NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Change Of A Life
Even though the performance was not bad, more than not because Maren simply didn't have an ear for things like this, he couldn't truly focus on it since there were a few thoughts that still lingered in his mind.
After the performance had come to an end, both him and Amaragi were free to enjoy a little bit of free time, albeit they couldn't truly leave the vicinity since the next- and hopefully the last- event of the evening was still waiting directly around the corner.
A grand ball held in one of the largest halls the city had to offer. The moment Amaragi had learned of this, she could have internally died with a pained groan. Imagining most of the nobles in expensive clothing and such, the mere image of her having to wear a luxury dress that served no purpose almost made her want to throw up.
Thus, she banned that image from her mind, swearing to herself that she would never indulge in such things.
"Hey, Amaragi…? Can I ask you something?" the princess in question perked up almost immediately when she heard Maren's voice, facing him with a small but playful smile.
"You already did~" her cheerful voice caused him to return the smile as well, albeit it faltered slightly not long after.
"That person from before… did you know him…?" it didn't take long until Amaragi's expression faltered slightly as well once he indirectly mentioned the noble from a few moments prior. In place of her smile, a trace of exhaustion and even anger seemed to appear on her face.
"His name is Kazen. He is the heir of one of the biggest and most influential houses in all of Glenrock, but his intentions remain as clear and obvious as they are blunt." she closed her eyes for a brief moment, albeit soon afterwards, she earned herself a small gasp from Maren when she suddenly cupped his cheeks with her hands before she leaned her head against his own affectionately.
"... but to answer your question more thoroughly, I don't know him any more than that. He might not have said it outright this time, but of course I know what he wants. You know… I receive marriage proposals quite often, and normally, I can discard those letters in a fire without thinking about them twice…" her expression hardened ever so slightly, and she looked him directly into his eyes.
"... but this time, with you directly beside me, the audacity of him actually trying it again…" her voice gained an edge, but in the end, it was Maren who glanced at the ground with a subtle but downcast expression.
"I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. After all, hardly anyone knows me, and sometimes… sometimes I tend to forget where I'm supposed to be..." Amaragi's eyes all but widened in shock when he uttered these words, but even before she could say anything against that, those words were suddenly echoing in her mind.
Hardly anyone knows me…
Images appeared and shifted in front of her mental eye.
… do you know who he is? I've seen him quite often around the princess, but where did he come from?
Nobody but herself knew who he truly was to her, even though she loved him more than anything else in this world.
If he were a noble, we would have surely heard about him… is he a commoner?
And why should it ever matter who he was? Why would he think of himself as something beneath her when it was him whom she wanted to hold close to herself and never let go?
She was tired of others seeing him only in her shadows.
Suddenly, her hold upon his cheeks lessened slightly, and her eyes seemed to gaze into his own in a way that almost entranced him.
"... Maren…? Can I ask you something as well…?"
Her voice was slow, drawn out almost. With the way she was gazing at him, it almost stole Maren's breath before he nodded ever so slightly.
Her left hand wandered down his side until she took hold of one of his own, all while her other hand gently but firmly held on to his cheek, not allowing him to glance anywhere else but at her.
"... do you love me…?"
A gasp shuddered through his body, confusion showing clearly in his eyes. And even so, Amaragi's expression didn't falter a single bit, never ceasing to gaze at him.
"Of… of course I do…" utterly overwhelmed, he almost felt small in this very moment, but unbeknownst to him, Amaragi had only one intention in mind.
She didn't just love him.
She did so much more than that… it was a feeling that was so overwhelming that, sometimes, she simply felt as though… she lost control…
She adored him. He was her world.
She couldn't imagine that world without him.
And the mere thought… that somebody would try to shatter that world… to take his place…
I t m a d e h e r b l o o d b o i l
“Your majesty, I apologize for the interruption.” a servant bowed deeply in apology the moment he realized just what kind of moment he seemed to have interrupted, desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Especially when Amaragi glanced at the servant with a near enough blank gaze, her hands only reluctantly leaving Maren’s cheek.
However, instead, the servant turned to face Maren.
“As part of the dress code, I must insist that you change your attire a bit before you are allowed entry within the grand ball. Do not worry, everything is already prepared and waiting for you, sir.” the servant bowed slightly once again before he motioned for Maren to follow him once he moved to take his leave.
Albeit, before Maren could comply, he tensed slightly the moment Amaragi’s hand gently took hold of his own once more, prompting him to look back at her.
“... there is… still something I want to share with you… I will be waiting for you inside. Please don’t take too long, alright…?” her demeanor seemed to have changed. Whereas, before, her expression had been hardened, now it was… different.
It was almost… anxious.
He nodded, and with that, he turned to follow the servant who accompanied him to a large changing room, leaving Amaragi to stare from a distance until he was no longer in her sight.
Thus, her gaze was cast downwards when her hands retrieved something from the satchel upon her belt.
And she stared at the little object with a gleam in her eyes.
Music sounded all throughout the giant hall, which was illuminated by bright lights, almost making one forget about the dark of the night outside, especially with that many people. Numerous pairs had taken to the dance floor, moving along in tune with the gentle music that was played together with their partner.
Yet, there were also many people who were only waiting for a partner, always keeping an eye out for a potential candidate. And in this case, Amaragi was presumably the one who received the most glances and looks as she stood by herself at the far end of the hall, away from all the dancing pairs.
Unlike all the other noble ladies, she was still wearing her usual battle dress in place of something luxurious. Albeit it only seemed to increase the interest of some bystanders.
Her back was pretty much facing anyone who was regarding her with interest from a distance, ignoring each and every single one of them as her eyes were only fixated upon the entrance doors of the hall.
However, it didn't stop a certain individual from approaching her regardless after a while.
“Why are you not participating in all the festivities? Being that far away from home, you could unwind a little bit and enjoy yourself, your highness.” her eyes did not even narrow when she heard the steps behind her coming to a halt, not bothering to spare him a glance.
“I will.” for the briefest of moments, his eyes seemed to grow ever so slightly in anticipation, at least until Amaragi suddenly moved away from her spot once she witnessed a certain someone entering the ball room. The only one she had been waiting for.
Moving through any kind of crowd, which immediately parted at her approach, she steadily moved closer towards the unsuspecting person who was still glancing down at his new attire with no small amount of dismay.
And before long, he perked up once she halted a mere inch in front of him, offering him one of the sweetest smiles that immediately caused him to tense a little bit.
“Please don’t look at me like this, these clothes are horrible…” a light blush edged upon his face when he took another glance at himself, not being used in the slightest to wear something outside of his most trusted leather armor.
The clothes were tightly clinging to his body, not even allowing for much room to breathe, they felt like a furnace from inside, and they were itching.
However, he was torn out of his messy and embarrassed thoughts when Amaragi simply took one of his hands into her own, and to his surprise, there was not even a hint of amusement upon her face.
“I think it suits you, Maren. You look beautiful.” almost in an instant, the blush would have returned to his face tenfold, especially due to her choice of words. And yet, even after a moment of prolonged silence, the only thing that he saw within her eyes was genuine truth, her voice never once making fun of him in the slightest.
Thus, the embarrassment actually began to fade away, replaced by a warm feeling in his chest that only began to spread, even though he still glanced at the ground in uncertainty about his reply.
“Thanks…”
Still, once again, the mere hint of anxiety began to take root upon her face. And before he knew it, she was silently motioning for him to accompany her as she gently led him towards the dance floor. Realizing where exactly they were headed, there was a fair share of anxiety now beginning to show upon his face as well, and his heart was audibly beating against his chest with each step that they took.
Along the way, they received more than a few glances, for all of a sudden, the attention of almost every single pair upon the floor seemed to be upon them once they spotted the crown princess in the company of someone else. Someone that they did not know.
More and more anxiety seeped into his very being the moment they arrived at the center of the hall, and it was only then that Amaragi turned to face him in full, his hand still intertwined with her own.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t even-” he was silenced when she subtly placed a finger against his lips, her eyes kindly gazing into his own.
“Maren, when I asked you before… I want you to know that I truly meant it. Perhaps you might not even realize what you really are to me, even after all this time.” the hesitation from before immediately faded away on his face, and Maren almost stared at her in a fixated manner.
“What you said then… I don’t want you to regard yourself as though you are merely just standing in my shadow. I want you to know exactly how I regard you, what you are to me, just what kind of value you hold in my eyes… and I don’t simply want you to know. I want everyone in this world to know.” his eyes widened with each word that she spoke, each and every single one of them uttered with even more care than the last.
He watched as she now took his hand into both of her own, taking yet even another step closer towards him…
… until suddenly, she kneeled upon the ground with her face cast downwards, up until the moment she slowly raised her head to gaze into his eyes from below, holding on to his hand with tender care.
“Maren… will you marry me?”
And she took every last of his breath away.
AN:
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