The Promise
While Mia and the other girls were bathing, Bel and Citrina were being taken on a tour of the village. It was not an ‘adven-tour’ nor an ‘exploration-tour’ but a ‘grand-experience-tour’.
In other words it was a journey of delight and wonder.
“Wow, amazing. That’s so cute!”
Bel couldn’t help but exclaim with joy as she cradled the fluffy lamb in her arms. The warmth she felt was indescribably comforting.
“It’s wonderful. The fur is so fluffy.”
While Bel was patting its head and smiling, the lamb twitched its ears and let out a small cry.
“Wow…”
Bel smiled, charmed by the overwhelming cuteness of the lamb.
“That one is still a newborn.”
“Hehehe, that’s right. It’s incredibly cute!”
Bel then turned towards Citrina and said “Look, doesn’t Rina-chan also think it’s cute?”
Upon being addressed like that, Citrina said “Yes… that’s right.”
For some reason, Citrina seemed oddly distant.
“Rina-chan?”
“Um, I’m fine. Bel-chan, Rina will only look… ”
Bel recalled the uneasiness she had felt in the past, as she looked at Citrina’s sweet smile that seemed to be like a swaying flower.
“By any chance… Rina-chan, are you scared of the lamb?”
“No, no. It’s not like that at all. It’s impossible for me to be scared of a lamb. But…”
Citrina had a slightly complicated expression on her face as she said
“It’s just that if Rina touched something so small… it might end up dying.”
“Rina-chan…”
On hearing those words, Bel’s expression clouded. In the case of most animals, newborn infants were helpless and fragile beings. The lamb that Bel held in her arms was no exception. It was very small and delicate. That was why Bel could understand Citrina’s fear of accidentally hurting the lamb by holding it even a little too tightly. Since her early childhood, Citrina had been taught how to handle poison. It was quite possible for Citrina to think that her hands had been stained or contaminated by poison, which could easily be passed on to the lamb and kill it. It wouldn’t be strange at all for Citrina to feel that kind of anxiety. Bel realised this and smiled gently.
“It’s alright, Rina-chan. Mia-oneesama will ensure that Rina-chan will never have to use poison ever again.”
After that, Bel approached Citrina and extended her hand to her. Bel firmly grasped Citrina’s hand, which had hesitated mid-air.
“Rina-chan, these hands are meant to do kind things. So, it’s alright for you to hold this little one.” Bel said looking directly into Citrina’s eyes. For a moment, Citrina was a little flustered by Bel’s straightforward gaze. Then, as if making up her mind, she bit her lip and tentatively held out her hand. Citrina held the lamb that Bel handed her, close to her chest and gently stroked the fur. With each stroke, the stiff expression on her face began to ease up.
“So soft and fluffy. And incredibly cute!”
And then the lamb stuck its tongue out and licked Citrina’s cheek.
“Kyaa!” Citrina let out an adorable scream that wouldn’t have been possible for Mia. Bel couldn’t help bursting into laughter when she saw that.
“Come on, Bel-chan. Don’t laugh… you’re so mean.” Citrina pouted at Bel’s reaction, but soon started laughing too.
“Hehehe. It’s kind of fun, isn’t it, Rina-chan?” muttered Bel as she looked around. The sheep leisurely huddled together in the pen, and the herd of horses walked with a calm and cool gait…
The world that unfolded before Bel was a far cry from the days engulfed in darkness when she had to hide in the New Moon District even from sunlight.
“I like it here.” said Bel
She had a smile on her face, and in response, Citrina also smiled. The smile was neither flashy nor sweet but genuinely joyful.
“Um. Rina is really happy too. Listen, Bel-chan, let’s come here again someday after we grow up. Let’s come to the Equestrian Kingdom together. It’s a promise!” Citrina said cheerfully.
“Promise..” Bel swallowed her words for a moment.
A promise… , a promise to come back together, a promise to meet again…
Bel didn’t like promises that were made over and over again. Because they had been broken several times before…
The ones who sent off Bel, promising to meet again, all ended up dead. Bel found herself alone at the place where they had all promised to go together someday. She had no idea when this dream would end. Considering this uncertainty, Bel thought that she shouldn’t be making such promises. But..
“Yes. It’s a promise.” Bel nodded faintly. That took a lot of courage. Perhaps it might not come true, but…
“Rina-chan. It’s a promise. Let’s definitely come again.” Bel said that with determination and smiled innocently.
“Citrina-sama, Bel-sama. Mia-sama has returned.” the guard came calling, prompting Bel to stand up.
The two of them never forgot the promise they made that day.
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