THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"Sniff…Sniff.."

Well, I guess it was to be expected. As soon as she saw me, Lanuvel jumped on me and tackled me to the floor while crying her eyes out. And now, we are surrounded by everyone, Farner included, who has a warm smile as well, and I feel kind of embarrassed.

"It's okay now. You can stop crying."

"I am sorry!! I am so sorry!"

"Why? You did nothing wrong."

"It's all my fault, right? Everything is my fault!!" What? How could any of this be my fault?

"Come on, you know it's not.."

"Ahem…Miss Nikitis. I believe my patient needs a gentler treatment than being slammed to the floor so I will have to ask you to let him stand up at least."

I didn't notice but Djibril is here as well.

"Eh, come on, girl." Keltia and Farner come to her and grab her by the arms but she doesn't let go easily. Finally, they manage to drag her off and I stand back up, only to face Roxcia's cold stare. Yeah, I know. You don't like me taking your friend.

"Sigh…Anyway, how are you feeling?" Frankher has a forced smile on his face. He is trying not to show it but he is angry right now. I am sure of it.

"I am fine, Sir. Don't worry."

"Well, I do have to. If one of my best students is found almost dead every time there is a tournament then I might have to rethink whether to involve them or not."

I see. Frankher believes that what happened to me is related to the tournament. Well, I guess I would as well if I were him.

"It's true that Mohana did disappear without saying anything in the end." Cordel starts commenting. 

"Those bastards just wanted to play it dirty, huh." And his girlfriend follows.

"I will certainly have them spill the beans." Farner strikes her left fist in the palm of her right hand with a determined look on her face.

It seems those guys have all mistook the real culprit of this.

"No, wait, actually, it's…."

What can I say? What do I say? That Tatiana was the one behind my abduction and she used Anriette, a girl that lost everything because of me, to get me? That's just telling them who I am. No, at least, I should tell her the truth.

"Okay, okay. My patient needs rest. Questions will come later."

Djibril grabs my arm then drags me through the group. When we are a bit far from them, she turns back and winks at me.

"AH, yeah. If possible, Lanuvel, I would like to talk to you alone, later."

"O-okay."

"You are happy, now? Come on, stop crying."

Keltia comforts her again and embraces her gently. The tears haven't stopped but she seems calmer now. Will I really be able to tell her?

***

Later, in the evening, Lanuvel comes to my room, wearing a coat. Is she cold?

"Are you sick?"

"N-no." She enters the room, closes the door with the key then removes it and throws it on the small table near my bed. There really is not that much space in here.

She removes her coat and underneath, reveals a black one-piece dress. The dress is quite skimpy, revealing more than half of her thighs. It has a shining emerald reflect to it. There are no sleeves as well.

"W-what is this?"

"The dress I wanted to wear for the party. I…I wanted you to see it at least. Though they had their own design ready."

"Lanuvel, I…"

"Kevin, you don't have to say anything." She walks to me and sits on the bed. Her face get closed to mine in a flash and we almost kiss but I grab her shoulders quickly.

"Please, Lanuvel. We have to talk."

"I know. I know I shouldn't have. I know I-"

"Lanuvel, please. Hear me out first."

She finally calms down and I make her sit properly on the bed, with the coat on her legs. Then I kneel on the bed as well and lower my head until it touches the bedsheets.

"Kevin, what are you doing?!"

"Please, hear me out until the end."

"W-what?"

"Please, hear what I have to say until the end. Before you do anything, before you take any actions, please I just ask you to promise me to hear my story until the end."

"I…I am not sure I understand."

"Please."

"Okay, I will hear everything you have to say until the end, then."

"Please, do not forget what you just said."

"You are scaring me a bit."

Fuuu…Okay. Let's do this.

"First of all, I should start by introducing myself, I guess. My name is KEVIN KOERSOMBRE."

"W-what? Kevin, this a very bad jo-"

"I was in Tatradum, a village of the kingdom of Syldavie and I-"

"Stop it!! I am saying this isn't a good joke!! "

"You promised to hear me out until the end."

"If this is just for you to joke around, then I don't want to hear it."

"Lanuvel, do I look like I am joking around? Right now?"

"But, you…He is dead. Kevin Koersombre, I mean."

"I didn't die. Do you remember when Demether asked all of you to get out of my room and your father stayed behind?"

"Yes."

"It was because he designed a plan for my escape."

"What?! " Lanuvel looks at me with disbelief, but deep inside, I can see that she starts believing in what I am saying.

We stay for a few seconds without saying anything then I take another deep breath and continue.

"After my escape, I-"

"Wait, the day of your execution, there was a ray of red light that we saw going towards the sky. Was…Was that you?"

"I…Let me explain."

"... Okay."

"During my escape, I awoke a mysterious power inside me and after that, thanks to Excafol, I manage to flee from Floras."

"Escafol? So master was helping you? Father told me he decided to suddenly retire. So that was the reason."

"Yes, I…Please, Lanuvel, I-"

"Why do you keep saying please over and over like that?"

"Fuuu… Fuuu... After Excafol saved me, we tried to hide inside the forest of Karnados for a while, for four years. But then…"

"But then? K-Kevin, why are you crying?"

"It's…It's nothing. We were found by Demether and Veronica's assassins. I fought my-"

"Wait? Demether's assassins? How? Why? you said he helped you escape, right?"

"It was just a scheme. He used me and Escafol to get something. I don't know what yet. And after he had obtained what he wanted, he must have deemed us useless."

"Hm…You said you spent four years hidden, right?"

"Yes."

"Then it's overlapped with the period during which he became the crown prince. Could it be related?"

"It surely is." So that's it. He didn't want to let any loose end while he succeeds to his father.

"Oh, well. From what I know, he is king now so it doesn't matter much anymore."

"It does to me but that's not the question. The point is…"

"Kevin? You stop a lot, you know. I have never seen you so-"

"…I ...Fuuu… I killed your father."

"Eh?" The atmosphere in the room changes instantly. "You…I don't think I heard you. You just said something I couldn't quite…" Words start coming out of her mouth with a trembling voice.

"After I fought the assassins that were sent to kill me, I went to Escafol and Selene's location but there, I only found-"

"I am telling you to repeat what you just said."

For the first time since I started telling my story, I look into Lanuvel's eyes, and the flames of hatred burned in them with the brilliance of a script. Instantly, my body reacts and freezes. I knew it, I can't do this. I cannot face those eyes.

"I-"

"Repeat what you said."

"I…I killed your father."

Lanuvel instantly grabs my neck and she starts strangling me. We fall on the bed as she does and her eyes, full of hatred, burns my soul. Yeah, we knew it was going to be like this, right? There was no happiness for somebody like me to begin with.

From the beginning, everything was just messed up and it only went on and on without rest. Even the rare moments of happiness that I did have were only to make me pay like this. Oh well, at least, I am not dying at the hands of some bitch like Tatiana. It's better than nothing.

I close my eyes as I feel my breath gradually reducing. But then, instead of completely stopping, it comes back to normal gradually. When I open my eyes back, Lanuvel is crying, her tears are falling on my face, some even fall in my eyes, clouding my vision.

"Why…Why…Just why?"

"I…"

Will explaining myself really help this situation? I don't think so. No matter what I say, I killed her father. Even if I was to explain to her the whole scheme that was behind it, it would not work. Just like I didn't want to think or understand why Mark killed Escafol and Selene.

"I am sorry."

"Sorry?" She restarts strangling me. "You think being sorry will bring my father back?!" She pushes with more strength and my head and neck are slightly buried in the bed. "You think being sorry will heal my sorrow?!! My grief?!!! You are just a bastard!!!"

She pushes on more time but then let go. She lets go of me and sits back on the bed. Then her small tears turn into rivers. She cries so much, so hard, while holding her head with her hands, that the sounds must be getting outside. That's it. Now, the truth will be revealed to everyone and I will surely be killed for destroying Nargil.