The next day, William and Belle spent the day walking around the countryside. Before they left the house, Belle made William wear an eyepatch and a pirate hat that she had unearthed from the attic.
To top it off, she even found her little brother’s pirate costume that he once used during a school play. She intended to hide William’s identity by making him cosplay.
Naturally, Belle also decided to join him and asked the maids to remodel a set of her clothes to resemble a pirate costume. William found this quite interesting and agreed to Belle’s proposal. With his “disguise” the two was able to spend the day walking hand in hand around town.
William noticed that stalls were being built along the way leading towards the temple of the town. There were also decorations being hung around the main plaza which gave off a very festive vibe in the air.
“Is there some sort of festival going on?” William asked as they passed through the stalls that were being arranged side by side.
“Have you heard of the Star Festival?” Belle asked. “In our world, there is a story about a shepherd who tended goats and a Celestial maiden that weaves beautiful dresses. The two fell in love with each other, and the Gods bestowed upon them their blessings. However, their story didn’t end with a ‘Happily Ever After’.
“Due to their intense love for each other, both of them neglected their duties. The Celestial Maiden stopped weaving, and the Shepherd stopped tending his herd. The Gods became angry and separated the two of them from each other.”
William continued walking, but the hand that held Belle’s tightened. Of course, he knew about the story of the star crossed lovers. After the two were separated the Gods took pity on both of them and allowed them to meet once a year.
Every year, on that same day, the two would spend a day in each other’s embrace. When the day was over, the two of them would once again be separated for another year until the fated day when they would be reunited again.
Back then, William didn’t think much about this tradition because he couldn’t relate to it. Now, it all sounded like it was a tailor made festival just for him.
“Do you know how to weave clothes?” William asked as he looked up at the taller girl walking beside him.
“No. I’m not good with needles,” Belle replied. “But I am good at archery. Why don’t we have an archery match tomorrow? You said you’re also proficient with the bow, right?”
“Sure. I’ll give you a handicap.”
“Just because you are a Half-Elf you think you can beat me in archery? Remember, William, I am five years older than you.”
“… You forget that I’m a Half-Elf. What makes you think that you’re older than me?”
“How can you be older than me?” Belle patted William’s head. “Look at you, you’re so small.”
“…”
William wanted to retort, but Belle’s soft hand, that was patting his head, felt so comfortable that he decided that it was not worth it. He only had a few days to spend with her, and he wished to make every second count.
Even though William wished that he could stop time and let this moment last forever, he knew that it was not possible.
Just like the sands falling down in an hourglass, two and a half days passed like a fleeting dream.
The day of the festival arrived and William accompanied Belle to the temple. It was currently five in the afternoon and the two were checking all the stalls along the way to the temple.
William felt his heart aching with every minute that passed. He wasn’t able to stop himself from checking the timer on his status page every now and then to see what little time he had remaining.
< 04: 59: 09 >
‘I will return to my world at ten oclock,’ William thought with a sigh. Although he was feeling depressed, he kept a smile plastered on his face.
“Oh! What a cute couple,” a charming voice called out to William and Belle as they walked past a stall. “Young man, why don’t you buy your girlfriend an accessory to commemorate this special occasion?”
William and Belle glanced at each other before walking towards the stall of the lady who was wearing a veil on her face.
For some reason, the lady’s stall reminded William of the stalls found in the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods. The place where the Gods gave contracts to people whom they deemed worthy to enter the Temple’s doors.
“Take a good look at these accessories,” the sales lady said enthusiastically. “I guarantee that all of them are high-quality items.”
Belle’s eyes sparkled because all the accessories were very beautiful and well made. As a young lady from a rich and influential family, she could easily tell that they were genuine and not fake accessories. Because of this, she also knew that they were very expensive.
“How much is this?” William pointed at a golden necklace with a blue jewel embedded at its center.
“That would be 40 Million,” the saleslady answered. “I’m willing to give you a discount and sell it to you for 38 Million.”
William’s hand that was about to touch the necklace immediately retreated. “What? This is 40 Million?!”
“Yes.”
“Why are you selling expensive things at a stall and not a jewelry store? Aren’t you afraid that people might steal them from you?”
“Don’t worry young man. Anyone who dares to steal from me will not have a good ending.” the sales lady patted her chest with confidence. “I guarantee this on my name.”
“What is your name?”
“Freya”
“…” William rubbed his face. He thought that the lady was either making fun of him, or thought of him as a gullible child who didn’t know who Freya was. He had also read Norse Mythology during his free time, and Freya was the Goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility, War, and Death.
However, among the many attachments to her name, everyone agreed that her main role was the Goddess of Love and Beauty.
While William and the saleslady were chatting, Belle’s gaze unconsciously landed on a silver ring. There was nothing special about the ring. It was just a plain silver ring without any decorations, and yet, it held a very strong attraction to her.
“How much is this Silver Ring?” Belle inquired.
The lips of the sales lady behind the veil curled up into a smile. If William and Belle were to see it, they would immediately be charmed by how beautiful her smile was.
“You have good eyes, young lady,” the saleslady said with an approving tone. “This silver ring is part of a pair. The name of this ring is called the ‘Ring of Vega’ and its counterpart the ‘Ring of Altair’.
“Legend has it that if two people were to exchange and wear these rings, no matter how far away they are from each other, they would eventually be reunited. Just like the legend of the Star Crossed Lovers.”
William looked at the Silver Ring and felt his heart skip a beat. Although he knew that the sales lady was merely saying these things to make a sale, the promise to be able to be reunited once again resonated with his heart and soul.
“How much is it?” William asked.
“You can’t buy this with money, young man,” the sales lady said in a teasing tone.
“Then how?” William inquired. “Since it is in this stall, it means that you intend to sell it right?”
The sales lady nodded and picked up the Silver Ring.
“Young man, the price of this ring is a promise,” the sales lady said. “I will sell it to you if you promise me one thing.”
“A promise?”
“Yes, a promise.”
“What kind of promise?” William asked.
“Since this ring represents love, the promise you must fulfill is also one of love,” the saleslady replied. “You will be unable to refuse this promise. No matter what happens, you will do it, regardless of the price you have to pay. Can you make this promise?”
