At his lady's consent, Eliezer leaned in, gently brushing his lips against hers. Their first kiss seemed a tad long, but he took delight in every second of it. He did not move away when the lip contact ended, but stood with his eyes shut and his forehead against hers, relishing this special moment and enjoying being this close to her. He only wanted to stay like this, and for the first time, he had found the courage to acknowledge that he desired something. What then, however, if this could not last? He had been afraid of the pain that such a possibility would cause him, which was why he had been in denial all these years, but he would cross that bridge when or if he came to it. He would have never thought of taking such an approach before, and now, he could not help but wonder about his own change of heart.

He eventually muttered a "Thank you," to her as he took a step back, the light smile formed by his lips a rare sight to her, or anyone for that matter. "It would seem that all is well here. I shall therefore take my leave, for I must return to settle matters concerning my visit to Sorene. It was lovely seeing you again, my lady. Farewell, until we meet again."

He then turned and walked over to join his guards, who were waiting by the door, before leaving with them. In spite of everything being as it were, he realized that it all simply felt... lighter.
[hr]
The moment the carriage arrived back at the palace, Hildebrand was out to greet the crown prince as soon as the latter alighted from the vehicle. The knight briefly informed Eliezer that the interrogation had been completed, as well as of Allister's request. Eliezer had noted that his knight looked to be rather agitated as they spoke, and wondered if it had been a good idea to allow him to speak to the Lunarian assassins. Surely the butler wished to speak to the both of them about this issue? What did Hildebrand already know?

Both the knight and the prince soon turned up at the doorway of Allister's office, and Eliezer got his attention. "Allister, Sir Hildebrand has alerted me of your request. What is this regarding?"