Zelgadis stepped softly into the garden of the Seyruun City Royal Palace, not knowing quite what to expect. After he the conclusion of his last adventure with Lina and Gourry, Amelia had kindly decided to let him stay with her in the Royal Palace, where he could hopefully start planning what to do next in his quest to find a cure for the curse that had been placed on him. Whatever that next step was, he had a creeping suspicion that it would involve Lina, as that young sorceress always seemed to be at the center of everything, but for now, he had no idea how to proceed. He'd been staying at the castle for nearly a week now, and all the people were very kind to him, each trying to help him to the best of their ability, but still he was no further.

A welcome distraction from his current predicament came when he received a note from Amelia earlier, telling him to meet her at the garden. While it might not be out of the question for two people who had been on so many adventures together to want to talk in private, this was the first time that she'd ever done anything like this before. Truth be told, he actually loved Amelia as more than just a teammate and, while he might be very good at hiding it, his heart would always beat just a little bit faster when he was close to her. She may have been sappy and over the top (a trait she shared with the kingdom she called home), but she was also kind and supportive, something that he couldn't help but be attracted to.

When he entered deeper into the garden he saw her leaning against a large tree starring at a small peaceful pond, and his heart began to speed up again. As he continued to move forward, she turned around and immediately caught sight of him, shooting him a warm smile as he moved to meet her.

"So, you wanted to see me?" he asked, upon reaching where she was.

"Ye-yes," Amelia responded nervously. "Well, you see, there's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Well it's just that I... well I... I love you!" she said, leaving Zelgadis speechless. "I-if you don't feel the same way, then I'm sorry I wasted your time and I hope we can still be friends."

"No, I... I love you too Amelia, it's just, I never thought you'd feel the same way, what with this monstrous face of mine."

"Zel, I don't care how you look, all I care about is you!" she said, launching forward to meet him in a tight embrace.

"Amelia..." he said as the two starred into each others eyes before the two of them leaned forward and locked into a kiss. They stayed intertwined for as long as they could before they inevitably had to break for air. "So I guess that means you really do mean it," he stated playfully.

"Of course I do, I have for as long as I've known you! You know, you really can be dense sometimes," she replied.

"Hm, I guess you're right," he responded, choosing not to spoil the moment by pointing out her own density. "So, what to we do next?"

"Well, there's a feast starting soon in the main hall, and I'd love it if you'd come along as my special guest."

Zelgadis chuckled slightly before continuing, "It'd be a pleasure, my lady."

With that the two went off to the main hall, hands interlocked. He might be stuck on what to do next, but with Amelia by his side, he felt as though nothing in the world could stop him. When they inevitably crossed paths with Lina and Gourry again, those two were in for quite the surprise.