WAITING by the forebuilding to greet Chris, Sonia’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when he handed her a basket. It was filled with the fresh, natural fragrance of wildflowers and bittersweet aroma of raspberries.
“It smells like they were freshly picked,” she said.
“Would you like to try one?” Chris asked, picking one of the raspberries out of the basket to show Sonia. The lustrous red raspberry was large and ripe, tantalizing her taste buds.
“It looks delicious!”
Forgetting her manners, Sonia chomped down on the raspberry pinched between Chris’ fingers. Realizing she had gone too far, she quickly hid her mouth behind her hands as she chewed the berry. Meanwhile, Chris stood dumbstruck, gaping at Sonia.
The housekeeper chastised, “Duchess Sonia, that was most unbecoming of a proper lady!”
“I-I’m sorry...” Sonia apologized, growing as red as the ripe raspberry.
To hide his own embarrassment, Chris dismissed it with, “No worries... But, um, thank goodness I didn’t shock you this time,” in a whisper.
“Seeing how fresh they are, we could eat them plain. Or should I have them made into tarts?” the housekeeper inquired.
Recognizing the housekeeper had offered her a way out of this awkward situation, Sonia answered, “I’d like that,” and handed her the basket.
This isn’t like me, is it? Sonia shot quick glances at Chris as she led him to the dining room, as he hadn’t eaten yet.
She didn’t find him the least bit repulsive or scary today. In fact, her heart was racing much like it did when she thought of Prince Severin.
Is it because of my scandalous behavior just a second ago, when I chomped on his finger? It truly was high time she started acting like a proper lady. After all, she was getting married.
I’m getting married. At that thought, she suddenly felt depressed. Could she view this man as her spouse for the rest of her life? She could come to respect him, but in order to leave heirs, eventually she would need to produce a child.
Could I bear having a child with him? She tried imagining it. Stripped of his clothes, Chris’ robust, firm chest was like an overgrown field of ragged chest hair... When it touched her skin, the steely bristles would prickle—no, scratch...
“Ouch... Ow, that hurts!” Sonia cried. Simply imagining it made her skin hurt.
“Huh? Was there a thorn?” Chris asked.
“What?”
“You kept crying out in pain...” Chris pointed out.
“Er, it was nothing.” Realizing the thoughts from her daydream had come spilling out of her mouth when Chris vocalized his concern, Sonia offered him a fake smile.
To make matters worse, this mouth of mine spouts out things I’m not even thinking, too. What is happening to my body...? She stewed over her troubles, wondering if it would be wise to consult a doctor.
“Princess,” Chris broke in, standing next to Sonia, “I would like to discuss our marriage plans.”
Here it comes! Sonia gazed into Chris’ face, her heart pounding so hard in her chest it hurt.
“Would you mind if we postponed the wedding?”
“...Huh?” The unexpected request left Sonia stunned.
Chris further elaborated, “I realize we’re hardly strangers meeting for the first time, but a great deal of time has passed since we last met. Not to mention, you were still a child then. I imagine this must not come easy for you right after leaving the abbey, especially when your fiancé is an older man such as myself.”
“No, I wouldn’t say that... And you’re hardly an old man...” Sonia protested.
Although Sonia had been so shocked by the sight of him when they met that she fainted, it was only because she was expecting Prince Severin to come for her. Plus, she had also been startled by his beard. On her journey home, she had been surprised to discover that she didn’t particularly mind that he was older.
...Not if he’s like Sir Chris, anyway, she thought, yet she also felt, But I just can’t stand that beard. All that excessive body hair is too much for me, too!
“I thought it might be best to wait until we know each other a bit better, so we feel more comfortable with one another,” he continued.
If she had more time, would his beard and body hair stop bothering her? If they were to get married as things stood, it was doubtful they’d enjoy fulfilling lives as newlyweds. It could open a deep rift between husband and wife.
But...
“But, Sir Chris, this marriage was arranged by His Majesty, King Patrice. I’m pretty sure that when the King arranges a marriage, he attends the ceremony. The date should be set to match his schedule. It isn’t our place to change the date at our own discretion, is it?”
“We won’t have a problem on that account,” Chris answered.
“Pardon? How can that be?”
“A month from now, King Patrice is going to hold a ball at the Royal Palace in celebration of his birthday. He plans on announcing our wedding then. Didn’t you receive the notification?”
“Yes, but it’s too great an honor for us.”
“You are the daughter of the King’s dear cousin. Not only are you related, you are his legal ward. On top of that, you are the largest asset-holder in the kingdom. And above all else, His Majesty loves you as if you were his own daughter. It makes him happy that he can celebrate with you.”
“That’s even more reason not to postpone! If he found out we did that, wouldn’t it tear him apart...?”
“I’m sure he’d prefer that over seeing you come as a bride in a veil of worry.”
Sonia couldn’t help but touch her cheeks. “Do I really look that bad?”
“Of course, I understand that our marriage isn’t the only thing weighing down on you. So please don’t look so troubled,” Chris reassured when Sonia looked down with melancholic eyes.
He is such a wonderfully kind man. Not only was he trying to keep this from being awkward for her, he had tried to lift her spirits as well. It took an adult with a wealth of confidence to be able to suggest “Let’s postpone the wedding.”
Sonia knew how much she was worth. She could see just how enticing the men found her; an orphan loaded with tremendous assets and a massive estate. Most would be champing at the bit to take a girl like her to the altar before she could change her mind. But Chris prioritized her feelings, saw how the problems concerning Sonia and the castle were troubling her, weighing her down. His kindness made her heart waver, and yet...
That darn beard stuck on his face sends chills down my spine...
“Sir Chris, thank you for being so understanding. Um, just so you know, I don’t dislike you by any means. I want you to realize that.”
“Princess—”
Sonia’s confession must have come as quite the surprise, for Chris drew her into a smothering embrace.
“S-Sir Chris!”
They slid to the ground, his body on top of hers.
“No! Let go of me!” Sonia burst out screaming, her mind thrown into confusion by his sudden assault.
It was that very moment when the piercing sound of glass shattering shot through Sonia’s ears, making her shrink in Chris’ arms. At the sound of the crash, the castle staff frantically raced into the room.
“Duchess Sonia! Sir Chris! Are you all right?!”
The scene that greeted Sonia once Chris pushed himself off her was a sea of glass shards from shattered candlestick holders. The decorative chandelier had fallen from the ceiling—the chandelier, with its dozens of glassblower-crafted, thin glass candlestick holders arranged in a circle, had fallen exactly where Chris and Sonia were talking only moments ago.
✦ ✦ ✦
If it weren’t for Sir Chris, I would have been crushed by that chandelier. Seeing the horrible fate that nearly befell her, Sonia began to tremble.
“Sir Chris,” she said. Turning to face him, Sonia’s eyes shot wide open in surprise. Several small shards of glass had torn through his clothes and stabbed his upper right arm.
“There’s glass in your arm! Oh, dear! Someone, hurry and fetch a doctor!” Sonia desperately ordered the crowd, but Chris shook his head with a grin.
How can he be so calm? Doesn’t it hurt? The answer came soon enough.
“Ngh!” Chris flexed hard enough to pop his biceps. When he did, the glass shards piercing his arm popped out like corks in champagne bottles. His arm showed no signs of ever being stabbed.
“Ha ha ha! This was nothing! I don’t undergo just any old training regimen!” he boasted.
“...Amazing! If I train as much as you, could I expel something stabbing me too?” Overcoming her surprise, the earnest question flew from Sonia’s awe-stuck mouth.
In response, Chris seemed serious when he gave his answer. “If you train hard enough, you can, to an extent.”
The surrounding maids and staff waved their hands frantically in protest. “No, that’s impossible!”
“Truth be told, my ability to use protective magic probably helps,” Chris admitted.
Sonia nodded and said, “I guess that makes sense.” Everyone else also agreed and began cleaning up the chandelier straightaway.
“Duchess Sonia, are you all right?” the housekeeper asked as she worked with Chris to help Sonia get back on her feet.
“Yes, I’m fine. But I’m surprised the chandelier suddenly fell...”
“We recently brought it down to replace some of the candlestick holders that were broken. Perhaps the base wasn’t bolted down firmly enough. I’ll make sure it is bolted firmly in place this time,” the head steward said.
Yet from this incident on, calamity seemed to be magnetized to Chris.