WHEN she slowly opened her eyes in response to a familiar voice, she saw a beautiful silver-haired young man and the ceiling. She blinked repeatedly to clear the fog of sleep. Noticing she was awake, Linus smiled down at her.
“Oh, hello, Fiona. Good morning. Did you manage to get some sleep?”
“Good morning, Your Highness…?”
She sat up straight as Linus supported her. They were still inside the carriage. The door was open, and Charles stood outside, his expression grim.
“Your Holiness, if I may, I’d like to give you a report on the lake’s abnormality.”
“Fiona, shouldn’t you think about the situation you’re in right now first?!”
“Ah, you’re right… Your Highness, I’m sorry I’m heavy.”
Her father’s words made her realize she was still on Linus’ lap. In the end, she had fallen asleep, and from their position, she wondered if he’d held her the whole ride. For a moment, she worried if his limbs had gone numb, but his sunny grin told her he was fine. Unexpected, that. Perhaps those who honed themselves through the sword were cut from a different cloth.
“Except that’s not the issue at hand?! Your Highness, you swear you haven’t done anything untoward, yes?!”
“Like father, like daughter. As I told her, the answer is no. She’s fine. We’re fine. All I did was hug her a little, kiss her hair, and cherish her sleeping face.”
“Scoundrel! ‘All,’ he says! Rogue!”
Behind the screaming Charles were Linus’ knights, who all nodded solemnly in agreement.
“Stop being such a worrywart, Charles. I haven’t done anything yet. Keyword being ‘yet,’ hm?”
Charles scowled ferociously at the sensual note in Linus’ voice; then, he exhaled deeply.
“Right back to the actual topic. If I heard correctly, you purified the object polluting the lake, the lake itself, ten large wolf monsters, and you did that all on your own, yes, Fiona? It’s only natural you would become drowsy after everything. On the contrary, I’m surprised you only fell asleep. Normally, the burden would be much heavier, not to mention a job like that would usually require several pontiff-class clergy.”
“You said it.”
While Charles massaged his throbbing temples, Linus seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Brother Miller, who was handling the situation on-site, is also a man of mid-level or higher power. That’s how he was able to keep things under control just in time.”
“Yes, and then the Lady Saint swooped in. You never disappoint, Fiona.”
“Not at all, Your Highness. The outcome was simply a result of my steady efforts. Besides, the pontiff is much more—”
“Yes, right, well, let’s just leave it there, eh? Now get down from there.”
Charles’ sharp remark made her realize Linus still held her. However, try as she might to dislodge herself from his embrace, he had his arms wrapped securely around her. Basically, she couldn’t move.
“Um, Your Highness.”
She looked up at him, silently imploring him to release her. His indigo eyes stared right into hers.
“Well done today. Enjoy your rest.”
“Yes, my lord. And thank you very much for everything.”
Before Fiona even finished speaking, Linus’ face drew near. She thought he was going to kiss her hair like normal, but he was so close that she instinctively closed her eyes and felt him press his lips right above her forehead instead.
“Your Hiiighneeessss!!!”
Linus sighed, knowing no one else but Charles would unleash that earth-shattering yell. He loosened his hold to slide his hands under her arms to lift her up.
“All right, all right, calm your horses, Charles. No need to deafen us all.”
“Only if you kindly stop making promises you can’t keep!”
Charles took Fiona from Linus and deposited her gently on the ground, but she wasn’t a toy to be tossed around. She wished they would just let her walk under her own steam.
“Can you blame me though? Because you know better than anyone how patient I’ve been these last ten years, Charles.”
Her father was momentarily at a loss for words when he heard Linus speak in a tone lower than usual. Then, the younger man smiled at him. Though Fiona was curious about whatever promises they discussed, she hesitated to ask because this was the pontiff and the crown prince. There must be many top-secret things she didn’t know, wasn’t meant to know, and she shouldn’t recklessly nose around.
After waving Linus and his knights off, Charles sighed heavily.
“Good job, Fiona. You can give me all the details later… But first. He really didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“He didn’t…?”
She wondered what her father could be referring to. Linus embracing her and kissing her hair was an everyday occurrence not even worth mentioning. Then, was she supposed to tell him about something different from their norm?
“Ummm, well, let’s see… I tried to cut off my hair and give it to him as thanks for saving me, but he declined. Apparently, His Highness prefers lively black hair still attached to one’s head.”
Fiona informed her father proudly of this new discovery, yet for some reason, Charles frowned instead.
“Right… I don’t know how much longer a young woman your age can remain so oblivious, but for now, I’m relieved.”
“Are you? Then might I assume Your Holiness also prefers living hair as opposed to dead hair?”
“I suppose. Yes, let’s just say I do and leave it at that.” Charles chuckled wryly and gently patted Fiona’s head.