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vilandel · 18 hours

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Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 9 – Two and a half Realizations

A/N I love the tile of this chapter, it is such a good sum up of what is happening 💜💙 And Nozel definitely has problems with one of his knights...

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“I have more than enough of your excuses, Samuel.”

“But, captain Nozel-“

“What did I just say? Stop with your pitiful excuses. We both know that none of them are even true.”

Samuel Évantail tried to talk again, but Nozel just glared at his knight, making him close his mouth again. Good, not only would he have said something terribly stupid, but he also had a terrible, screeching voice, making your ears bleed. Nozel refused to listen to him more than necessary.

“You have no right to protest that you didn’t got a star on the last mission. Do you really think I haven’t read the rapport Rob Vitesse and Alysanne Dragonstone wrote about it? Do you really think I wouldn’t listen to Julia Ambrosia about her complaints?”

“But that old lady is senile, she should have retired a long time ago, she doesn’t think-“

“Julia Ambrosia has one of the best and straight-up spirits in this squad, despite her old age. It was her choice to not retire and given the energy she still has, it is clearly not a loss for the squad. Besides, you should show more respect to the elderly. Don’t you dare think I haven’t heard about how you insulted Curtis Warren two days ago?”

“It was his fault, he-“

“You tried to force your chore duty on him, despite him being of a far higher rank than you.”

“But he’s from low nobility!”

“Curtis Warren is still a noble and he’s acting with more nobility than you by miles. Do you think I forgot how badly you talked about the Wizard King when his current form became public knowledge? And just after he thanked every squad for the help they gave to the civilians in the Forsaken Realm.”

Samuel looked down in shame. He was arrogant, yes, but even he knew that insulting the current Wizard King was something all squad captains and almost every Magic Knight wouldn’t tolerate. Even the majority of the nobles would think twice before talking ill of Julius Novachrono.

“Back on that mission,” Nozel continued coldly. “Rob Vitesse, Alysanne Dragonstone and Julia Ambrosia pointed out that you took a toilet break during most of the mission and that you only came back when everything was over. Not even barely, you had no action taken during this mission, why do you think you would deserve a star?”

Samuel looked like he wanted to reply, but of course, with what Nozel just said, he didn’t had any counter argument.

Which didn’t meant he wouldn’t still try, sadly.

“You should be ashamed,” Nozel said in a colder tone. “Do you really think you can call yourself a knight when you just wearing the robe of your squad? A robe means nothing if you don’t act like a knight. Protecting the kingdom and his inhabitants is a knightly duty and it takes many forms. Even helping people who are commoners or peasants. We Magic Knights often failed them in the past, as I witnessed it myself. And before you say something stupid again, commoners and peasants are also essential to the kingdom. With this mission, you had also the opportunity to learn it directly and you didn’t took it. This is on you alone.”

Samuel bit his under lip, clearly holding back to say something. Nozel knew that it wasn’t because he was ashamed and regretted what he did. No, like most Évantails, Samuel was too blinded by noble rank to care about anything that would go against his arrogance.

And he was stubborn. Nozel knew that there was no way he could make Samuel understood where he did fail. But not scolding him would be wrong. Samuel might have only be accepted as a Silver Eagle because of the centuries old agreement the squad had with house Évantail, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to let him pass with his intolerable behaviour.

“Did you also felt unnecessarily insulted because your half-sister was also sent on this mission? Samuel, after being part of the Silver Eagles, of a Magic Knight squad, for six years, you should have learned that it is also necessary to team up with people you don’t hold in your heart, for the sake of the kingdom. Putting your pride aside won’t kill you. Besides, unlike you, Grenadine took the mission seriously and got rewarded with a star.”

“She is a shame!”

“To house Évantail maybe, but not to the Silver Eagles.”

“No, she is also a shame for the squad! It was a mistake of you to even accept her as a Silver Eagle.”

Oh, now Samuel was concerned about the squads reputation?

Nozel closed his eyes, trying to not get affected by this pity accusation. He was used to it, after all. Since more than seventeen years, he was used to so-called critics and accusations, to a point that he couldn’t even recognize if it was ill-intended or actually to help him.

In appearance, he had the reputation of being a perfect royal, of being a perfect royal Head of House. But behind that golden curtain, the truth was something entirely different.

Even when he didn’t took other people than nobles and royals in the Silver Eagles, so many people already had critics about him. Whatever he did, it was never good enough for nobles, for most royals and his father always used his so-called failures for his own goal, whatever this was.

But now, with Grenadine, he made a really bold move, which made the offences clear instead of subtle. Of course so nobles felt for some reason personally insulted that he took a noble bastard daughter in his squad. Nozel admitted that he wasn’t the most open-minded royal, but he respected strengths, even from people outside his class. The Black Bulls magicless peasant proved himself very quickly and even rival worthy. In fact, all the Black Bulls were strong in their own ways. Especially Noelle, who bloomed in this squad who never cared about her past reputation. And Vanessa, of course… Even though her strength wasn’t only due to her magic, of that he was certain.

Grenadine was like that as well. She might be a bastard, but no Évantail was able to wield and control fan magic like she did. She was clever with her magic and never let her bastard status hold her back.

Considering the captains, Yami, Jack and Dorothy were also examples. A foreigner, a commoner, a witch and yet, each one of them had unique magics and were strong in their ways of using it. In some cases, it was hard for Nozel to recognize strengths of others, but he still did, because it was better for the kingdom to work together than to cling on arrogance.

And when he saw how most nobles still clinged on their status and privileges, Nozel decided that it was actually much easier to swallow his pride.

“You shouldn’t question my decisions that easily, Samuel. If you can’t continue in this squad, we could of course transfer you to another one. Although I highly doubt that you would be happy in any squad, since none of the other captains think that bastards are unworthy to be one of their knights.”

“I just thought, that… you took some liberal decisions considering the squad,” Samuel replied and immediately put his nose high in a snob attitude.

Liberal… For most nobles and royals, this was considered the biggest insult. And Nozel wasn’t known to be the most open-minded, so Samuel obviously hoped to have hit a hurtful point.

But Nozel didn’t care about so-called critics against himself. If someone wanted to hurt him, his mother had to be involved somehow or his siblings, his Vermillion aunt and cousins, his rival, most of his knights. Vanessa as well, at this point, even though he still didn’t quite know why.

Why was he thinking so much about Vanessa?

“The squad comes before my own preferences. If a liberal decision is more beneficial than a traditional one for the Silver Eagles, of course I take the liberal one.”

“Don’t you have any pride anymore?”

“You can still leave the Silver Eagles, if you can’t take it to be commanded by a liberal captain. With how you are now, it won’t be a big loss the squad. So, if you don’t want to leave, you better get a grip of yourself.”

“You can’t throw me out, the Silver Eagles have a contract with my house!”

“And when did I say that I will throw you out?”

It was sadly true, he couldn’t throw Samuel out because of that agreement between the Silver Eagles and house Évantail. If only he could at least exchange Samuel for another Évantail. But most members of this house were such a pain, so Nozel highly doubted that he could exchange one horrible knight for another horrible knight.

Samuel was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Grenadine entered, a bunch of envelopes in her hands. Samuels eyes hardened as he saw his bastard half-sister. Nozel sometimes wondered why he never blamed his father, Cygnus Silva, for having conceived a bastard daughter. Then again, it was almost like a golden rule within nobility to always blame the bastards for their existence and never their noble fathers.

Another reason why Nozel hated adultery.

But it was actually pretty obvious that Samuel and Grenadine were half-siblings. Like any Évantail, they both had delicate, angelic traits, an elegant frame which gave each of them naturally elegant gestures and of course, the typical turquoise coloured eyes. But while the Évantails had either cold or pastel hair colours – Samuels had baby blue hair – Grenadines hair colour was a dark, strong red. Not to mention that her eyes were always brightening. Most Évantails Nozel knew made the turquoise of their eyes dull with their arrogance, which was honestly impressive for such a vibrant colour.

“What are you doing here?” Samuel asked, not hiding his disgust.

Grenadine didn’t answered, she only went to Nozel and handled him the envelopes over. “Some evening letters for you, vice-captain Agatha told me to give them to you, but she doesn’t think it’s anything urgent for now.”

“Oh, now you’re bootlicking the vice-captain too? Must be easy, she is just from low nobility.”

Both Nozel and Grenadine turned towards him with such a cold glare that Samuel actually got a bit scared.

“I’m not bootlicking and it’s not my fault that YOU can’t bootlick anyone in the Silver Eagles, dear brother.”

“Samuel, have you already forgotten the talk we just had? I won’t tolerate how you talk about my vice-captain. Sure, Agatha Austen might not be from high nobility like you, but she’s done more to the squad than you ever did. Why do you think I have chosen her as my vice-captain? Now leave and think about your attitude. Because if you continue, I will report to the Wizard King. And trust me, you being from high nobility and house Évantail won’t help you in this case.”

Samuel looked like he was about to explode, but thankfully, he was clever enough to not reply. He just run out of the captains office and slammed the door behind him. Which wasn’t very suited for a noble, ironically.

“With all due respect, captain Nozel, I don’t think Samuel will question his behaviour. He’s a lot like… our father.”

“I know. I will need to report him to the Wizard King soon. You can leave now, Grenadine, good evening.”

“Good evening, captain Nozel.”

Grenadine was about to open the door, before she actually stopped and turned again.

“Um, captain Nozel?”

“What is it?”

“I just… wanted to thank you for giving me a chance. I think you’re the best squad captain in the Clover kingdom.”

Nozel was taken aback by this compliment. It was so unusual. Even more, it was normal that he gave Grenadine a chance, she proved herself very well at the entrance exam and never stopped since she joined his squad.

But it seems to mean a lot to her.

Nozel had no idea how take compliments, so he just nodded. Grenadine wished him a good evening again and left the office.

What was with the compliments, lately? First Vanessa who never stopped those with her flirty nature. And now, Grenadine thanking him for that chance he gave her and saying he’s the best squad captain in her books. That was not like the fake compliments nobles would gave him on balls and receptions, Vanessa and Grenadine were more genuine. Something he wasn’t used too since…

Well, he better look through the letters before he’ll take his evening. He would have loved meeting with Vanessa again, but she had a mission with some her squadmates today in a dungeon, which meant she would need rest once she returned.

Somehow, it made Nozel sad. He enjoyed her company, it was soothing for his soul. He knew he didn’t deserved her kindness, but once it was with her, that thought didn’t seemed important anymore.

Why did Vanessa had such an effect on him? She was just being nice and surprisingly enjoying his company as well, it seems. Which he didn’t understood, but it didn’t seemed that important.

She even loved the sewing box he got her a few days ago. In fact, Vanessa was enthusiastic about it and she lately told him she already started to use it for a special project. She winked at him while telling him this and Nozel didn’t know what she should think about it. But Vanessa was happy, this was the most important.

Back on the letters, Nozel admitted that Agatha had been right. There was nothing urgent, which meant he could go home earlier than usually today. A perspective that didn’t appealed to him, since he wouldn’t see Vanessa today.

Why was he immediately thinking about her again?

As he reached the last letter of the pile, Nozel froze. He recognized the seal. He recognized the handwriting. He even recognize that high-quality paper with the branded initials on it, L.S. on the left upper corner.

His father wrote him.

Nozel felt anger and fear dangerously mixing up within him. How bold of his father to write him directly at the Silver Eagles headquarters after leaving him and his siblings alone in their time of need and always trying to put him down in order to go higher.

How dare he write him after years of ignorance, disgusts and attempted manipulation? How dare try to get contact again after he put him down during the few times he visited after his wife died? How dare he sent a letter after he didn’t even appeared at his wife funeral?

Nozels hands were shaking while he was holding the letter. Remembering all the times his father ignored the affection and love his mother was giving him, using her position and her house for his own goal, whatever that was. Nozel couldn’t forget how that man definitely broke his mother’s heart that fateful day…

What did Lac Silva wanted from him? Nozel knew that it was something for himself, not for any of his children. Should he read the letter? Should he ignore it? No one could knew what that man was up too. Last hope of a house of low nobility, he abandon them and manipulated three royal house heads good enough to get a perfect marriage. Not to mention he managed to have perfect reputation within nobility, he was loved, considered perfect royal even though he wasn’t born into royalty and even though he was now widowed.

Nozel hadn’t heard from his father for so long. Seven years, maybe even ten? He didn’t know. So, after all this time, what did Lac Silva wanted?

Slowly, he broke the seal and took a prudent look at the first lines.

Like always, fake kindness, apologizing that he couldn’t be here, that he will stay in another country for longer due to his diplomatic skills. Nozel probably should stop before he came to the part where his father put him down with all his glorious subtility.

Suddenly, a word got his intention and made him froze even more.

Marriage.

Son, you can’t stay a bachelor for the rest of your days, you even should have been married years ago. Given your incapacity to choose a bride, it’s better that I…

Nozel didn’t continue to read. He stood up, took the letter, ripped it in so many pieces that it couldn’t be put back together again, throw it into his bin and left his office and his squad, all that in not even one minute.

As he flew back home, Nozel tried to calm down his anger.

He haven’t thought about his duty of an arranged marriage lately. The bonding of his sisters, the still new peace the kingdom lived after Spade and Vanessa filling most of his rare free time… That uncomfortable thought didn’t seemed that important anymore.

But now, with his father talking about it, even mentioning he would take this matter in his own hands… Nozel now hated that perspective even more.

He never liked it in the first place and it had been more for his siblings freedom on that matter than for the reputation of house Silva.

But now that his father talking about finding him a betrothed, Nozel loathed that perspective of an arranged marriage even more.

Lac Silva would choose a party who would not be beneficial for house Silva, but for himself. Nozel knew his father. If he let him decide over him like a marionette, Nozel would either get married to a noble lady from a house who owed a lot to his father or to a woman through which Lac Silva would get better control not only of house Silva, but maybe even more.

Nozel refused to be a chess piece. His father might be popular and have influence. But he wasn’t head of house Silva. Nozel was. The decisions concerning the Silvas were his, it wasn’t his father’s political chess plate.

Besides, he was out of the country right now and enjoying the diplomatic missions the king gave him so much, he won’t come back so soon. He said it himself once, years ago, to insult him and Nozel knew, his father was many things, but he never lied. In fact, Lac Silva used the truth to gain what he wanted and put others down. Especially his children.

Nozel hoped it endlessly. If he never saw his father again, it would be the best on many levels.

Oh, how he wished he could meet Vanessa right now. She always had that mysterious talent to somehow soothe his worries for a while, to make his problems smaller as long as she was with him.

But he couldn’t allow himself to be selfish and wanting her presence every time. Vanessa also had a life outside of their meetings, the Black Bulls were like her family and as such, more important for her.

It hurt a bit, but he could live with that. He lived with that for more than seventeen years, since his mother died… It what he deserved, after all the wrongs he did.

At least, thinking about Vanessa was already enough to calm himself down a bit. How can she had that effect on him, even when she wasn’t here?

When he arrived at the Silva palace, one of the head butlers told him that he got a package today, which looked mostly like a present, and the servants were so free to put it in his bedroom.

Nozel frowned. Why would he get something? His birthday wasn’t until the end of the year and why would he of all people get something out of the blue? He did nothing that would deserve a spontaneous gift in return.

Still, he was curious. And he hoped it was nothing from his father. Every time that man gifted something, as rare as it was, it was mostly another tool for his own goal.

As Nozel entered his room, he immediately saw the present on his bed. It was covered with brown paper and there was a letter on top of it. The brown paper was already a proof that it wasn’t a present from his father. Nozel sighed in relief.

He first took the letter. If he wanted to know who gave him a present and for what reason, this is where he needed to start.

Hello there, Stud!

Hope you had a good day today. Sorry I can’t meet you, but it was a long mission and I need some rest. Which sucks, I hate it when I can’t see you, you’re one of the best company I know. But at least, I can send you this. Yep, handsome, it’s a present for you! Made thanks to the amazing box you gifted me! I told you already, but I LOVE that box so much! And I thought you deserve a treat too. So, the first thing I made using the material in the box is for YOU! As thanks, for many things and because I love being with you. Hope you like it. I used silver threads for the embroidery, I haven’t forget that you prefer silver over gold. But I used a fabric with darker colour, because you look so good with darker colours. I haven’t forgotten how handsome you looked at Finrals wedding, in fact, it was my inspiration for this gift. Don’t worry, I choose a colour that goes well with silver, but to be fair, I think any colours goes well with silver.

Your absolute favourite witch

Vanessa

Nozel couldn’t help it, a small smile appeared on his lips. Vanessa was always so full of joy, even when she wrote letters. But he still couldn’t forget that she could be sad and upset as well. Sometimes, he wondered if she just hide her sadness, ignoring it. Hopefully not, he knew first-hand how terrible this could feel. But unlike him, Vanessa didn’t deserve that kind of terrible feeling.

He wanted to comfort her when she was sad.

Nozel frowned. Did that thought just came to it like that? As if it was only natural for him to comfort Vanessa…

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Nozel now focused on opening the package.

The first thing he felt was satin. High quality satin. One of the fabrics he gifted her along with the box?

It was indeed a piece of satin. Burgundy satin, with some silver embroidery representing vaguely branches and leaves with birds. But in the middle of those birds and leaves, there was something like an eagle and a cat, standing really close to each other.

This embroidery was really a work of art. None of the royal tailors were able to create something like this and Nozel doubted that even the ateliers of Soie Velours ever did managed such a magnificent embroidery on their creations.

Putting the piece right in front of him, Nozel realized that it was a one shoulder cape. A bit like the one he wore on his ceremonial suit at the royal wedding. But somehow much prettier. How did Vanessa remembered so well what he wore back then? Sure, they had danced together, but still.

Nozel wanted to try it, so he went out of his knight robe and tried the cape on.

How surprised he was to find out that it fit him perfectly. Also, burgundy suited him better than he thought. Red wasn’t his usual colour, but this shade? It was perfect somehow. After all, it wasn’t a Vermillion kind of red.

No, this shade reminded him of Vanessa.

Vanessa…

As he took his new cape off, Nozel couldn’t help but bury his face in it. Somehow, he could smell Vanessas scent, the cheap but sweet rosewater she always used. As if she was right there with him…

Wait. Did he really just thought that? By smelling a one shoulder cape? Why did he smell it in the first place?

There it was again, the uncertain feeling he always had since his talk with Fuegoleon. Alone in his room, thinking every passing second about Vanessa… and what she was to him.

Fuegoleons words basically haunted his nights, when he wasn’t thinking again and again about Vanessa. Or when he wasn’t sleeping. His thoughts about Vanessa were a different matter, because she not only haunted his nights, but also his dreams.

It wasn’t that much at the beginning, it became more frequently only after they started to interact more and more, since almost a month. But if Nozel was honest, maybe all started originally from their talk in Spade…

It was as she bewitched him somehow and knowing Vanessa, it was surely not on purpose. But it became almost impossible for Nozel to not think about her. Even when he was working at the Silver Eagles, even during the captains meeting. He was not as attentive as he was before during those reunions. And he had been one of the few captains to pay the most attention!

It should have upset him to not be this attentive anymore. But he wasn’t.

Nozel sighed. He let himself fall on his big canopy bed, lying with his back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling, as if he hoped it would gave him answers. As if a ceiling could give any answers.

Or did he already know his answers? Was he just afraid of them and so, tried to avoid them with ignorance? Why wouldn’t he have realized it?

Was he overthinking this matter?

Fuegoleon pretended to be sure that he was in love. Nozel had first find it ridiculous. He couldn’t be in love, because… of many reasons. He was unable to feel romantically, he didn’t deserved it, he just made a friend who was kind and caring, just because he wasn’t attentive as before or thinking about her practically every day, didn’t meant that he was in love.

And many other reasons that were more or less ridiculous. Nozel felt so embarrassed thinking about them.

But it didn’t took long before Nozel realized something. If it really was true that he wasn’t in love… Why would he then still convincing himself over and over again that he wasn’t love?

Since then, it had been like this. He was frozen, denial behind him and the unknown truth right in front of him.

Nozel still had so many questions. Was it really possible to fell in love this quickly? What consequences will that have for him, his house and his siblings? Would he be able to choose between duty and his heart?

He groaned, hiding his face between his hands. Every question revealed other questions and for some mysterious reason, each one hurts. Especially… Was love even an option for him? Nozel Silva, head of house Silva and captain of the Silver Eagles? Brother of Nebra, Solid and Noelle Silva? Son of the late Acier Silva?

Mother…

She had been in love. With her husband. Some would consider her really lucky, since it was an arranged marriage. But Aciers love had been one-sided, Lac never loved her back. She was just an important step for his own goal.

It had broken her heart when she finally realized it. Romantic love didn’t brought her joy. Often Nozel had wondered if that would be the case for him as well, if he ever would fall in love.

Slowly, his eyes wandered to his bedside table or rather, to the two small pile of books on it. Another memory of his mother he refused to flee anymore. Romance novels she had loved and to be fair, he loved them too.

Wasn’t it kinda ironic he, of all people, had a secret appreciation for romance novels? This wasn’t something he wanted to be out in the open, but… Nozel wondered what Vanessa would think of it. He suspected her to be a romantic, given how sometimes she would rant and even complaint about some of her squadmates being too oblivious to love. The names Gauche and Grey fell most often, but sometimes she complained about Yamis dense mind as well.

And there, he just thought about her again. It’s he couldn’t stop at all.

One pile were novels about courtly love. Tales of very old times, back when Magic Knights weren’t divided in squads, when knights were just serving their king and their country, riding from one place to another, defending widows and orphans. Back when a knight offered his heart to a lady of his choosing, even when they couldn’t be together. Loving from afar in all innocence, without hoping for more and cherishing that pure emotion.

Nozel often thought that if, if he would ever fall in love, that only this kind of romance would be possible for him. He was more than aware of his duty for an arranged marriage. At least with courtly love, there was not such a risk as adultery. He would just offer his heart to someone, without hoping for more and do his duty while cherish that feeling of purity in his heart.

But that vision didn’t seem very appealing anymore.

The books of the other pile were novels from his mother favourite author. Romance novels, simple romances with happy endings, but those still touched the soul and the heart very deeply.

Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility…

Nozel knew the titles of each of those novels by heart. They weren’t as sad as the courtly love novels and more hopeful. Some of the male heroes were aloof, like him only in certain ways. And still, they did find love.

But none of them had done such horrible mistakes like he did and they were just fictional. Wasn’t that another proof that it wasn’t possible for him, that he didn’t deserved that kind of happiness?

That mantra had followed him for so many years and for the first, Nozel wondered if he was maybe lying to himself.

He had a few crushes in his life, yes. But he had to admit that concerning romance, he was completely clueless. Except with romance novels, but those were just fiction, they didn’t count.

So, how could he be sure he was in love?

Of course, he could ask someone. But Nozel immediately groaned at the thought. No, he couldn’t. He still had his pride and it was so… ridiculous. Him, a captain, a royal, asking for help because of… love. Besides, who could he ask? His Vermillion aunt? Fuegoleon, who was apparently in a happy relationship? Kaiser, who was apparently happily married? Another captain? But the rest of the captains were all single. Okay, Charlotte was in love. But she wasn’t in a relationship and she was in love with Yami! Who was Vanessas captain! No, that just couldn’t go. Besides, Nozel didn’t even want to ask anyone for help.

Actually… No, that was wrong. There was one person he definitely wanted to take advice from. But that person was dead and buried since over seventeen years.

“Mother… what would you tell me to do?”

Nozel waited in the silence of his room. But of course, there was no answer. He didn’t even know why he even expected her to respond him. Nozel tried to imagine his mother talking to him. But he couldn’t.

Not because he was unable to imagine Acier Silva talking to him. But because next to her, Vanessa appeared in his mind. Both smiled at him, with their completely different smiles and still in a way so similar.

Acier Silva, Vanessa Enoteca. Two different women, from different circles, who never met, never knew each other.

But for him, they became somehow equally important.

One was dead, the other was alive.

One was his mother, the other was… was…

“Why don’t you smile more often, stud?”

That gorgeous smile…

“You really should stop working so much.”

That gentle care…

“Guess it’s too much to ask for letting me do your braid.”

That laugh, like waves crashing on the beach…

“Let’s go to our café again, shall we?”

That kindness…

“You know, you can look me in the eye when you talk to me.”

Those eyes, like amethysts in the sun…

“Thank you so much for the gift!”

That joy…

“Your hair looks really great in the sun. Guess that silver is more shiny than gold.”

Those hair, that breathetaking shade of rosewood…

“Don’t you have any baby Noelle stories to tell me?”

That genuine curiosity…

“Like what you see, handsome eagle?”

That frame…

“Thank you for holding me…”

That gratitude…

Nozel slowly took his new one shoulder cape, holding it close to him. He had no idea where he would go with this. He ignored if he could keep the secret forever or if he would be unable to just do like the knights with their ladies in the novels. He had no idea what the next steps were supposed to be.

But…

“I love her. I love Vanessa Enoteca.”

It was just a whisper, but Nozel had the feeling that his words echoed through the whole Silva palace.

♣♣♣

The cemetery of Heladise just looked like any other cemetery in the Common Realm. Crosses and gravestones on grass. A tree here and there. Some tombs looked like they were taken care of, but must were probably abandoned a long time ago.

But Yami didn’t care about that. He cared about the investigation and even more about Charlotte.

Seriously, why did Goldie Guts speech from a few days ago making him think and overthink EVERYTHING about Prickly Queen?

Yami side-glanced at his companion. Charlotte was focusing on the tombs, searching for the mother of her half-brother. A dash of sadness and compassion was shining in her eyes and for him, it made the blue of her orbs even more brightening than normal.

Wait, did he really just thought that? Why did he always have thoughts like that about Charlotte since his talk with William?

And why he focusing on Charlottes beauty instead of their quest? Fuck, he already knew that Charlotte was more than beautiful, he didn’t need to look at her beauty as if he just discovered it for the first time!

Besides, they had an investigation for a lost sibling going on!

The first thing they did Heladise was searching for the inn where that Grace girl was working. Only to find out from the innkeeper that she died years ago and that her son – that stupid innkeeper was getting old as he didn’t remembered the name – had been sent to an orphanage. Apparently, that kiddo has some weird habit to fight and to always smile, even at his mother’s funeral. After he got his grimoire, left to become a Magic Knight and well, he never returned.

That story sounded pretty familiar to Yami, but he didn’t gave it much attention. His thoughts were turning around Charlotte mostly or to things related to her.

It was like his something in him, maybe his subconscious or anything hidden in his spirit, wanted to tell him something. One specific thing. Like for many, many years and since he probably didn’t listened, it was now screaming that thing. And he still didn’t get it! What was going on?

“Looks like that we need to search within the Magic Knight squads for our next step. Too bad the innkeeper didn’t remembered my brother’s name. Well, he probably doesn’t have good memories of him as well, he must have caused him some difficulties in the past, given how he talked about my brother.”

“Hm…”

“Yami, are you listening to me?”

Charlotte punched him slightly with her elbow, causing him to interrupt his merry-go-round of thoughts about her.

Normally, Yami would have been happy for the distraction. But since Charlotte was the one haunting his mind, it didn’t really helped. Which honestly sucked in his books. But Yami would never dare to accuse his Prickly Queen of it. After all, it wasn’t her fault he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Wait… did he just considered her his Prickly Queen?

“Oh, um, sorry, I was in thoughts. What did you say?”

Charlotte sighed deeply, before repeating what she just said. And afterwards immediately adding, “I can’t say it’s not like you to not pay attention, but this seems too much even for you. Couldn’t you at least tell from my Ki that I was talking to you?”

“Come on, Prickly Queen, you know me. I’m not an idiot, I can read every Ki.”

Except hers, for some mysterious reason, but he wouldn’t tell her that. Although, this was indeed the proof that something was wrong with him and that he included Charlotte. Her Ki was so unique and he was unable to understand it. Him, one of the two only Ki-readers in the whole kingdom and the only one out of the two who wasn’t an idiot. And didn’t Goldie Guts mentioned something about his ability to read Ki in his speech? Damn, William really put his finger on something and Yami couldn’t tell what it was.

But that didn’t meant that it was stupid or dense. No, no, no! He wasn’t stupid when it came to Charlotte, he was just…

What was he, actually? Something else than stupid, surely. But what? It was so difficult for him now to not think about Charlotte. She even haunted his mind when he was taking a dump now! And since he thought more about his Prickly Queen than the fierce battles he fought against his digestion system, his toilet breaks took longer these days. Much to his brats worries.

Hold on… he just considered Charlotte his Prickly Queen again? What was that supposed to mean?

Time to change the subject, definitely.

Yami took a look at the bouquet of purple lilies and white roses in Charlottes hands. “What are those for?”

“For Graces grave. Didn’t I told you that already?”

“Of course, of course,” Yami replied, hiding the fact that he haven’t listened to that part as well. “It’s nice of you, but why actually? You haven’t known her at all.”

“Just because I didn’t know her doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t care or that I shouldn’t pay my respects. What happened to her was horrible and she didn’t get any justice. She deserves respect, even after death. It doesn’t matter that she’s my brother’s mother or not.”

“Actually, you’re right, Prickly Queen. Sorry.”

Charlotte just nodded. He traits were soft and sad, as she walked to the cemetery, searching for Graces tomb. That caring and compassionate side really made her look so much more beautiful as she was already. Oh, she might seemed cold and aloof, but Yami knew very well that Charlotte was a caring person. For the kingdom, for her girlies, for any other people, civilian or knight, noble or commoner, royal or peasant.

His Prickly Queen was probably the most caring person Yami knew.

There again! He thought again about her like his… For the third time in less than five minutes! Vanessa would have said that the third time always was a charm and for the first time, Yami might admit that she was onto something.

Okay, Charlotte was definitely special for him, even more so, unique. But how? And why? Couldn’t he just have the full answer and be done with? Apparently no, whatever was messing with him, Fate or something else, probably thought he needed more steps to get his answer.

While he was blaming something he didn’t even know what it was, both he and Charlotte finally found Graces tomb. The innkeeper did described the gravestone as a simple cross with her name, her birth date and the date of her death.

“Oh… she wasn’t even twenty-five when she passed away,” Charlotte said, her voice full of sadness and compassion. “And this also means… She probably got my brother very young.”

Yami just nodded. That poor girl didn’t get a fair life. Losing her parents very young, working her health away to supply, got pregnant by a noble jerk who abandoned her with a newborn, was left alone taking care of her kiddo and died very young probably due to exhaustion, because it was too much for her.

Grace deserved justice, to be taken care of and didn’t get any of it.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you…” Charlotte whispered while putting the bouquet of roses and lilies in front of the grave. Some tears were lingering in her eyes, one of them rolled down her cheek.

Yami looked at her. It was clear that this whole story went close to her. Her father did this and Charlotte was deep down a sensible, caring person. She probably wished that Grace was still alive, to give her protection and to take care of her. Some would say it would be too late, but Yami knew that often, it was better late than never. Sadly, for Grace it was never.

Her father was a jerk, no doubt about it. Yami wished for a second that mama Roselei would have cheated on him with a better man and got Charlotte from her lover instead. Because it was so hard to believe that a jerk like that got such a wonderful daughter.

But Charlotte had his eyes, so there was no doubt. Sadly.

Strange… they had this in common. A jerk dad. Yami haven’t thought about his father for a while and his memories of him were pretty much never positive.

Looking at Charlotte, who now knelt in front of Graces grave, Yami couldn’t help but realize that both their fathers didn’t hated them, but were still jerks. Well, his father died. Hers was still alive.

Yami had the sudden urge to take Charlotte in his arms, to hug her. He had this strange longing quite often lately after his talk with William. But since he didn’t make any sense to him, he ignored it. Which hadn’t been as easy as he thought.

But this time, it felt different. This time, he didn’t want to hug her because some mysterious power pushed him specifically to her, making him long for her touch. No, he wanted to hug Charlotte to comfort her.

Would she accept to be hugged by him, though? Just because they were getting along slightly better didn’t meant that Prickly Queen would appreciate to get hugged by him out of the blue. She sometimes complained about his smell – which was true most of the time, but Yami would never admit that – or about his rude attitude – true as well, but well, being polite was future Yamis problem.

But this time? Maybe it was the right thing to do. After all, he didn’t need to drown Charlotte in his arms. A hand of her shoulder or one arm around her seemed more appropriate than a bear hug and could say so much more than any word.

So, Yami knelt down beside her.

But just as he was about to put a hand on her shoulder, something did catch his eye. On Graces gravestone.

The cross stood next to a tree and the shadows of the branches and leaves covered some of the inscriptions on the stone.

Like Graces family name.

But a soft blow of the wind, a small movement of the tree branches, the sun fell on that spot for one second.

Yami frowned, looking more closely, trying to identify the letters.

Grace Voltia.

Voltia. Voltia… Wait a fucking minute!

He heard Charlotte gasp next to him and when he turned to her, she was looking at him as well. Her eyes wide open in surprise, proving that she was doing the same conclusions as Yami.

Voltia… That was the family name of Luck.

Which would mean…

That Luck, one of his own knights, was the lost half-brother of Prickly Queen.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #Silver Cats & Black Roses #My Writing ☘️♣️#Nozel Silva #Vanessa Enoteca #Yami Sukehiro #Charlotte Roselei #Nozel x Vanessa #Yami x Charlotte #Nozessa #Yamichar #Black Clover OC #My Black Clover OC ☘️#Samuel Évantail #Grenadine Évantail #Thankfully not all Silver Eagles are jerks

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vilandel · 19 hours

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writers and artists will go "this isn't good enough." my brother in christ, you're creating something new out of nothing and expressing yourself creatively. your productivity and unrealistic standards of perfection do not define you or the worth of your art. you're doing great.

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vilandel · 19 hours

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Sorry I am like. The biggest fan of every OC I meet. Like if you ever think "Man no one cares about my OC x Canon Character" ship or wtv you're a liar cuz like, I'm right here. Love you all and your ocs btw.

#Spreading Positivity

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vilandel · 1 day

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I loved this! First of, the dynamic of Yami & Charlotte & Luck is a blast 🤩 I propose the term Yamichar + Luck for this dynamic, just in case^^

Second, The Mummy is one of my favorite movies, so it's cool to see it as an AU with Black Clover! Even more with Yami and Charlotte, so fitting! Anon is right. They give the vibes of O'Connell and Evelyne. Not entirely of course, but the base dynamic is kinda the same. There would be similar scenes and also different ones with Yamichar. And I'm all here for it. Especially for the kiss scene at the end 💙🖤

And Luck as Jonathan... Chiefs kiss. It has the same dynamic as Evelyne and Jonathan, as the responsible sister and the rather irresponsible brother, with the sibling affection, but in a different way. I kinda have the feeling that in this AU Charlotte had to raise Luck alone for long (don't know the bonds with the parents, but either they're dead like in the movie or a hint to canon, the relations aren't good between parents and children). Plus, Luck as Jonathan will give some differences, as unlike Jonathan, Luck is rather enthusiastic about fights. I guess Yami and Charlotte will have to hold him back to fight the mummy. Or during the end battle – assuming that like Jonathan, Luck has some knowledge with old Egyptian and hieroglyphs as well, Charlotte certainly would give him lessons – I imagine totally Luck fighting the mummies as well while decipher the cover of the Book of Amon-Ra. That scene is so great with just imagining it 😂

Luck going all Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep. while trying to reach the car.

Luck: Quicker, big sis! Charlotte: Patience is a virtue. Yami: No, this time it's not.

Charlotte: I've never... seen a mummy in this shape before, he is... he looks so... Yami & Luck: Juicy.

Yami: Hey, asshole! Looks to me like you and your pals are on the wrong side of the river!

Yeah, this AU is certainly great, with those three characters, no wonder you had fun writing it. It is so good that I actually wish for more, but that just shows how good you wrote this piece and how well this AU would work with Yamichar + Luck 💘

The Mummy AU for Yamichar, please, I think it would be so fitting 🤩💙🖤

Hiya anon! Ooo this does feel fitting for Yamichar! I had so much fun writing this, and I thank you for requesting them. I included Luck in this as Jonathan because…i love the theory that Luck is Charlotte’s brother, and because it makes it more fun! Also the money amount that i mention in this is all in Egyptian Pound currency and is all roughly between 200-1,000 USD! I hope you enjoy~!

Word Count: 2,260

Warnings: Mentions of hanging, noose, gallows.

————

“ Welcome to Clover Prison!” The prison warden announced proudly as he grandly gestured around the small, dusty prison as though it were some majestic palace.

Charlotte Roselei quickly cleared her throat but gave the warden a polite nod as she looked around at the prison. She locked arms with her younger brother, Luck, and pulled him close to her; she could see the excitement in his eye as he looked around the prison.

Knowing her luck, if she let go of him at any point during their visit, he would get himself into a fight with a prisoner or worse; he would end up in here as a prisoner.

“ I still can’t believe you stole this puzzle box and map to Hamunaptra-,” Charlotte whispered before Luck cut her off.

“ I didn’t steal it, I just picked his pocket like Zora taught me too!” Luck corrected as he continued to look around the prison with bright eyes.

“ And then you lied to me about it when you gave it to me at the museum!” She finished, her blue eyes narrowing sternly.

“ It isn’t the first time I’ve lied to you,” Luck pointed out innocently, which made Charlotte’s jaw drop.

“ But I’m your sister!”

“ So? How does that make you any more special than everyone else?” He asked, and in response his older sister grabbed his cheek and pulled it forcefully. “ Ow, that hurts!”

“ Remind me to never let you hang out with that Zora or Magna fellow again!” She growled before she let go of his cheek. He quickly pouted at her.

“ Aw lighten up Charlotte, we’re here to have fun!” He told her, and that only made her glare intensify.

“ We are not here to have fun, we are here to see the man you stole that puzzle box from!” She hissed. “ And I will only lighten up once we do and then once we get out of here!” Charlotte then turned towards the warden.

“ May I ask why this man is in prison?” She asked him curiously, as he hadn’t explained it at all this entire time.

“ I have no idea,” The warden admitted. “ When I heard you were coming, I decided to ask him myself, and he said ‘I was just looking for a good time.’” As soon as the words left the wardens lips the cell door burst open and out walked a man with two prison guards at his side.

He was a tall man with a very muscular build. His grey eyes were narrowed in irritation and defiance as one of the guards hit him behind the knees in order to make him kneel. His messy black hair was down around his shoulders and was slightly dusty from the sand.

Charlotte looked at her brother and raised her brow, asking if this guy was truly the one who had the puzzle box, and Luck nodded.

“ Who are you?” The man asked gruffly as his eyes shifted towards Luck, but then slowly moved their way towards Charlotte. “ And who’s the princess?”

“ P-Princess?!” She stammered, her voice a mixture of shock and annoyance. “ I’ll have you know sir, that I am not a princess-!”

“ Oh! This is my older sister Charlotte, and my name’s Luck!” Luck introduced them brightly to the man in the cell, who nodded slowly in response.

“ I figured you two were related,” The man muttered. “ But I wasn’t sure if she was your sister or your mom.”

“ H-His mother-?!”

“ Hey kid,” The man cut Charlotte off, causing her to only become more irritated by him. “ Do I know you from somewhere?”

Luck nodded eagerly.

“ Sure do! We met at a bar a few weeks ago,” Luck said, and the mans grey eyes widened in recognition.

“ You’re the kid that stole my box!” The man exclaimed as he pointed a finger at the younger man, who nodded happily.

“ I sure am!” He confirmed with a firm nod. “ Y’know, you really should keep a better eye on your belongings!”

The man in the cell reached out between the bars towards Luck, who happily jumped out of his reach, before taking off running in the opposite direction with a cheerful laugh.

“ I’m gonna kill you once I get my hands on you, ya brat!” The man growled, but Luck only laughed in response.

“ I’d like to see you try!”

Charlotte sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, this really wasn’t the time for Luck to be picking a fight!

“ Speaking of your puzzle box,” Charlotte quickly said as she walked up to the cell and crouched down in front of the man. “ That’s actually why we came here, to ask you about it,”

The man stared blankly at her for a moment.

“ No you didn’t,” He told her bluntly. “ You came here because you wanted to know about Hamunaptra.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened, her brows raised, and her mouth opened partially in surprise; he saw right through her!

“ You…know about Hamunaptra?” She questioned quietly as she leaned close to his cell.

The man nodded.

“ Yeah, I even saw it in person,” He replied, and that only made her eyes widened more.

“ You saw it? With your own eyes?”

“ Yep,”

“ You swear?” She asked with her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and the man grinned at her a bit.

“ Every damn day,” Charlotte sighed and once again pinched the bridge of her nose.

“ That’s not what I meant,” She muttered.

“ Yeah I know what you meant Princess, I was just tryn’ to lighten the mood,” He told her with a small shrug.

“ Don’t call me ‘princess’,” She growled a bit as her eyes narrowed again in annoyance. The man held up his hands and his grin turned into a smirk as he looked at her.

“ Sorry,” He apologized simply, but there was something about the look in his eye that told Charlotte he wasn’t sorry at all.

“ Anyway,” She cleared her throat before putting a hand discreetly against her face. “ Could…you tell me where it is?”

The man’s brows raised in an ‘are you serious?’ look as he stared at her. She once again cleared her throat.

“ You know, it’s exact location,” She whispered, and once again the man gave her a look.

“ You want to go to the city of the dead?” He questioned, his tone a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and curiosity.

“ Yes, I do!” She confirmed with a nod the man tilted his head a bit.

“ And you really wanna know where it is?” He asked, his brow raised slightly. Charlotte once again nodded.

“ Well, yes,” She confirmed as though it were completely obvious. If she was asking where it was, didn’t that clearly mean she wanted to go there?

Charlotte knew how weird and crazy it sounded, wanting to go to the city of the dead, but this was something she had been looking for for years! And now that it was within her grasp, she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by!

The man nodded; after sighing in resignation, he gestured for her to come closer with his index finger. She quickly did as he instructed and moved closer to the bars until their faces were mere inches apart.

Suddenly; the man reached out, pulled her face close to his, and pressed his lips against hers in a firm kiss that lasted a moment or two before he pulled away.

“ Then get me the hell outta here!”

Charlotte, who was startled by the sudden kiss, jumped up and backed away from the cell; her blue eyes wide and her heart racing as she tried to figure out why on earth he would kiss her suddenly like that!

“ Do it Prickly Princess, and I’ll take you where you want to go!” The man in the cell said as he began to fight the guards in the cell.

Despite him being handcuffed, he was still able to knock out quite a few guards, and when even more guards came to restrain him, they still had trouble dragging him away.

“ P-Prickly Princess?!” She shouted indignantly as the cell door slammed shut, an irritated huff escaping her as she pinched the bridge of her nose for the third time in the last thirty minutes.

That man was infuriating! But as much as hated to admit it; she needed him if she wanted to get to Hamunaptra, so for now she would do as he told her and try to get him out of prison.

“ Where are they taking him?” She asked the warden as she crossed her arms, and the warden looked from her to the cell.

“ They’re going to hang him,” He explained simply as though it were some normal, everyday thing.

“ Hang him?!” She exclaimed, her eyes widened and her heart racing as the man nodded.

“ Indeed, apparently, he had a very good time.” The warden responded as he began to walk away.

Charlotte shook her head; she couldn’t let them do that, not only because it was wrong, but also because she needed him! If he was hanged before she could get the location of Hamunaptra, then the city and knowledge inside it would be lost forever!

She couldn’t, no, wouldn’t let that happen!

She quickly grabbed the back of Luck’s shirt and began to drag him behind her as she followed the warden.

“ Look, can’t we make a deal for his release? I don’t know what he did, but surely he shouldn’t be hanged for it?” She asked as she followed the warden up a flight of stone steps towards an observation deck.

“ Listen lady; the only type of deals we make here are the kind that involve money,” The warden told her as he pinched his fingers together before rubbing them. He stepped out on the observation deck, and Charlotte and Luck followed suit.

She gasped softly as she looked out and saw a wooden structure in the middle of a small ‘arena’ with a noose hanging down, and after a moment she watched as the guards dragged the man out of the prison and towards the gallow.

This wasn’t good, she needed to hurry!

“ How much will it cost for me to buy his freedom? Name your price!” Charlotte quickly offered as she sat down beside the warden.

“ I say we should let him and the guards fight it out,” Luck interjected as he stared down into the arena. “ Like what the gladiators in Rome did, that way he can earn his freedom and we can still have all of our money!”

Charlotte glared at her little brother; this was not the time!

“ Okay then, the price is 59,000 Egyptian pounds,” The warden said, and her heart sank to her stomach.

That was around 1,000 British pounds…she didn’t have that kind of money on her!

“ H-How about 11,000?” She offered hesitantly, and the warden scoffed at her.

“ Absolutely not,” He refused with a shake of his head. Charlotte could feel the man’s serious gaze on her, so she looked out towards him in the arena nervously.

“ Mind hurrying it up, Prickly Princess? I can feel Anubis starting to breathe down my neck down here!” The man shouted, and her nervousness quickly dissipated and was replaced by annoyance.

She almost had half a mind to let them kill him just to teach him a lesson.

“ 17,000?” Charlotte offered, and the warden shook his head again.

“ Hang him!” The warden instructed and she immediately jumped up.

“ No!”

“ Shit.” The man muttered under his breath as the floor disappeared underneath his feet, and he dropped through the hole in the floor.

Charlotte watched anxiously as the man began to struggle. She needed to hurry! She turned back to the warden.

“ Fine; 35,000!” The warden tilted his head.

“ 53,000,” He countered, but she shook her head.

“ 48,000!”

“ Alright, 41,000!” The warden offered, and she blinked in surprise before quickly grabbing his hand and shaking it.

“ Deal!” She happily announced, and the warden stared at her in shock for a moment before he realized what had happened.

His offer was lower than hers! He groaned loudly before turning to the arena.

“ Cut him loose!”

The guards cut the man loose and he fell onto the ground with a thud, and he coughed and gasped for air before looking up at her with a big grin.

Wait, a grin? Why was he grinning at her?

“ Thanks for the save, Prickly Princess, I would’ve been a goner if you didn’t save me!” The man shouted as he gave her a thumbs up.

Charlotte felt her cheeks heat up; how could this man be so infuriating one minute, and heart fluttering the next? She quickly shook her head, now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts!

As she handed the warden the money she realized something.

“ What is his name?” She asked the warden curiously, and he frowned.

“ Who? The prisoner’s?” Charlotte nodded. “ Hmm, I think they said his name was ‘Yami’ something? I’m not too sure, all I know is that he’s a Japanese national.”

The warden took his money and walked away, leaving Charlotte and Luck standing there in the observation area.

“ This is going to be such a cool adventure!” Luck said excitedly as he watched the guards drag Yami away.

Charlotte sighed. ‘Cool’ wasn’t the word she would have chosen to describe their adventure; in fact, the word she would have chosen would have been ‘interesting’.

Especially if the mysterious man called Yami, who both infuriated her and made her heart flutter, joined them.

————

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #Lyranova 💘#The Mummy AU #Charlotte Roselei #Luck Voltia #Yami Sukehiro #Yamichar #Yami x Charlotte #Charlotte & Luck #Yamichar + Luck

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vilandel · 2 days

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Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 8 – More than Kindness

A/N This chapter had been posted on the 1st May 2023, almost one year ago... time really flies by 💜💙 Little warning, Charlottes father is a jerk and one of his servants as well... thank god they're only mentioned.

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

“Gosh, that’s a big package!”

“Oh, those flowers are lovely.”

“Who sent you that, Vanessa?”

“Is it something to fight? Can I try it?”

“Damnit Luck! It’s for Vanessa, whatever it is, she should try it first!”

Vanessa giggled as her squadmates and the visitors commented about the package and the flowers she just received. Well, to be fair with them, Vanessa wasn’t usually one of the Black Bulls to receive anything from outside the squad – like most Black Bulls, actually – so when Gordon arrived with the package, the bouquet of blue flowers and card with her name on it, it made quite the sensation.

She recognize the handwriting immediately. Oh, Nozel didn’t sent her letters, at least yet, but Vanessa came into his office and took a peak over his shoulder while he was writing enough to recognize his elegant handwriting.

Vanessa doubted that most of the Bulls would realize that the captain of the Silver Eagles sent her that package and the flowers. On the card was only her name and a short sentence, not to mention that Nozel only signed with his initials. And Vanessa knew that he wasn’t the only person who had the initials N.S. in this kingdom. His sisters had it too, after all.

But Vanessa still hid the card before anyone got a glimpse on it. Because not only was Noelle present right now, but Nebra came to visit her sister. The Silva sisters first meeting without Nozels presence, but they weren’t alone, most Black Bulls were present, and during their last meeting, Nozel actually asked Vanessa to keep an eye on them, hoping that it would be fine.

It worked well for now, Nebra and Noelle seemed very friendly with each other, there was undoubtedly progress in their relationship. Nebra was also very polite with the Black Bulls, she accepted to drink a glass of wine with Vanessa, talked nicely with Finral and Finesse, who was today’s other visitor, accepted Charmys cupcakes immediately and even had banters with Zora. Okay, the last one wasn’t probably reassuring, it was probably bound to happen given their personalities, but Vanessa wasn’t worried. In fact, the banters between Zora and Nebra were quite entertaining and full of sparks.

In short, Nebra Silva was on her best behaviour with Noelle and the Black Bulls. Vanessa wondered if Nozel told Nebra to behave while visiting Noelle.

But back on topic, the presence of Nozels two sisters was reason enough to hide the card. Noelle and Nebra would immediately their brother’s handwriting and Vanessa had no idea how to explain to every one present why the captain of the Silver Eagles and Head of house Silva would send her a gift and flowers. She couldn’t it really explain it herself. Was it still because she had been upset a few days ago? It was hard to tell.

But it made Vanessa really happy. Happier than she would have imagined. To a point that she couldn’t stop smiling, he heart was racing and maybe she was even blushing. No one ever made her feel like that for an act of kindness. Not even Yami.

The more she learned about Nozel, the more she came to like him. He was still a bit of a mystery for Vanessa, but not as much as back in Spade, when she saw the first crack in his cold mask.

“Come on, Vanessa, would you please open it already? We’re all so curious, maybe it’s a cool magic item!” Asta yelled, his eyes full of stars, like always when he was excited.

“Maybe it’s food, an exotic meal or a luxurious dessert,” Charmy guessed. Vanessa could already saw the saliva running on her chin. She hold Nozels gift slightly closer to her.

“Charmy, please, that package it’s for Vanessa and even if it’s food, it is up to her to decide if she wants to share it with you,” Finral said, sitting with his wife on a sofa.

“So sad that captain Yami isn’t here, it surely would have interested him too,” Magna said.

Vanessa was actually relieved that Yami decided to have business outside the squad today. He loves to make fun of Nozel a lot and the fact that he sent a gift to a Black Bull would give him reasons to tease the captain of the Silver Eagles for months.

Not to mention that Vanessa had no idea what her captain would say or do if he finds out Nozel gifted her something and what conclusion he would have while reading the current state of her Ki. Yami was dense, yes, but he was also sharp. When he wanted.

“Oh, come on, Vanessa, open it already or tell us at least who sent this to you,” Asta begged again, but Vanessa just shrugged. She loved her squadmates very much, but there was no way she would tell them about Nozel right now. One day she would, but she really wasn’t ready at the moment. And maybe most of her squadmates weren’t ready either for a shock like that.

“Yeah, who outside of this base would give the wino a gift?”

“G-Gauche, please… be-be n-nice. It’s already s-so embarassing to… get a gift.”

“Calm down, Grey, you’re not the one who got a gift,” Noelle said while she took the flowers. “Maybe it was to thank Vanessa for something. Those flowers are hydrangeas and they are a symbol for gratitude.”

“Oh, please, no one cares for some fricking useless flower language, except you royals,” Zora groaned, taking a whole couch for himself.

“Zora, please, don’t insult my wife, she’s a royal too!”

“And flower language isn’t useless, peasant!” Nebra protested, before taking the bouquet from Noelles hands. “But it is true that most people don’t have a clue about it so it might not mean anything in this case. Be careful, witch, most idiots who offer flowers usually have a guilty conscience.”

“Guilty conscience? Does that mean that someone insulted Vanessa?” Magna groaned, already looking ready to fight.

“Great, can we fight that person?” Luck said with some concerning excitation.

“Luck, Magna, don’t jump to conclusion! If Vanessa was really insulted, those flowers and this package is actually the proof that this is person is sorry and already trying to apologize! And it should be Vanessas decision to accept the apology or not. But it could mean anything else, so please, again, don’t jump to conclusions!” Finral replied sternly, trying to hold Luck and Magna back.

“Maybe that person sent those flowers as a gift because he or she just thought they were pretty,” Finesse said with a calm smile, the one that could calm down almost everyone. “Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers, after all.”

“Well, true as well, even though there are more beautiful flowers than those,” Nebra replied with a shrug, handing the hydrangeas to Vanessa.

“Yeah, for someone who knows about flower language, you don’t seem to care a lot about flowers in general, Little Miss Royal,” Zora snickered.

“Well, at least I know more about flowers than you who doesn’t care about them at all and still needs to comment about flower language, peasant.”

Zora and Nebra started their sixth or seventh banter since Nebras arrival. While people like Noelle and Finral were rather distressed at that view, Vanessa found it very entertaining.

But for now, she had another task to focus on. She really wanted to know what Nozel got her and couldn’t wait to open her present. It was the first gift ever she would get from someone outside the Black Bull’s squad, which was actually very exciting.

But also completely new and basically a step into the unknown, which was almost scary. Even more so, Nozel managed to surprise Vanessa with this gesture. She would never have thought he would be the type to give presents, at least to people who weren’t siblings. And even with them, it was more subtle and discreet, as she saw the last birthday present Noelle got from him.

This one felt different. It was more direct than Noelles last birthday gift, even though it was still rather subtle. After all, he didn’t deliver it directly.

Nozel didn’t made gifts for someone out of the blue, just like that. Vanessa knew that there was a reason behind it and if Noelles interpretation was true, he must be grateful. For what? Vanessa couldn’t really tell. She hasn’t done anything grand to deserve this gratitude, at least in her books. But maybe she did by Nozels standards.

And that was actually very touching. Vanessa just couldn’t stop smiling.

“Can you please finally open it, Vanessa? We all wanna know what you got from your new friend.”

“Yes… we… are… very… curious… what… you… got…”

Gordons and Henrys kind words finally decided Vanessa to open the package. She pulled the layers delicately away, with Neros and Astas help, although he had to be told several times to not rip the layers too violently in his enthusiasm.

When all the layers were removed, a box appeared.

A sewing box. A rather big one at that, which probably meant it had everything needed and more for any needlework.

And even more, it was covered with a fabric that felt like linen. Probably some expensive and luxurious linen, since it was printed. Three flowers were printed on the cream coloured fabric.

Roses. Lavender. Water lilies.

The last flower was the definite proof that this present came from Nozel. Vanessa never forgot how he told her that water lilies were his mother’s favourite flowers, during their first meeting under that willow in the park. She also never forgot how he had that nostalgic look in his eyes every time he saw water lilies.

Roses weren’t surprising for Vanessa. Given how popular that flower was, it must be pretty common to find them printed on expensive fabric. But Vanessa loved roses, she might have mentioned it to Nozel once or twice (or more) and he commented once on her favourite rose water. Of course he remembered, even that she preferred not the red roses, but the white and pale pink ones. The roses on the fabric had those colours.

As or the lavender, he never mentioned it ever during their talks, but she suspected that he might love it. After all, Vanessa did learn that Nozel has subtle scent of lavender. You had to be very next to him and to pay attention closely to discover the smell, but it was here. Vanessa ignored if it was his soap or his shampoo, maybe something else entirely, but it was fair to assume that he loved lavender. Vanessa came to love that scent, to a point that she couldn’t pass some lavender without thinking about the handsome captain of the Silver Eagles.

Slowly she opened the box. There were a lot of compartments in it, with drawers and little shelfs she could push. The interior was made with a shining, reddish wood she didn’t recognize, but it was truly beautiful.

Nozel did even more than just getting her a complex and beautiful sewing box. He went as far to buy her all the utensils she might need for her needle work. All kinds of needles in different sizes, threads of all colours and materials, three silver scissors in different sizes and with a bird design, a stork maybe, measurement tools. Above all that, Nozel also got her half dozen of fabrics, each one from a different colour and a different material.

Vanessa felt her racing heart filling up with overwhelming joy. She had thread magic and sewing craftsmanship in all its forms were automatically one of her non-magic specialties, a hobby even. With this gift, Nozel practically gave her everything she needed and maybe more to do everything she wanted to sew, embroider and anything else with a thread and a needle.

He was… just amazing.

Vanessa blushed a bit.

It was only now that she heard the surprised gasps and admiring comments around her. That amazing gift got all her attention that she found herself in a happy bubble without even realizing it.

“My gosh, printed linen?” Nebra said as she knelt down and respectfully let her fingers glide on the fabric of the box. “And one of the best qualities even, nice. Also, look at this interior. This is mahogany wood! Printed linen of the best quality and mahogany wood. Witch, you got a pretty expensive gift here.”

“And look at all those tools and materials. There is everything for every needlework possible in this box,” Finesse added with an admiring smile.

“So cool!” Asta yelled, even though he had no idea at all about sewing.

“So… pretty… congratulations!”

“Now we can share needles, like two friends who love needlework.”

“It’s… so wonderful… getting such a big g-gift… so embarassing!”

“Can we use the needles to fight each other?”

“Damnit Luck, this is Vanessas gift, not something to fight with! Especially not me!”

The voices of Henry, Gordon, Grey, Luck and Magna were somehow mixed in her ears. Vanessa couldn’t tell if it was because of her bubbly feeling or if they just talked at the same time, as the Black Bulls they were.

She heard no comments from Zora and Gauche, which probably meant they were amazed as well about the sewing box.

Noelle knelt down as well to caress the rolls of different fabrics, too fascinated to even try to look not interested. “Silk, satin, velvet… and this one is, um…”

“I think this is cotton,” Finral said helpfully.

“Of course I knew that, I’m royalty!”

“Didn’t heard that argument for a while.”

“And there’s even some rolls of lace to use for the needlework!” Nebra exclaimed, more and more surprised. “Lace from Raque even, the best one in the whole kingdom!”

“And unless I’m wrong, those fabrics might even come from the ateliers of Soie Velours,” Finesse added.

“I didn’t know that she sold fabrics as well in her shop.”

“She, doesn’t lady Noelle, but if your powerful influential enough, you can buy some, kinda from the back door.”

“Oh, that’s sneaky,” Zora snickered, finally getting a hold of his surprised. “If it’s an apology gift, that person really ran passed his limits to make amends. And if it’s not, well, it means that Vanessas secret admirer must be very rich.”

“Secret admirer?”

All eyes looked at Zora, before slowly turning towards Vanessa. And for the first time in her life, the Drunk Witch of the Black Bulls actually felt shy from this kind of attention.

“What? Come on, why such an expensive gift just for gratitude? No, that’s too much for a thank you. It can be only a gift from a secret suitor or something.”

“That is bold of you to assume, Zora. And who would even wanna court the wino?”

“If you don’t have a better theory to spill out, you better shut up, mirror freak.”

“Is it true, though, Vanessa? Do you have a secret admirer?”

Vanessa didn’t answer Finral. Well, she couldn’t answer for many reasons and all of those involved Nozel in one way or another. She didn’t quite know what he was for her. But at this point, with this gift, Vanessa couldn’t deny that he was very important for her.

To a point that the mere thought of him seemed to feel her up.

Now, was it just because of this amazing gift or was it deeper than that? Because, if Vanessa was honest with herself, thinking about Nozel feel her up already, before she got that gift.

It was just more obvious now.

“Oh, my, Vanessa is blushing,” Noelle smirked, unusually smug. Oh, that was mean. Okay, maybe she deserved it, given how many, many times Vanessa had teased Noelle about her romantic life, aka Asta. But still, Noelle was new on being cheeky. One word and she would felt embarrassed and babbling again to avoid attention.

“Well, maybe I do blush. Maybe I have a secret admirer.”

“Shall I tickle the witch to make her spill the beans?”

“Yes, do it Nebra, Vanessa is ticklish!”

Oh, Nebra was clearly enjoying the gossip and seeing the Silva sisters smug accomplishes like this was indeed touching. If only Nozel could’ve been here to witness this moment.

“You’re tickling too, Noelle, even more than me. Shall I tell your big sister which parts are the most ticklish?”

“You… You may not, Vanessa, I’m royalty.”

“Well, I guess I’ll let it pass for now. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I better take my gift to my room before Asta, Magna or Luck destroy it in a fight.”

Asta and Magna protested, while Luck just laughed at them, before attacking them, of course. Vanessa used the focus those three had right now to grab box and fabrics and flee to her room. Which was like always a real mess, so it needed a while to find a decent place for her gift.

Now, in the calm of her own room, she sat on her bed and observed the box. In fact, she couldn’t got her eyes of it. Vanessa wouldn’t even be surprised if she had a dreamy look in her eyes.

Honestly, it was already great to get a present that was so perfect for one of her hobbies. But the person who gifted it to her made it even more special.

Oh, if she gotten something like that from one of the Black Bulls, Vanessa would have been happy as well. But somehow, she knew that it would have been a different kind of happiness.

Getting a gift from Nozel just had its own worth for Vanessa, one only he was able to give.

It was a bit a spontaneous thought and she had no idea why she was so certain of it. She just knew. It was enough for her.

There was no denying it, Nozel meant something for her. She had no idea what it was, but she’d add it to the list of all the things she wanted to know and to discover about him.

Her face felt warm, she was probably still blushing. But Vanessa didn’t care, she was too happy. Her current happiness made it up more than enough for the sadness she had felt a few days ago, when she overheard those noble jerks gossiping about Nozel and her.

Vanessa should do something to thank him. No, not should. She wanted to do something for him. Not just thank him for this gift, but also for the meetings, that he was slowly opening up to her, for being more than kind to her. Just for being him. Vanessa wondered if many people appreciated Nozel for who he truly was.

Well, she did and she would show it with a gift.

But what could she do to him? Maybe she could sew him something with her new sewing box…

Vanessa remembered the ball of Finrals and Finesses wedding, how dashing he looked in his ceremonial suit, with a dark colour and the one shoulder cape.

The one shoulder cape…

What about that?

Vanessa looked quickly at the fabrics she also got, thinking a bit before opting for one. Then she searched for a thread of a very specific colour and a needle.

When she had everything, Vanessa sat back on her bed and started her piece. Never had she enjoyed doing something as much as this.

♣♣♣

The room was small and dark, but cleaned and comfy. Yami and Charlotte just sat quietly at the table while their host served them some tea in old fashioned ceramic cups, dark blue with tiny white spots.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any rose tea here. I recall that rose tea is your favourite, lady Charlotte. But sadly, it’s too expensive for me. I hope a classic peppermint tea with lemon will do it too.”

“It’s perfectly, fine. Thank you, Jonathan.”

The old man just smiled at Charlotte and Yami, looking so young despite all the wrinkles.

It hadn’t been easy, but they managed to find the two servants who were attached to the direct service of her father all those years ago. Difficult, because they retired like seven years ago and the paperwork of house Roseleis servanthood of course didn’t clarify what they did after quitting their service.

The first one, Lorimer, hadn’t been of any help. Arrogant and prideful, bragging on his time as a servant of house Roselei, he lived with the same attitude as a standard noble, even though his fortune wasn’t comparable. But despite his pride of serving the Roseleis, Lorimer hadn’t been happy at all to see Charlotte again. As a matter of fact, his pride and admiration only were for the men of house Roselei, as he had a low opinion about women in general, Roselei or not, noble or commoner.

Yami had been surprised to see that kind of attitude from a servant and, Charlotte had been stunned about it as well. Lorimer didn’t deemed necessary to welcome two Magic Knight captains in his house and even seemed offended about Charlottes question concerning her mysterious half-sibling. Because it meant to reveal dirty laundry about lord Fidel Roselei and Lorimer would rather kiss a witch than disowning the reputation of his former master. His words.

On the other hand, Jonathan had been more than welcoming, even inviting them for some tea and an apple pie with whipped cream, which he baked himself. Unlike Lorimer, Jonathan lived simply, a small cottage in the Common Realm, with his widowed daughter and his three grandchildren.

“Oh, look at you, lady Charlotte. What a fine and proud young woman you’ve become. Ah, I can remember what an adorable and kind little girl you were, never afraid to talk with us servants about anything. It seems like yesterday… And look at you, how beautiful you are today, and so brave, a Magic Knight captain! I’m getting old, where does the time flies?”

Charlotte took a sip from her tea, to hide her blush. Even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Jonathan had been so genuinely welcoming, more than kind, undoubtedly happy to see her again. What a contrast to Lorimer.

“And I have to say, what an honour to welcome two squad captains in my humble home. What a privilege to meet you, captain Yami. If I had known I would greet such elite people, I would have cleaned the house more properly.”

“Ya don’t need to feel bad, gramps. It’s very clean and honestly, my knights aren’t as dutiful as you. Sometimes, I have to literally push my brats to do the chores, but most of them always try to avoid it.”

“Sounds just like my grandchildren when they have to tidy her room. My dear daughter has the most difficulties to make them do it on their own. Even more so since the two oldest are old enough to do it themselves. But well, most children never liked to clean and tidy, I was like that too when I was eight. Ah, I miss my childhood.”

Charlotte smiled. It was so nice to see Yami treated with kindness and respect from someone who wasn’t a knight. Often, even servants had prejudices towards him and the Black Bulls or even towards commoners, peasants and foreigners in general, as she found out during their investigation. But Jonathan wasn’t doubtful or anything, just kind.

“Well, as much as I appreciate your visit, I guess that it’s not just for chit chat. Are you here on Magic Knights business? Does it have to do with the thievery acts within the Common Realm? As much as I liked to help, I fear that I can’t give you some useful informations.”

“Don’t worry, Jonathan. The Magic Knights are indeed investigating about those thefts, but that is not why we’re here. But of course, if you might hear or see something suspicious, you can report it to the Magic Knights Headquarters anytime.”

“I won’t forget this, lady Charlotte. But then, why are you both here?”

“It actually mostly concerns Prickly Queen over here. I’m merely there to support her, no big deal.”

No big deal? It practically meant the world for her.

Now, both men were looking at her, expecting her to talk. Charlotte took a deep breath. After years of having no idea where her half-sibling might be, having no idea what to do and where to search, she finally had a lead.

She was nervous, of course. Finally having a lead didn’t meant that everything was certain. On the contrary, it was still a high jump into the unknown.

And for that, she was eternally grateful towards Yami to be at her side, helping her in her search. It was still such a drama about her feelings for him and she still didn’t find the courage to finally tell him directly that she loved him, but never before had she spent time with him so often, being close to him basically every day. It helped her to learn more about him, to be more confident and nicer with him, to understand him more than before. And she would be a fool to consider this not being enough.

Charlotte glanced at Yami, who gave her a small, encouraging smile. Not that typical smirk to make fun of her, not a dumb uncaring grin, no, a real and soft smile, just for her, making her heart race at high speed.

“Well, Jonathan… I know I’m late about this topic, but… I’m here about my half-sibling. My father’s bastard.”

“I understand.”

No judgement in the old man’s eyes, no sudden cold stare, nothing that might show some prejudice. Just an understanding glance and a soft smile.

So much different than from Lorimer.

“I was your fathers direct servant back then, along with Lorimer. We were basically following him wherever he wanted to go. Be it for the business of house Roselei or for his private joy. But before that… lady Charlotte, you do know that your parent’s marriage was arranged?”

“Yes, I’m very well aware of that.”

“Good. It would have pained me to tell you the sad truth if you didn’t know. But well, with arranged marriages, it is not unusual if the spouses to search elsewhere the pleasure they can’t find in marriage.”

That was very elegantly said. Charlotte just nodded. She felt Yami put a comforting hand on her back.

“Your father was the same. I don’t think that your mother went that way too, she was very and genuinely dutiful the moment she got married. But well, there was at best respect between them, but never love. Sometimes, love can come later within arranged marriages, but not here. So, while marriage was a duty for him, he searched elsewhere some recreation, as he said it. It was never to search love either, because most nobles consider love as not as important and for some, even as a nuisance. Of course, Lorimer and I had to accompany him. I’ll admit that I never liked the times when lord Fidel met up with women. But who was I to say anything against? I was just a servant. Your father often invited us to have fun as well and Lorimer always accepted. But I always declined, so I all I did was guarding and waiting.”

Charlotte thought she might be shocked to learn those things about her father. Jonathan was telling the story so delicately and Yami didn’t let go of her back. But she wasn’t shocked at all. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised.

She remembered how much she loved and respected her father as a little child. How that drastically changed after she witnessed how he chased that poor woman away.

Jonathan continued, “We accompanied your father to many places within the kingdom. Noble Realm, Common Realm, one time even the Forsaken Realm, even though lord Fidel and Lorimer didn’t returned satisfied from there. But he met the mother of your half-sibling in Heladise, a town in the Common Realm.”

Heladise? Charlotte never heard of that town and given Yamis look, the name didn’t ring a bell for him either.

“Jonathan, was there anything special about Heladise.”

“As far as I know, there wasn’t. It’s just a small town, the kind where everyone knows everyone, where the only great events are some celebrations typical only for the town and where never big things happened the rest of the year. The woman he met was called Grace and she was a waitress in the only inn of Heladise, the Red Pork.”

“How… was she?”

“She was pretty, which was enough for lord Fidel. But I believe that she was exhausted from her work and she never took a break, from what I witnessed back then. Grace must have had a big pressure on her, but I don’t know where it came from. She never told anything about her private life and from her boss, we only learned that her parents passed away, probably also from exhaustion. Grace also seemed very naïve and in desperate need for affection. It was easy for lord Fidel to seduce her. It was lust for him. As for her… Well, I can’t say if it was love on her side. But she was clearly infatuated by your father and mixed with her need of affection, maybe she thought that it was love. She was very sad when your father had to leave, but he promised her to come back. Which he never did. His promise to women like Grace were always empty.”

Jonathan looked so sorry to tell her about her father’s wrong doings. But she gave him a small, reassuring smile. She already suspected for long that her father wasn’t the proud, well-behaved and perfect noble he pretended to be. Again, disappointed in him, but not surprised.

But now, she was also angry and sad. Angry at her father, for how he acted and thought to get away with it, just because he was of high nobility. But also sad for Grace, who was a victim who probably didn’t have a happy life and who got a rare happiness taken from her by a selfish noble man.

Of course, Charlotte understood that the marriage of her parents wasn’t out of love. But there was a limit between searching some happiness and comfort and taking this as an excuse to break innocent hearts who had nothing to do with someone’s sad life.

“No offense to your father, Prickly Queen, but he’s a jerk,” Yami said, his voice clearly sounding like he was holding back his anger.

“Yami, he deserves this offense, you’re not insulting me by saying this.”

“Are you sure you’re his daughter?”

“Why, yes? Sometimes I wish I wasn’t, but you can’t choose your blood family.”

“You have lord Fidel’s eyes, lady Charlotte and the hair colour of his late mother, your grandmother, lady Primrose Roselei. Ah she was a wonderful woman, one who didn’t only had nobility in her blood, but also in her heart. I can tell you, she would have been very angry with how her son acted towards that poor Grace.”

Charlotte smiled. He grandmother passed away she was a little child, so she didn’t have many memories of her. But the few she had of lady Primrose clearly showed the example of a kind, brave and humble person. Actually anything a noble should be, but no one was sadly like lady Primrose Roselei these days.

“Well, whatever you got from yer old man, you clearly made those traits better than he could ever.”

“I… thank you, Yami.”

Charlotte looked away, certain to be blushing right now. Hopefully, the room was dark enough so that both Yami and Jonathan wouldn’t see her pink cheeks.

Jonathan seems to look at his visitors a bit confused, but didn’t comment, thankfully. Instead, he continued his story. “We haven’t heard from Grace for over a year. At least, I didn’t. If she wrote any letters, either lord Fidel throw them into the fire or Lorimer destroyed them before they could reach your father. Lorimer always had the highest respect for your father, excusing each of his wrong doings. Both seemed to have forgotten about Grace, but she didn’t. She couldn’t even, as your father had left her pregnant. And one day, she appeared at the door of the Roselei manor, when almost every one of the family was out. I never knew if lord Fidel finally accepted to meet her and so made sure that every other Roselei, especially his wife, weren’t present or if it was just a coincidence.”

“Both are possible and I don’t think it matters anymore today if it was a coincidence or not,” Charlotte replied. “I remember that day. Originally, I had to accompany my mother for some shopping trip or something similar. But I didn’t felt well, so I stayed home.”

“I remember as well. Actually, I don’t think neither your father and Lorimer ever learned that you were here today, so they weren’t concerned about you finding out about the secret. Lord Fidel took Grace in his office and she pleaded her cause. Somehow, she realized that he didn’t love her, since she didn’t suggested to run away together, to elope or to divorce your mother to marry her instead. She didn’t even asked him to make her his mistress. All Grace asked for was him to provide for her and even more for their son.”

“Son?”

“Yes, lady Charlotte. I don’t know his name, sadly, but you have a younger half-brother. I saw him and let me tell you, even as a baby he was so similar to you. The same eye colour, the same shade of blonde. And he was a cute baby, always smiling. Which wasn’t the case of his parents. Lord Fidel refused to get her any help, he argued that he already had a legitimate heir despite the curse and that it was Graces own fault to get pregnant in the first place. I’ll admit, never had I felt this ashamed to serve someone like that day. Grace was on the verge of tears as she left. Whatever affection she had left for your father, I saw it change into hate. Lorimer and lord Fidel went to other occupations immediately, but I just couldn’t not do anything. So, I catch up to Grace before she left the villa and gave her a good amount of money. She first refused it, she still had some pride left. But Grace understood quickly that this an opportunity to provide for her baby, so she finally accepted it.”

“Where did you get the money?”

“Well, I… I confess, I stole it from your fathers own cassette. It was the money he used for himself, especially for his… recreations. It only seemed fair to me that Grace got this money for her son. But… well… It doesn’t change the fact that I stole from my master, so…”

Yami laughed and Charlotte also couldn’t help but chuckle. Honestly, compared to what her father did, Jonathan stealing his money was more than harmless.

“Do not worry, Jonathan, we’ll keep the secret. After all, you did it for a good reason and it wasn’t for yourself. Besides, my father deserved that.”

“Thank goodness. Well, a servant shouldn’t steal from his masters, still. But I really thought that I was doing the right thing.”

“You did, old man, you did.”

“Thanks a lot, sir Yami. Well, for the rest of the story, I can’t say much. All I know is what Grace told me before she definitely left. She said that she would return to Heladise, as she had nowhere else to go. Apparently, her boss, the innkeeper, was very understanding during her pregnancy and didn’t throw her out, so she was able to keep her job as a waitress. She got lucky, because towns like Heladise aren’t also the most tolerant towards bastards and their mothers. Yes, not only nobles have disgust towards bastard. But what happened to her afterwards? I have no idea. I never went to Heladise ever again. All I hope is that Grace and her son managed to live happily, despite everything.”

Charlotte nodded. They already got new things to continue their investigations. Okay, they still didn’t know Graces family name or the name of her half-brother. But now, Charlotte knew that her lost sibling was a brother and not a sister, she knew where he and his mother lived, if they didn’t left Heladise during those years and she finally knew more details about this sad and sordid affair.

“Thank you very much, Jonathan. You helped us a lot with your knowledge.”

“Um, lady Charlotte?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a very honourable woman, probably more than anyone in house Roselei, as you always want to make things right. But please, remember. What your father did to Grace and your half-brother isn’t your fault at all. It’s not your duty to deal with the consequences of lord Fidel’s actions.”

“I know that, I just… It’s not only… Well, I feel bad for Grace and…”

“She also wants to be a big sis for her long lost brother and I’m here to help her get that.”

Charlotte frowned at Yami, as he laughed heavily, like when he teased her.

But she didn’t say anything. Because actually this wasn’t teasing. This was just Yami being… more than kind.

“Then, all I can do is wish you good luck with your investigation.”

“Thank you, Jonathan.”

Yami and Charlotte bid their goodbyes to the old man and went out. But in front of the door of Jonathan’s small house, they stood in silent. Not awkward, but not comforting either. Somehow, Yami felt unease about something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“So, Prickly Queen, what will be our next move?” Yami finally asked. He sounded so much more serious than a minute ago, not laughing anymore.

“The next time we have time for our investigation, which I hope will be soon, we should go to Heladise and search first for the inn Grace worked for. Jonathan said it’s called the Red Pork. We’ll see from there how we’ll continue.”

“’kay. Call me when you’re ready.”

“As always. Shall I accompany you back to your squad?”

“Thanks, but nope. I’m a big boy, don’t worry about me, Prickly Mom.”

“Yami!” Charlotte protested. Normally it would be for the teasing, but not this time. Because… this teasing didn’t felt wholehearted like all the others. Something was bothering Yami and Charlotte couldn’t help but worry about him.

“Yami, is everything alright?”

“Um… Prickly Queen, do you think…”

He stopped talking and Charlotte wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She wasn’t used at all to see him like that.

Yami just stared at her. The intense stares they shared for every goodbye since they started their investigation. Only that this time, he started it.

And this time, he actually caressed her cheek. Only short and soft as the touch of a butterfly. But the touch of his fingers on her skin left a burning fire which even made Mereoleona Vermillions magic looking like a pitiful ember.

Why did Yami never stop to have such a strong effect on her? She just wanted him more closer to her forever every time.

“Bye, Prickly Queen.”

His touch disappeared and he flew away on his broom before she could even make a movement to hold him back.

As she saw him disappear in the sky, Charlotte wondered why she was still hesitating. And why she wanted everything at once already, despite the fact that they weren’t a couple yet. Heck, Yami had no idea that she was in love with him.

Was it normal to be this contradictory when you were deeply in love?

“Ah, young love…”

Charlotte turned around immediately. Jonathan did come out of his house and given the look in his eyes, not only did he saw them intensely staring at each other, but he also perfectly understood that Charlotte Roselei was in love with Yami Sukehiro.

“I just…”

“No need to explain, I understand.”

He really did. There was no prejudice in his blue eyes, no judgement at all. Just understanding and affection, maybe the old man was even touched by this young romance.

Jonathan just smiled at her and took her hands in his. “Good luck, lady Charlotte, You surely need it for your love story.”

Charlotte only nodded, grateful. She needed luck indeed.

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vilandel · 2 days

Text

Next Gen Inccorect Quotes VII ♣️💘

*At a royal gathering* Nebel: Should we stop them? Odette: By ourselves or shall we get one of our aunts and uncles? Nebel: Have any of those options any chance of success? Odette: Not really. Maybe the second one might work if we get auntie Rosette, but I wouldn't count on even that to avoid the Disaster. Zora: And I told you that this is stupid! Nebra: I didn't forced to wear a suit for the occasion, you should be thanking me! Diego: *being held back by Nebra* It is not my fault you look like a dumpster cotton candy! Zinnia: *being held back by Zora* And it is not my fault that you look like a bleeding strawberry tart! Nebel: How do mum and dad manage to hold back Diego and Zinnia from fighting while having their own argument going on. Odette: Must be some kind of talent... Oh, Nebel, have you seen our baby sister? She was right there ten seconds ago. Nebel: *looks around and gets pale* MATHILDA, NO, THIS VASE IS NOT A TOILET! Zora, Nebra, Diego, Zinnia: *stopping their fights immediately in a panic* Someone mentioned Mathilda?

For the record, baby Mathilda is two years old here...

And this example (I still have more) is how I imagine the future Zora x Nebra family in a nutshell 😅 Disaster Parents and their five children. Quadruplets – Two always at each other's throats and loving it, two more calm but still disasters – and a crazy baby 😅

#Black Clover #Black Clover Incorrect Quotes #Black Clover Next Gen ♣️💘#Black Clover OC #My Black Clover OC ☘️#Zora Ideale #Nebra Silva #Diego Silva #Odette Silva #Nebel Silva #Zinnia Silva #Mathilda Silva #Zora x Nebra #Zobra #Zobra and their quadruplets have a radar when it's about Mathilda #Nozessa & Sosette & Astelle families often must join them when they're present #We are grateful that Zobra family doesn't live at the Black Bulls base 😅

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vilandel · 3 days

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SNIPPIT TIME

Behind the scenes, I'm working on the first chapter of my Circus story. And just wanted to share a snippit, because who doesn't love dense Yami and hopeless Charlotte.

The entrance to the main building of the magical knights came into view. At the large stone archway, Nozel and Dorothy stood talking. Quickly Charlotte looked around, were the others already there? She saw no one else, though there was only one man she thought of. She was lying to herself if she will say she was looking out for all the captains.

Alongside her hopped Rill, happy and cheerful as he always was, the young captain always full of energy. However, her heart skipped a beat when she heard the bickering of two familiar voices. Jack the Ripper and him, Yami Sukehiro captain of the Black Bulls, the man she had fallen in love with with a look.

Ice cold and controlled, she cast a glance in the direction of the arguing men. "Can you men ever act in moderation? The whole courtyard doesn't need to witness any of your vulgar bickering." No, no, cried Charlotte in her head. Did she just now pronounce this so bitchy to Yami. Okay he's going to hate her.

"Hahaha," sounded full of fun. Yami placed his right hand against his chest. "Look our sunshine is here too, say prickly can it hurt to let loose once in a while?"

She turned away from him and bit her lip. She fought against the heat on her cheeks. Why couldn't she act normal towards him and say how she felt? She heard Sol yell something more to Yami, but the man seemed to ignore her subordinate and started discussing something about gambling with Jack again.

It was Nozel who came up beside her and called to the group of captains, "Come everyone. The meeting is about to start. And Jack, Yami, tone it down, we're not in a pub."

Everyone turned around and to her shock, Yami came walking up beside her. Charlotte did her best not to glance at him. He gently leaned toward her and whispered softly. "It's all right though, I'll be irritated too if I was you."

"What?" Charlotte looked straight up, her gaze forward. What could he be talking about?

The smoke from his cigarette stung her nose. Those things were so gross, but when Yami smoked he looked so sexy. No, no, Charlotte keep your mind in check she spoke sternly to herself. Yami spoke, "That helmet, it must be super warm. I really don't understand why you wear it on a hot day like today. I saw your face, it got all red and stuff."

"My helmet is not warm," she growled. Charlotte balled her fists. His hand unexpectedly slapped her shoulder and his laughter echoed down the hallway. Defeated, she lowered her head again. Why, she wondered softly.

The door to the conference room was open. Marx was waiting, happily relieved of this uncomfortable moment.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #Mamavino 💘#Boost!#Yami... Charlotte wasn't read because it was hot... at least not only^^'

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vilandel · 3 days

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[briefly after the Elf Arc]

William: Sir, I must ask, but why did you forgive me? Julius: Because I'd hope you would do the same for me if I were in your shoes, right? William: I appreciate that, but I don't see how you could ever be in my--- Julius: Answer the question, William.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Incorrect Quotes #Julius Novachrono #William Vangeance #Well... That discussion can easily be canon now

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vilandel · 3 days

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Ask inbox

I had the thsi from @F-oighear and @vilandel, but I answer them together otherwise you get so double everything haha.

Five things that make me happy. I am a joyful person anyway. I feel rich in my own way. But I will make a list here.

Number one with a big dot and a big exclamation mark, my children. The mama in my name is there for a reason. I have two boys and they are my life. They are two handfuls, worth it. And my youngest shares my love of Anime (loves pokemon, watches dbz occasionally, also watches Black Clover with me and when he runs he has a Naruto run).

Health. Very cliché, I know. But when you are healthy and can do everything you have a somewhat freer and easier life. Me and my husband are very active and that's just nice. Sitting still is not my thing.

Tranquility, I get happy from quietness. How do you get that in a busy family? I claim it when I need it. When I want to write quietly I retreat to our game room, head phone on, and place myself in my own bubble.

When a good story you write is acknowledged. I know I'm writing for myself. But then when I get so many love-filled responses, kudos and compliments. That makes me happy. Often I read giggling and blushing at the most delightful reviews and that makes me happy.

Friends, friends in any form. Friends close to whom you do coffee (or wine). Friends you have to drive a few hours for and then you can hug them. But also my online friends. I've never seen them, but there's a connection. All special in their own way.

#Spreading Positivity #MamaVino 💘

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vilandel · 3 days

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!!!!!!!

#Romance #Tropes #Very True #Which Black Clover couples could it be?

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vilandel · 3 days

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Night of Vows

Summary She kissed him again, more deeply this time, smiling as she felt him giving in to the kiss. As they parted, she poked his cheek and said with a smirk, “Consider this a vow I just made.”

A/N Since @f-oighear was so kind to recommend this particular oneshot here, I've decided to share it with you on Tumblr as well. Thank you, dear Oighear 💘 It is one of my first oneshots for Black Clover and about Nozessa. And most importantly, I created my Clover Kingdom wedding vows thanks to this fic and now, I use them always when I have to write a wedding in one of my stories. I'm actually very proud of them and I hope you will like those vows^^

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

“It’s still snowing.“

Vanessa sighed deeply, defeated, as she looked again out of the little window. The biggest snowflakes she ever saw were still falling from the sky. It was basically impossible to go out and join the others, not to mention that both of them won’t be found for a while.

Nozel didn’t answer, still sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the flames. He seemed thoughtful. Not more than usually, but knowing him, he was clearly thinking about their situation and was trying to figure ways out.

For reasons only known by himself, the Wizard King had decided to organize more joint missions between squads and the Black Bulls, Silver Eagles and Blue Roses already did three missions together since. It was an odd mix and the teamwork was just becoming better, but they still made it work, surprisingly.

Only this time, all three captains were coming too. And it was a more dangerous mission, some rather powerful bandits with a leader who possessed very strong snow magic, who took an entire town in the Forsaken Realm as hostage. He managed a rather impressive snowstorm spell, which separated the knights. Vanessa only knew that Nozel managed to fight this man and maybe even defeated him, since the storm weakened. She might remember seeing Asta caught the guy, before they were separated.

But the snow didn’t stop, there was no way to find the others and so they took shelter in an abandoned hut, luckily still intact. After managing to make a fire – Nozel seemed to have learned some surviving basics during the last few weeks – all they did was waiting.

Vanessa sighed. That wasn’t really the alone time she imagined having with her boyfriend. Secret boyfriend, that is. A royal, not to mention a Head of House, with a witch, was for most nobles considered as an inappropriate match. And this was still a rather polite description. These past few weeks, Vanessa learned many things about the reality within royal and noble circles, she heard more harsh descriptions.

She turned to her boyfriend again. Nozel still didn’t say anything, just watching the fire. If she didn’t know him any better, Vanessa would have thought that he was still stunned to have make fire by himself. Noelle had reacted the same way, after all. But Vanessa just instinctually knew that something was bothering him.

“Do you know who the leader of bandits was? He seemed very strong and his beef against higher ups looked a lot like obsession.“

Actually, she wasn’t particularly interested in that topic, but honestly, she would take any conversation at this point, just to bring him out of his frozen glare. She was sick of the wait and silence.

Nozel finally turned to her, a puzzled expression in his eyes. “Yami didn’t tell you?“

“No, he just said it was a joint mission and that there will be a battle. That’s all. Since he didn’t need more to motivate Asta, Luck and Magna, he probably thought he didn’t need to say more.”

“Why am I not surprised?”, Nozel sighed, but not nearly as annoyed as he would be when it comes to Yami. He just sounded so… tired and Vanessa didn’t really like the sound of it.

“This man is actually a bastard from an old and very well-respected noble house. Like any bastard, he was thrown away and considered less. Well, I don’t know the details, but apparently, he came to the conclusion that since he was basically banished from his father’s house, he must be fated for something great, better than anyone and he made some kind of vow to prove it, which turned into obsession.”

“I agree that this bastard situation is unfair, but why using this as an excuse to hurt other people, especially those in the Forsaken Realm? I mean, captain Vangeance and Luck are also bastards with noble lineage and they aren’t full of grudge against nobility.”

“The Wizard King told us that this bastard considers himself better than anyone, better than commoners, peasants and nobles in general, better than his family and royalty especially. He seems also to be a very stubborn man, decided to fulfil his vow at any cost. The sad irony is, he became exactly like his father who abandoned him…“

Vanessa sighed heavily. She had heard from Finral and Noelle stories about bastards with noble lineage, who were holding grudges against their noble family to an unhealthy degree, hiding behind the unfairness of their situation to hurt others.

The complex and rather corrupt reality of nobility with the Clover Kingdom was unfair to say the least and could make a lot of people suffer. Not only bastards and peasants, but also people who weren’t outcasted. Vanessa never knew anything about this until after she and Nozel started dating. She was very naïve back then and sometimes, now that she’s more concious about this reality, she still wished she was.

Vanessa moved from her place to sit besides Nozel. Slowly her hand slid in his. He didn’t back away. Holding her hand tightly. This was really reassuring.

They had this discussion about status and rumours quiet at the beginning of their relationship. First, Vanessa didn’t understand why he wanted to keep their relationship a secret. She really thought that Nozel was ashamed of her. But that wasn’t the case…

She learned how her relationship would be viewed within royalty and nobility, how rumours could hurt more than they should. She learned that love doesn’t have a place for most of those people. It wasn’t a pleasant lesson, but the worst part was to witness how the other two royal Heads of House treated Nozel.

Vanessa clenched a fist while remembering. She’d been hidden, none of those two knew about hers and Nozels relationship. But it made her so, so angry. To hear them talk to him like this, their disgust hidden behind so-called concern, their secret joy to have him struggle with his House, the contradictions in every second sentence… it made her went on edge and if she had listened to herself, she wouldn’t have hesitated to put this gaudy king and this close-minded Vermillion prince in their place (how did the Head of Vermillion managed to have at least five likable grandchildren, honestly?).

But Nozel did asked her to not try anything. He told her that he was used to it and if she tried to scold them, it would put more difficulties not only on him, but also on her and maybe put their future together at risk. A risk Nozel wasn’t ready to take.

Which also meant, even though he never talked about it yet, he was seriously thinking about having a future with her. And this meant much more to Vanessa than she thought it would.

She always had been more to enjoy the present, to not worry about the future. Unlike Nozel, who had this habit of overthinking things really far ahead. Vanessa had asked him to at least try to stop and he really did try. But even she had to admit that it wasn’t wrong to think at least a bit about their future.

Their love was deep, truer than anything what Vanessa had known before. Which was a surprise, considering that they come from different circles, that many things would normally separate them. And still, even though she couldn’t yet see herself as a princess, as a lady Silva, she could very easily see herself growing old with Nozel. A nice thought…

If she forgot what difficulties may lie ahead of them.

Vanessa put a hand on Nozels shoulder. “Honey, I know the situation is rather, well, irritating, as you would put it. But we won’t be in this hut forever, the others will find us. And, if you’re worry about Yami teasing-“

“That’s not what I’m worrying about.“

Nozel stood suddenly up, starting pacing around the hut. “It has nothing to do with the mission.”

“Then what is it?”, Vanessa asked.

Nozel was now looking at her, almost defeated. Now, this was worrying Vanessa. She didn’t like when he had something like defeat in his eyes. He was good at hiding it, but she’d learned to look beyond his cold mask.

He sighed.

“My father knows about us.”

Just at this moment, the wind began to howl, like it just waited for this moment.

Vanessas mind went blank. His father? The very father none of all four Silva siblings liked to talk about? But wasn’t he supposed to be out of the country or something like this?

She didn’t know much about this man, neither Nozel nor Noelle were eager to talk about him. Heck, even Solid and Nebra seemed to resent him, which said a lot. All Vanessa knew was that he wasn’t there for any of his children birth and neither when Acier Silva passed away, he was late at his wife’s burial and that he was rather a taboo subject for the Silva siblings.

So… how much of bad news was it that this man knows about her and Nozel? And since when was he back, anyway?

Nozel didn’t let her time to ask questions. He just took a deep breath before he continued, “I still have no idea how and when he learned about us. His return was rather incognito, so none of my siblings knows that he’s back. For now. Knowing him, he would love a rather pompous ceremony for his official return. And I know a good bunch of royals and nobles who would do this for him.“

Nozel sounded so bitter. Usually, he never sounded this bitter, not even about Yami.

“A good bunch of royals and nobles. Even the other two royal Heads?” Vanessa asked slowly.

“My father is very good at… well, bootlicking. You know our king. He lives for homages to himself. As for the Head of House Vermillion, he knows that my father and I aren’t on good terms. So, he uses it against me, for various reasons and no matter the possible contradictions. He’s doing this since I became Head of House, actually.”

Vanessa clenched a fist. She hated how her boyfriend was treated like. Before they started dating, she never would have thought that other royals would think so little of him, hiding their disrespect behind concern. It was so… she didn’t have any words for it. She came to think that this might be one of the reasons why Nozel kept his emotions behind a cold mask. Honestly, Vanessa came to admire him about how he managed to deal with those subtle insults in such a calm way, most of the time.

“How did your father learn… about us?”

“I told you, I have no idea. His return wasn’t official. None of my siblings knows that he’s back, only very few servants. He came directly to me. And unusually for him, he went direct to the point.”

Nozel paused, sitting down of the huts lone bed. They really were lucky that it even had some clean sheets.

Vanessa waited. Mostly because she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to think. Until now, only the Wizard King and Nero knew about their relationship. And Marx. None of them would’ve ever spilled the beans. It was such a shock that someone new would know about them. Someone who didn’t seemed very pleased about their relationship.

She didn’t know what the Witch Queen would say and honestly, Vanessa rather wouldn’t care or think about her opinion. She knew the Bulls would be shocked, especially Noelle and let’s not forget the other two siblings. Nebra and Solid might not be very pleased at best, but well, Vanessa could live with that. But what about a person she only heard about? A man she never met, on which she never heard any good things and not so much in general? Vanessa didn’t like that she had no idea.

Nozel sighed deeply, before he continued, “My father wasn’t happy about our… relationship. Well, he had quite a less polite way to describe it. The words he used to describe you were horrendous and I snapped. Very much at the beginning.”

Vanessa saw him clenching his fists. Nozel might seemed calm right now, but it was clear as crystal for her that he was very much on edge about the conversation with his father. She sighed. She could very well imagine which kind of insults her boyfriend had to listened to. Oh, Vanessa was used to, but she knows Nozel. When someone insults her, he could be more terrific than the other Black Bull and that’s saying something.

“I tried very hard to explain despite my anger, but he wouldn’t listen. He was very much upset about the scandal it could bring upon him, for starters.”

“Upon him? Not the House?”

“He claimed that he was upset about House Silva as well, but, honestly, I didn’t believe him at all. He married into the House, but even then, he could have cared. Which he didn’t. If he really did care, he would had helped my mother with her duties as Head, he would have been here during her last weeks, he would have helped Nebra, Solid, Noelle and me with our duties and also other things, he would have… done so many things actually, now that I think about it. But he didn’t. He always found reasons to slip away from… work. Paperwork that is, the duties from behind the scenes, as my mother called them.”

Something like fondness past through his eyes. Vanessa couldn’t help but smile. She loved the look Nozel had when talked about his mother.

“But the duties of showing, of presentation, all of this… he loves it. I remember how he dragged me and my siblings to all those… events. Despite how mother pleaded to wait, we were all rather young. But he wanted it. To show himself. We were barely tools for his glory. And for him to stand right in the light, no one of us had to step out of the way. He always had this mindset. Even after my mother died, even after he was mostly out of the country.”

She never heard her boyfriend talk this much about his father. It was strange. After all, none of the Silva siblings liked talking about him and Nozel even less so. But looking at her boyfriend, it seemed to Vanessa that he needed to get it out of his chest. She could only imagine how his discussion with his father went and he won’t show much, but she knew, she just knew, that he needed to let it out.

Vanessa stood up and reached for Nozels hand, squeezing it softly. He squeezed back. She hoped she could comfort him. With a nod, she invited him to continue.

“My relationship with you… for him, it was me stepping out the way. Again.”

“Again?”

“I don’t know when it began, when was the first time I upset him. As far as I can remember, he always seemed… well, unhappy with me. He was already mad at me for not kicking Noelle out of House Silva.”

“But… why?”, Vanessa asked, genuinely shocked, not able to put it in words. She knew by now that Nozel never kicked Noelle out of the family, even if it had looked that way. But it only looked that way. Vanessa had recently learned that to kick someone out of a Royal House, a hearing was needed. And given Nozels true affection for his sister, despite everything that happened, Noelle never really was at risk to be banished from the Silvas.

“In all honesty, I never understand it either. I don’t think I want to. But that wasn’t the only thing about me he’s upset with. He always seemed disappointed with me. But our relationship seems to be the worst for him.”

Nozel stopped, hesitating to tell more. Vanessa could see many emotions in his eyes, anger, disgust, pain, altogether. Even hesitation. She let out a deep sigh, let go of his hand and went in front of him, putting her hands on both sides on his face, forcing him to look at her.

“Honey, please, let it out. I’m not blind, I can see that you need it. Don’t worry about me, about what your father said about me. What he thinks is not what you think and his views on us won’t affect what we feel for each other. Now, tell me what happened.”

For a moment, Nozel just looked at her, with surprise and even admiration in his eyes. He kissed her forehead first, before continuing.

“My father tried to be calm, but he failed to do so. He was furious, practically scolding me for… well, he said forsleeping with a witch. He dismissed the fact that you’re a Magic Knight, who already served the kingdom countlessly. The words he used to describe you… sorry, but I can’t bring it over myself to say them out loud. I snapped, counting down all the things I reproached him for many years. Never had it been so hard for me to not attack anyone. I could barely hold myself back. I told my father that I love you, but he dismissed that. For him, as for many nobles and royals, love is just a foolish thing. Royals don’t love is a very common motto. Marriages are for alliances, power, glory. Love has nothing to do with it. I feel so stupid for having believed that once. For my father, love is even a childish thing.”

“But… What about your mother? She did love him, right? At least, that’s how I understood it.”

“She did. But he never loved her back. Deep down she might already have known it, given how much love and affection she gave me and my siblings all her life. Although I don’t think my mother realized it at the beginning. But I remember that after Solids birth, she looked sadder and more resigned when a talk was about my father. I think that back then, she began to realize that her love for him was one-sided. And she might have accepted it fully when she was expecting Noelle.”

Sadness and anger flashed through Nozels eyes. Vanessa slid her hand again in his, feeling his grip tighten.

“I don’t know how long we kept fighting. Not long I believe, but for me it was like hours. My father kept going on all the things I apparently made him upset with. I learned a few more things, even. My magic even disappointed him.”

“What? Why? Why would he be disappointed about your magic?”

“Honestly, I have again no idea and I haven't been in the mood to ask. He basically told me that he didn’t want four children to begin with. But since I didn’t inherit his attribute, he wanted others, who would inherit it. He claims to have a strong aversion against metal attributes, but he didn’t explain why. I don’t even know if it’s true or if he came up with this just to try to humiliate me.”

“But this is not fair! Why should he be disappointed that you didn’t get his magic attribute? You have a great magic, you can use it in so many ways and skills, it’s so sophisticated! I… I can’t understand! Well… I knew that your father wasn’t a very nice person, but I didn’t expect that he…”

Vanessa had no words to properly describe how furious she was against Nozels father. She never met him and the few things she heard about this man didn’t make him really sympathetic, but this!

She already knew he was rather harsh towards Noelle, even though neither her nor Nozel would give her details. But she genuinely hasn’t thought that he would also be this harsh towards Nozel as well. What he just told her sounded familiar. Not only because it sounded pretty similar to what the other two royal heads would reproach him. But this disappointment about everything Nozel did or was, even things he couldn’t help it. The father being upset that his son wasn’t perfect, that his son didn’t meet his expectations… It sounded similar to her own situation with her own mother. Vanessa didn’t like it, at all. Even though the Witch Queen never screamed or got loud about her disappointment.

Was the Silva father even upset about Nebra and Solid as well? With what Vanessa heard, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Nebra has mist magic, which isn’t one of the stronger attributes. As for Solid, Vanessa couldn’t think of anything, but why wouldn’t the father find something as well to be upset with his other son?

She never met the man, never wants to either and if, only to put him in his place. The father of the Silva siblings sounded like an arrogant jerk.

Her angry thoughts were interrupted when two hands cupped her face. Nozel looked at her with determination.

“Vanessa, I know you’re angry, but please calm down. I don’t care what my father thinks about me. I stopped caring about it a long time ago. I was angrier about how dared to talk about you. He didn’t care that I love you, he didn’t care to understand. At the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. I basically told him that… well… no matter what he says or does, I’d rather die in celibacy than marrying a woman who isn’t you. In fact, I basically made a vow to marry you.”

Silence followed his words. A silence during which they just stared at each other. Vanessa tried to realize what he just said.

Suddenly, Nozel blushed heavily and he let go of her, hurrying to the huts window. Vanessa just turned to him, confused but also feeling another emotion she couldn’t quiet describe.

“I… well… After that, my father basically was trying some menaces, but I couldn’t take him seriously. He acted like he was the Head of House, which he isn’t. He was married to a Silva, he was never born into House Silva and he never really cared about it. I… well… I made position perfectly clear. He quit soon after, but it’s only a matter of time before his return becomes official.”

Nozel stopped. He seemed so unsure, which worried Vanessa a bit. But at the same time, he was flushed and that was always adorable.

Vanessa went to him, taking his hand. She had to comfort him about his jerk of a father. But she also needed to talk with him about that vow he mentioned. After all, she was still trying to realize his words.

“Your father might have a pretty positive reputation within royals and nobles, he might be an excellent bootlicker. But I don’t think his influence might be this strong that he could take the power to force his will upon you and your siblings.”

“I wish I could be as certain as you are. But… what if he-“

“You could fill all four kingdoms in bottles with what ifs. I’m not saying we shouldn’t care at all. But whatever your father tries to do, we’re going to face it together. We’re together in this, Nozel. Never forget that.”

Nozel just looked at her. Surprised of course, he was lightly blushing again. But there was also gratitude and love in his eyes. Gosh, he was so cute behind that cold mask.

Vanessa took his other hand and looked firmly into his eyes. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“The vow you made during the fight with your father. To… marry me. Did you really mean it?”

Nozel blushed even more, but he tried very hard to not look away from her. Vanessa wouldn’t have let him anyway. A few moments past, but they seemed like hours while she waited.

“I… I meant it.”

He only looked down after his answer. But he didn’t let go of her hands.

Relief and happiness flew through her. He really meant it. Never would Vanessa have thought how much this would mean to her until now. It was still surprising, as she already thought about it, but not that much.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What for?”

“I shouldn’t have made such a decision without your consent.”

Vanessa couldn’t help but chuckle. Why did he always feel so responsible?

“I don’t blame you. Given the circumstances. And it is cute.”

“Cute?”

“You really should learn how to take compliments. But seriously, honey, you shouldn’t be sorry. Why would you feel guilty, anyway?”

Nozel just looked at her, slightly frowning, like he didn’t understand what she was meaning.

“Well… I shouldn’t have taken such a decision all by myself, especially in overwhelming anger. It concerns you as well. Besides, our situation is… complex. Any wrong steps could be used against us and there are some risks I’m not sure I’m ready to take.”

Vanessa sighed, half amused, half annoyed. There was his strategic chess-brain again. Always thinking very forward. Sometimes it was useful, but honestly, his overthinking could exhaust him so many times it was almost hurtful to watch. Nozel promised her he would try to restrain his overthinking, but he would struggle from time to time. Old habits die hard.

“Is that really all what worries you? Honey, you promised me-“

“That’s not all! Actually… I’m also scared.”

Vanessa blinked. She didn’t expect that.

“Scared? Of what?”

“That… I would put you back in a cage. Status and duties can be like chains and I… I don’t want you to be a… prisoner. Again.”

Nozels eyes went down, his posture almost looking like defeat. But Vanessa firmed her grip on his hands. In fact, his words touched her very deep in the heart.

After they were dating for quite some time, both had been comfortable enough with the other to talk about some secret subjects of their pasts. Nozel told her about this curse he had gotten after his mother was defeated and cursed by Megicula. Vanessa, on the other hand, found herself brave enough to tell him about the cage were her mother kept her as a prisoner, in order to obtain that spell to control Fate. She remembered very well how shocked her boyfriend was, the compassion he showed, his concern…

Her story impressed him so much. Vanessa totally understood why he was afraid that he would put her in another cage if they may marry. Nozel was a much more caring man than he let himself be viewed.

Vanessa put a small kiss on his lips, which made Nozel looking back at her, slightly confused.

“Nozel, I understand that you fear this for me. But I just know that you would never put me intentionally in a cage. And even if it would happen unintentionally, I know you would do anything in your power to get me out. I love my freedom, but this also mean I’m free to choose what I want. I admit, I have yet difficulties to imagine myself as a royal princess, as a lady Silva.”

Nozel just nodded, sad and understanding, but Vanessa wasn’t finished, “But I believe it will come with time. Because on the other hand, I have no problem to imagine myself growing old with you. I chose to be with you, with all the difficulties that comes with the situation. And… I want to help you with your burden. You carried your duties and responsibilities as Head of House alone for far too long, if you ask me. I won’t let you alone anymore with this.”

She kissed him again, more deeply this time, smiling as she felt him giving in to the kiss. As they parted, she poked his cheek and said with a smirk, “Consider this a vow I just made.”

Nozel blushed again a bit and Vanessa couldn’t help but giggle. She loved seeing him all flustered.

“How did I deserve you?”

“I don’t know, honey. How did I deserve you?”

This time, the captain of the Silver Eagles let out a small chuckle. This made Vanessa happy. She loved seeing him smile and this was the first time since the start of the mission that Nozel actually smiled.

For a while, they just hold each other tightly without saying anything. The only noises came from the fire and the wind outside.

Finally, Nozel spoke again, “So, um, you… you wouldn’t mind?”

“Marry you? No, I wouldn’t mind. I still need get used to it, but more to the thought of being a royal lady, princess or whatever rather than being your wife. That is actually rather easy to imagine.”

Nozel smiled softly. But when he spoke again, his tone was serious, “It’s still a difficult situation. I don’t trust my father with whatever he’ll try to do. Not to mention other… aspects. It might take a while before we can get… married.”

And now he was blushing again. Seemed that Nozel too still needed to get used to the thought. Vanessa chuckled again. It was such a sight to see different emotions on Nozels face, once you looked beyond his cold mask. She would have loved to tell the Bulls this. But well, they wouldn’t believe her (except maybe Nero, she knows already about their relationship, after all). In that case, she would show them, once her relationship with Nozel would be out of secrecy.

The stood in silence, holding each other. After a while, Vanessa turned her head towards the window. It was still snowing, not strong, but it was already night. The rest of the Black Bulls, Silver Eagles and Blue Roses might have found shelter as well. They might have been separated into groups as well. Waiting for the falling snow to stop. The enemy has been defeated and caught, after all. Maybe it was better to just call it a night and to regroup with the others the next day.

Vanessa couldn’t help but smile. An entire night, alone with Nozel… how could she say no?

“I fear we might only regroup with the others tomorrow. It’s late and it would be foolish to go out right now.”

Nozel seemed a bit annoyed. Must be that captain side of him, that side who preferred that everything should be settled efficiently in a short period of time. Vanessa grinned. She knew just what to do to convince him that their situation wasn’t so bad after all.

She teased his upper lip with her mouth, caressing very slowly over his chest, feeling his muscles under the fabric of his clothes.

He wasn’t buff, but she knew now that despite the multiple layers of clothes and despite Yamis teased assumption, her boyfriend of a captain was actually muscular. Slender and lean, but he still has muscles. Another surprise for her when she fell for him. Buff men were supposed to be her type. But she still fell for Nozel and she with time she found that this was one of the best things that happened to her. At the end, Vanessa just decided that she had a new type and Nozel was the only one who fit it.

She knew he was blushing again, but he was still caressing slowly her hips. Vanessa looked at the bed. Well, it wasn’t as big as Nozels bed in the Silva palace. She was so used to his bed by now that she actually began to find her own, back at the Black Bull base, rather small. But it was still bigger than this one here. But still, even being not a king size bed and without silky sheets, but it still looked warm and comfy.

Vanessa noticed that one of the sheets were white. White… white like a…

An idea just plopped in her head. Oh, it was innocent and childish, but after their discussion, it seemed like a good idea. For her at least, from a general point of view, it may be stupid. But she really wanted to do it. And if it could help her boyfriend to relax a bit, even better!

Vanessa immediately took Nozels hand and dragged him to the bed, sit on it, took the white bedsheet and draped it over her head like a veil.

“Vanessa, what are you doing?”

She could see that Nozel was confused, slightly frowning. But he still sat down on the bed as well.

“Sorry if my idea seems rather childish, honey, but… okay, it is childish. But I thought, after our discussion, I know it may take a while before we could marry and since I still need to get used to this thought, so we might have a little rehearsal, kinda? Just to see how it feels.”

Nozel was still looking at her with confusion and now he was blushing. Again. Vanessa giggled. She might have broken her own record of making him blush a lot of time, this night.

“Pretty please, honey. I promise it won’t kill you. And we’re alone, no one’s witnessing a new hidden childish side of yours.”

Vanessa was now making puppy eyes. She knew Nozel couldn’t resist them. Which is why she’s only doing them on rare occasions. After all, she would have the feeling of using him if she did that trick more often.

Nozel sighed, but Vanessa could see a small smile appearing on his lips. Definetly a win, he was already starting relax a bit.

“Besides… Call me stupid, but I don’t really know how, well, weddings work. I know the basics, what it has, but details? No idea. I’ve never been to a wedding, I have no idea about the differences between noble weddings and commoner weddings, if the priest says the vows or the groom and bride.”

It was true. Vanessa never witnessed a wedding. She had never been invited to one and none of the Bulls was married or close too. Well, except Finral, but he was still engaged, there was still no date for the wedding. And for the other Bulls, marriage wasn’t in anybody’s future plans for now. It was a little frustrating, now that she thinks about it.

“First of all, you’re not stupid.”

Nozel had took her hands in his, as he looked at her. He was still flustered, but the confusion was gone. There was now determination in his eyes and tenderness. A glance which made Vanessa blushing.

“Second, noble weddings are rather complex and royal ones even more. I might teach you the details, but not yet, sadly. I don’t know all of them by heart. Most things are unnecessary complicated.”

“Like so many things within royalty, I bet.”

“You won your bet.”

Both chuckled, before Nozel continued, “At least, I can help you learn the royal wedding vows. They’re different from the classic ones for nobles and maybe even commoners. It’s the groom who speaks first, then the bride. And you have to look me in the eyes while saying the vows.”

“That looking in the eyes thing, is it also part of the procedure?”

“Normally yes. It’s to show that you mean your promise told in the vows. But since most royal weddings are arranged ones, groom and bride usually don’t look into each other’s eyes. Probably because they think if they don’t look into their spouse’s eyes, they won’t be bound by their promises.”

Nozel sighed and Vanessa did it too. Since she started dating her boyfriend of a prince, she had learned that cheating scandals were not so uncommon within royal and noble circles, with bastards as one of the consequences. Well, given that kinda the majority of those marriages weren’t coming out of love, it wasn’t really a surprise.

But that wasn’t for her. Neither for her boyfriend. She loves him, he loves her. And whenever they finally could get married, this would be their reason.

Vanessa looked up as Nozel hold her hands firmly, his gaze all on her. The determination in his eyes made her heart race.

“Faith. Hope. Love. By the three leaves of the Clover, I, Nozel Silva, take thee, Vanessa Enoteca, as my wedded wife. I will have Faith in thee, with thy life and trust thee mine. I will have Hope, helping thee to all hardships and happiness of life. I will Love thee, cherish thee in sickness and in health, be it forever.”

Those were beautiful wedding vows. Such a shame that today, they were used more for arranged marriages. Vanessa hoped now to say them without hesitation. She took a deep breath and looked into Nozels eyes.

“Faith. Hope. Love. By the three leaves of the Clover, I, Vanessa Enoteca, take thee, Nozel Silva, as my wedded husband. I will have Faith in thee, with thy life and trust thee mine. I will have Hope, helping thee to all hardships and happiness of life. I will Love thee, cherish thee in sickness and in health, be it forever.”

In the end, that wasn’t difficult at all.

Vanessa smiled at Nozel, who smiled back. He was happy, finally. Gosh, he was so beautiful when he smiled.

She couldn’t admire him for long, though he leaned towards her, kissing her deeply. Vanessa kissed him back, pulling him closer to her. Were kisses also part in arranged weddings? Surely not this passionate. She would ask Nozel later. For now, she had other plans for the night.

As they parted, Vanessa fell back on the bed, pulling Nozel towards her.

“Ready for the wedding night, husband of mine?”

He chuckled, before kissing her again. She couldn’t help but smile against is soft lips. It felt so much like Heaven.

They didn’t know when they could really get married. Or what the father of the Silva siblings would try to separate them. They didn’t know what other difficulties would lie before them, who and what would fight their relationship.

But they were together, they would face those hardships and fight those hurtful rules within royal and noble circles.

Tonight, that little wedding rehearsal might also be a vow for Nozel and Vanessa to not give up.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #My Writing ☘️♣️#Nozel Silva #Vanessa Enoteca #Nozessa #Nozel x Vanessa

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vilandel · 3 days

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The Big Black Clover Fanfic Recommendation Post

I've been talking about making that post since forever and I think I've finally finished compiling them!

So. Grab a notepad. Take out your TBR list. Get ready to bookmark or mark for later. And let's go.

I guess I should start with a few disclaimers 🫡

I haven't read every fic out there and there are notably a few fics I know I'm going to love but haven't started yet. I think I'll update the post regularly.

The fics on this post are fics I enjoyed and remember having read. considering how many things I forget on a daily basis, it means a lot.

I have my favorite characters, tropes, and themes and this will definitely show.

I'm attempting to organize the fics in categories but ofc some shippy fics also have feels or are angsty or are fluffy, same for the AUs... An attempt is made to organize them based on the vibes I remember (I’ve read some of those literal years ago).

If you're in this post and you think I've put your fic in the wrong category: don't hesitate to reach out!

For the shippy fics, I have my favorite ships but I'm a multishipper sooooo there's that.

I'm recommending oneshots, multichaptered fics, entire AUs, series and fics that are unfinished and probably never will be. Do keep that in mind if you don't like reading abandoned works (you'll be missing out but I can understand).

Let's start! It'll be a long one.

General/Feels/Character studies

💜 Threads, Solarwitchwrites

Vanessa is a stitch witch. She is the best stitch witch of her generation, possibly in an age. But she has one power she doesn’t brag about: she can see the threads of fate that bind destined souls together. It’s rarely been useful, often it’s painful; but sometimes she gets to watch something amazing unfold.

💜 A World Without You, Acacia_May

Vanessa grows concerned for Finral when he begins to act tense and distant after they return from the Forest of Witches. In her attempts to comfort him, however, she may find some comfort of her own.

💜 Teammates, Cour104

Still adjusting to her newfound freedom after escaping from her cage and the Witch Queen, Vanessa has a nightmare. Finral is there to help her through it and remind her that she's no longer alone.

💜 You're Not Alone, IAmStoryteller

For Noelle, there has always been one person in her corner. For Mimosa, there has always been one person that made her want to be better. Noelle Silva and Mimosa Vermillion are cousins, but they are also each other’s greatest support.

💜 It Used To Be So Simple (Once Upon A Time), WildFlowerWoods

A collection of short stories about the childhoods of various Black Bulls, among other things, containing my own headcanons.

💜 fated, orphaned

Some Magic Knights are bonded by something stronger than just kinship. (Charlotte x Yami, Asta x Noelle, Nozel x Vanessa)

💜 Think about it (series), thoughtfullyrainynightmare

This is a collection of short drabbles that exist to give insight to the canon characters presented in Black Clover from my personal perspective. This is about how I see them

AUs

🩷 Black Bulls Pirate AU, Firefutte

An infamous pirate crew sails across the sea's waves. Many rumours and stories exists of this crew. Always one thing they all have in common and that's the tale describing them as chaotic, lawless and crazy hooligans in dire need of mercy from the gods. In reality they're simply living as them, chaotic, lawless and crazy hooligans they may be, but this ship's crew have found a family amongst each other in a world that denied them such comfort for years. And they would have it no other way if you asked them, such is the reality of The Black Bull.

🩷 Mimosa & Noelle Ideale AU, IAmStoryteller

Seven-year-old Noelle and Mimosa run away from home while traveling with their grandparents. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Zora is trying his very best to be a Super-Wizard and takedown corrupt Magic Knights. But one day he runs into two little girls who clearly are nobility, but also who need help. This changes everything.

🩷 Black Bulls Steampunk AU, IAmStoryteller

The Black Bulls Crew is about to officially retire from being sky pirates. After years of working together and becoming a family, they agree that it’s time for one last hurrah to prove that they are the best of the best, especially after they heard about a map for the infamous treasure of Elf King.

🩷 New World, Bulls99

Following a second devastating defeat to Vanica, Noelle expects to die peacefully - painfully, but peacefully. Instead she wakes up in a world where everything seems upside down. But how much is really different?

Romance

❤️ Ubi Amor, Ibi Dolor, Supernaturalgrant

“He’s dumb as fuck.” She asserts bluntly. It surprises an honest laugh out of Nozel, which seems to amuse her slightly. “You know that, right?” “I can’t force him to be with me, Mereoleona. Even I am not that high-reaching.” He tells her honestly. Or- Fuegoleon and Nozel break up when Nozel is promoted to the Silver Eagles captain, neither of them really knows why. (Fuegoleon x Nozel)

❤️ Running Out of Time, IAmStoryteller

On the day that elves reincarnated and Zagred the Word-Devil nearly gained a physical body, something went wrong—Zora Ideale and Kirsch Vermillion wind up in a time loop. They have to relive the horrible, long day over and over again, while reluctantly working together to figure out why. (Zora x Kirsch)

❤️ The Clover Kingdom in Chaos: A Dire Tale, Mamavino

Over a month after defeating Lucius Zogratis, new troubles lie ahead. When Sol comes knocking on Yami's door in a panic because Charlotte is missing, he acts indifferent at first. But what happened after their tea-drinking date? And is it true that she has been trapped by a curse again? Yami puts every effort into finding out what happened and sets out to find Charlotte. Noelle Silva falls into a strange sleep. Rouge, Vanessa's cat, is now attached to young Silva's life. Nozel insists on having his sister in the palace. But that also means opening the doors to the Black Bulls. This will certainly provide some challenges. In addition, all the spirits are falling ill, and everyone seems to be in a total panic. Mereoleona, Asta and a small team sets out to seek out the cause and solution to all this. Is it all connected? In the library they will find help, or is it an enemy After all? (Charlotte x Yami, Nozel x Vanessa, Mereoleona x OC, Fuegoleon x OC)

❤️ Night of Vows, Vilandel

She kissed him again, more deeply this time, smiling as she felt him giving in to the kiss. As they parted, she poked his cheek and said with a smirk, “Consider this a vow I just made.” (Nozel x Vanessa)

❤️ wildest dreams (because falling's not the problem), IAmStoryteller

Yuno/Langris/Mimosa series (Yuno x Langris x Mimosa)

❤️ This Was A Mistake, JaylinnW

“You really think this will be a restful break,” the larger man grinned. “You are in for a surprise. You will not be getting much time to relax,” William opened his mouth but Yami stopped him. “I’m not talking about that, Goldie Guts.” He paused, smirking. “Well not only that. I’m talking about the fact that we brought all our idiots with us. I know my bulls- shit’s gonna hit the roof.” “It won’t be that bad I’m sure,” William moved away from his boyfriend to get up from the bed. (William x Yami, minor Nozel x Vanessa)

❤️ Masquerade, IAmStoryteller

The Masquerade Ball hadn't happened in many years in Clover, but that changes when Julius Novachrono decides that it's high time to bring back some old traditions. (Asta x Yuno, Nozel x Vanessa, Finral x Leopold, Magna x Nebra, Fragil x Luck, Zora x Kirsch, Letoile x Gordon, Gauche x Grey, Rill x Charmy)

❤️ Green, Pink, and Grayscale, juviin

Soulmates are a thing of the past, or at least, they should be. So why does the youngest child of the royal Silva family see no colors? (Asta x Noelle)

❤️ Now All My Dreams are Melting on the Asphalt in the Heat, IAmStoryteller

Vanessa Enoteca, the lead singer and guitarist of the Punk band Arresting Dark Weave, is asked by her mentor/friend/first love Yami Sukehiro, the lead guitarist of The Black Bulls, to compose songs for his and Charlotte Roselei’s wedding. Except, she has got to work with Charlotte’s friend Nozel Silva, the First Seat Cello Player of the Clover Kingdom Baroque Orchestra, who just so happens to a composer. Can Vanessa and Nozel create some amazing songs for the Yami/Charlotte wedding in time? Or will it go up in smoke? (Nozel x Vanessa)

❤️ MUSIC CONNECTS ALL, UNLESS IT'S OFF BEAT, orphaned

In Noelle's defense, it was all Kahono's fault. Noelle so happens to be listening to Kahono's rant before she gets into this entire complicated situation that had just happened, (fuck fate, by the way), and now she had dug a hole too deep to get out of. Who the hell was Tchaikovsky, what the hell was a quarter note, and why are there eighty–eight keys on a piano? To think it just started with a simple walk on the beach. (Kahono x Noelle)

❤️ Children of the Future, LightNova

When Yami and Charlotte had been summoned to see the Wizard king they had not been expecting to find out they had a 19 year old daughter from the future! Nor had they been expecting even more children from the future to appear in their world shortly after her. Just what was going on, and who was sending them here and why? (Charlotte x Yami, Finral x Vanessa, Zora x Nebra, Gauche x Grey, Fuegoleon x OC, William x OC, Julius x OC, Yuno x OC, Asta x Noelle)

❤️ I'll Be Home for Christmas, HotaruGFC (JaclynGFC)

Charlotte gets an invitation to a wedding, and she can't go alone. (Charlotte x Yami)

❤️ Oh What Am I Supposed to Do Without You?, Supernaturalgrant

“Mercury poisoning.” The silence that follows Owen's statement is deafening. The occupants of the room share looks of utter confusion. “That’s like saying Fuegoleon has third-degree burns from that cool ass fire arm situation he has going on.” Yami’s the first to break it. Or: Nozel is diagnosed with mercury poisoning and forced to give his magic up until the can find a cure. Chaos ensues. (Fuegoleon x Nozel)

❤️ Paper Hearts, KaLolasFantasyWorld

Helena Drazel is a twenty five year old Royal from Diamond Kingdom. She's a charming and cheerful woman, ready to leave the sheltered embrace of her family's estate. Her mother previously a Clover citizen and an old friend of late Acier Silva, gets her daughter an invitation to study healing magic in the Capital. Because of that friendship Helena is placed under the care of Royal House of Silva. However the siblings, especially the eldest Nozel, are not so fond of her at the beginning. (Nozel x OC)

❤️ Boys will be Embarrassing, loafingdragon, subtleassiduities

A series of stories documenting Fuegoleon and Nozel's totally-not-gay-completely-serious very-manly escapades over the years. (Fuegoleon x Nozel)

❤️ Damn Eyes, musicalinny

The first time their eyes met he doesn't notice that he actually gave a damn. (Zora x Nebra)

❤️ (Not) At first sight, BBRosenfeld

Finesse is bethrothed to the son of the Vaude family, and she doesn't really mind. However, she was not expecting how much he'd grow on her. (Finral x Finesse)

Fluffy, Funny, Fix-it

💚 Flower Crowns, Angeliccharizard

During an off day, Asta decides it's a great idea to bring a devil to a church

💚 Owen vs The Black Bulls, WildflowerWoods

Owen has seen a lot in his time as a doctor in the magic knights infirmary, even more since his promotion to head of the royal infirmary, overseeing both the magic knights and ordinary patients. he has dealt with his fair share of stubborn visitors, people hiding injuries and patients trying to escape out the window—Lord Julius himself was a common offender for the last of those—but even treating Mereoleona Vermillion's self-inflicted burns was better than the Black Bulls. There was nothing that could have prepared Owen for the Black Bulls.

💚 Why Asta (and Liebe) are Banned From the Kitchen, Bluemeanies

After Yami's katana becomes Demon Slicer and joins Asta's grimoire, Asta and Liebe start looking for other things that could be good anti-magic weapons. Liebe might be taking the concept a little too far.

💚 Early Black Bulls (series), Acacia_May

Early Black Bulls Days

💚 An Impossible Decision, MysticalShizz

Mereoleona’s head pops into view, first taking in you, then turning to observe the small girl perched on your hip. Her look of confusion slowly morphs into disbelief, then into incredulity. “Did … Darling. Did you steal the Silva’s youngest child?” Fix-It fic where Mereoleona and spouse reader adopt Noelle.

💚 Ghosts, IAmStoryteller

Julius has a bit of a secret. He can see ghosts of his dear departed friends.

💚 Doggy Days, Undefeated_Lionmess

Yami sends Vanessa, Finral, and Charmy to explore a dungeon. Only two of them come back still human. Finral supposes he’s had worse days.

💚 That One Time When Julius Was Late, wintermelon_soldier

"We're late... again," Marx said with a worried expression. "Don't worry, Marx. I'm sure everything is just f-" The Magic Emperor pushed both doors open hoping to greet the Captains only to be welcomed by a vast wasteland. The conference room where it once stood is replaced by a large, empty landmass with no trees or building in sight. "W-what in the world is happening?" Marx cried at his mentor.

💚 The Vice-Captains of the Magic Knights (series), IAmStoryteller

The Vice-Captains of the Magic Knights series

💚 Teenagers, Kaitouahiru

Yami was going to talk to Julius about the recruitable age of Magic Knights. Make no mistake, Yami did not care that fifteen year olds were being put in dangerous or life threatening situations. He didn’t care that they could be drafted to go to war if the situation called for it. He cared that almost none of these brats knew how to do basic home skills.

💚 faith bleeds through the cracks, TellNearaToWrite

Yami knew three things. First, that being a squad captain was shaping up to be a lot like fatherhood, and second, he was definitely not cut out for that shit. Third. Well. Julius had a lot to answer for, that was for sure. The least he could do was help a bit.

Angst!

🧡 Geranium, Azuvist

The flowers in Yami's lungs never really stopped growing. (Yami x William)

🧡 Black Clover: The Blood of Fate, ChanceQueen

In a dark alternate universe of the clover kingdom, there is one question that no one ever wanted to ask, let alone know the answer to. A question that wraps its claws around you, ripping scars that cannot be seen and will never heal. What if Vanessa had never manifested the red thread of fate?

🧡 Megicula's Curse by MaryJoeycoco

After everything, the Black Bulls thought they were safe. They thought Noelle took care of the devil Megicula. They soon realize how wrong they were. Now it's up to Asta to save her but he soon realizes how his feelings change about Noelle through the nightmare land. (Asta x Noelle)

The Silva Fics™

Yes, they get their own category. It's the birb siblings. They deserve it.

💙 Artifice, subtleassiduities

When a retrieval mission traps Nozel with a dangerous and powerful artifact, Nebra and Solid struggle to find help before time runs out for him. But their attempts are thwarted by a widespread, rapidly progressing phenomenon: Everybody in the Clover Kingdom is forgetting about Nozel Silva. Their only choice is to depend on one another-- and Noelle, the only other person who can hold onto a memory of their dear brother. Their rescue mission forces them to face their own memories, twisted against them in ways they may not be able to overcome.

💙 Casa Silva, Mouxe (SPANISH)

Conjunto de historias que comenzo para mostrar la relacion de Acier Silva con sus hijos durante la infancia pero termino convirtiendose en relatos de la relacion de los hermanos silva.

💙 Lay Beside Me, Under Wicked Sky, Avacelt

Noelle leaves, and the chips fall where they do. [Silva family!fic, post-canon]

💙 The Boy Who Played with Water, BeamMeUpCas

Nozel only becomes aware of the extreme lengths his siblings were going to torment their youngest when Nebra, of all people, appears sweaty and disheveled in his office, stuttering and stammering about how Solid has Noelle trapped in a water bubble in the rose garden and she isn't moving Or: Solid nearly drowns Noelle. Nozel flips his shit and becomes the halfway decent big brother he was meant to be.

💙 My Father Told Me (series), succulentsunrise

My Father Told Me is a series, which attempts to understand the effects that the Silva parents must have had on their children, and how the age gaps and personalities between the children themselves affected their relationships.

💙 Make an Effort, IAmStoryteller

Solid isn’t very nice or kind or gentle. He knows this, but when he is hit with the realization that Nozel and Nebra might not know that he loves them, he sets out to show his love and appreciation for his two older siblings. And maybe, extend an olive brand or two…

💙 What Yami Saw by BeamMeUpCas

Nozel needs a favor. Yami will maybe not hold it over his head for all eternity but he'll take great delight in letting Nozel think he will.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #So happy to see my oneshot Night of Vows in there! Thank you dear Oighear <3 #I might post it one Tumblr one day

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vilandel · 4 days

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Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 7 – Advices from Rivals

A/N Nothing much, just Yami and Nozel getting advice from their respective rivals... because they NEED that right now when it comes to Charlotte and Vanessa 💜💙 @thoughtfullyrainynightmare Fuegoleon giving romantic advice, would that be something to cheer you up a bit?

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Yami didn’t like captains meeting. It would have been better if those weren’t weekly, but monthly. Or once a year. Or never at all to begin with.

Geez, if he had known that being a captain came with responsibility, lots of fricking paperwork and boring meetings, to just name a few examples, maybe he would never have accepted to become a captain in the first place.

But at the same time, it gave him the opportunity to have some fricking authority, he had been able to give a home to all the knights that were his brats and he had a fixed job, to just name a few examples. So maybe, he took the right choice to shut up and endure all the negative sides of being a captain.

Which didn’t change the fact that weekly captains meeting were a fucking pain. All that wasted time during which he couldn’t gamble, drink a good beer or most importantly, taking a well-deserved dump.

Or investigate the whereabouts of Prickly Queens lost and mysterious half-sibling. That was actually somehow more important for him than taking a dump.

Yami took a side-glance at Charlotte, sitting next to him, like always. Ever since they started their research on the lost sibling, they became undoubtedly closer. She was still hurting his delicate little heart with her harsh words, but she never did run away from him again while screaming her lungs out, which was definitely a progress.

But he still didn’t understand her Ki. Interacting more with her somehow didn’t made it easier to read Charlotte, but even more complicated. It didn’t make any sense to Yami. Then again, nothing ever seemed to make sense when Prickly Queen was involved.

Yami didn’t like that uncertainty between them. He never realized it before, but since two weeks, he couldn’t help but wonder what was between them.

Friendship? Something else? All possible options somehow didn’t make any sense to him and in this cause, Yami highly doubted that the impossible options would make sense at all.

All he knew was that he wanted to help Prickly Queen to find her lost sibling. He really wanted to help her. She was one of the best people he knew and one of the most kind-hearted as well. Always putting everyone and everything before herself, it was just fair that she did something for herself for once. And he wanted to help to achieve that.

Okay, Charlotte had no idea what she would do once she find that mysterious half-sibling and the mom, she was still hurting her head to decide how she would act at that meeting. But they weren’t there yet and honestly, Yami didn’t think that it was that important to think about how she should act. He knew Prickly Queen will find out instinctively once she’s there, she didn’t need to plan a whole speech or fifty steps ahead or something.

All Yami hoped was that the half-sibling won’t accuse Charlotte in any way. After all, it wasn’t her fault her father had an affair and was dumb enough to carelessly conceiving a bastard. She shouldn’t pay for something her jerk of a father did.

Charlotte was the most honourable person he knew, besides Asta and old Julius.

Mushroom Head was still listing points to discuss, old Julius was giving more details on said points. At least, as much as he could. Marx always had to clarify something when Julius forgot a point… which was quite often.

Yami sighed quietly. He never said much during those meetings, only if it was necessary. And now, after the whole shitty mess in Spade, when it was finally a period of peace, he thankfully not much to say again. At least, it was one way to make the meeting end sooner.

If only the other captains would also say nothing until the end, it would be over in five or ten minutes.

“The thievery within the Common Realm are still mysterious, it seems,” Julius said thoughtfully. “Anything new since your last investigations?”

“Unlike with what we first thought, it has to be organized. The thieves were merely tools to some kind of bigger scheme, it seems. Undercover missions would be more adequate for this kind of crimes,” Fuegoleon reported. Honestly, if there was someone who would talk for all the captains, then it would be Hard Nose.

Undercover, huh? Yami doubted if most of his brats were considered perfect for those kind of missions. Except Nacht, but he was still basically never at the Hideout and he preferred still to accept the missions directly from the Wizard King than from his own captain. Yami wondered if he should feel kinda insulted by this behaviour from time to time.

Oh, and Zora could also be pretty good for undercover missions. Or Gordon, he was calm enough to not be seen. Maybe Vanessa, she could mend in a crowd, but she might be just last resort. The rest? Yami wouldn’t believe they could be good at undercover missions, unless they prove him wrong.

“Good idea, Fuegoleon. The best would also be probably to do undercover groups, with knights from different squad. This way, we beat two birds with one stone, catching the mastermind behind the thievery and reinforcing the teamwork between the squads.”

Yami hold back a groan. Not that he didn’t agree that teamwork was good between the squads, but those kind of crap means a lot more of paperwork to do and unlike with his brats, he couldn’t delegate all of it to the other captains. Fuegoleon already scolded him for trying to delegate everything to Finral, much to his wheels relief. Nozel just did his own part and told him that it was his own fault for not doing his. Kaiser at least had been kind enough to suggest to do paperwork together and he helped him even with it.

Yeah, only one positive experience out of three, Yami wasn’t eager to do more teamwork with the other squads.

Although… if the Black Bulls could be on a common mission with the Blue Roses, he wouldn’t mind it. Especially if it meant to spent more time with Prickly Queen.

Yami stopped focusing for a second. Was he really eager to spent more time with that prickly majesty? And why was the answer yes without hesitation?

Charlotte was messing with his mind again, without even knowing it.

And his heart, because that damn organ really started to acted weirdly the more time he spent with Prickly Queen.

He was clearly missing something, but no scenario he imagined made any sense.

“Good, I’ll contact you in due time. Marx, is there anything else to discuss.”

“No.”

“Good, then you’re all dismissed. Have a nice rest of the afternoon. As for me, I’ll-“

“You’ll come with me, sir. You still have the paperwork of last month to finish.”

Mushroom Head just took old Julius’ wrist before he was even able to sneak away. Poor Mushroom Head, honestly. Maybe he deserved a break. And a raise. And some vacation.

Before he could leave his seat, Charlotte put a hand on his arm. “I’ll go back to the Roselei mansion today. Maybe I’ll find out finally who served my father all those years ago.”

“Yeah, you nobles surely have a lot of servants. But must be quite useful to have them around. Maybe I’ll recruit some for my squad.”

“If you’ll find servants with enough strong will to endure the Black Bulls. I’ll call you if I find something.”

“’kay. See you until then, Prickly Queen.”

Charlotte nodded, but didn’t move. Just looking at him intensely, but not with harshness.

Like always, Yami was taken aback. Every time they were now close to part ways, Charlotte was just glancing at him with a lot of intensity, to a point that Yami couldn’t help but look back just as strong.

Those fucking glances were also messing with his mind and his heart, because he couldn’t think clearly anymore. He just saw those bright blue eyes, her blonde hair changing shades depending on the light, her delicate frame, those long eyelashes and the perfectly full lips…

Charlotte was such a beauty…

“Goodbye, Yami.”

With that, Charlotte broke the staring before Yami was even able to finally understand it and left him there.

Yami groaned. He hated how Prickly Queen always started to stare at him, only to break the eye contact without any explanation. Even his brats’ daily mess wasn’t as frustrating as this.

And why was he so upset about it?

Well, that was like always just future Yamis problem.

Charlotte left pretty quickly, all the other captains were still starting to leave slowly. Rill and Kaiser talked about their plans for the evening, Jack laughed loudly about slicing something, Dorothy sleepwalked and the two royals were apparently talking.

Nozels Ki showed his annoyance and another thing that became more and more presence each passing week.

Yami didn’t cared that much about Braids, but that guy’s Ki really started to act weirdly. To a point that Yami couldn’t help but notice. It had softly started after the return from Spade, but that strange new thing of the Ki just intensified those last two weeks.

Somehow, Yami only saw one explanation. Braids was probably in love or at least in the process of falling in love. Which was utterly unbelievable coming from Nozel Silva, the cold royal captain of the Silver Eagles. But the point was, the Ki never lied.

Of course Yami would know if someone was in love just by reading Ki. He wasn’t stupid like Asta, he was able to recognize love when he Ki-read it.

Yami had no idea if she should find this hilarious or annoying. Well, it depended on who Braids fell for. And also if Yami should pity that person or not. Hopefully for Braids, he would be love in return, because he didn’t seem like someone able to handle a heartbreak, despite all that cool attitude. And even though Yami loved to tease Nozel, a heartbreak was never fun to watch.

But if that person might love Braids back, he or her should really question their taste. Which sane person would love braids or wearing them?

Except Charlotte of course, she was the only one capable to wear braids.

“Yami?”

“Oh, hey there, Goldie Guts.”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.”

There was silence at first, as they left the Magic Knight Headquarters. Whatever William wanted to talk about, it was surely not easy.

Yami had compassion for his fellow captain and rival. As if the whole kidnapping and almost sacrifice wasn’t enough, Goldie Guts lost half of his knights and knowing him, he would continue to grieve that loss for very long. Not to mention all the guilt he was still feeling because of that whole mess with the elves.

No idea how he would react if he would lose half of his brats. Yami only knew that it would be pretty ugly and maybe never ending, which was why he hoped and worked that it would never happen.

The Golden Dawn had been badly broken, but was still standing strong after a bit over three months. Yami respected and admired that. For the squad and for Goldie Guts. Not everyone would have been able to stood up again after such a painful fall. But William and his golden knights got up again, maybe they even got stronger despite their loss and their grief.

“How ya doing, Goldie Guts?”

“It’s finally going uphill. Slowly still, but uphill. How about you?”

“Tch, it’s fine in a Black Bull way, so I don’t know if I should be reassured or not. If my damn vice-captain would show up more, it would be better, but we’re fine.”

“Nacht is very unique in his ways, I’ll admit.”

“A very unique pain in the butt, yep.”

William chuckled. He must really be doing better, it had been long the last time he laughed.

“Okay, Goldie, I bet you aren’t just small talking with me, so what’s the point of this fuss.”

“You’re spending a lot of time with Charlotte, lately.”

Yami couldn’t help but flinch. He thought they were discreet, so how was Goldie Guts aware of it? And why was it bothering him so much that William knew?

“What, are you jealous or something?” Yami laughed, trying to hide that uneasy feeling behind a cool act.

“No,” William just replied and given his Ki, he really wasn’t jealous. Not to mention that he never get provoked by Yamis teasing ever, he just saw right through it.

“So, why is it concerning you?”

“Because you are both dear to me and I don’t want it to end badly.”

Huh, what did Goldie Guts mean with that?

Yami just looked at his fellow captain blankly and William was now deeply sighing. Did he missed a clue or what?

“What I mean, don’t give her false hopes concerning the both of you.”

“False hopes? Trust me, I don’t give her any of that, I’m just helping her with something personal.”

“That’s not what I meant. It is more than nice of you to help her and it’s surely beneficial for the both of you. But while you’re helping her, don’t make her think that there could be more if it’s not the case.”

Okay, Yami was definitely missing a clue, because he had no idea what William was trying to tell him. What was with those riddles about false hopes and about something more that wasn’t even there?

And what had this to do with Charlotte?

He must have a confused look plastered on his face, because William started to look a bit done. And he usually takes a lot for a patient person like Goldie Guts to be done.

“Alright, Yami, let’s try this differently. What do you feel for Charlotte?”

“Well, she’s a strong and independent woman. Too much if you ask me, she’s obviously the only one I need to tell to step back and rely on others from time to time. But she’s one of the best Magic Knights I know, no need for me to beat around the bush. I think we’re finally starting to get along better and be friends.”

Yami didn’t think that he forgot to say something. But still, somehow something was missing? But what the hell would he forgot to say about what he felt about Charlotte?

“And… have you ever been in love, Yami?”

That question took Yami aback. Had he ever been in love? Actually… not really? He never had a childhood crush back in the Land of the Sun and later, when he was in Clover for some time, well, he had some flings, not much but mostly because he felt lonely and was a bit in need for affection. But it always had been empty. Later, with old Julius, Nacht and Morgen, William and the Grey Deers, later the Black Bulls… Loneliness was never a thing again, thankfully.

But love? He never had been in love, heck he never had ever some dating experience. He never needed to date someone, so it was never a problem. Besides, Finral own experiences made Yami believe that it was a dumb thing altogether.

And yet, when Charlotte was involved, it didn’t match with what he believed anymore.

Weird…

“No, I never was. But honestly, I never met someone to fell head over heels with, so I never got the occasion.”

William looked at him with suspicions and to be fair, Yami wasn’t satisfied with his answer too. Why, though? He said nothing that was wrong. At least, he thought so.

“Are you able to tell if someone is in love with you?”

“Geez, Goldie Guts, you’re usually not questioning my Ki reading. Of course I can tell when someone is head over heels for another. In fact, I can tell you that Braids-“

“That’s not what I meant, Yami. I’m not questioning your Ki reading in general. But when it comes to you… can you tell if someone loves you romantically?”

Yami would love to answer that of course he was able to do that. But somehow, he couldn’t. Somehow, it would feel like a lie.

Somehow, he knew that he couldn’t tell.

But still, there was no way he would admit that.

“Well, you know, no one ever fell in love with me, so I can’t tell.”

William gave him a glare, clearly indicating that he didn’t believed him. Well, of course he didn’t. Yami could facepalm about his own stupidity. That was the dumbest answer he could give. He just bragged how was able to tell if someone was in love not even a minute ago and by that logic, he actually should be able to tell if someone was in love with him.

William sighed, before he actually walked, saying, “You’re not stupid, Yami, so I believe you will realize it one day. Just… don’t take too long or Charlotte might slip through your fingers. Maybe you should start trying to look outside the box.”

With that, the captain of the Golden Dawn disappeared.

Yami just stood still, confused. Honestly, he didn’t understand what Goldie Guts wanted to tell him.

And what has this questions about Yamis love life anything to do with Charlotte?

“That’s future Yamis problem,” Yami said automatically, but more to himself and for the first time, it felt actually wrong to go that way.

He was definitely missing something. Maybe it was true what some people told him, that despite his Ki reading, he was somehow a bit dense.

Something really changed since the return from Spade and honestly, maybe it has already been there for a long time.

And Charlotte was involved one way or another, whether she knew or not. Whether she liked it or not.

Whether Yami liked it or not.

“What did I get myself into, this time?”

♣♣♣

Fuegoleon was not the worst Vermillion to be around. But that doesn’t mean that he could be a pain for Nozel. He was his rival and honestly, a healthy rivalry was always welcome. But still, Fuegoleon could also be annoying and too joyful and unhelpful by Nozels books.

But it would have been unpolite to refuse his invitation for a short walk for the captains meeting and Fuegoleon sadly knew him enough to recognize when Nozel was searching for an excuse to avoid any interaction. It worked on nobles, but never on Fuegoleon.

It also never worked on Vanessa, but Nozel had to admit that never really searched for excuses to avoid her company.

Which never happened to him before…

Oh, how much Nozel would prefer to be with Vanessa right now than with Fuegoleon. A bittersweet feeling.

Bitter, because Nozel couldn’t forget that he didn’t deserve that kindness, that care, that friendship maybe. If Vanessa hadn’t pushed him in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have gave in.

But at the same time, it was sweet as well, because for the first time since the death of his mother, Nozel actually took time for himself, to live a bit more for himself. He had to admit that it was nice, to forget about his duties, his worries and his guilt, to live in the present instead of being burdened by his heavy past and the uncertain future.

Vanessa did little wonders on him, he didn’t understand why and she certainly haven’t realized it either. He didn’t felt so cold anymore in his soul and even though Nozel didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing, he didn’t regretted it as much as he was supposed to.

It was like he had been imprisoned in some long winter since he lost his mother and Vanessa was a rose that bloomed in this winter. Always bright and colourful. Everything he wasn’t and yet, she enjoyed being in his certainly boring company.

Nozel hoped that Vanessa felt better than a few days ago. She was always so strong and joyful and positive. And yet, for the first time since he knew her, Nozel had seen Vanessa with tears in her eyes, hurt and upset. She who always laughed, who was so carefree.

She hadn’t told him what did hurt her and even though Nozel would have liked to know, he didn’t pushed her. Nozel knew from experience that some things were sometimes too difficult to talk about or that it was probably better to keep silence about some difficult topics. But still, seeing Vanessa had made him worry about her. She hadn’t been that upset and sad when she talked about that person she thought she was in love with.

Vanessa always had been so full of joy, it had been so unusual to see her sad. Was her joyful attitude sometimes also a mask, just like his? To hide some sadness? He had seen it already, when they were for the first time together in that café, when she talked about the Witch Queen. There was a sadness behind her joy and he saw that same crack in her mask only a few days ago.

She told him that she was feeling better and to be fair, she looked like she wasn’t upset anymore. But once Nozel saw that crack and the sadness behind, he couldn’t unsee it. It was impossible.

He wanted to help her, to comfort her. To know more about her. But he also didn’t want to hurt her. He did hurt many people he cared about for years, like his siblings and especially Noelle. Nozel refused to do the same to Vanessa. It wasn’t planned and he still didn’t understand if their bond was based of friendship or not, but he came to care for her.

Of course he wanted to be there for Vanessa.

He just didn’t know how.

“Are you still here with me, Nozel?”

Nozel groaned as he saw that small smug smile on the Vermillion’s face. As if he knew some kind of secret and felt superior because of it.

Nozel always hated smugness of any kind.

At least, he could be certain that Fuegoleon didn’t meant any harm. Unlike nobles who felt superior of him because Nozel made mistakes they intend to use for their own gain.

Like his father did…

Nozel immediately chased those memories away. He refused to think about Lac Silva ever again.

“What do you want from me, Vermillion?”

“Oh, just talk.”

Nozel gave him a side glance, not believing him at once. Fuegoleon has something in mind and Nozel wouldn’t have any of it. Oh, knowing his rival, it was surely not harmful, the captain of the Crimson Lions stood above petty pranks. But that doesn’t mean that Nozel would appreciate it.

Fuegoleon walked in silence for a bit through the streets of the capital, before he actually started talking, “You might have realized that I’m courting lady Lital Lys.”

“At least, I came to observe that you only danced with her at the royal wedding.”

Nozel hold back to roll his eyes. Everyone at the wedding saw that, only stupid people wouldn’t come to the most logical conclusion. Nozel wasn’t an expert like Nebra on the common etiquette coming to dances and other details concerning nobles languages on balls, but he knew enough that a third dance with the same person meant clear intention to court and to consider a potential wedding.

Only that Fuegoleon didn’t just dance three dance with lady Lital, he danced only with her. Which would be considered rather bold, even for Fuegoleon.

Nozel didn’t knew much about Lital Lys. She was a calm person, a knight of the Crimson Lions, who became a knight rather late, as she was already eighteen, but still climbed ranks pretty quickly and deserved it, as she took her job seriously and efficiently. Lady Lital didn’t stand out much, letting her actions more do the talking. The only one in her house who inherited the star magic of the hero of house Lys. There were rumours about her being a bastard, who was legitimate just like William. Which didn’t change the fact that she was one of the rare nice Lys out there.

According to Nebra, she also was one of the best singers within nobility and probably the Clover kingdom, her mother loved her truly – a rarity within nobility – and Fuegoleon always had her in high esteem.

Maybe Fuegoleon considered her the perfect match for him. Oh, his grandfather and Head of House might disagree, because of the bastard rumours surrounding Lital Lys.

But if anyone can make Achilles Vermillion yield, it was his favourite grandson.

“The truth is,” Fuegoleon continued, his eyes brightening suddenly, “Lital and I… we were dating for almost ten years.”

This took Nozel aback. Dating? For almost ten years? But… this would mean…

“You love her.”

Of course it wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I do. I know everyone says that Royals don’t love, probably to make arranged marriages more easier to conclude. But it’s not true. We royals do love. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with Lital. Oh, I’m aware that given Litals roots, a lot of people wouldn’t appreciate that I choose her instead of some more eligible ladies, especially if it’s out of love. But marriages shouldn’t be decided out of politics and Lital means the world to me. I have no intention to not fight for her.”

If he was loyal to one person for almost a decade and was truly in love, then there was no doubt that Fuegoleon would be ready to go against the royal marital status quo for Lital. Well, the captain of the Crimson Lions wasn’t hiding that he would make changes, better changes that would go against the pride of most nobles.

But Fuegoleon also never bragged about his ambitions to make the kingdom better, he let his actions talk, his trust and his loyalty. But marrying out of love, that could be considered very bold, even for him. But knowing Fuegoleon, he would do it anyway.

Nozel had to admit that he admired and envied Fuegoleon at the same time. Going against the status quo was always a bold move, for better or for worst. But at the same time, Fuegoleon wasn’t Head of House – it would be better for the Vermillions if Achilles would let his grandson succeed him already – and by that, he had more freedom to choose who he wants the spend the rest of his life with.

Everyone thought that being Head of House means that you have more freedom. And it was true for those who rather thought about themselves instead of their families. Like the king or Achilles Vermillion. But the truth was, when you put your house before yourself and really do the job of head, then you were the less free.

Nozel knew that by experience. He saw it with his mother and of course, he followed her example when he took over the Silvas. He didn’t have the privilege to marry out of love, he had to marry for political reasons so that his siblings could have that freedom. As much as the reputation of house Silva was important, never would Nozel sacrifice his siblings for it. He hurt them enough already, especially Noelle, and he won’t do it again.

That marital burden was even heavier for him than anyone else. There was only four Silvas left, any other branch died out one way or another. Nozel couldn’t let what his mother left behind die completely.

And yet, since the return from Spade, he was more and more disgusted by this perspective. He probably ignored it for long, but somehow, it always disgusted him.

Probably a reason why he still wasn’t married yet.

Fuegoleon was lucky to be in love for so long. Nozels own love life was quasi inexistent. There were a few dates with noble ladies, organized by his father and other nobles. But it never worked out, so everyone gave up to find him a betrothed that way. And for a short period of time, when he felt lonely and starving for affection, he had what commoners called flings. Not a period of his life he was proud of, even though he didn’t last long. It had been soulless, another proof that he didn’t deserve kindness and affection after all of his mistakes.

That had been years ago and he never date anyone since then.

Maybe he was missing something, but he didn’t deserved it anyways, so why even hurt himself with it?

“So, I might know why you feel better since more two weeks,” Fuegoleon continued, interrupting his thoughts.

“What do you mean with that?”

“Nozel, I know since we were children. I saw how much you give of yourself to make the Silver Eagles work and your house, despite the stones my grandfather puts in your way. I admire your inner strength, not everyone would have been capable to hold all of this together for so long. But you were strong alone for way too long, if you ask me. You put everything else above yourself and I fear that it would hurt you one day. I’m not the only one who’s worried about you. Your vice-captain is, your siblings, aunt Océane, Dorothy and Julius too. As admirable your devotion and loyalty is, you should also think about yourself from time to time.”

Nozel wanted to protest, but Fuegoleon didn’t let him speak, “I observed you since two weeks and what your vice-captain told me just confirmed what I suspected. You’re finally taking time for yourself, to relax. It really does you good. You should keep it up and hold on to it.”

What did his rival meant with that? He couldn’t possibly know that Nozel met with the Black Bulls witch, could he? Nozel didn’t heard about any rumours and he doubted there was even any, otherwise Nebra would have made indirect smug and disgusted suggestions or something like that.

No, Fuegoleon couldn’t possibly know. But instead of reassuring him, Nozel found it somehow hard to believe it.

“And what do you think I should hold onto?”

“Oh, I have no proof, of course. From my romance experience, I firmly believe that you’re in love, Nozel.”

Love? LOVE?

Nozel froze.

No, that was impossible. He wasn’t in love, he was probably even totally unable to love anyone in a romantic way. At least, he thought so, there was no proof of him being able to love romantically. But there was also no proof of the opposite, actually… Which didn’t matter.

He couldn’t be in love with the Black Bull witch! Sure, Vanessa was beyond beautiful and kind and full of joy, in fact she was an amazing person altogether. There wasn’t enough words to describe how wonderful she was. But he wasn’t in love, they were just…

What were they exactly?

Acquaintances? No, that sounded too dry.

Colleagues? They were both Magic Knights and that was it. They didn’t even had the same ranks, he was a captain and she was still on junior level, even though Nozel was convinced that she deserved a much higher rank. Besides, they don’t only talked about work when they met.

Friends? He couldn’t help but feel that friendship didn’t described enough what she was for him, but it was the closest description that could fit.

But it couldn’t be love, right?

Why wasn’t he convinced by his own statement, then?

“I might be wrong, of course. I’ve never known any other beloved than Lital,” Fuegoleon continued, without any smug. “But after almost ten years, I think that I’m maybe able to tell if someone is in love or not. And think you are.”

“This is very bold of you to assume,” Nozel replied calmly. Inside of him might be a raging storm, but he refused to show any of it. Not only because of his pride, but also because he felt kinda lost.

Fuegoleon just shrugged, before stopping in front of a florist. Nozel observed how his rival seemed to hesitate a bit, before choosing a bouquet of white roses and orchids.

White roses and orchids.

Although flower language was a typical Silva education, Fuegoleon had to know a bit about the meanings of flowers. Unlike red roses, which stood for passion and overwhelming love, white roses were more about trust, innocence and deep, sincere love who lasted and will last. As for orchids, they stood for admiration and for rare, delicate beauty.

There was no denying it, Fuegoleon was more than just serious about Lital Lys. Come to think of it, it was a success that both were able to keep their relationship a secret for so long.

Nozel had no idea what to think. If, and only IF he was maybe in love with Vanessa, they hadn’t known each other for long, unlike Fuegoleon and Lital. It couldn’t be possible to fell in love so quickly, that only happens in novels.

But again, Nozel didn’t have any experience with romantic love, so of course he couldn’t tell. And were romance novels really a reference for arguments?

Fuegoleon paid for the bouquet, before turning back to Nozel. “Again, I don’t know if it’s true. It’s just that I’ve known you since we’re children and that I’m dating Lital for a very long time that I think you’re in love. If you’re not, that’s fine too, because whatever made you finally happy since the wedding, you really should hold on to it. And if it’s indeed love, hold on to this person, show them that you care. Nozel, after everything you’ve been through, you deserve your own happiness as well.”

With that, Fuegoleon turned around, waving and walking away. Leaving Nozel in the middle of a street of the royal capital.

My own happiness?

Everything Fuegoleon said somehow made sense and at the same, didn’t made sense at all.

Nozel knew he wasn’t in love. At least, he thought he knew and the more he thought about it, the more unsure he felt. It wasn’t like he thought a lot about Vanessa, her face popping here and there in his mind for no reason. Not to mention that Vanessa was surely not in love with him. Sure, she was nice and kind to him, even playfully flirty, but with everything that happened with Noelle and their too much different circles certainly didn’t made him a potential lover in her eyes.

Somehow, that thought hurt.

Nozel groaned unroyally. He was unsure and lost yes, but he definitely couldn’t come to a conclusion in the middle of a street of the royal capital, while people around him just dealt with their daily lives. Once he was back home, in his room, where everything was calm, he would be able to think about it logically and efficiently.

But still… Fuegoleon also said that he should show her that he cared. And Nozel came to care about Vanessa. This, he could get behind. Whatever was between them, he truly cared about her. She was always there for him, listening, chatting a lot and basically pushing him out of his so-called comfort zone to get some time to relax. And he was maybe grateful she spend time with him.

Maybe he should get Vanessa something. But what? He couldn’t just send her flowers, that would be too vague, they weren’t a couple and she deserved something more personal than flowers, even if they came from the Silva flower garden. And something he could send, he was too proud still to show up with a present like that at the Black Bulls basement. Even more so, what would the Black Bulls think if he showed up like that? Even worse, Noelle? And let’s not talk about Yami.

That was settled, but Nozel still had no idea what to get her. What did she told him about what she liked and her hobbies again? Wine? No, she was already drinking a lot and given Noelles concern, Nozel refused to make her drink even more.

But what would make Vanessa happy, then?

Suddenly, his eyes settled on a particular shop on the street. And he finally got at least some idea what to get Vanessa.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #Silver Cats & Black Roses #My Writing ☘️♣️#Yamichar #Nozessa #Yami x Charlotte #Nozel x Vanessa #Yami Sukehiro #Nozel Silva #William Vangeance #Fuegoleon Vermillion #When even William is done with how dense Yami can be...

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