CHRIS patted the sword wrapped in cloth leaning next to him. He had told Sonia about how her grandfather had the church make it specifically for fighting the priest. Her brothers had tried to retrieve it but never came home alive.
Sitting across from Chris and the sword filled Sonia with a strange feeling. If I fail, not only will I die, but so will Sir Chris and Pamela... She was rising to a life-or-death occasion. Nonetheless, there wasn’t a sense of urgency charged with grim determination, or any tension hanging in the air between them.
Going by the looks of Chris alone, he was as tranquil as if they were going out on a picnic. Sonia was worried about Pamela, but she herself felt strangely confident. Watching Chris hum a light tune, she couldn’t help but giggle in delight.
“This is so strange,” Sonia confessed.
“What is?”
“Watching you makes even the hardest of times seem not so bad. I feel like everything will be all right if I have you.”
“You think too highly of me, Prin—I mean, Duchess Sonia,” Chris quickly corrected himself under her sharp glare.
“Really!” Sonia sighed and jutted out her lips in a pout. She asked him anew, “So why do you call me ‘Princess’? You said that you were indulging yourself, didn’t you?”
“Well...” In the blink of an eye, his face turned bright red. He rubbed the palms of his large hands over his face several times. As he did, he grew increasingly redder, his skin growing flushed clear down to the tips of the fingers rubbing his face.
“...Are you willing to keep it a secret? I’ve never told this to another living soul...” He stopped rubbing his face and dropped his head between slumped shoulders, as if trying to hide his embarrassment.
Sonia batted her eyes, opened wide in surprise. “...? S-Sure...”
After a long pause, with his face still beet red, Chris finally admitted, “It was my dream...to serve a ‘princess’...”
“...O-Okay, and...?”
“I decided to become a knight because of the stories I read as a child... I admired the image of ‘the knight protecting the princess from any harm that may come her way.’ I swore in my heart that ‘someday I will become a great knight and protect a noble princess from all harm!’ The years went by, and I did, indeed, become a full-fledged knight.”
At this point, Chris heaved a great sigh.
“I was charged with serving King Patrice. Then Queen Cordelia after him... It’s not as though I’m unhappy with it. Quite the contrary; I consider my post a great honor. I forgot about my unfulfilled dream as time passed. But then I was assigned to pose as your fiancé as a cover to serve as your guard. When I saw you...it made me remember my old dream...”
After another long pause, Chris muttered, “...Sorry...I got carried away.”
Sonia’s mouth dropped. She never dreamed he addressed her that way over something like this.
“I didn’t mean to give you mixed signs over my selfishness...! I had no idea you hated being called ‘Princess’ so much... Gosh, I truly am sorry!”
“...I thought you viewed me as a child still... I was worried that’s why you were calling me ‘Princess’ all the time...” Sonia admitted.
“Hardly! I’ve seen you as a child, remember? You’ve matured considerably since then, becoming quite the lovely lady... I was so happy when I saw how...you resemble the way I imagined a princess to look back when I was young...” Chris replied.
They fell into another long pause of silence.
Sonia giggled, finally breaking the silence.
“I knew you’d laugh... This is what I get for bringing up my childhood dream...” Chris mumbled.
Seeing the large man drop his shoulders in disappointment, for the first time ever, Sonia thought he looked cute. “Oh, Sir Chris, you’re adorable!”
“Please don’t tease me... And this is our little secret, remember? Don’t tell anyone, not even the King or Queen, okay?”
“Very well, I’ll keep it a secret. But I think it’s a shame you don’t share that adorable story!”
“D-Don’t share it! Please don’t tell a soul!” Chris protested. Sonia forgot all about the horrifying foe they were about to face as she laughed at the sight of Chris half rising in the cramped carriage to frantically protest, his face beet red.
✦ ✦ ✦
FOR all their fun, tensions instantly grew high the moment the carriage pulled to a stop and they were informed that they had arrived. As Sonia stepped down from the carriage with Chris’ assistance, she looked up at the home of her birth, Clare Castle.
Amplified by the darkness of night, the castle donned an eeriness as high as she could see. The walls that had been left unrepaired due to the paranormal phenomena now appeared to belong to a castle that had been abandoned for years.
Sonia had paused on the footrest, but drawing her mouth into a grim line, she now stepped down, filled with determination.
“Duchess Sonia! Sir Chris!”
Sonia was afraid Matthew and the head steward would be terribly surprised by her sudden return, but she could see that wasn’t the case by the look of relief on Matthew’s face as he came out to welcome them.
“Has anything in the castle changed?” Sonia asked. “Has anything different from the usual happenings—”
“Absolutely!” Astounded that Sonia already seemed to know what he wanted to discuss, Matthew jumped straight to the point, “Human voices and banging are coming from the castle chapel that is blocked off! We can’t get inside to investigate, even though we’ve moved the bar!”
Sonia gave Chris a meaningful look and they nodded in unison.
They’re there. Waiting.
“I understand. Sir Chris and I shall contend with it. Matthew, I want you and the others...yes, I’d like you to have everyone ready to evacuate the castle if necessary.”
“What are you saying?! We’re going with you! The castle guard is already on standby!” Matthew protested.
But Sonia shook her head. “This isn’t another living human. We can’t afford to charge in blindly only to sacrifice more lives to this villain... Please leave this to Sir Chris and I.”
“Duchess Sonia...”
Matthew realized when Sonia turned her lips up in a beautiful smile that she had learned the truth. He also recognized it was a smile of fatal determination...
“I...I shall accompany you! I have devoted my life to the Clare family! Even if we should fall, I will nevertheless fight at your side!” Matthew pleaded to Sonia with tears in his eyes.
“As will I...!”
“And I!”
The head steward and housekeeper both chimed in. They sounded as if they thought nothing of dying for Sonia.
Surprised by their desperate pleas, tears welled in Sonia’s wide eyes. She told them, “...Thank you, everyone. It makes me happy...to know I’m...not alone...”
“What are you saying?! We’ve nurtured you with love ever since you were but a babe! We’re eagerly awaiting the day you find happiness! Your special day is so close at hand... We won’t let anyone take that from you!”
Embraced in a group hug by the three middle-aged castle staff, Sonia began to cry.
“I swear I will break this curse!” Sonia promised to them and herself with the conviction reforged from the familiar warmth of their support. Then she told them, “You’ve made your point, but only Sir Chris and I are entering the chapel.”
“Duchess Sonia!” the three cried in protest, but Sonia absolutely refused to budge.
“The adversary is trying to throw me into despair and crush my will to live by taking away everyone and everything I hold dear... If you go with us, I have no doubt he will go straight for you. So please wait outside. Let me carry the desire to continue living with you into battle.”
“Duchess Sonia...”
Their lady’s determination was resolute. It seeped into her very manner of speech and gestures. As much as it pained them, the three staff pulled away from Sonia.
“...Please, be careful.”
“We will be waiting for you.”
The head steward and housekeeper spoke one after the other. Finally, the chamberlain, Matthew, went up to Chris.
With tears in his eyes, he grasped the knight’s hands as he said, “Please take care of Duchess Sonia.”
“You have my word I will break this curse!” Chris vowed seriously.
“Let’s go, Sir Chris!” Sonia urged.
“Right!” Chris replied, and then he whispered softly in Matthew’s ear, “Have several men wait outside the door ready to break in and rescue Duchess Sonia if things should go awry.”
Matthew nodded gravely in response to Chris’ instructions. His stern tone and expression allowed for nothing else.
He is prepared to die for Duchess Sonia, Matthew thought as he watched the knight walk away. And then he offered a prayer to God for their safety.