The Answer in Her Heart
The Answer in Her Heart
The hot air balloon drew all the witches' attention after landing. At first Nightingale was the only one to stand there and wait for them, now almost all Witch Union's members stayed here. Even Scroll who worked at the City Hall came to see what happened. She looked at the sky with worries after knowing the truth, fearing that the big hot air balloon would fall from the sky,
Scroll and Wendy approached Roland as soon as he climbed out of the basket, warning him not to risk his life. After placating them for a bit, the prince wisely changed the subject to the hot air balloon. This amused Nightingale and she was about to step forward to greet him when she suddenly froze, rooted to the spot.
She saw Roland carrying Anna out of the basket. Her blue eyes were smiling and there was a faint blush on her cheeks. A little shining hairpin was in her hair, neatly pinning her fringe to the side.
Nightingale remembered that it was the silver ingot Roland had grounded several days ago when he was instructing the blacksmiths to operate those big machines.
So, the hairpin was made by Roland himself?
The other witches were clamoring to take a ride on the hot air balloon. Very soon, the airbag expanded again. The passengers were Anna and Nana this time.
Nightingale stood away from the crowd, watching the hot air balloon became smaller and smaller in shock.
Her entire mind was filled with Anna's sweet smile.
Anna was usually calm and indifferent. This kind of expression was rarely seen on her face. Nightingale was very familiar with the expression when she was traveling with the Witch Cooperation Association. She knew what it meant. Roland was obviously not just enjoying the beautiful scenery with Anna in the hot air balloon. With Lighting and Maggie around, they would not go that far, but it was hard to suppress the idea once it occurred to her. She felt like there was a hole inside her heart.
Although she had made up her mind to be okay with that, still Nightingale found it was easier said than done.
Seeing everyone was so happy and the place was so rowdy, her mind went totally blank. She just found a corner and sat against the wall.
The hot air balloon descended again. It was Leaf who seized the chance and got in the basket when Nana left.
Roland had already gone when Nightingale came to herself. "He must've gone back to his work after he finished listening Scroll's remonstrance," Nightingale thought. She was supposed to follow him just like she always did. But when she stood up, she felt it was hard for her to step forward. For she really did not know how to face Roland now, even though he could not see her after her entering the Mist. But Nightingale knew clearly that she would feel worse seeing how happy he was.
The hot air balloon ascended and descended many times. After everyone got tired of it, Wendy went to Nightingale. "Why are you staying here? Don't you want to ride the balloon? It's amazing to fly in the sky and look at the town."
If there was anyone harder for her to face than Roland, it was Anna. Nightingale hastily stood up. "No, I can't. I need to return to the office now," she said, walked into the Mist. Before she could walk longer, she thought it was strange for her to use her ability in the courtyard. When she turned around, she saw Wendy in her original spot, looking confused. Nightingale gritted her teeth and quickly walked away.
...
Nightingale went back to her bedroom after dinner, sprawling on the bed.
She did not show herself in the office the whole day. When Roland tentatively called her name, she just patted him on his back to indicate her presence. She did not show herself even when Roland took out her favorite salted dried fish from his mahogany desk.
"What's wrong? Are you all right? I saw you sit alone when all of us are so excited about taking the hot air balloon." Wendy walked into the bedroom, closing the door.
"Nothing." Nightingale turned over.
"I don't believe you. There must be something on your mind." Wendy sat by her bed and pulled her up, staring at her for a while. "I thought you're willing to share all your burdens with me."
Closing her eyes, Nightingale was silent for a long time. "It's Anna."
"Anna?"
Nightingale did not want to talk about these things because it made her feel like a narrow-minded person. Anna was, after all, the first witch Roland met, not her. But if she did not say anything, she felt like a rock was weighing on her. What was worse, Wendy had helped her a lot when they were in the Witch Cooperation Association. Whenever Nightingale was confused, the first person she thought of was always Wendy and she had never failed her. Considering this, Nightingale held Wendy's hands and told her everything.
Wendy sighed after hearing her explanation. "Anna doesn't understand the severity of the situation, but why don't you? I've once warned you that Roland Wimbledon can't be with a witch. He'll be a king and needs heirs to inherit his kingdom. From this perspective alone, he won't choose to marry a witch."
"He will."
"What?" Wendy was shocked.
"His Highness Roland will marry a witch." Nightingale opened her eyes, every word spoken slowly. "He said so himself."
In the first place, Nightingale wanted to keep this in her heart, but she could no longer stand the feeling of not being understood.
Wendy seemed frightened by what she heard. After a long silence, she asked with a scowl, "Are you sure?"
"It's true." Nightingale repeated what Scroll asked that night. "When Scroll asked if he would marry a witch, he answered yes, why not. You know my ability that I can tell if a person's lying. I know he meant what he said."
Wendy grabbed Nightingale by the arms. "Remember, you mustn't tell anyone about this, not even the sisters of Witch Cooperation Association."
"Wh-why?"
"Roland is destined to become the King of the Kingdom of Graycastle. What would it mean if he can't have heirs? Even without the church's opposition, the local nobles wouldn't support such a king. You must keep this a secret and never, ever tell anyone about it! The only thing you need to do is keep him safe. Don't forget the fates of all our sisters go hand in hand with whether Roland can be king."
Nightingale nodded.
After pondering for a moment, Wendy said, "As for the thing that troubles you, do you want to be his queen, or just stay with His Highness all the way?"
"Of course I want to stay by his side," Nightingale replied without hesitation.
"Aren't you already by his side now?" Wendy chuckled. "There can only be one queen, but when he ascends the throne, he'll still need your protection. Do you know what I mean?"
Nightingale blinked. She did not reply.
"So it's not hard to be together, but it's hard to accept your own choice." Wendy opened her hand, saying. "If you can't accept that, you must step back or step further, to be his queen or... As for this question, only you know the answer."
…
The next morning, Roland walked into the office, yawning. When he opened his drawer, the salted dried fish was gone.