Sara could hear Daniel and Claire from the corner of the room muttering, “Oh my!” and “Good heavens!” Sara glanced over at them and saw them leave the room. Then she addressed Richard, who had hung his head.
“U-Um… So, you’re saying that I should give birth to your child?”
“No, not exactly… I don’t want you to say it like it’s an obligation. But if it’s something we both want, and we have a child together…I would be very happy.”
Richard lifted his head again. He covered his mouth with his right hand, which was curled into a fist, and looked away.
“With that said, I probably wouldn’t be a good father, but…if it’s a child you’ve given birth to, I could love it. So…I had hoped you would think it over. Yeah…that’s what I was thinking.”
“Your Highness…”
“Sara, if it’s agreeable to you…would you please call me by my name?”
He looked up at Sara, the outer corners of his green eyes slightly red.
He was looking at her with such tender eyes… A giggle slipped out of Sara’s mouth as she put a hand against his cheek.
“Yes, Richard.”
“…Let’s have a wedding ceremony. I want to hear all your opinions about it, and I’ll have your dream dress made for you.”
As Richard spoke in a soft voice about their future together, his eyes were softer than Sara could have ever conceived at the beginning of their marriage.
I love that look in his eyes.
This man, who had gone through so many hardships in his life, who had lingering wounds from his early childhood that would be difficult to heal entirely, was giving Sara such a tender look.
And that look was only for Sara.
“Yes…,” Richard continued. “We’ll incorporate all your favorite things. Shall we have sweet butter cake at the wedding reception? I’ll make it, if you want.”
“That’s a great idea. That’s…wonderful.”
Richard smiled.
“I’ll always be by your side… I love you, Sara.”
“I’ll always be with you, too… I love you, Richard.”
When Sara tucked her head between Richard’s collar and his chin, she could smell the gentle scent from his sachet.
When their lips met, she could taste the marlo-infused tea he had drunk earlier.
A world of their own, where no one would disturb them.
The rose corsage, tucked away on a bookshelf, watched over them quietly.
✦ ✦ ✦
🐺🐺🐺
EVERY person in Ferrier knew of Prince Richard and his wife, Sara.
The two had overcome various obstacles before getting married. After that, they started to appear in society as husband and wife and were adored by the general public.
Some time later, Prince Richard drafted a law that declared, “All of Ferrier’s citizens have the right to live,” regardless of whether they had an ability or what that ability was. Their lives were not to be threatened.
There were too many accounts of people who had an ability like the prince’s being taken advantage of, murdered as children, or suffering prejudice and discrimination because of it.
The prince wanted to eradicate this and took the lead to stamp out the discrimination that had been plaguing Ferrier for centuries.
With Richard’s new law, people with the ability to transform their bodies into beasts assembled at the royal villa.
The prince, who also had this ability, trained them, and his wife, a foreigner without any ability, taught them. Through this, their students learned how to be social and cooperative, and many of them joined the Ferrier army, now with pride in the talents they were born with and a desire to serve their kingdom.
Prince Richard refined his training system, and when King Edouard married and produced an heir, the prince officially left the royal family and supported King Edouard’s government affairs as a former royal and a duke.
It seemed to be an ingrained habit for Richard to wear his mask, and he continued to wear one whenever he went to see his vassals.
However, on the very rare occasions that Richard was outdoors without a mask, he was always looking at his beloved wife and children with eyes that overflowed with love.