Willabelle's face froze, but then a faint smile curved her lips. I couldn't understand the reason behind it, yet I had to admit… her smile was beautiful.
"I wasn't expecting this… But now everything makes sense."
The smile on her lips was like a flower blooming in the darkness of chains. Behind it lay exhaustion, pain, and yet a warmth born of acceptance. Perhaps that was why it was so beautiful.
As for me, I couldn't understand why that smile weighed on me so heavily. For long time I had felt the walls of my heart remain solid stone, and now, for the briefest moment, they seemed to crack. This confession had slipped from my lips unbidden; it was neither part of a scheme nor a calculation. It was a raw, naked expression of truth. And that was precisely what made it frightening.
"What is it that makes sense?" I asked, careful to keep my voice from trembling.
