Chapter 332 - Her Name From Now On

"Ara, show father his room," Homura Ryuu told his wife.

Ara didn't understand his purpose at the beginning, and so she inclined her head.

"Why order the Princess? I will take my brother to his room," Kazehaya Gin quickly quipped as he stood up, but Ivan also did at the same time and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"No, grandpa. It's your wedding tomorrow. You should go to sleep early and let Ali bring her father to his room." Ivan then placed his arm around Gin's shoulder and placed a little pressure on it to drag him out of the room. "Come, this dutiful grandson will make sure you go to sleep and get a beauty rest."

"Huh? But I don't need rest. I'm not yet tired and I - "

"Grandpa you are tired. Sleep," Ivan interrupted and Gin was not able to do anything but get dragged back to his room.

"The idiot's gone," Ryuu commented afterwards.

"Ryuu – you meanie! I can still hear you!" Gin's voice echoed right after Ryuu spoke, and all of them laughed.

"Ignore him," Ryuu suggested as he too stood up. "Father, I need to go and make some phone calls. While you're staying here, it's best that you and Ivan will have your own identity. It will make future visits easier as well."

Hearing the "future visits" part made Alistair smile, and he nodded. "Go and do your tasks. My daughter will take me to the room," he said as he turned to Ara. "Shall we go?"

Ara already understood Ryuu's purpose of letting her take her father to his quarters and Ivan's reason why he dragged Gin away. It was to give her and Alistair time alone to talk, and she felt warm in her heart with their consideration. Remembering her uncle, Ara grinned. Poor Gin probably wanted to have time alone to talk to Alistair as well.

"Sure!" Ara stood up and quickly anchored her arm on her father's. She then waved goodbye to her husband and ushered Alistair out of the room.

As soon as they stepped out into the corridor leading towards the sleeping area, Ara leaned her head against her father's shoulder. But as soon as she did, Alistair shifted on his feet and freed his arm to face her and gave her a tight hug.

"You've been through so much, my little one," he whispered with his voice filled with emotions.

Despite his daughter's insistence that he should stop saying sorry, he still felt that he should really apologize. Even with good intentions, it was still a fact that because of his error on decision making that he had put his daughter into a tragic cycle that could have been prevented.

She had suffered for a long, long time.

"It's alright now."Ara's voice was resolute. She clearly understood what her parent felt and what he really meant by his words. But just like what she said earlier, there was no use dwelling in what happened anymore. All they had to do was to look forward to the future. At least now, they finally had a clear map of what should be done to end the curse.

"I'm glad you're alive. I didn't know what to do when I found you there in the cavern. I thought… I thought"

Alistair's voice cracked and he trembled as he spoke. This made Ara remember the vision she had of his sorrow-filled state. She lightly pushed her father away so she could look at him clearly.

"Y-you…"She now realized it must have been a real image of an anguished Alistair when he found her lifeless body in the cavern.

By now, Alistair's silver hair partially covered his face, and so Ara reached out to brush the tendrils aside. Her breath hitched upon seeing his tear-stained face. It was the same anguished expression she had seen in her vision and she knew that Alistair had cried so hard for her just as she knew that her father wept over her since she first died in the Celestial Plane.

Without further words, Ara threw herself again into Alistair's arms and wept with him. "Father… Don't cry anymore…"

How much love could a parent have towards his child? Ara had no idea. She just knew that in spite of everything, she was indeed truly the beloved child of heaven.

"Don't cry anymore, father. We will fix things soon. We will end this cursed fate and live well…"Ara wasn't sure if she made sense. She just knew that she was giving her father a promise. This time, she would do everything in her power to attain freedom – freedom from Czernobog's and Fanya's curse – freedom from herself, the evil side she knew she had to face in order to win.

The two of them stood there for a while, absorbing each other's words, giving comfort to them both through their embrace.

"I'm so sorry, you had to see father so weak like this," Alistair said afterwards.

He gave her an embarrassed smile as Ara helped him wipe his tears away.

"It's alright, father. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of. It's actually very manly," Ara told him matter-of-factly before her lips turned up into a mischievous grin. "It's even my goal to see Kresnik cry. I haven't seen my husband shed tears like that," she said lightly, aiming for it to be a joke, but Alistair didn't return her smile. "What's wrong?"

"Kresnik cried for you," Alistair told her seriously. "In fact, there's no one else who cried over you the most but him."

Oh…

Ara, of course, knew that. Kresnik even killed himself over and over again to follow her soul. She shouldn't have made light of it.

"Sorry," Ara murmured. "I knew that."

"Well, then, now you know how your husband is very, very manly," Alistair teased then as he ushered his daughter forward, and the two of them continued to walk.

Soon, they arrived at the room where Alistair would stay. It was the best guest room in the estate. It might be a lot smaller than what Alistair was used to, but it was decent enough for a King. Besides, Alistair was not picky. He could even lie down on the grass and take a nap.

"My little one, you have lived many times as different people," Alistair said afterwards. "You have all their memories as well. Which name do you want to be addressed from now on?"

It was true. She had lived and died countless of times. But among her many different incarnations, the only name she felt mattered the most was the name given by her brother in Ritz.

"You gave me my name in Ritz. You named me Alinea, because that is your wish for me, right?"

Alinea, a new beginning.

"Yes, I did," Alistair answered with a soft smile and nodded.

When she was born, and he found out who she was, Alistair called her Alinea, with a wish for her cursed existence to end.

"Then from now on, I will be Alinea."

Not Alencica or Suzuki Ara, but Alinea.

"Then Alinea it is…"