Chapter 8: Goal

"Why are you here?" Anger immediately boil within Mary as her eyes landed upon the traitor who betrayed her feelings.

"Now, now, Mary, let's have a proper talk!"

"What the hell are you thinking Mom, why would you bring that guy here! That's the person I least wanted to meet! I'm leaving!" Mary swiftly turned her back and tried to leave, but as soon she did that, the body of her body was suddenly in front of her.

(So fast! I didn't even notice her!) Mary was bewildered at the speed her mother displayed right now.

As a Conqueror herself and with the status as a Queen, the word Strong or Powerful would be easily within how people view her.

"Mary, this is for your own good!"

"Mom! I can't believe you, are you joking right now?! What are you thinking?!"

"Shuush, lady, your words!"

Mary is very furious right now, throwing a tantrum in front of her mother.

"Hey, you should probably talk nicely with your mother, she's your parent after all." Henry at the back stood up from his seat and made a comment on Mary's behavior currently, coldly.

She turned around angrily, her gaze look like it would blow a hole towards anything she look at, but Henry simoly stood there, meeting it head on with a cold look.

It was like fire and ice, Marilyn stood there with a giggle and found the current situation a bit nostalgic.

"Huhu... This is cute, it's feel like when the two of you were kids back then."

Images flashed across Marilyn's mind as she remembered the playful nature of Henry and Mary playing with each other.

(Mary used to be so playful and often a troublemaker, amongst the neighborhood kids, everyone found her difficult to play with, except Henry who will point out her behavior, they would fight so often and be friends again later, he's the only one able to tolerate her, and becoming great friends, this is no different from back then, hmmhmmm..) Marilyn cutely made a gesture.

"Unless the two of you aren't willing to talk this out, none of you are will be able to leave this park!" She made a light threat to keep them together in the same spot, hoping they would make up.

"What do you mean, mom?!" Mary turned around to see her mother, but she was gone, her figure vanished with the wind, as if she was never there, and only the darkness of the park, the silent nature, and the street lamps her eyes set upon.

"Ugh..." Henry scratched the back of his head, in disbelief of the current situation.

"You! Traitor, what did you tell my mom? Did you do something to her?!" Mary turned to face Henry, also in disbelief, but accuses Henry of doing something.

She approached him angrily, the fire in her eyes keep getting stronger.

"What?! You accusing me right now?!"

"I have a fiancee you know?!"

"What's that got to do with everything!"

"You're hopeless!"

"Speak for yourself!"

Silence then follow after as they were unable to find anything to say, they just stood there with their heads in opposite directions, not wanting to look at each other.

(What was Mom thinking? Moreover, did this guy do something to her?! If he did, I be making sure he's six feet under!)

(This is a hassle, what was Miss Marilyn thinking?! This is the person I least wanted to meet with.)

Sigh

Henry, unable to take it anymore, simply decided to sat down again, whilst Mary still stood there.

"You should take a seat, your legs will get hurt." Even though the person who made his life hellish these past years, he still took the consideration to offer her a seat.

"Hmhp!" Mary ignored him.

"What a childish woman." Henry didn't hold back his words, which got really under her skin.

"What did you say, loser?!" She shouted.

"You deaf, why are you shouting, gosh, I'm worried for whoever will marry you, I bet their ears will be ringing by now with such a hysterical woman" Adding salt to the wound, he poked his ears with his pinky finger.

"You- you!" Unable to make a comeback, gritting her teeth, her anger reaching a critical point, approached Henry, and grabbed him by the collar.

"Oohh, are you using violence now? Do it if it makes you satisfied, I won't fight back, I promise." Still not budging with such a threat under a calm tone.

Mary, as a high caliber Conqueror, her strength is in the top, she could easily beat Henry right now if she wanted to, even if he fight back, he won't be able to.

"Tell me..." Mary said with a weakening voice, her head down.

"Hmm..." Henry then focused his attention towards her.

"Why didn't you try to at least contact me? Why didn't you properly apologize?"

"I tried to the first time, didn't i? But you pushed me away."

"Then why didn't you do it after our college days?"

"I wasn't able to."

"Why didn't you try?"

"... I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because I still held you back then in high regard, I wanted you to be happy, and If appeared in front you, I might break that happiness."

Their voices was weak, but they continued on.

Mary realizing that he still did care for her, albeit in a different way, she regretted the day she appeared in the limousine to crush him as she clench her fists.

"Do you still love me?"

"I don't know anymore myself."

Two broken hearted people coming together, try to understand each other.

Mary then let go of his collars, and turned her back.

Henry, unable to imagine what expression she's making right now, simply sat down with his head down.

"Mary?"

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, for everything..."

"What exactly?"

"For cheating on you, for not apologizing properly, I thought that if I suffered instead, it would be my own form of salvation and your happiness, im really such a foolish person."

"... I hate you."

"I know."

Feeling extremely down, they're still unable to face each other, but their words really struck each other's heart.

Some minute passed, and silenced reign the area, Mary got the courage and starts taking steps to move far away from the area.

As her figure disappeared, Marilyn suddenly appeared right beside him.

"How was it?"

"... Now that I think about it, you're right, forgetting each other would be impossible unless we properly make amends with each other, that conversation, although it wasn't that of us becoming friends again, the history we shared, the one I destroyed, and she crushed completely, simply forgetting each other might be the best course at the very least, so that the two of us can moved forward again and form new goals towards a better life, not become a stuck up for each other's expectations, thank you for this, my Queen." Finding his words before he could speak, a great burden has been lifted within Henry, a feeling of lightness, like finding freedom from the torment.

"That's good, so, what are you gonna do now?" Marilyn asked, waiting for his answer as she look at him intently.

Henry pondered for a little while, before he opened his mouth again.

"Can I asked you something?"

"If it's within my power." Marilyn answered back without falter.

—

Driving through the city back to the palace, the black limousine drove through the road, the one behind the wheel, the Queen, Mary's mother.

"How was it." Marilyn asked.

"Different."

"How so?"

"I thought I crushed him back then, but he was still the same." Mary smirked.

Marilyn did so too, seeing her daughter also seemingly free from something.

"He used to be up standing, and have a great sense of humor, often pointing my mistakes, and correcting me, that's so like him, tolerating me, it was that one part of him that I used to love so much about him, hehehe..."

Giggling, finding humor within her, then slowly, one by one, tears started stream down her beautiful cheeks, her laughter turned to crying.

"Bu- but, what is this?! Why do I still love him?!"

Realizing the extent of her mistakes and past actions, she cried herself out in complete regret.

She realized that there was indeed still a chance of reconciliation like she hope to, he still cared for her even when he was at his lowest, but her hypocritical nature push him near the brink of hopelessness, pushing him down, unable to make amends, but rather than him taking the action, it would've been better if she did if she tried to simply give him a chance, to meet him head on, and see the light in him.

But due to her crashing the final blow, it appears that she was too late to see past that, agreeing to the engagement, breaking him, all of that was now lost.

As Mary continued to cry, Marilyn stopped the car by the side, and went to her daughter to comfort her.

Love is a complicated thing that can either break or form new bonds.

—

Two days later

Back at Henry's house, near the door, as he's putting on his shoes, with a grey jacket with a white shirt in it, and black pants, a sword on a scabbard is attached on his back along with a small bag.

"Are you sure about this, son? What if you got hurt? What about food? Or medicine?"

Henry's parent stood behind him, worried, but unable to stop him.

"I be fine mom, dad, I've already made this decision a very long time ago, i was just unable to get a license, but now that I got one, finally, I be finally exploring dungeons!"

"What about work?"

"Don't worry, I already took care of it." Henry said as he stood and face his a new found light seen across his face, no more worries, no guilt, just happiness to reassure his parents.

The previous day, he says his farewell to his construction job, although it was a short time, everyone was saddened by the suddeness of it, but they happily cheered him on.

And finally getting his back pay from his previous office job.

"Here mom, this is the back pay from my previous office job, make sure to spend it well, and don't let dad's drinking habits got the better of you, don't worry, I be using the money I earned from the construction job, so you can take it all!"

His mother was momentarily at a lost, but hearing his condition made her sure of it, and gladly thank her son.

"You damn brat! Come here!" Henry's dad put him in a headlock, teasing him for joking about his drinking habits.

Everyone laugh, with smile on their faces.

As he says his farewell, Henry took one last glance at his parents who stand at the lawn, waving at him happily.

He waved back.

Overjoyed and overwhelmed by emotions, he then dashed and ran really fast towards the direction of the city.

Reeling in emotions, as a new life is awaiting ahead of him, one that's he's being expecting in a very long time, the smile on his face didn't disappear.

—

Back at the heart of the city, as Henry frantically turn his head in every direction to search for a guild.

"There's so many, what should I choose?!!) Now that he finally got the courage to look up, and now subject his sight at the ground, like everytime he used to go to work, he was now recognizing the amount of guilds all around him.

Glamorous establishment with various kinds of people in different outfits, with different weapons with them.

The sight of it motivated and delighted the current reformed Henry.

Indulging himself at the sight of opportunity fully realizing in his eyes, he silently praised a particular person.

(Thank you so much My Queen, your benevolence is truly something to be admired, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!) Praising the Queen, Marilyn Red, Mary's mother, he did so whole heartedly.

"Now... Let's go!" Finally making a decision, he took his first step towards that direction.