PRIDE
“I’M NOT SURPRISED to see you’re a skilled dancer, Captain Callum.”
He led me gracefully in time with the music. His face was as red as Arthur’s, probably because he was nervous to have so many eyes on him, but his steps remained calm and fluid.
The captain’s fingers twitched. “It’s an honor!”
I giggled at his timidity, a stark contrast to his usual calm composure. His eyes went wide, and his face grew even redder.
Oh no. He must have assumed I was mocking him! Here I was only thinking he’s so cute right now…
“You’re wonderful, Captain. You’re a brilliant knight, you’re wise and compassionate, and your dancing is—”
“Th-that’s enough! You truly honor me, Your Highness.”
Captain Callum leaned away from me, his hand twitching again. While the captain was a nobleman, he probably wasn’t used to dancing in front of people after serving as a knight for so many years. I sympathized; I’d been nervous at first too, but Stale and the others helped me feel a lot more comfortable.
I gave his hand a gentle squeeze to calm him, but his shoulders lurched from the unexpected sensation. He needed a distraction, so I changed the subject. “Your lordly ensemble looks as lovely as ever. And I believe you’re getting acquainted with Leon, right?”
The captain was attending this party not as a knight but as the son of a noble family—just as he had for Stale’s birthday. Leon had tagged along with him to say hello to me, and I heard the same went for Stale and Tiara. In my case, it was more like Leon was escorting Captain Callum than simply tagging along. Leon had a way of catching other people up in his imposing aura, but I was still surprised, as I’d hardly ever seen the captain interact with Leon outside of his imperial knight duties.
“Yes, we’ve been discussing books and such,” Captain Callum said. “Prince Leon has been looking out for me in all sorts of ways. I owe him a great deal.”
Though he smiled awkwardly, he had finally relaxed. He led me in time with the music and spun me around. I’d once embarrassed him in a public setting, so it was nice to see he’d found a friend not as a knight captain but as a lord. Leon was a wonderful person and probably felt a connection with a fellow gentleman like Captain Callum. I’d even heard that rumors surrounding the connection between Captain Callum and me had died down ever since Leon started spending time with him. No one in high society would dare say anything rude in front of my ex-fiancé.
Ever since the day we announced the marriage candidate system, rumors swirled about all of my picks, not just Captain Callum. The names flitting around included royals and noblemen, but Captain Callum stood out as the only genuine candidate among them. I didn’t know what had spurred such intense speculation—perhaps Captain Callum’s sudden emergence as a lordling? When I first heard about the gossip, it reminded me of my childhood, when those rumors about my horrible personality spread throughout the country—only to cease all at once. No, these couldn’t have come from the same source…
I was relieved that Captain Callum could spend the party in the company of his fellow knights sooner than I’d feared. I would’ve been racked with guilt if the curious guests bombarded him with questions again.
“I’m incredibly glad to be able to dance with you this evening. It’s an honor to the Bordeaux name.”
Swaying in time with the music, I smiled at Captain Callum’s kind words. When I told him the pleasure was all mine, his expression suddenly calmed. Now I was the one twitching in surprise. We pivoted around the dance floor together.
“May I ask what you were discussing earlier with Arthur and Commander Roderick?”
I hadn’t expected him to ask, but as soon as I thought back to my conversation with the commander, my mind went blank.
Captain Callum recognized my hesitance and apologized for being impolite. “Forgive me if you already spoke of the subject I’m about to touch on. I can only speak of it here, as we’d be overheard elsewhere.” With the music drowning out our voices, Captain Callum went on, “The royal order has grown much, much larger than it was seven years ago. Some of the men who were rookie knights at the time now serve in the main forces. Vice Captain Eric, for example.”
He and I circled around and around, keeping up our steady footwork. Captain Callum never took his eyes off me. I nodded in acknowledgment, prompting him to continue.
“We owe it all to you, Princess Pride. It’s a legacy we’re passing down to everyone in the royal order…but those members from seven years ago respect you deeply and are grateful for what you did.”
I couldn’t look away from his gentle smile. Captain Callum’s deep love for the royal order was undeniable.
“I’m here today as my father’s proxy, but I intend to live and die as a knight. To me, that’s what it means to be honorable.”
His eyes lit up, and he smiled proudly—a smile completely different than the ones he’d worn before. Ah, yes, this is the true Captain Callum. He was the captain of the Third Squadron and an outstanding knight.
“On a personal level, I’d like to help you however possible. I know Alan feels the same way.”
When he said that, my gaze slid to Captain Alan. He’d finished his dance with Tiara and was now grinning at us from ear to ear. The moment our eyes met, his grin fell away in surprise. But Captain Callum’s words had me so pleased that I just kept smiling at the other knight.
Captain Alan’s face went red. Maybe we’d reminded him of his dance with Tiara—or maybe he was frightened, reading my smile as a sneer. I just hoped it was the former.
At that point, Captain Callum delicately removed his hand from my waist and extended his arm to twirl me toward the guests, who let out a cheer. The captain then pulled me back into his arms.
“Treat my body, my name, my title, and everything I possess as if they belong to you, Princess Pride Royal Ivy. I offer you everything that I have. We knights will always love and adore you.”
He murmured those words right into my ear as he held me close, with all the intimacy of a marriage proposal. My face blazed at his husky, masculine voice. I knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but my body refused to cool down, so I hung my head and hoped the guests wouldn’t notice.
The music slowed for the finale. Captain Callum had me pulled close by the waist, hiding me from the audience, so I nuzzled against his shoulder to keep the heat in my cheeks from spreading.
He gasped. “Princess Pride?!”
I paused to catch my breath before raising my head, then smiled at the knight once my face cooled. “Thank you, Captain Callum.” I meant it from the bottom of my heart.
The heat seemed to have affected him as well, his cheeks reddening even as he smiled.
Our hands drifted apart as the music died down. The crowd broke into thunderous applause—loud enough that we couldn’t even hear each other.
Before Captain Callum could return to the other knights, I whispered something in his ear. “I love you as a knight too, Captain Callum.”
His face was an even deeper red when I pulled away. He bowed twice to me, returning somewhat stiffly to the crowd with Vice Captain Eric. Perhaps he was walking like that because his feet were tired from dancing.
Everyone in my life is truly so kind.
Soon, the event neared its conclusion. The dancing wouldn’t go on much longer. I would only have two or so more partners before the evening wound down—or before Tiara ran out of stamina.
This time, I chose a prince from another allied country. I wanted to dance with Cedric and his brothers too, but it was best not to favor any foreign country over the rest. Tiara and Stale were dancing with royals and nobles from other countries too.
Tiara’s event ended after one last lovely dance between Mother and Father. It was a huge success. After a break, I would announce our international postal service. I was extremely nervous, my heart pounding as I waited for the big moment.