"I heard a lot of things happened in Trost, so I came to check on your condition as soon as everything settled down… Yet here you are, full of energy, swinging your sword as if nothing had happened, brat." Levi stood in front of Gale, staring directly at him.
A few days after returning to the inner walls, Gale was in the training yard, using "training" as an excuse to escape and think for a while, when Levi appeared, shaking his head.
"I heard you nearly passed out, and because of that I received a rather unpleasant scolding. If you feel exhausted from the training I suggested, there's no need to rush. You're already much stronger than anyone would expect from someone your age."
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Levi, but that's not the reason. Although I realized my flaws, I know very well that impatience can lead to ruin."
"Then tell me, what exactly happened that made you swing your sword so fiercely out here?"
"Well, the thing is…"
Gale sheathed his sword and began explaining cautiously.
…
"Gale! How does this outfit look? Does it suit me?"
After finishing his morning training, Gale cleaned himself up and returned to his room, only to find Historia standing there with her arms spread as if she owned the place.
As was typical for a queen's attire, the base color was white, but the golden embroidery and flowing decorative ornaments made it quite extravagant.
It looked less like royal clothing and more like something a queen would wear during ceremonies, something incredibly luxurious.
Of course, she looked stunning. How could Historia, dressed in fine clothing, not be beautiful?
Gale was surprised by her sudden appearance, but he quickly nodded and said, "It suits you well. It's refreshing to see you wearing something fitted instead of your usual loose clothes."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Historia stared at Gale and said, "Just answer me, do you prefer loose clothing or something like this?"
"I don't really have a preference either way."
Historia frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied, and puffed out her lips as she spoke. "So no matter what I wear or how much effort I put into dressing up, you don't care at all?"
"That's not true." Alarms rang in Gale's head, and he instinctively denied the accusation. "What I meant was that even if you wore rags and didn't wash for days, you would still look beautiful."
"Hmm. But that's a separate matter. Surely you have a preference, don't you?"
"Well… yes, I suppose I do." Gale eventually admitted it.
"Then, from that perspective, how does this outfit do?"
Faced with her unusually persistent questioning, Gale paused to think before answering. "I think this is better. It feels fresh because it's different from your usual style. But why are you suddenly asking this?"
"I'm deciding what to wear for our engagement ceremony. So you're saying you prefer something that feels different from the usual, right? Since it's a special occasion, it's better to wear something unique. Very well, I'll try another outfit with a similar feeling."
"Wait. What do you mean you're going to try on another outfit here?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. If this were a wedding, there would be a specific outfit I'd have to wear. But since it's only an engagement ceremony, as long as it's formal, the clothing is relatively flexible."
"Why don't you just settle on the one you're wearing now?" Gale didn't place much importance on such small details.
"Oh, don't worry. I have a few more prepared; we need to compare them! Unless… am I being a bother?" Historia raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed.
"No, it's fine. We still have some time before lunch anyway." Gale broke into a cold sweat at the sudden freedom Historia was taking with him.
The two of them had definitely grown much closer in their relationship.
"Great! After deciding on my outfit, we'll eat and then choose your outfit together."
"That sounds…"
"Hmm? What was that?" Historia stared at Gale again.
"I mean, I'm looking forward to it so much that I'm speechless." Gale said with a forced smile.
…
"And that's how I spent the entire day criticizing her outfits or giving my opinion on her choices while she changed clothes." Gale let out all of his complaints to Captain Levi, who remained expressionless.
"Gale… Are you bragging to me right now?"
"Excuse me? Did you even hear what I just said, Captain?"
"Am I wrong about something? It seems to me that Historia wants to show you her best side. She even let you help choose her outfit." Levi was irritated by how dense Gale was when it came to these matters. It was as if the Gale from war and the Gale from everyday life were two completely different people.
"I was hoping you'd focus on the part where I was tortured all day…" Gale complained to the person he thought would side with him.
"How is that a bad thing? Don't tell me our Queen annoyed you."
Levi's gaze sharpened slightly as he stared at Gale.
Letting out a long sigh, Gale quickly shook his head. "Of course not. That's not what I meant. Would you like to hear more?"
"Hmph. Then spit it out already."
There was something vaguely prickly in Levi's reaction, which was unusual.
But Gale thought that even Levi, who was loyal to the Queen, might find what he was about to say exhausting.
"This happened the next day…"
…
Trying food, sweets, and even more sweets.
Gale told Levi about everything he had tasted throughout the day, without any chance to refuse or tell Historia that sweet things were not his favorite kind of dessert.
But even after telling Levi all of that, he remained indifferent and offered to train him for several hours.
The following hours were torture for Gale, and he swore never again to vent his troubles to anyone other than his beloved pillow.