DISCONTINUING - Fairytale Dreams [Diluc x Reader x Kaeya]

ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ２１

The fox snarled bitterly underneath his breath, jarring his head at the woman. "You're naive, Anastasia. You give a life to save a life. That faye is doomed for."

Anastasia's hand tightened, having only briefly remembered what she was holding. She lifted her fingers to reveal the small seed resting on top of her palm: a dandelion seed.

Of course, that was it!

"Happiness is but a complicated dream in a universe of works but with it comes change and grand hopes in a time of loss一my mother taught me that, so who is to say it is your choice of defining for me what is a right in life and what is a wrong." Her voice was only barely above a whisper, but the more she enunciated each word, the more her voice grew with confidence.

"Your name is not Anastasia, Marrow; you are not me. If that's what it takes and there is something to be given then I'll risk it."

Anastasia stared into the fox's black beaded eyes, a wave of determination weaving into her soul, replacing the soul of a lost child into that of a young adult. She had finally grown after all of this time.

"I will save Syph, and I'll find happiness in my own way even if it means I have to lose everything. I realize now that it's all I want, because he is family一he is where home is for me."

The excerpt was one of the final scenes of the novel [name] had last wrote right before she was injured.

[name] wished she was Anastasia, she wanted to be her more than anything.

Loving and losing, understanding and forgiving, awaking to reality and letting go一Anastasia was the epitome of that, but why was it so hard for the person who had created her being, her character, her morals and background to actually follow down that same path with the same exact of confidence?

Why did she feel uncertain?

[name]'s hand raised up, touching her lips with the tips of her fingers feeling almost a small burn as she briefly remembered the passionate kisses she had shared with Kaeya the previous night before.

His voice lingered in her head.

"[name], I like you."

Her eyes fluttered at her blurry reflection in the mirror, taking in each moment of the memory one by one.

"Why..? Why do you like me?"

"I don't know, maybe Celestia just called to me today, and I found myself here. Now, how about you..? Do you like me back?"

"Kaeya, I... I'm sorry, but I can't answer that right now..."

Like一that was a strong word, and had Kaeya actually insisted it with a little more vigor by replacing the word with another certain 'l' word, [name] wouldn't know how to come clear from her own feelings even more.

[name] was sure of it一she was sure she liked him back, however... It was such a vague question, but was it okay?

The dandelion seed that should have flown out of her hands all of those times ago continued to sleep still. She wished she could understand.

She didn't know anymore.

"Madam, I finished cutting your hair."

[name]'s hand lifted up searching for the ends of her hair, and when she found it, she figured that it was just about the length at her shoulders. Her finger twirled the loose hair strands it could find around it trying to take in the new length.

The maid fidgeted nervously. "M- madam, do you not like it?"

Her glossy reflection through the mirror made [name] smile. "I do, I'm just... Trying to process my new looks. It's been years since I've last had hair this short."