The place she guided him to was a lake.
A blue lake, a grassy field, and a huge tree.
It was the exact picture Reed and Dolores had imagined.
"How did you find this place?"
"I noticed it while surveying the terrain. I thought it would be perfect."
"It's really nice."
Seeing Reed's admiration, Dolores smiled with satisfaction.
She shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the lake. Then, she touched the surface of the water with her toes.
"Voila."
The top of the lake turned white and spread out.
It froze thinly but very firmly, creating an ice rink.
"What about the skates?"
"Just lift your feet for a moment."
As she said, when he lifted his feet, ice blades sprouted under the soles of his shoes.
It was an instant pair of ice skates.
"But you said it's your first time skating, right?"
"Yes."
"Can you teach me how to stand first?"
"Well, standing shouldn't be too difficult......"
Crash!
As soon as he spoke, Reed's view turned upside down.
"Are you okay? You didn't hurt your head, did you?"
"......It's not easy."
"What's easy at first? Take your time. I'll help you."
He couldn't even stand for a second and fell right away.
Dolores helped Reed stand up, but he kept falling over and over.
Whenever that happened, Dolores laughed heartily.
He felt like he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
It was embarrassing, but with his pride, he managed to stand up properly by the twentieth attempt.
"Can you skate now?"
"Maybe?"
Having lost confidence in standing, Reed spoke cautiously.
"I'll teach you. Now, hold my hand......"
Dolores kicked the ice rink lightly with her foot, pulling Reed along.
They drew lines on the vast ice rink canvas that seemed to have no bounds.
The sky turned red.
They decided to have dinner with what Dolores had prepared.
Reed was secretly looking forward to what she had prepared.
She spread out a mat and pushed a basket in front of Reed.
"It's a sandwich."
"I heard it's your favorite."
"Did you ask Rosaria?"
"Yes. Do you not like it...?"
Dolores looked up at him, fidgeting with her fingers.
"No, I like it."
There were various sandwiches, from ones with meatballs to plain ones with ham and lettuce.
Reed and Dolores each picked up a piece of sandwich.
As soon as Dolores took a bite, she felt a chill down her spine.
It was salty.
She wasn't usually good at cooking, but she had given it her all to make this day perfect.
'I thought it was fine when I tasted it......'
Making a sandwich was supposed to be easy.
Thinking that she couldn't even handle that, Dolores bit her lower lip.
Feeling like she had failed to create the perfect evening atmosphere, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Hmm......"
Reed tasted the sandwich and put it back in his mouth.
One bite, two bites, three bites... slowly savoring the taste, he finished it.
"Do you have more?"
"Huh?"
"I want to eat more."
"Uh, yes. There's more."
Dolores pulled out another sandwich from the basket.
He calmly finished the second one as well.
"Give me more."
"Isn't it salty? You can stop eating if you want..."
"Huh? It's just delicious."
Without nodding or exclaiming in admiration, he calmly put the sandwich in his mouth.
Dolores stared intently at Reed.
How could a person shine like this?
Even in the dark night, his face was clearly visible.
Watching him eat calmly, her gloomy thoughts disappeared, and a smile appeared on her face.
The ruined dinner passed by uneventfully.
The setting sun completely disappeared from view.
Numerous stars spread out on the dark canvas.
A crescent moon was visible.
"It's a bit cold."
Dolores rubbed her shoulders with both hands.
"Should I give you a coat?"
"A coat wouldn't be enough, right?"
Realizing what she meant, he finally understood.
"Come here."
Reed leaned back.
Dolores used Reed's body as a chair and sat on him.
Reed wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"It's nice."
Dolores said.
"Come to think of it......"
"Hm?"
"The words you wanted to say to make me feel better. Can you say them now?"
"I had to hear them today, because I endured all the injustice and came back to life."
Dolores, who had been in his arms, said.
"Dolores."
"Yes."
"You're the most lovely girl I know among women."
"Yes."
"Baldschmidt made you unhappy, and Jade gave you the greatest challenge."
"......Yes."
Dolores recalled the past events.
It was too cruel for the poor girl.
She clenched her teeth, pretended to be strong, and endured it, but eventually, she almost surrendered to the world.
"But Adeleheights will make you happy."
Dolores covered her mouth and turned her head.
It seemed she knew what he was going to say next.
It was a difficult thing.
They looked into each other's eyes.
It was too hard to look at Reed, who was smiling faintly, but they had to face it.
It was not a challenge, but the greatest happiness, so they had to endure it happily.
"I'll give you the happiness that Baldschmidt and Jade couldn't give you."
Reed took out an item from his pocket.
It was an item he had prepared for this moment.
When she said she would quit the tower, he had a hunch.
So he prepared it.
A gold ring inside a small case.
The embedded gem was glowing faintly.
It was a blue sapphire.
"Dolores, would you please become an Adeleheights?"
As Dolores's mouth opened, her tears burst out.
"I will. I'll do it over and over again."
Reed took out the ring.
Her slender hand, which was covering her mouth, stretched out shyly like a peony flower.
Reed carefully put it on her ring finger.
As she received the ring finger, Dolores rushed to Reed.
And their lips met.
Both of their breaths stopped, and time stood still.
In that space, the only thing left was the two people resonating with each other.
Dolores's hand went up Reed's cheek.
Her hair, reflecting softly in the moonlight, and her tears.
"Why do you keep crying?"
"Because I'm so... so happy. I'm afraid that I might be dreaming somewhere. That's why I'm so scared......"
"Shh."
Reed pressed their foreheads together.
"Don't say anything. You shouldn't say such things."
"Then, don't make me feel so insecure...!"
"I won't do it anymore. I'll only look at you."
"......I love you."
"I love you too."
"I love you. I really love you."
They whispered love into each other's ears.
Time flowed by, and the night deepened in its own way.
