100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: After dealing with the devils in Spade, Asta was set to be exonerated from the Elf incident. One not his fault, but exonerated nonetheless. Then Julius and Damnatio disappeared. Those who were responsible for pardoning him. The higher ups of Clover who find Asta an eyesore, refused to miss the chance to put him away for good. Noelle goes to desperate measures to help her friend. 

—

Asta had always known the world was unfair.

He was a magicless peasant in a kingdom where magic was everything. He had been mocked, dismissed, and looked down on since birth. But that never stopped him. He fought, he trained, he pushed forward with everything he had.

And still, it wasn't enough.

The war against Spade was over. The Dark Triad was defeated, the devils pushed back, the world saved—again. He thought, maybe this time. Maybe after everything, he would finally be accepted.

Instead, the moment he returned to the Clover Kingdom, the whispers started.

Devil user.

A stain on our kingdom.

Suspicious that Lord Damnatio disappeared right before the trial, isn't it?

Julius Novachrono, missing. Damnatio Kira, gone. And now we're just supposed to trust the word of a magicless nobody?

It wasn't just whispers.

The Magic Parliament reconvened. The noble houses, still shaken and reeling due the Elf Invasion and eager to restore their image, needed a scapegoat to soothe their insecurities.

The reincarnated nobles—the ones who should have been answering for their actions—stood in those meetings with their heads high, their names untarnished.

Instead, all the blame landed on him.

"A peasant with a devil's power, involved in both the Elf Incident and the Spade Kingdom war?" One noble sneered. "How do we know he isn't a greater threat than any of them?"

Asta stood before them, the same as before, hands clenched, back straight. He had proven himself time and time again. And yet, nothing had changed.

"The evidence is clear," another noble declared. "Asta of the Black Bulls is an unstable element within our kingdom. His connection to devils, combined with his convenient role in these conflicts, cannot be ignored. Without Julius Novachrono or Damnatio Kira to give their testimony, we must act in the interest of the Clover Kingdom's security."

Security. That was their excuse.

Not a single noble who had been reincarnated was even mentioned. They had families, names too important to tarnish. But him? A magicless peasant? A devil host? He was an easy sacrifice.

He had saved these people.

He had bled for them.

And they still wanted him dead.

The verdict wasn't official yet, but the calls for execution or permanent exile grew louder each day. Everywhere he went, he felt the stares, heard the whispers.

And worst of all—he smiled through it.

Because that's what he did, right? He laughed off the pain. He kept moving forward. He refused to let anything break him.

But at night, when he was alone in his room at the Black Bulls base, the despair and defeat settled on his shoulders.

He was tired.

Tired of fighting, tired of proving himself, tired of pretending the betrayal didn't hurt.

For the first time in his life, Asta didn't know if he could win.

—

Noelle had never seen Asta like this before.

He still smiled. He still laughed. He still acted like the same idiot who charged headfirst into danger. But it was different now. His voice was a little too loud. His grins didn't reach his eyes. And sometimes, when he thought no one was looking, he would go quiet.

Asta never went quiet.

The parliament's verdict wasn't official yet, but it didn't matter. The nobles had already decided. The moment Julius disappeared, the moment Damnatio vanished, they saw their chance. Asta was a peasant. A devil host. Someone they could sacrifice to protect their own.

And he was pretending it didn't hurt.

But Noelle saw it. She saw it in the way his shoulders tensed whenever someone whispered his name. In the way his fists clenched when another noble sneered at him. How his broad shoulders slightly slumped due to the dirty stares he got from the common folk during trips to the capital. In the way his smile faltered when he thought he was alone.

She wanted to help him. But what could she do?

She couldn't give him magic. She couldn't erase his connection to devils. She couldn't change the way the nobility saw him.

But she could change his title.

It was a reckless idea. Insane, really. She knew that. But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Nobles and royals weren't punished the way commoners were. The nobles reincarnated as elves had already been excused, their status protecting them. If Asta had that kind of status, the Magic Parliament wouldn't be able to touch him.

And there was one way to give it to him.

Marriage.

The thought made her stomach twist. Not because she didn't want to—that wasn't the issue. The problem was Asta. He wasn't in love with her. He probably hadn't even considered her that way.

Would he even accept?

Noelle scowled.

Of course he wouldn't. He was Asta. He would refuse on instinct, spouting something about how he didn't want to be a burden, or how he'd figure things out himself.

Which meant she had to convince him.

Noelle let out a long breath.

She had fought in wars. She had stood against devils. She had faced down the ghosts of her past and refused to run.

But somehow, this was going to be her hardest battle yet.

She just had to make Asta see reason.

And if she had to make him fall for her along the way—well, she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.

—

Noelle paced back and forth in her room at the Black Bulls' base, her hands clenched into fists. She could still hear Asta outside, talking to the others, pretending nothing was wrong.

She hated that.

Hated how he acted like he didn't care. Hated how he still smiled at everyone, even when she knew he wasn't okay. Hated how no one—not even him—seemed to have a real solution for what was happening.

The nobles wouldn't stop.

The Magic Parliament wouldn't stop.

And Asta, idiot that he was, would never defend himself properly. He wasn't afraid of them, but he wasn't fighting back either. He wasn't making demands. He wasn't refusing their accusations. He just… took it.

Like he was used to it.

Like he had accepted it.

Noelle grit her teeth.

She would not accept it.

It didn't matter if this was reckless. It didn't matter if Asta didn't see her that way. This was the only way to protect him, and if he was too stubborn to save himself, then she would do it for him.

She stormed out of her room, her mind made up.

Asta was in the main hall, stretching after a sparring session with Magna and Luck. He was sweaty, tired, and smiling—but when he saw her, his grin wavered, just for a second.

Noelle didn't stop.

She grabbed his wrist and yanked him down the hall.

"Eh? Noelle?" Asta blinked, stumbling after her. "What's up?"

Noelle didn't answer. She pulled him into the nearest empty room, shut the door behind them, and turned to face him.

Asta blinked at her, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You okay?"

Am I okay?

Noelle let out a bitter laugh.

She was about to propose marriage to an idiot who probably didn't even realize she liked him. She was about to throw away every hesitation, every doubt, just to keep this reckless, self-sacrificing moron from getting himself executed.

Of course she wasn't okay.

But she didn't have time to be okay.

"Noelle?" Asta frowned, stepping closer. "Hey, seriously, what's—"

"Marry me."

Asta froze.

For the first time in his life, Asta had nothing to say.

Noelle crossed her arms, trying to hide how fast her heart was pounding. "You heard me," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady.

Asta just stared. "Uh… what?"

"I said marry me," Noelle repeated. "If you become a royal, the Magic Parliament won't be able to touch you. No one will be able to exile or execute you. You'll be protected."

Asta still didn't say anything. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. He looked completely lost, like his brain had just stopped working.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Haha! That's a good one, Noelle! You got me there!" He laughed awkwardly, looking away. "You had me for a second—wait, you are joking, right?"

Noelle felt something snap inside her.

Of course he thought she was joking. Of course he assumed she couldn't possibly mean it.

Idiot.

She stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and yanked him down so they were face to face.

"I'm not joking."

Asta's eyes widened.

"This isn't a game, Asta. This isn't some dumb joke. They're going to kill you. And knowing the sacrificial idiot you are, you'll let them! You're standing there, taking it, acting like you're fine when I know you're not!"

"I—"

"No. Listen to me." Noelle tightened her grip on his shirt. "You saved this kingdom. You saved all of us. You bled for these people, and this is how they repay you?" Her voice shook. "I won't let them take you away from me. I won't let them decide your fate just because they're too cowardly to accept their own mistakes."

Asta just looked at her, his expression unreadable.

Noelle took a shaky breath. "I know you don't love me." She hated saying it. Hated admitting it. "I know this isn't what you wanted. But I don't care. If it keeps you safe, then I don't care."

Silence.

For once, Asta wasn't moving. Wasn't bouncing with energy. He just… stood there.

Then, slowly, he reached up, pried her hands off his collar, and took a step back.

Noelle braced herself. He was going to say no. He was going to refuse.

And then he smiled.

Not the fake, forced smiles he'd been using lately. Not the empty grins he gave to pretend he wasn't hurting.

A real smile.

"…You're an idiot, Noelle."

Noelle nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

Asta laughed.

"I mean it. You really think I'd just let them have their way?" His grin widened. "You really think I'd let them get rid of me? I've fought devils, I've fought fate itself, and you think a bunch of nobles in fancy suits can scare me?"

Noelle blinked. "Then why—"

Asta's expression softened. "Because I didn't want to put that burden on any of my friends. Including you… especially you…"

Noelle's breath caught.

"I didn't want to drag you into this. You're a royal, Noelle. You're important. You have a future ahead of you. If you marry me, you're throwing all of that away. The nobility will hate you for this."

Noelle felt her heart squeeze.

"You think I care about that?" she asked, voice quiet.

Asta just looked at her.

Differently this time, in a way so uncharacteristically serious of him, that Noelle nearly tensed.

But she stood her ground, as Asta's bright green eyes continued to bore into her frame, like he was studying her, analyzing her, and looking for something.

Searching for something. Absolutely important to him.

Noelle fought the urge to tremble under his scrutinizing gaze that seemed to stretch for eons.

She nearly sighed in relief as Asta pried his eyes away from her soul.

She didn't get the chance, as then, without hesitation, he took her hands in his.

"…Alright."

Noelle's breath hitched.

"If you're really serious," Asta said, squeezing her hands, "then yeah. Let's do it." His voice was warm. Sincere. "Let's get married."

Noelle swallowed. "Just like that?"

Asta grinned. "You think I'd say no to you?"

Something hot and overwhelming surged in Noelle's chest.

Without thinking, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him down into a kiss.

Asta stiffened.

Then, slowly, his arms came up, wrapping around her waist, holding her close.

For the first time in weeks, Asta felt safe.

Loved. Cared for. Cherished.

For the first time since this nightmare started, Asta wasn't alone.

And Noelle would make sure it stayed that way.