.
“I’m glad. It looks wonderful on you.”
Aria turned to see Ewen standing there. He must have come when he heard the fitting was done. His eyes looked so gentle.
It was more embarrassing than she’d expected, to be seen in such a different outfit, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“Why… are you doing this?”
“I’ve been thinking for a long time about how to apologize to you for the terrible things I said.”
“But… you already apologized when we left the Militant Nation. I forgave you then.”
“No, you didn’t.” Ewen said with a bitter smile. “The moment you learned I was under Lady Zenobia’s orders, you immediately got upset.”
Ah. So he had figured that out.
“And you saw that I couldn’t touch you,” he went on. “Because of that, you never let your guard down around me. Which was fine. I didn’t deserve to be forgiven easily. No apology I gave could match the way you fought with your life on the line. That’s why I didn’t give up, even when you were so harsh with me. And I brought you here because I wanted to redo that apology.”
“Bringing me here… is your apology?”
Ewen nodded gravely. “Yes. I called Infernal Blades disgusting. I never meant it to be about you, but that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you.”
The memory made her chest tighten.
“I hate them.”
“No. Infernal Blades are too dangerous for humans. They’re cursed and bring only chaos. A weapon meant to kill, to threaten life, shouldn’t exist in this world.”
“They’re disgusting.”
“But there’s an Infernal Blade like you. Right here, now.”
He had learned that after watching her fight against the Inhuman weapons.
“I’m done running away,” Ewen said firmly. “That’s why I brought the Militant Nation’s Infernal Blade here. I carried the sword that killed my father, both to be of some use, if only a little, and to show my resolve. I also wanted to tell you something, and I really mean this.” He paused. “Pardon me.”
Ewen then gently, very gently, took her hand. Startled, Aria almost pulled away, but he didn’t let go.
His face turned pale fast, and Aria could feel his hand trembling. She wanted to pull back, but Ewen shook his head, smiling faintly to reassure her that he was fine. His trembling was a physiological response, something beyond his control, but he fought through it.
Just as Aria had fought on that battlefield, Ewen was fighting right now.
“You’re not disgusting.”
His hand was still shaking, still stiff, far from a gentleman’s graceful touch. His smile was awkward and strained, his skin so pale she worried he might collapse at any moment. And yet his effort reached her, pulling her heart back up from the depths.
And then, for just a moment, as if to make sure he said it properly, Ewen completely suppressed his trembling.
“You’re beautiful.”
Aria held back tears. I can’t believe this guy.
This man had taken the word disgusting to heart far more than the person it was aimed at, and had been searching for a way to apologize properly. There was no doubt that a research maniac like him knew next to nothing about fashion, so finding a shop like this must have been a struggle. Aria could easily picture him walking in, utterly lost, not knowing what would look good, maybe catching himself mid-search and blushing at the fact that a man like him was browsing women’s dresses. And after all the effort, he’d found something he thought would suit her. It was easy to imagine. Of course it was.
For just a few words, he’d gone through all this trouble, staging the whole thing. And to prove his sincerity, he even went so far as to touch the Infernal Blade he should never have been able to touch.
You’re such an idiot.
Aria was sure Ewen had lost his mind.
She was an Infernal Blade. Not human. Something entirely different from him.
For him to do something like this, something a female human might experience, was absurd. It felt so…
A sob broke free from her throat, and tears started falling nonstop. She didn’t even feel the need to wipe them away. Aria let the tears flow freely down her cheeks.
She felt happy. So happy she could cry.
“Will you forgive me?” Ewen asked softly.
“I… will.” Aria managed to choke out the words through her tear-streaked face. “Of course I’ll forgive you. Idiot!”
Because this was the first time in her life that anyone had ever truly called her beautiful.
Aria cried until there were no more tears to shed, and through it all, Ewen never let go of her hand. His grip was shaky, but he held on. For someone so skinny, he had more grit than she expected.
When the tears finally started to subside, Aria asked, “Why a dress? You could’ve just gone with something normal.”
“Y-You think so?” Ewen stammered. “I was just looking for something nice, and when I asked Patty, she recommended this place. I saw the dress and thought it would look perfect on you. Um, do you like it?”
“I love it.”
Aria was euphoric. Her heart felt warm, and she didn’t really want to let go of his hand. What is this feeling?
Just then, the shop attendant came over. She had been keeping to the back all this time so as not to disturb them. The realization made Aria a little embarrassed.
“Are you two getting married soon?” the woman asked. “If so, we can help you with other things.”
“E-Ewen and I are not like that!” Aria denied, pulling her hand away.
A thought suddenly hit her. An Infernal Blade and a human could never truly love each other. That core fact hadn’t changed. Just like her hatred of God, it would haunt her for life.
But maybe… maybe it was worth fighting against, even a little. After all, if she was already carrying the burden of hating God, what difference would one more problem make?
That’s right. I won’t give in.
Why had she been acting so frail? She had always sworn that she would break through whatever blocked her path. That she would push forward. That was what the Infernal Blade Aria was all about.
And so, despite not knowing where it would lead, she decided to take the first step.
“D-Do we really look like a couple?”
“No, no. We’re nothing like that,” Ewen corrected, shutting her down. “I absolutely deny that. I’m not approaching you with any ulterior motives or improper thoughts. I came here today solely to apologize. Any talk of us being together is completely unfounded and utterly impossible. In fact, someone like me could never possibly—”
“You know what? Maybe I shouldn’t forgive you after all.”
“What?! Why?!”
Ewen looked completely shocked, and Aria turned away with a hmph.
Through slightly teary eyes, she realized something. This was where she had to start.
And that was how Ewen Benjamin became a huge headache in the life of the Infernal Blade Aria.
A few days later, Patty and Reginald came to see her to apologize profusely. Aria smiled and waved them off. “It’s fine! Don’t worry about it.” The cheerfulness in her voice surprised them both.
“Cecily Campbell says that you, an Infernal Blade, are as much a citizen of this city as anyone,” Reginald said. “I believe that too. As a protector of this city, I thought I could offer some help, hence the question. But I didn’t think it through. Please forgive me.”
Aria was really glad she had come to this city.
Comment (0)