Frantic Feast Epilogue

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Epilogue

Due to that incident, the gathering had been canceled and the Queen's party decided to return to Alexandria early.
Although everybody went into their separate rooms in order to pack their things, Zidane opened his room and breathed.
Because that he came here as Tot's trainee(though his identity was already known to everyone), he and Tot shared the room. He felt strange that Tot did not attend the gathering.
"Dr.Tot...."
Zidane called once. There was no respond.
Inside the room, a pillar made entirely out books which was not there yesterday entered his sight.
This pillar of stacks of books had a height that Zidane guessed would reach the sky. Plus, there were six of them. And when he looked closely, the pillars were surrounding something, and the middle was empty.
He could dimly see a shadow.
Although I think it'd be impossible....
Zidane tilted his head.
Don't tell that he was reading all this time....?!
Although it was a question, he was very certain that it was true.
His Queen almost got killed...and this Commander was....
Dropping his shoulders, Zidane sighed heavily.
Then, someone knocked the door.
Zidane looked back, Yuju was looking at him with his hand on the opened door.
"Hey......Do you have a sec?"
* * *
A few hours later, as the sun did not come out yet, the servants, soldiers and maid got into the Red Rose that landed outside of the Treno gate.
The Red Rose of Alexandria was adapted by the mechanics in Lindblum and was able to fly without the mist.
Garnet's back was towards the Red Rose, with Yuju facing her, smiling. Beside Garnet, Zidane's hawk-y eyes were warning him, flashing.
Kushuhal was not present.
"Sarah, here."
Receiving the objects that Yuju was holding out, Garnet blinked.
Yuju gave her two earrings. With bright yellow stones attached to them. From the color and the texture, they were probably topaz.
Why was he giving this to her...?
Yuju explained to Garnet's puzzled eyes, grinning.
"This is what your father wanted to give you in case you don't meet again."
Garnet's eyes widened.
"My father...?"
"Yes. Your father chiseled this from one stone. For Sarah...and Sarah's mother. Since your mother did not have the chance, you can have a pair."
Garnet curled her fingers around the two small pierces on her hand with affections. Closing her eyes, and thought about her father who was sleeping in the soil.
"And, there was something he wanted to say to you. I'll just say it--?"
When Garnet nodded, Yuju took a deep breath, softly closed his eyelids. Then he re-wove the words together.
------------------[No matter where you are, I'll always be wishing for your happiness]-----------------------
Slowing understanding that sentence, Garnet carved those words inside her heart.
Father.......
"Thank you, Alexend. I'm glad you are alive."
In reaction of Garnet's beam, Yuju did the same.
"I am glad that I can give this to you too. How happy I was when I knew that you survived."
Be careful, reminded Yuju.
"Farewell."
And Garnet, along with Zidane, climbed into the Red Rose.
The sound of the engine roared, and it floated into the air.
Garnet looked down from the deck, waving to Yuju. Yuju smiled.
She gazed at him gradually disappearing from her view until she could not see him anymore.
"Zidane, are you still mad?"
With her pupils focused downwards, she inquired Zidane, who was beside her.
Zidane had been with Garnet all the time. However, after the incident happened in the gathering, she did not hear a sound coming from him.
Even now, his back was leaning against the handles of the Red Rose, arms folded around his chest.
Garnet frowned to the young man who kept silent, and examined his expression.
"Zidane?"
Her face was reflected on his aquamarine eyes.
Meanwhile, he reacted for the first time. ---Though not the reaction that Garnet was expecting.
".....Zidane?"
Zidane's arms caught Garnet's waist gently.
"I'm not mad. .....Sorry for being so paranoid."
Towards Zidane's kind smile, Garnet was relieved.
It was the smile he always had.
"BUT~Garnet. Don't ever dance with other guys even if they invited you to."
Hearing his harsh words, Garnet lifted her face to him. Her face was naive, and so unalarmed that it worried Zidane.
......She doesn't have any self-conscious at all....
"Then, can you promise me too?"
"What?"
"You will not dance with other girls."
Her cheerful grin was too cute, which made Zidane tighten his arms instinctly.
Wanting to see her response, he deliberately said it in a teasing way.
"Yes. I-Zidane Tribal-hereby make a vow to not dance with any other female except for Her Majesty in all of my life, if that is what the Queen desires."
"Hey!"
Noticing the joking material in that sentence, Garnet pummeled Zidane's chest angrily.
Zidane laughed at her interesting response.
"Hey, Zidane!"
Shouted Garnet while pinching him, her face pumped with air.
On the other side, Beatrix and the maids observed them joyfully.
When laughing, Zidane leisurely recalled a thing that he was concerned about.
The conversation he had with Yuju before leaving Treno.

[I want to tell you something before you leave.]
[Have you given up on Garnet yet?]
[.......She refused the engagement and called out your name, I don't have any intention to persevere. Besides..]
[Besides?]
[No, nothing. Instead of that, Mr.Zidane. ----Take care of Sarah.]
[......Why do I even need your word?]
[I want to protect her myself too. But I’m caught up to something.]
[Caught up?]
[The Queen already said there will be punishment. I'll have to make her safe.]
[You, so you're saying that you'll do something to your dad?]
[Mr.Zidane.]
Yuju said with the most ominous irises.
[Be careful. [That man] did not give up yet.]

......He was concerned about those final words from Yuju.
[That man] must be referring to Kushuhal. Nonetheless, it seemed like a trigger to something.
-----Hope everything is alright....
* * *
This was a dark town. Dark room. A dark place where sunlight could not reach.
There was only darkness. Darkness, and a candle that ignited the darkness. Plus, the mortal greed.
Again, within the flame of the candle, that gluttony was being released into the air.
"-------Looks like the Queen's life was saved."
From the light of that fire, a human shadow appeared on the wall.
Wavering constantly, not steady.
"Father, why did you hire those people? Do you not have faith in me?"
"I do. Nevertheless, I never thought you would interfere. You prevented this great opportunity of killing the Queen and let the prey free. Do you say that is not betraying?"
"Father..."
The shadow was swaying. As if trying to block that shadow, a butterfly was visible once more, being devoured by the shadow.
"I thought that you...wouldn't betray me."
"Father, please open your eyes! Father, you are not supposed to want to use that strategy to conquer the country! Besides! Besides......Mother had already died! Are you not to obtain this power for Mother? But my Mother is not in this world anymore!"
The shadow, swung. The butterfly, motionless. Only the man's shadow, was swinging miserably.
"Please open your eyes Father! I do not suppose that Mother would want Father to be like this!"
The young man spoke in despair. Desparatly trying to stop his sorrowful actions.
"-----...So that's it..---"
"Father!"
"They...---killed Diana, didn't they...?"
"Father?!"
"They...killed! Killed, Diana---!!!"
"Father! It's not like that!"
"Yuju..... I thought that you would not deceive me. But, I am mistaken."
The butterfly moved. Flapping its wings around the young man, beseiging him with glowing dust.
"This is....! Father!"
"Good bye, Yuju."
The young man's shadow collapsed.
A second before losing his conscious, the young man drew the face of the girl who he searched for for 11 years in his brain.
She had become a beautiful lady.
.......However, it was when he lost his Mother who loved him like her own child that he knew she was alive.
Afterwards, he was affirmative that it was [her]. Then, his passion for her was defeated.
Eleven years he kept longing and searching, and it all ceased like this.

Sara....---

The young man, tranquilly, closed his eyes......