Another week passed just like that.
During the whole ti, I didn’t go anywhere. No adventures, no weird alien encounters, no business etings. I simply stayed in the palace and spent ti with my family.
Honestly, it wasn’t bad.
Most of my mornings were pretty relaxed. I would wake up, eat breakfast with everyone, and then deal with whatever small matters popped up around the palace. Nothing too serious. A few servants asking for approval on things, so minor logistics, and occasionally soone needing my opinion on sothing.
Royal life in a nutshell.
But the person I spent the most ti with that week was Xander.
The kid had way too much energy.
"Again! Again!" he shouted while running ahead of through one of the palace corridors.
"You just ran five laps," I said.
"Six!" he corrected.
"Right. Six. My mistake."
anwhile, Rona was strapped to my chest in a small carrier, quietly watching everything like she owned the place.
I carried her around during most of my evening walks. Sotis I toured the palace halls, sotis I walked through the gardens, and other tis I went to visit old man Duke.
The old man liked Rona. Or maybe he just liked having soone small around who didn’t argue with him, unlike Xander.
"She has your eyes. The sa piercing gaze. Xander looks more like her mom. But Rona, she has your looks and is a full vampire," Old Duke said one evening while staring at her.
Well, here goes the old geezer glazing Rona over Xander because Xander keeps stressing him. If only he knows Rona might do worse when she reaches Xander’s age.
"I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing," I replied.
He snorted.
"Probably both."
Rona just blinked at him as if she understood what she said.
Xander, on the other hand, was busy trying to climb one of old man Duke’s bookshelves.
"Get down from there!" Duke barked.
"I’m exploring!" Xander shouted.
Sigh...
So yeah, the week passed like that. Family ti, palace walks, and occasional chaos from Xander.
But today was different.
Today was a special day.
The day I decided to take Misty on a date.
Honestly, the idea ca after the conversation I had with old man Duke a while ago. He pointed out sothing that I didn’t really want to admit.
I hadn’t been spending much ti with Misty lately.
Not intentionally. Life just got busy.
Still... she deserved better than that.
So here I was, waiting in one of the palace courtyards.
A few monts later, I saw her walking toward . And I imdiately realized sothing. I had never seen her dressed like that before.
Misty was wearing a red fluffy gown that swayed gently as she walked. On her head sat a brown hat that gave her a slightly playful look.
For a second, I just stared.
Then I smiled.
"Well, this is new," I said.
She stopped in front of and raised an eyebrow.
"What is?"
"I’ve never seen you wear sothing like that before."
Misty folded her arms slightly.
"Don’t flatter ."
"I’m not flattering you."
"You are."
"I’m stating facts."
She gave a small suspicious look before sighing.
"Fine. Maybe a little flattering."
Then she tilted her head.
"But what made you decide to take on a date all of a sudden?"
Fair question.
I scratched the back of my head for a mont before answering.
"Well... I was thinking about the past."
"The past?"
"Yeah. The ti we spent together. The things you did for . The love you showered on ."
Misty’s expression softened a little.
I continued.
"And honestly... it made realize sothing."
"Oh?"
I shrugged.
"This might sound a bit biased... but the love I have for you is greater than the others."
For a mont, she just stared at .
Then she stepped forward and hugged tightly. No hesitation. No teasing. Just a full emotional hug that carried a lot of weight.
"I already knew that," she murmured.
"Of course you did."
After a few seconds, I slipped my arms under her and lifted her up in a princess carry.
She blinked.
"Jake?"
"Hold tight."
"What are you—"
Before she could finish the sentence, I shot into the air. The palace shrank beneath us as we soared upward. Wind rushed past us while the sky opened above.
Misty grabbed onto my shoulders.
"You could have warned !"
"I did say hold tight."
"That doesn’t count!"
I laughed a little while flying toward the distant mountains. It didn’t take long to reach them.
I landed on one of the rocky peaks overlooking the vast landscape below. The view was pretty good up here and quiet too.
Misty stepped down from my arms and looked around.
"So this is your idea of a date?"
"Not impressed?"
"I didn’t say that."
We sat down on the rocky surface, facing the horizon. After a mont, I shifted behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
She leaned back against naturally.
No awkwardness. Just... comfortable. For a while, neither of us said anything.
Then I finally spoke.
"You know... I really do love you."
"I know," she replied softly.
I stared at the sky for a mont before continuing.
"But it sucks."
She turned her head slightly.
"Sucks?"
"Yeah."
I tightened my arms around her a little.
"It sucks that I can’t properly reciprocate the love you have for ."
Misty frowned slightly.
"Jake—"
"I an it," I interrupted. "You give everything. Loyalty. Support. Love. And what do I give back?"
"You give plenty."
"Not enough."
The words ca out before I could stop them.
For a mont, the silence returned.
Then sothing inside cracked.
"I’m tired," I muttered.
Misty turned around in my arms.
"Tired of what?"
"Everything."
I looked down at my hands.
"I keep thinking about it lately... about the future."
"I’m scared."
She blinked.
"Scared? What are you saying, Jake, don’t scare ?"
I laughed weakly.
"Crazy, right? Soone like being scared."
"Jake..."
"I’m scared of losing everyone."
The words finally ca out.
"My family. My friends. Everyone I care about."
The thought alone made my chest tighten.
"And the worst part?" I continued. "I know it’s inevitable."
Misty stayed quiet.
"I’ve died before," I said. "More than once."
I looked up at the sky.
"And every ti, the cycle just starts again."
Reincarnation.
Another life.
Another round of attachnts.
Another round of loss.
"I don’t want to do it anymore," I said quietly.
For the first ti in a long while, I felt my throat tighten.
"I don’t want to die again."
Misty didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then she reached forward and hugged tightly. Her arms wrapped around with surprising strength.
"It’s okay," she whispered.
I buried my face into her shoulder.
"I’m serious, Misty."
"I know."
"I’m tired of pretending it doesn’t bother ."
"I know."
She gently rubbed my back.
"You don’t have to carry everything alone."
We stayed like that for a while.
Just holding each other. Eventually, the tension inside my chest eased a little. Not completely but enough.
After a while, Misty pulled back slightly and looked at .
"You know sothing?" she said.
"What?"
"This mont ans everything to ."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"You chose to co here with . Just the two of us."
"Well... it is a date."
She smiled softly.
"And you trusted with your fears."
I scratched my cheek.
"Yeah... about that."
"I’m happy you did."
Then she leaned back against again.
We both looked up at the sky.
Stars slowly began appearing one by one.
The wind was calm.
The mountain was quiet.
And for once... my mind wasn’t racing.
Misty shifted slightly in my arms.
"This is nice," she said.
"Yeah."
We stayed there, sky-gazing in silence.
For her, this mont clearly ant everything.
For ...
Well.
Maybe this quiet mont on a random mountain was exactly what I needed.
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