Only with Your Heart

After a while, Zain returned to Lukrov and Chizuru, pulling his sister by the hand.

The little girl had just turned two years old, and her usual smooth, dark hair that reached below her shoulders was rumpled, and her eyes were brimming with dissatisfaction.

“Fa~ther!!!!”

The little girl reached out her hand towards her father.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lukrov picked up his little girl and pulled her to his chest, and touched her cheek with a gentle gesture that would make even Chizuru jealous.

“What’s the matter, you grumpy little girl?” 

“I couldn’t find anything at all… Zain found lots and looooots of things.”

It seemed that she was angry because she didn’t find any nuts or berries.

The daughter, who grumbled with her face buried in Lukrov’s chest, was cute despite her young age. It was also expected that she would entice all the men in the country to propose to her when the time came. Of course, as a parent, this made him uneasy. She looked exactly like Chizuru, albeit being loud and a bit stubborn.

“It’s okay. I’ll find some for you.”

As Lukrov soothed his daughter, Zain replied, “Me too! I’ll find you some myself!”

Looking back, Lukrov and Chizuru had come a long way.

Naturally, there were painful moments along the way, and there were even instances when they wanted to give up. But at the same time, there was so much happiness that the pain was overshadowed.

“Mai.”

Chizuru called out to her daughter in a calm voice. 

“We can come back together tomorrow. Now, we have to go home before dark. I’ll tell you a story before you go to bed.”

Mai looked up, her full smile already shining on her face.

“A story about you and father?”

“Yeah, if that’s what you want to hear.”

“Yes! Tell me the story about how you and Father defeated the bad dragon!”

Both Lukrov and Chizuru smiled at their daughter’s innocent wish, cherishing the happiness that was right here in their hands and hearts.

The sun was slowly sinking beyond the horizon, and a fragrant spring breeze blew, rustling the grass.

On the way home, Lukrov held a sleepy Mai on his shoulder and held Chizuru’s hand with his other hand. 

Zain ran far ahead of his parents, occasionally turning around and waving at them.

Looking down at Chizuru, Lukrov said quietly, “When I am with you, Chizuru, I feel so happy that sometimes I believe this is a dream.”

He squeezed Chizuru’s hand tightly as she raised her head and looked up at him.

The knight’s fearless face, shadowed by the setting sun, displayed the affection he had promised to give her in the past: “I shall cherish you more than any woman in this world has ever been loved.”

“Me too, Lukrov. I’m so happy that sometimes, I feel like I’m dreaming.”

Lukrov seemed to be satisfied with Chizuru’s answer. He pulled Mai back into his arms, lifted Chizuru’s hand to his lips, and kissed her fingertips gently.

“Then I will continue to dream with you.”

 [Epilogue end]

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