I love you, Eliza.
Gilbert groaned and put his book down, feeling bored from the lack of ruckus he wanted to do. He stretched and cracked his bones, and felt a lot better now that he had moved. A tray of food was placed on his table and it was already cold. Lunch must've passed a few hours ago. He got up from his seat and dig in, while still reading his book. No matter what, he'll finish reading it today and start the next one right after.
As he came across a line that reads "love is warfare", his mind immediately travelled to Elizabeth. It has been a while since he saw her. Her voice was now only inaudible whispers in his mind. The food that he was eating now felt like sand. Trying to distract himself from the thought of Elizabeth now fighting against his enemy, Roderich, all by herself, was proved futile. And that was the first time Gilbert had decided to call it a day in the afternoon.
~~
After sending a letter to Elizabeth through his bird, Gilbert dressed for the occasion. As usual, he donned his flashy military outfit and put on his best smile.
"Eliza will drop dead to see how handsome I look in this uniform."
With a happy look on his face, he left Königsberg for Pressburg. He's going to meet Elizabeth no matter what. He appointed a guard to go with him, and he aided Gilbert in his adventure.
As they arrived at their border, Gilbert stayed hidden in his cloak and spoke nothing, as per the guard's wishes. He let him handled all their procedures, and with little struggle, they safely arrived in the Kingdom of Hungary. They made their way to a nearby park and took shelter under a tree. The park was where he said he wanted to meet her, and frankly, he wasn't sure if she would agree to it. But he was already there, so he might as well wait for her. Hours passed and he finally fell asleep, feeling tired from his trip.
When he woke up, he smelled something sweet and flowery, a nostalgic scent. Imagine his surprise when he saw Elizabeth was cradling him in her arms. As soon he was about to move, Elizabeth held him tighter and spoke with a soft, low voice:
"Stay like this, please."
Gilbert did as he was told, and let her have her way. It felt weird to see Elizabeth so gentle and loving, but it was everything that he ever wished for. He sat there, twirling her hair on his finger. He wished time would stop, and preserve this moment forever.
"I love you, Eliza."
He could feel Elizabeth froze a bit and felt her lips pressed onto his forehead. The lack of verbal response burnt his body with shame, and he unwillingly flushed a deep red. He closed his eyes, trying to distract himself from the shame he felt until Elizabeth's next words made him dropped his guard.
"I love you too, Gilbert. I always have."
~~
The heat is becoming unbearable and Gilbert immediately woke up from his sleep. His collar was drenched and he was panting. Reality bitch slapped him hard. Very. He brought his knees to his face and sobbed quietly, for the yearning he wished was only a dream.