She had to. She knew it could be too much, and even if she tried, it would be hard to happen. However, even when she was being this greedy…

“I will support you in every way to do so.”

…he was calm. He did not ask anything. He just accepted what she wanted without any hesitation.

Ashite blinked. The time was going so slow that Lu Havre could see the lashes moving one by one. The golden eyes looked like a pair of bright gems or a jar of sweet honey.

Her eyes weren’t the only thing that were sweet. After his thoughts reached that point, Lu Havre took his forehead off of hers. Then he touched her cheeks with his big hand. The tears dried up.

“Just don’t stay there for too long.”

Lu Havre used his other hand to brush through her hair. From the top of her head to the warm cheeks, he was gentle.

“You can commute there from the palace, Ashite.”

“Ah…”

The gentle touch made Ashite speak gently. She was not crying this time.

“It’s not the first time that a royal wanted to be a professor. Also, even if you take on the test, you will be more than enough to…”

Lu Havre spoke, then put his head down again. This time, their foreheads were not touching. Lu Havre looked into Ashite from the close distance. It was so close that he could see through her skin. There was only a gap to fit his hand between them.

A small voice echoed. His talking flowed through his breath and laid on Ashite’s cheeks slowly.

“So…”

<>

Before she could recognize what he was saying, his face got further away from her. Lu Havre once again brushed through Ashite’s hair. The other hand was still on her cheeks. His finger made a circle on her cheeks.

“No one will dare say anything. Nobody can go against the king’s will.”

Ashite was standing still while Lu Havre was caressing her, then she frowned as he mentioned the king’s will. She did it unintentionally — the words were as heavy as the sounded. Ashite quickly said, “Your Majesty, no. It’s okay.”

Her breathing finally calmed down. Ashite put her hand on top of his hand on her cheeks. It was a small, pale hand. She did not think that it was necessary. A small hand covered his hand with warmth.

“You might think that I’m just being greedy — it is my greed. So, Your Majesty does not have to do this.”

She felt the bitterness as she said so. It was her from the beginning asking if the queen could be a dance professor. There must have been numerous people complaining just because of the fact that she’s the one becoming the queen. And she dared to become the professor, too. She knew she had to take the negative judgments just by staying in the position, and if she also tried to be a professor, not a lot of people would be in favor of it, although she did not care what they think.

However, all these things could happen just by the king’s order. Just by the king’s order, any complaints about the queen could go away, but Ashite did not want to cover her greed with the king’s order. That was still the same from the beginning when she decided to spread the dance. Also, she knew that the king’s order could not just make every complaint disappear from the root. A Dance professor was not something that fit with the position of the queen. Although the Monterobis value art higher than the Skara, the dance she wanted to spread was closer to being that of the free spirits. There were multiple layers of the problem.

She was worried that the king would try to protect her from this problem and then he would get hurt from it. She did not want that. Her greed could be judged by numerous people — that was something she could handle. However, she did not want to hurt his reputation because of what she wanted. Although, in the end, the queen could become a dance teacher if the king wanted it to happen.

Ashite bit into her dried lips. The problem was so complicated that she did not know what to figure out first. Just saying it was bitter to her.

“You don’t have to do this… I just think the dance, the dance professor… would not fit with being the queen—”

“No.”

Lu Havre simply denied.

“I want to.” Ashite took a breath. She could not say anything for a bit.

“I would love to see you dancing for your life.”

The tears came out again. She thought there must have been a problem with her tear glands. There was no way she would cry this easily.

“Also, Ashite. I am the king of this country,”

Silence.

“And you will be the queen of this country.”

Silence.

“So, you are not borrowing my name for the order. You are doing it with your own will.”

She felt like it was a dream. He knew exactly how she felt and what she wanted. He calmed her down. It almost felt like a gift from her mother.

However, this was not a dream. It was not a fantasy that would disappear like a dream.

Lu Havre wiped the tears off of her and smiled. Gentle words, a smile, the way he brushed her hair, his red eyes… they were full of love towards her. She could not believe that it was only a short while ago that she met him. His eyes were bright like gems.

She realized she wanted to spread the dance through him, and she did not have to go back to Skara because he helped her, and she was able to love through him.

When he accepted the love, he hoped for the best that she would not leave him. He hoped that she wouldn’t try to end her own life. He hoped that there could be spots filled by his love and that she would love herself, too. He still remembered the feet hanging on the air — he hoped to never see it again, especially from her, the one he loved.

Lu Havre gently swept through Ashite’s forehead. The unstable eyes looked into him. There was no way he did not recognize that. With his big hand, he drew a circle on her brows and smiled. He tried to comfort her crying.

“So, I don’t want you to worry too much.”

Ashite remained quiet.

“Ashite, you will be able to continue dancing. Let me know if you need anything, or if you want anything. And if there is something that you are lacking, let me know.”

It seemed like Lu Havre was not used to asking a favor from a person. He could not forget the way his mother passed away. He remembered the cold-hearted treatments from the royals. He knew clearly how it felt to be alone. However, it wouldn’t end this life; at least, he wouldn’t show it to the one he loved. Ashite believed in him just like she believed in him in the beginning, or when he was confessing his feelings to her with strong emotions.

Ashite raised her arm and put it on Lu Havre’s shoulder. She gently grabbed it as if she was grabbing a small butterfly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As she realized what was going on, Lu Havre was touching her cheeks. She took a breath again. It was a sign that she was nervous. He smiled with his eyes.

“And of course, I will do the same.”

His breath gently laid on her. It was warm. Ashite nodded slightly. She did not avoid it. She wouldn’t be scared anymore. She was thinking that she should control the love that was overflowing so much out of her. However, whatever she did, he would stay with her no matter what. Just knowing that relieved her. Ashite smiled back at Lu Havre who had been smiling at her.

Lu Havre nodded knowing what the smile meant. And his lips touched her lips. The lips quivered a little in nervousness, then Ashite closed her eyes. Lu Havre kept caressing her cheeks getting wet from the tears. He kissed her with warmth. They could feel each other’s emotions. It was the best comfort and love.