After some time, the healing spell finally came to an end.
"If you were on full power you could have done this in less than five minutes, Anastasia. I'm not good at healing." Said Muriel as the princess kept silent.
I would say she's good enough, I never thought I would see bones reconecting and repairing themselves without it being a videogame or a movie. People would kill for this kind of healing at my world.
"I will keep an eye on him, you both go take a rest." Muriel said, seeing as Anastasia seemed exhausted.
"I... I want to stay..." Anastasia said with a weak voice.
"No way." Answered Muriel curtly, but seeing Anastasia start trembling Muriel continued, "I'm not saying this to spite you, I understand now why you couldn't help, I'm telling you to rest because of the baby. You can't put too much strain on yourself... Neither I nor Alex would like to see you fall sick."
This time her words were soft, it seemed that the storm has passed.
Looking at me now, Muriel was silent for a bit before talking.
"Please, stay by the princess's side for now, there's a room besides this one where you both could rest. Leave the hero to me."
"Yes… Thank you…"
My legs felt wobbly and I was at a loss for words.
I walked unsteadily toward the princess, but she was still dispirited.
"Princess, let's go. The hero will be taken care of by miss Muriel. He fought the demon king, he will not give up life so easily. So, there's nothing to worry about."
Honestly, I was also anxious. However, the princess should be even more anxious. The man she loved had been injured before her eyes and in addition, there was a child in her belly – a child that was undoubtedly the result of my actions.
"Daniel… I…"
"You heard miss Muriel. For now, the most important thing you need to do is take care of your own body. Let's go."
I gently put my hand on her back and finally, she nodded and left with me.
I hope everything will be okay…
I tried to reassure myself as I waited for dawn by the princess's side in another room.
...
[Princess P.O.V]
"Anastasia…"
"Hm? Hnn…"
Chirp, the sound of birds singing is heard.
While waiting for dawn, I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. My head was still a bit fuzzy as I moved my gaze and abruptly sat up when I saw Mr. Daniel peering into my face.
"Princess! Is everything okay with your body?"
"I'm fine. Well, it's settled down a bit."
I must have stayed awake until the break of dawn, but at some point, my consciousness had dropped.
Daniel had not slept since then – there were faint shadows under his eyes.
"Anastasia… The hero has awakened."
"He… He woke up?"
Gulp, my throat made a noise.
Muriel told me that he wouldn't die so easily. Relief washed over me, but there was also a lingering unease somewhere.
"…Princess, um, I…"
"…For now, let's go to the hero."
"Right, yeah… Ah…"
We headed out of the room toward the hero, but my gaze was still fixed on Mr. Daniel's face.
I don't deserve the Hero... I'm already…
"Here we are."
I was surprised when I looked up at Daniel's voice and realized that we had arrived at the hero's room.
Stepping into the room, I found the hero sitting on the bed, with bandages wound tightly around his entire body.
"Alex! Are you okay?!" I anxiously asked.
"Oh, Princess, Daniel… Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for you to see me like this."
"Uh, are you really okay? You've gone through a lot…" Daniel Asked.
The hero was sitting in a chair and laughing as if it was nothing.
However, I understood that this appearance was anything but ordinary. His legs were wrapped in bandages and half of his face was covered with gauze.
"I'm fine. My body was originally sturdy and… thanks to the princess's skill enhancement, I avoided any fatal injuries."
The hero smiled somewhat awkwardly. Then he glanced at Mr. Daniel and me and his expression changed in a way that was hard to describe.
"Princess, is your body alright? I heard from Muriel, but, um…"
"Hero…"
With a slight trembling voice, a tear slipped from my eyes.
I trembled and then knelt on the floor, placing my hands on the hero's knees.
"I… I'm sorry, Hero…" I had to apologize, even though I didn't deserve forgiveness.
"Why are you apologizing? It's wonderful, isn't it? Either way, I can't give you a child."
The hero said it was alright and laughed. His profile was serene, calm even, like he once was during our journey.
"Also, um, the truth is… I've been thinking a lot about the future. I plan to leave this country and go on another journey."
"What!? Hey, what about… What are you going to do about the princess? If she's pregnant, maybe you could… marry her and…"
Mr. Daniel raised his voice in disbelief and the hero smiled gently and shook his head.
I couldn't say anything but stay there with a stunned expression. Muriel was sitting calmly drinking something.
Ah... So it happened after all... Deep inside me I always thought that this would happen someday.
"Let's consider that the hero, Alex, perished in battle against the Wind Winged Dragon. If he died protecting the town and defeating the dragon… Well, it might be a bit too perfect of a way to go."
With a laugh, the hero said such a thing, leaving us utterly speechless.
"Alex… what are you talking about?" Daniel asked.
Alex let out a long breath and looked at Muriel. The light, joking expression he'd been wearing vanished.
"There's something I should've said a long time ago," he said, turning to me. "I'm sorry."
Muriel stopped drinking and watched him closely.
"I really did try," Alex continued. "I tried to fall in love with you. I respected you, admired you. I wanted to be the man this country needed. I thought that if I forced myself forward, my heart would follow."
He shook his head.
"It never did."
My chest tightened, but I didn't look away.
"I've always loved Muriel," he said quietly.
I wasn't surprised. If anything, I was relieved.
"We grew up together," Alex went on. "Before prophecies, before swords, before I was called a hero. I buried those feelings because the world didn't have space for them. A hero doesn't get to choose his own happiness."
He gave a weak smile.
"But now… everyone thinks I'm dead."
Daniel frowned. "That's a pretty dark way to put it."
"To the world," Alex said calmly, "I die fighting the Wind-Winged Dragon. A clean ending. A heroic one."
He turned to Muriel.
"And in exchange, I get to live. Not as a hero. Just as Alex. No crown. No wars. No weight on my shoulders."
Muriel stood so suddenly her chair scraped the floor. "Alex—"
"I know," he said quickly. "I know it sounds selfish. But if I let this chance slip away, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
I stood before I realized I was moving.
"I always knew," I said.
Alex looked at me, stunned. "Anastasia…?"
"I knew you loved her," I continued. "And I knew she loved you too. From the beginning."
Muriel's hands trembled.
"I told myself it didn't matter," I said. "That love could be learned. That if I tried hard enough—for the kingdom, for the people—I could make it work."
I smiled faintly.
"At first, you felt like a younger brother to me. Someone precious. Someone I wanted to protect. And over time, that affection changed… but it was never the kind of love that steals your breath."
Alex couldn't speak. He didn't need to.
"Meeting Daniel made everything clear," I said, my hand resting on my stomach. "I fell in love without forcing it. Without pretending. And that's when I understood the truth."
Daniel's eyes seemed like they would fall from the socket, ufufu.
I met Alex's eyes.
"What I felt for you wasn't romantic love. It was the love for family."
Daniel inhaled softly beside me.
"You were my hero," I continued. "You saved me more times than I can count. But you weren't the man I was meant to love."
My eyes burned, but I refused to cry.
"So don't stay out of guilt," I said. "And don't give up your freedom for my sake. That would only break all of us."
Alex's hands shook as he bowed his head.
"…Thank you," he whispered.
"Muriel… I never wanted to hurt you."
"I know," She said quietly. "That's why I never hated you."
She went to Alex's side and took his hand. He held on like he was afraid she might vanish.
"Once he's healed, we'll leave," Muriel said. "I'll make sure the story spreads. The Hero Alex dies protecting the town."
Daniel nodded. "And the man Alex?"
Muriel smiled—small, but real. "He gets to live."
Alex looked at Daniel. "Take care of her. And the child."
"I will," Daniel said without hesitation.
For the first time since I'd known him, Alex looked truly at peace.
Sunlight crept through the window, warming the room.
The Hero died that day.
And somewhere far away, two people would finally live a life that belonged only to them.