Evelyn gently wrapped her arms around Alex as she leaned against him. Unlike when they had first met, his average body had grown sturdy. Compared to then, he looked competent. Someone she could, and would, trust with all her life.
And yet...
'Why is it that I doubt you now more than ever, my love?'
Evelyn could feel the weight of his latest gift resting against her chest as she leaned against him. The golden pendant around her neck, the clear amethyst carved in the shape of a star...
There was no way that she could not know how precious it was.
'...What is it that you are so worried about, my love?'
The pendant pulsed with a soft warmth, wreathing a constant healing spell around Evelyn's body. One potent enough to cure any graze or minor injury in seconds.
If that was enough, Evelyn would just think it was a simple gift.
But it didn't end there.
A soft pulse of mana that gently sharpened her focus. A gentle wave of divinity that purified any maladies within her body and would likely work against all poisons as well...
It was a panacea. The equivalent of a royal elixir, but bound and etched within an accessory that didn't even draw mana from the user, but from the ambient mana in the air. A protective armament on the level of those kept in the Imperial treasury.
Something like this would have been worth millions. WAS worth millions.
Evelyn herself would have spent at least that much just to obtain it.
But Alex gave it to her freely.
She knew his financial situation. Although it was better these days due to his academic performance, Alex was still a young man with nothing to his name. A commoner.
The amount of money he could have obtained by selling the pendant he gave her would have been lifechanging.
Even if he didn't sell it, for someone like him without any proper backing, it would have been an ace in the hole. A safety net against the venom of nobility waiting for a chance to cut him down for daring to stand at Evelyn's side.
But he neither sold it or kept it for himself. He gave it to her.
To Evelyn.
To the one that he called his love, to the one whom he said 'I love you' to so shamelessly, unabashedly...
Evelyn subconsciously held Alex tighter. 'What are you not telling me, Alex?'
Alex was smart. Not just smart, he was insightful and innovative. Likely the sharpest mind in the Empire.
He should have known that Evelyn had plenty of countermeasures to ensure her personal safety.
...And yet, that Alex had gone out of his way to give her this gift. A pendant that would protect from everything but an overwhelming lethal blow. An enchanted artifact that lesser nobles would cause territory wars to claim.
Alex. The same one who said he loved her and would do anything to protect her. The same one who had proved himself confident enough to foil even Rank 7 and higher threats.
...He felt that it wasn't enough.
So...
'...Am I... going to die, Alex?'
That was the only conclusion.
For someone like Alex to take extra precautions like this...
'No. I am not just going to die. I am... already a walking corpse. That... is why. Is it not?'
Evelyn couldn't ask. How could she?
It would be cruel. Far too cruel to ask of him.
And even if she didn't ask, Evelyn already had the vague sense of it.
After reading all of those redacted records, after hearing that voice, after remembering Alex's constant assurances towards her... which she realized now were truly assurances to himself...
'I have been corrupted. And it will not be long now... will it?'
D-Force. That mysterious energy that turned a person into a demon... It was already something irreversible for a normal person. Anyone who was exposed to it would suffer some form of harm. That was clear enough from the records. And moreover, there was no way to purify or remove it, once settled within the body.
For a normal person, it was already a death sentence.
For her, who possessed
'I... cannot be saved. Can I?'
Evelyn buried her face against Alex's chest. She feigned it as embarrassment. But in reality...
'I hate this.'
Not her death. Not even her corruption.
If it was before, she might regret it. The her from before Alex had never experienced joy, love, or happiness. All that the Evelyn from that time knew was her duty, so she would have desperately tried anything to cure herself or extend her life.
But she had changed after meeting Alex. After experiencing love and joy. After knowing the taste of happiness.
No, she didn't hate her death or corruption because it cut her life short.
She hated it because of what it was doing to Alex.
She could see it now. The reason why he was so insistent on spending time with her. Why he always told her that he loved her. Why he ignored the entire world and revolved his entire life around her.
'So you are that desperate, my love...'
Evelyn's heart felt like it was breaking.
Alex had lost so many already. And recently, he had experienced losing his younger sister again. He had relived the experience in full, unable to stop it despite his improved abilities gained by risking his life over and over again.
Though he had changed the course of history in that recreation, the fact remained that he couldn't change the future unfolding from that point. He couldn't rewrite the past to undo the present where his sister was missing.
...And now, it seemed as if Evelyn would become another person he failed to save.
"No." Evelyn mumbled and squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the tears starting to well up. "I refuse to accept it."
Alex's arms slowly wrapped around her back and he softly said, "Eve? Do you not like it?"
Evelyn didn't respond. And the reason for that was because a phrase suddenly came to mind. Something that Alex had said before, and an attitude he always seemed to have regarding her.
*Until my last breath.*
Not always.
Until my last breath.
...Because he was determined to burn up even that final moment if it meant there was even a sliver of possibility that she could live.
Because he would rather die than continue living with the fact that he lost her too.
Because-
"Eve." Alex's voice echoed again, soft and gentle.
Evelyn looked up to see his bright green eyes staring into hers with concern. Seeing that, her vision blurred again and she bit back a sob, shaking her head.
'Why? Why are you like this? Why are you going to do so much for me?!'
Evelyn wanted to scream. She wanted to grab him by the shirt and order him to tell her what was going on. To use her authority as the Imperial Princess to insist that he live and not recklessly throw his life away chasing a miracle that couldn't occur.
But instead, she forced on a smile and wiped away her tears. "S-Sorry, my love. I was just... overwhelmed." She clutched the pendant that he gave her and said, "This is the first gift that I have received. It... means so much to me. So much."
"Ah." Alex smiled, visibly relieved. Then he nodded and said, "That's good. I was worried how you'd react to it. Honestly, if I had a ring, it would have been better."
Casual words. A soft joke to bring the mood up.
But also a quiet confession of his true intentions.
"A ring..." Evelyn gently held her left ring finger, imagining a diamond ring sitting there. "...Yes, that would be wonderful."
An oath, wrought in gold. A bond that would not tarnish. Proof of their vows to each other, of love that would always persist...
Alex noticed Evelyn's actions, complicated emotions crossing his face. Guilt, love, anxiety, and fear. But most of all, resolve.
Resolve to throw even his life away if it was necessary.
Evelyn couldn't allow that.
Even if her life ended, he at least should continue.
Somewhere out there, his younger sister, Beatrice, waited. She was lost, but she was still alive somewhere. Surely.
So...
Evelyn wiped her tears away and composed herself. Then she moved to his right and gently wrapped her arms around his arm. Leaning against it, she said, "Have you considered any plans for spring break?"
Alex immediately tensed.
And like that, Evelyn knew.
'So I will not even last until spring. Then perhaps...'
Evelyn continued without skipping a beat, still smiling. "Or maybe for the winter holidays?"
Alex visibly relaxed. Though a slight undercurrent of tension remained, he smiled and said, "I was thinking of visiting my home town again. To try and find a trace of Betty."
"Of course." Evelyn nodded. "I would love to help you with that."
A complicated emotion crossed Alex's face again and he let out a soft smile. "...Yeah. I'd love for you to help me."
It wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the complete truth either.
Evelyn could read between the lines.
While Alex excelled at wordsmithing and controlling the flow of conversation, Evelyn had grown up in the midst of the Eternal Empire where every noble hid their intentions in truths and unspoken words.
'So then it would be optimistic if I lasted that long. In that case...'
There wasn't long left. A month- No, the Winter Solstice at the latest.
Evelyn was sure that was the case.
...It should have been terrifying.
Knowing that the ending was so close, so visible... Knowing with certainty that death was already breathing down her neck. That she would not live past the year's end.
It should have made her panic. It should have driven her mad with anxiety at all she had left to do.
But it didn't.
Because...
'I believe in you, my love.'
Evelyn stared up at Alex's face with a soft smile.
'Until my last breath... Yes. The same is true for me, my love.'
Whether that last breath came at the Winter Solstice when the corruption overwhelmed her body and turned her into a monster.
Whether that last breath came in bed after she resisted the corruption only for her body to fail her.
Or whether that last breath came when they were both gray and old...
Evelyn leaned up and gave Alex a gentle kiss on the lips.
His eyes widened, but then his arms gently wrapped around her, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. After they finished, he smiled and said, "What was that for, Eve?"
Evelyn let out a warm smile and said, "Just making memories, my love."
Yes.
Making memories.
Evelyn was just making sure that she filled every last moment she had on this world with Alex. And she was just making sure each of those moments was filled with love and warmth.
Enough so that even if he failed, they would be enough to carry him forward.
Even if she was no longer there beside him.
That was all Evelyn wanted...
'Ah. No. I cannot lie...'
Evelyn wasn't so pure.
Even now, she was trying to hide her true nature. She was worried that Alex would reject her if he saw how ugly her heart truly was.
Because...
'I love him. With everything I am. With everything I have.'
...She loved him. So deeply, so vastly that she wanted to scar his heart. So much that she wanted him to remember her until his last breath. Even if it hurt.
Because if it hurt, it meant that he loved her that much. Because if it hurt enough to where the thought of her no longer being beside him made him want to tear out his own heart...
Then it was proof that there was once someone who loved Evelyn that dearly. Someone who loved her for her. Someone who loved her with every fiber of his being.
Just like how she loved him.
And so...
'This is selfish. Utterly irreprehensible and irredeemably selfish. Yet...'
Evelyn slowly leaned up for another kiss.
'Just this once.'
Alex smiled and obliged, holding her close.
'Give me one more day with him. Just one. Please.'
A silent prayer, a soft plea to any deity that could listen. One that she would repeat every night from now until her very last breath.
But for now...
Warmth. The pleasure of tongues entwining, of her body molding against his.
...Just a little longer.
Just a little longer.