Hisaya Amagishi

I’ll take them.”

“Volf!” Dahlia shouted as she heard Volf’s unhesitating reply.

“Oh, I beg your pardon. You are husband and wife?”

“No, no, we’re not married,” Dahlia hurriedly explained.

“Please forgive my mistakes. I make many of them in my old age. But it is true, I find, that people become more alike the more they share each other’s company. Be they friends, lovers, or husband and wife, it is the same.” With a kind smile, the old man half filled both their cups with the remaining estervino from the serving bottle. “You two appear very similar to my old eyes.”

Dahlia could also imagine a day when she felt more than friendship for Volf. However, she knew that if she confessed those feelings and found that they weren’t mutual, that could sever the bond they shared. Volf would surely think she was just like all the other women he’d known and distance himself from her. She would do anything to avoid that.

“Well, it was the sköll bracelet that let us get away, so in a sense, it was you who saved us, really.” With a slightly sheepish smile, Volf held out his left hand. “I know it’s a little improper, but I’m still worried. Would you mind holding hands until we get to the carriage station?”

“Oh, um, no. Not at all.”