This picture is from the manga version of Candy Candy, colored by Letita Quintero, downloaded from Candy & Albert World (http://www.facebook.com/CandyAlbertWorld).
It captures the moment when Albert was protecting Candy from the ferocious lion that had escaped from a circus. To me, that is the ultimate proof of his love for her. He was fully aware that her heart belonged to another man then, but in that split second he slipped his body in between her and the lion to shield her from its sharp claws.
I’m glad that Candy eventually opened her eyes and realized who had loved her unconditionally and persistently, unlike the one described in one of my favorite quotes shown below:
You’ve spent your whole life running and running, trying to catch up with something that has never been there for you. And all you’ve done is go farther and farther away from the precious love that’s been waiting for you all the time.
~Brandi Snyder