Paradoxical Love

Chapter 29: It was you

It's really strange and perplexing knowing Helenia's nature, why could she suspend an important club activity to have me as her audience. I do suspect that it must be about her as a princess, moving forward was the only option to figure things out.

Holding my shoulders tight, I promptly entered the club room without knocking first. Somewhat anxious and troubled, I'm now standing in front of the entrance with the golden knob. After I looked in my surroundings, I knocked twice and opened the door, before I could greet whoever's was waiting for me, there was someone who yanked me from inside that almost gave me a heart attack.

Luckily I thought this was a trap, but somehow it was the Crimson Princess who brought me here according to our meeting. "What's the meaning of this Helenia?" I wondered how she has the strength to drag someone of my stature, but it's not the time for me to get amazed.

"I'm sorry for taking your precious time. I have something I need to tell you... more like I want to remind you." Helenia was unusually gloomy but also bright, then me being here must be important and I guess it's about the future of Gaming Club, maybe she had seen our productivity lowering drastically and she's here to solve the mess she came up with.

"What is it now?" I shrugged knowing if I could be of some help, then my time will be worth it.

Now I notice, she’s wearing a red frilly attire pairing with her crimson hair that reaches down to her hips. The dress looked like a maid uniform that was knee-length and had a wide ribbon on the back, she even held a glowing diamond-like wand. I'm starting to imagine that her costume was somewhat familiar, I can't seem to remember where I have seen it.

"Have you forgotten your promise to me?" Helenia tried to catch my hand and confront me eye to eye, I eluded by stepping backward before she can touch me.

That was her way of being sincere as a princess, a noble inclination implying she's about to go serious in layman's terminology.

"What promise? I've never even promised to you before." I'm getting perplexed as to what she was telling me, it doesn't even make any sense. I thought we're going to discuss the future of Gaming Club, but now that I am here, she has a different topic at hand.

"Not to me..." Helenia meekly mumbled and I still heard it, she said earlier that the promise I made was for her and now she's telling me it was not her? Did she bumped her head on a concrete earlier and had her memories mixed-up? I hope she's fine 'cause a promise is a serious subject that I can't simply overlook about.

"To whom?" I asked as I'm testing her whether she's making things up or her recollections were jumbled. 

"Saf... Saf..." She was hesitant, fidgeting her fingers and feet, restless that I'm attesting the credibility of her words.

"Saf? Saf what? Who is Saf?" I began to wonder if she's wasting my time here. But impatience aside, what was the one she was referring to? I feel like she wouldn't tell a lie and that fact alone got me agitated from where I stand.

She mustered up her courage and could lastly tell me what she can't say aloud. "Safiria! That promise you made to me in the game... Have you forgotten, Salvation?" The moment I heard that familiar in-game name, the memories I buried deep in my brain have re-emerged back into my consciousness as if a smiting realization had crashed my head.

"Safiria.. wait, what?! That's you?!" I covered my mouth using my hands, I can't believe it as I gaped dumbfounded.

"That's me... I changed my in-game name to Firia so I can forget you, but here you are standing before me. I'm so happy to get to see you well." Helenia sincerely wasn't lying, her cheeks' red as an apple.

Peeled and torn down, now all memories are gradually returning, including the fact that my previous in-game name was Salvation. For further validation, she showed me a heap of envelope letters lying on her desk, though she specifically handed one for me that's already in her pocket.

"Read what's inside that letter, loud and clear." She ordered and I simply acted on it.

"O-Okay..." The letter is so artistic, the calligraphy and the penmanship were superb so I commenced to word it out. "My love for you shall never end, for this our rapture will surely reach beyond the horizon."

I trembled from the sheer cold streaming in my veins, I even dropped the letter not because I was overwhelmed, but because I'm ashamed of remembering the embarrassing moments of my life.

"These are all the poems I made for Safiria... so it's really you," I confirmed and I'm a hundred-percent confident she was that one player I became friend with a long time ago.

"You remembered! So do you also remember your promise?" Helenia wouldn't hold her reigns, she's taking this almost-impossible occurrence normally when this situation's a one-in-a-billion probability luck roulette that should be unlikely.

Apparently, there is a so-called marriage system within the game which means players can find partners.

My partner back then was Safiria, who used to be Helenia's in-game name. When I'm bored every after the quest and adventure are done, even when we're both in blues, she's always with me in the game.

We were able to cope up with real-life matters inside the game because of it, even if we're virtually connected. Honestly, I still remember my promise to her as if I said it to her yesterday.

"Safiria. If I were able to meet you in real life, I promise I'll make you poems like usual." Words came out of my mouth one by one, reminiscing the lost words I would never forget.

"You remembered!" Leaping out of joy, she went towards me and hugged me so elegantly like the princess she is. Of course, I held back to keep up with this embarrassing situation, as brazen and nonchalant I can be.

"I can't believe I get to hug you Salvation... And it was you Reyler all along! I was right the moment I saw your character avatar! I'm really happy... I wanna cry..." Helenia's sobbing about to break into tears but I wouldn't let her.

"Wait! Don't cry." I consoled her before it's too late.

"I won't, you told me you hate yourself whenever you see a girl crying. Sorry, I still got lonely back then..." Helenia couldn't look me in the eyes, she was guilty that she shed tears even though I gave her comfort.

"It's okay, it's fine." I'm astonished she remembered the tiniest detail, everything about us was imprinted in her recollections.

After a few seconds of silence, she gathered enough confidence to have eye contact, and now I'm the one who avoided her since I'm getting strangely flustered.

"Reyler," She called my name, the same way Matilda address me when we're alone.

"What now?" I brazenly questioned in a cold tone.

"Be my prince... And make poems for me as you did!" She implored; her eyes are as princess-like as ever.

"Huh?!" I was petrified in place. Isn't that what I can call a confession? A girl confessed her feelings and she's the Crimson Princess, what am I going to do now? She's being like this just because we're married in the game.

This predicament is way too sudden as I think of a killing phrase that would be best to change the outcome. The world really is a small place, meeting her here wasn't fate, it was pure coincidence, and it's up to me whether I can get out of this alive without getting into trouble.