Chapter 4: Princess Mia...Reaches a Peak! (In Her Opinion)

Amidst a mass of rocky debris, Mia kept falling, cradled in Abel’s arms and enraptured by his warmth.

Aaah... I’m going to die...of happiness overload...

Severe blunt trauma was a likelier suspect, but in any case, her fanciful cause-of-death analysis was cut short by the sudden sensation of water being poured over her head.

Splash!

Rather, the event would be better described as her plunging into that water headfirst. She tried to scream, only for water to fill her mouth. She managed only a few panicked blubs and was starting to thrash when a tightening of Abel’s arms stilled her. She calmed and gave herself over to him.

I’ll just let Abel handle this. We’ll be okay...

Love and trust swirled together into a narcotic-like mix of sentiments that relaxed her mind and muscles. She let herself go limp, offering no resistance as he pulled her with him. A few seconds later...

“Bwaaah!”

Feeling her face break the water’s surface, she opened her mouth and drew in a lungful of air.

“Augh! Wh-What is this? Ow ow ow! M-My eyes... It stings! And my mouth tastes salty... This is...sea water?”

She rubbed vigorously at her eyes with one hand as she looked up at Abel. His head was turned upward, and he wore a deep frown. She followed his gaze to discover a rocky ceiling. A very high rocky ceiling. The opening they’d fallen through looked tiny from where she now stood.

“W-Wow... We fell from all the way up there? It’s a good thing there’s water down here. I don’t think we would have made it otherwise.”

“Yeah, we were lucky. Still, the water’s too cold for us to stay in. Let’s get out and dry off,” he said, pointing toward one wall of the cavern where the ground rose up out of the water, forming a bank. “Can you swim?”

“Mm hm hm, of course I can. I’ve been practicing. Watch and be amazed.”

She promptly demonstrated what she felt was the ultimate swimming style—one that put all others to shame—by spinning around and...falling into a back float. This, she’d decided, was truly the best way to swim. There was no need to hold her breath. Her face wouldn’t even get wet. The only thing she needed to do was to go limp and float like a log. The sheer lack of effort required was what pleased her most. After a brief moment of stillness, she began kicking her legs, their tiny paddling spatters creating a modicum of forward momentum.

“Oh, let me know if I’m about to bump into something, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll let you know when we’re getting close. Let’s go.”

Abel dove forward as well, and the two of them began swimming for dry land.

After climbing out of the water, Mia let out a breath of relief.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I think I’m fine. Thanks to you, of course. Are you?”

“I’m fine too. This water saved our lives.”

Mia nodded, her mind now composed enough to fully appreciate their good fortune. Her gaze moved across the water’s surface to an adjacent rock face and followed it upward. It was tall, reaching about three floors up if it had been the wall of a castle. A thin cone of sunlight shone down from the crack in the ceiling, suggesting they hadn’t been shut in. Nonetheless...

“That...doesn’t look climbable,” she muttered.

The surface of the rock face was smooth and slippery. Scaling it was beyond the capabilities of the average human.

I can see Dion climbing this and making it look easy. But he doesn’t count. That man’s barely human, never mind average.

At the very least, it was beyond her capabilities. That meant that while the water had prevented their immediate death, their chances of escaping this predicament alive or dead were not entirely optimistic.

“I’m sorry, Abel. I dragged you into a terrible mess.”

Her shoulders fell in a rare display of ruefulness. Abel, however, shook his head.

“Don’t be. I’m actually glad I’m here.”

“Hm? Whatever do you mean?”

“If someone dear to you is in danger, you want to be with them. To protect them. I can’t stand the thought of you being down here without me.”

“My...”

Mia pressed her hand to her mouth and regarded him with widened eyes. He shuffled his feet a little and turned away, not meeting her gaze. Instead he just blushed.

Oh, Abel, thought Mia with amusement, why do you keep saying things like that if it embarrasses you so much?

Her cheeks had grown warm as well, but being a mature woman in her twenties, she managed to refrain from any outward displays of awkwardness. He’d caught her off guard at first, but she’d quickly regained her composure. Mia had, in fact, already grasped the quirks of Abel’s personality. He was frank and earnest, which often led him to speak his mind. This knowledge allowed her to maintain a certain degree of mental preparation, which softened the impact of his sudden assaults on her heart.

Big Sister Mia still had the upper hand!

Upper hand or not though, she still wasn’t immune to the inherent awkwardness of the situation, and allowing silence to fall seemed like a great way to make things even more awkward. So, she spoke up.

“Anyway, we do seem to be in a pinch, don’t we? We can either wait for help to arrive, or wait to see if the situation changes... Either way, it’s probably a good idea to stay put for— Ah-choo!”

She sneezed, then shuddered. It was colder than she’d realized, evidenced by the goosebumps on her skin.

“Mia? Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes, I’m quite fine. I’m just wet, so it’s a little cold.”

Slightly embarrassed by the sneeze, she tried to brush it off with a nonchalant smile, but Abel’s expression remained grave.

“I see. If you stay cold, it’s going to rob you of your stamina...” He briefly hesitated before saying, “Sorry, Mia.”

“Eh? Sorry? For wha—”

He robbed her of her voice instead. Confused and flustered, she froze in his embrace.

Eh? What? Huh?

Her inner big sister suffered a decisive KO, leaving her to flounder on her own. She began to grow light-headed as Abel’s soft voice entered her ear.

“I’m sorry. I know this is inappropriate...but we need to use our body heat to stay warm right now.”

Despite his apology, his tone was firm, and he pulled her closer.

Ah, I see what’s going on here... Even if I resist, he won’t let me go because he’s decided it’s necessary... That’s why he keeps holding me tighter and tighter... So I can’t get away...

She fled to the logical side of her mind, analyzing the situation at arm’s length to avoid losing her cool. It didn’t work for long, as his comforting warmth seeped through her body and permeated her mind. His embrace, so tight as to hurt a little, bespoke a naive clumsiness. All was silent save for his breathing and hers. She made an effort to exhale smoothly so that a puff of unsteady air hitting his ear would not give away her inner agitation. Meanwhile, her traitorous heart pounded ever louder and faster. As fever engulfed her mind, she engaged what faculties remained functional in a desperate attempt to think clearly.

I-Is this real? Maybe I did die after all. This must be that heaven place they talk about! That has to be it! There’s no explaining it otherwise! How else can such a dreamy situation possibly be happening?!

The life that began at the guillotine had now reached its indisputable peak!

Well, that’s what Mia thought at least.