THE second day of the birthday celebration had come.
The surrounding mood was boisterous when Sonia finally completed her Debutante Presentation. That hardly came as a surprise. She was from the most prominent of affluent noble houses in the kingdom. Not to mention, the King himself was her sponsor. He was a powerful and wealthy patron.
Furthermore, Sonia was the young and charming mistress of the Clare line. Her pure innocence was reminiscent of a pink rose in first bloom.
Although Pamela had been with her at first, Sonia realized her friend left somewhere along the line. Sonia kept up the sugary act as she tried to escape from the crowd of hangers-on, but they stuck to her like glue with smiles plastered on their faces. Growing increasingly frightened, Sonia’s eyes reflexively searched for Chris. But he was nowhere to be found. Instead of disappointment, anger surged forth.
What’s wrong with him? He hasn’t come to talk about last night or offer an excuse or anything! He can go enjoy his tryst with the Crown Princess, for all I care!
“Sonia?”
Sonia’s eyes fell onto the young man who had approached her from the cluster of hangers-on and rested a hand on her waist.
“Prince Severin!”
Severin offered her a sweet smile. He turned to the crowd of men and said, “You’ll have to excuse us. King Patrice was calling for Duchess Sonia,” with a challenging gleam in his eye.
Severin was King Patrice’s second-born son. Under his threatening gaze, the noblemen had no choice but to quietly back down. The disgusting sound of several men clicking their tongues was loud enough for Sonia to hear.
“This way,” Severin said, briskly leading her to the balcony. With some distance put between her and the cacophony of music and excitement, Sonia felt the tension between her shoulders melt. The gentle breeze was all it took to cool the rising temperature of her body.
“Here, have a drink,” Severin said, while offering her a delicately crafted glass. Sonia accepted it gratefully.
“Thank you. I was dying of thirst...”
Seeing Sonia empty the glass in a single gulp, Severin chuckled lightly. But a moment later, a sour expression replaced his mirth.
“Unbelievable! Out of all those men, not a single one of them had the decency to offer you a drink...” he grumbled in annoyance.
Taut nerves finally relaxed, Sonia smiled as she thanked Severin. “But you noticed, Prince Severin. Thank you. I was having a hard time pulling away from that crowd.”
“Well, I was watching you the whole time,” he confessed in a sweet whisper.
“Huh...?”
Severin smiled wryly at the sight of Sonia’s heartfelt surprise. He slowly drew close, as if he were nestling up to her, as he leaned against the balcony railing.
“Did you forget what I said last night? I meant every word,” Severin said.
“May I steal you from Chris?” flashed across Sonia’s mind. As did his attempt to kiss her before Chris showed up last night. Sonia’s face turned bright red at having Severin’s beautifully chiseled face so close again.
“You still haven’t kissed Chris, have you?”
“...Huh? Uh, w-well, actually...” Sonia’s voice faded out to an inaudible mummer by the end.
Severin squinted and prompted, “Eh? What was that?”
“I-I said...we, uh...haven’t...yet,” Sonia despondently confessed with her head hung low, causing Severin to burst out laughing merrily.
“You’re just like a child when I tease you, Sonia!”
“Y-You’re awful, Prince Severin!”
“I couldn’t help myself... You’re just like when we played as children back in the day!” Severin exclaimed. He was doubled over with his forehead pressed against the rail because he was laughing so hard.
“I’d forgotten about that... We used to come up with pranks all the time, but were always quick to get caught...” Sonia recalled.
“You were a bad liar. You’d give the prank away by going to apologize before we could pull it off,” Severin pointed out.
“Only because I thought all of the pranks you came up with wouldn’t be any fun if I had been on the receiving end,” Sonia said in her defense.
“Really?”
“Really. Remember how we filled the sugar pot with caterpillars? Or set a cat we caught on our piano teacher who hated animals? I was constantly a nervous wreck...” Sonia reminded him. But I loved you so much, I was constantly chasing after you...
“I’ve outgrown that sort of stuff. I’m a mature adult now,” Severin said. After the words left his mouth, he gasped, “Ah!” as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
“You don’t still see me as the ‘Prankster Prince,’ do you?” he asked.
“No, not anymore... You were a superb escort back there.”
“Thank goodness,” Severin whispered upon hearing Sonia’s response. “It’d be awful if you still saw me in that light. Especially since I’m trying to propose to you.”
Struck speechless by his words, Sonia stood staring at Severin in a daze. He gently held her hands, and her aquamarine eyes opened wide in bewilderment. There was a hint of embarrassment in the expression on his face that looked as gentle as the hands that held her own felt.
“...I’ve never proposed before. So, well, I’m struggling to find the words that will sweep you off your feet, but I mean it.”
“...Why would you want me after we’ve been apart for so long...?” The words Sonia finally managed to choke out sounded hopelessly dubious. She couldn’t help but feel uncertain. This was the first time anyone had ever proposed to her.
“Remember what I said? During our much overdue reunion, when I went to wish you well...I felt destiny the moment I laid my eyes upon you. I thought, ‘I want to protect you.’”
“Prince Severin... But King Patrice has already decided upon Sir Chris as my betrothed...”
“Not a problem!” Severin reassured Sonia, squeezing her hands and drawing his face unnervingly close. “Let’s go see Father—no, King Patrice, together! We’ll tell him of our love for one another and have him call off your engagement with Chris! Let’s go right now!”
Claiming that it was best to strike while the iron was still hot, Severin tugged at Sonia in an attempt to pull her into the ballroom.
“W-Wait... Now hold on, Prince Severin!” she said with her heart pounding slightly faster than usual from finally reeling him in. “This is all so sudden... I’m not ready yet...”
“You’re supposed to act in the heat of the moment at times like this... Or does the thought of marrying me...bother you?”
“...No...it doesn’t bother me,” Sonia answered, her face beet red.
Although Severin’s arrogant response, “Of course it doesn’t,” did strike her as strange, she continued to explain her reasoning.
“...But Sir Chris has most graciously looked after me for some time now. I took great comfort in the encouragement he offered... I’d like to discuss this with him before we speak with His Majesty...”
“Does that mean you accept my proposal?”
Sonia bashfully nodded. “Sir Chris is away on business tonight, so...tomorrow. I’ll tell him during the last night of the celebration. I’d like to hold off on telling His Majesty until then...”
“Very well, Sonia,” Severin replied, flashing her a brilliant smile.
This is for the best. Sir Chris is in love with someone else, anyway. Even if nothing could come of that romance, Sonia doubted she could compete with a lady he loved with the devotion to stay single and true for all these years.
Besides, Prince Severin was my first love. This is the right thing to do, I’m sure of it. It’ll all work out if I’m with him...
✦ ✦ ✦
Royal Central Church
THE boisterous music and jovial laughter filling the Royal Palace did not travel this far out. Here, there was naught but pure, calm silence.
Chris knelt before the altar and offered himself to intent prayer. He had but one wish...
“Sir Crisford, sorry to have kept you waiting,” the Pope said to Chris, stepping out of a room from the back of the chapel.
“It’s fine. I haven’t been able to take the time to pray at length for a while...so I found this most cleansing,” Chris said as he stood to face the Pope.
His attention was drawn toward a parcel the Pope held tenderly with both hands. It was long and wrapped in the rich, golden cloth of a vestment.
“Is this the...?”
“It is. The head of the Clares asked his dear friend, the then Pope, to make this two generations ago. Please take it.” The Pope held it out to him. Chris accepted it timidly.
“May I look at it?” With the Pope’s permissive nod, Chris carefully began unwrapping the material. “This is...!” He gasped upon removing the cloth.
It was a sword with the blade connected to the hilt. Emitting a silvery light, it was blinding. Wrapping his hand around its hilt, Chris thrust the blade to the heavens. It overlapped with the outline of the cross decorating the altar in utter perfection.
“...Did they intentionally make it in the shape of the cross...?” Chris asked.
“So I would suspect. Duke William claimed, ‘He does not realize he has ceased serving the Lord’ when he commissioned this,” the Pope answered.
“...It is most unfortunate it wasn’t ready in time to save Her Grace’s parents or brothers...” Chris said remorsefully. At his words, the Pope also dropped his head.
“Duchess Sonia’s brothers died on their way to retrieve this sword. I can only imagine their remorse.”
“...I must save Her Grace, no matter the cost!” Chris avowed, holding the sword shining white up to the cross.
“Sir Chris, I’m confident you will succeed in this quest. I have faith in you, the strongest and luckiest man in the kingdom.”
“You have my word I will use all my power and luck to save Her Grace from this dreadful curse.”
Seeing the adamant will burning in Chris’ eyes, the Pope imparted, “I shall pray from a distance that the Angel of Victory smiles upon you two,” and made the sign of the cross.