š„ Clarine came over with two small glassesā one of champagne, one of sparkling water. She held out the glass of champagne to Hector with a nervous look. "I was... wondering if we could... reconcile. After that... whole incident... the one where I got fussy about leaving and... the month in general."
He still wasnāt sure what kind of sorcery was afoot here, but he didnāt trust it for one second. A voice that granted wishes, and the living dead walking about like nothing had happened... Eyes narrowed, he glowered at the sea, arms sat crossed over his knees. The gentle wash of waves and foam over sand was far from enough to pacify him.
But maybe... Maybe heād be better off if he left well enough alone, he suspected. With a gruff sigh snorted through his nose, he leaned back. Heād always felt like he was missing a part of himself whenever he removed his armour, but sitting here, beneath the sun, in a light, breezy shirt and shorts...
It was, admittedly, kind of nice.
Footsteps caught his attention and he turned his head, brow lifted skeptically. One of the Ghosts... Was she here to berate him for letting her die? He held his breath, ready to fight back, to defend himself if need be. A frown was burgeoning, slowly but surely, across his features in anticipation of it.
He was left blinking stupidly, confusion etched in its stead.
āOh.ā
He took the glass. Far from his favourite, but he knew a peace offering when he saw one. Anyway, booze was booze. Swirling the champagne about, he grinned.Ā āSure, lass, Iād be glad to. Might be we wonāt always see eye to eye but thatās all right and... besides...ā His grin faded, he took a sip, and slouched over his knees with a sigh that came out half a groan, gaze returned to the water.
ā... Iām... sorry too.ā
Truly, he had meant to see her safely home. Heād not protected her nor Maribelle...
Might be he wasnāt suited to protecting a whole nation, either.
Clarine wasn't totally prepared for Hector to accept her apology. In fact, she fully expected him not toā sure, the circumstances were tense, but she knew she had a long way to go before she could be the charming princess she dreamed of being. Right now, she... could still be somewhat of a brat at times. Usually she would be unaware of it, certain that she was allowed to have a haughty personality due to her status. Ever since that incident, though...
...the fact of her death...
And yet, seeing that Hector was willing to accept her apology meant a lot. It meant that there was still hope for her as a person. Even if she couldn't always be the perfect princess she insisted that she was.
"Then... we shall drink!" Clarine said with a smile as she held out her champagne. Normally she would have shied away from it, even rejected it outrightā but she wanted to have something fancy to celebrate a rekindling. Champagne was something that she was prepared to drink, anywayā not whatever was in those mugs she drank previously. She gave it a little sip... it was certainly easier to stomach, but she wasn't going to try any more after this glass.
"...I do accept your apology. I'm thankful you were even willing to listen to mine. Even after everything... hmph, I still have some work to do on my personality." Another sip. "...Even now, look at me. I'm still having alcohol even when my parents are not aware!" She gives a small laugh, dying down. "Just... Just this one last time, though. To remember what we've been through and to put the past behind us."











