8. An Obstacle to Corydalis’s Love?

Ever since our impromptu teatime out on the town, Stellaria and I would go out together whenever our schedules lined up. Well, technically I was the one bending to fit into her schedule most of the time, but let’s not get hung up on the details.

“I got free tickets to a popular play, so why don’t we head over to the theater after we grab lunch?”

“Oh my! I appreciate you bringing me along, Cory. What kind of play is it?”

“It’s called The Marquis and the Viscount’s Daughter. It’s a comedy, so it should be a fun one.”

“Are you sure it’s appropriate for someone of my standing to be seen at the theater?”

“You’ll be fine, Ria. Just look at how nicely you’re dressed.”

By now, we were close enough to call each other by our nicknames without batting an eye. Hah! Try and call me “less than acquaintance” now! (Not that I’m still bitter or anything.)

The two of us walked side by side, leaving an appropriate amount of space between us. We were just far enough apart to keep us from holding hands—and it was driving me crazy.

I’m positive this is what they call “more than friends, but less than lovers.”

The more we saw each other, the more good I found in Stellaria, and the harder I fell for her. The distance between us was starting to wear on me.

I couldn’t let things stay like this. Now was the time to rise to action.

It was time for me to be a man. I made up my mind to spell out my feelings for her.

* * *

Our next day off would be the moment of truth.

Considering that I was going to be pouring my heart out here, I needed to find a spot where there wouldn’t be too many people around to eavesdrop. That said, a totally deserted place wouldn’t be a great idea either—too dangerous.

A big park, maybe? Oh, I know! What about Lognes Forest?

Lognes Forest, located on the outskirts of Rohze, was a huge woodland park and a popular recreation spot for men and women of all ages. With benches scattered here and there and fields of grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, there was plenty of space to go around. As long as we didn’t start shouting at the top of our lungs, there was no need to worry about anybody overhearing us.

Besides, going for a stroll was a common date activity for us at this point.

My plan was for us to grab lunch and take a walk around Lognes Forest on our next day off...and there, I would officially ask to court Stellaria!

Now that I had picked out the stage for that decisive moment, my resolve was truly steeled.

* * *

Stellaria and I had lunch at a trendy restaurant, then began our lazy stroll toward Lognes Forest.

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Mm... I’ll tell you in a bit. For now, let’s just enjoy the nice weather.”

“Sure. It’s the perfect day for a walk, isn’t it?”

I dodged the main issue at hand, and the two of us continued on our jaunt.

I was feeling pretty nervous on the inside, but I was doing my best not to let it show. Just act casual... Be cool as a cucumber... Great, I’m just making myself even more nervous!

Calm down, Corydalis. Deep breaths.

“Whew...”

“Cory? Do you need to rest?”

“Come on—just walking this far wouldn’t be enough to wear me out.”

Not much time had passed since we’d left the restaurant. I am a knight who trains day in and day out, I’ll have you know.

My deep breathing exercises must have gotten her worried.

After finally arriving at Lognes Forest, we spent a while wandering down the trail. I usually kept a pretty quick pace, but here I took my time, matching my gait to hers. Moments like these always served as a perfect break from my busy life—and it struck an even deeper chord today, considering I’d tackled a particularly challenging assignment recently.

By that, I was referring to the Aurantian crown prince’s attempted abduction of Duchess Fisalis.

The royal siblings of Aurantia, the kingdom we had defeated in our most recent war, had visited Flür both to commemorate the end of said war and to find themselves a crown princess and a groom respectively. The whole situation was a pain in the butt to begin with, but it only got worse from there.

Get a load of this: the crown prince fell for the vice captain’s wife at first sight, only to then try to kidnap her and make her his bride.

The duchess thwarted his plans by putting up one hell of a fight, but dealing with the aftermath turned out to be a total hassle.

“The most recent disturbance was a real headache and a half. How is Mrs. Fisalis holding up, by the way?”

“She’s been slowly getting better, but the doctor recommended complete bed rest. We servants have to keep a close eye on her.”

“I see...”

Uh, why the surveillance? Well, I guess it’s that vivacious duchess we’re talking about here—who knows what she might do.

Hell, after running all over the royal palace in her attempts to shake him off, she had even grabbed that beefy Aurantian prince and hurled him right over her shoulder. Where was she hiding all that strength in that dainty little body of hers, anyway?

“The master has been more than happy to attend to his wife’s every need.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet he has. That explains why he’s been wrapping up his work early and heading home as fast as his legs can carry him.”

Of course, during the time between the kidnapping incident and the bloodless surrender of Aurantia, there hadn’t been a whole lot to do but wait for information to come in. Still, I couldn’t help but think back to a certain conversation I’d had with him:

“All right. I’m heading home.”

“Huh? You aren’t going to wait for our subordinates’ reports?”

“We don’t get any answers until tomorrow anyway. What matters right now is that I go home and look after Viola.”

“I mean, if you’re that determined, I’m not about to stop you.”

Putting it off until tomorrow wasn’t going to make too much of a difference, since reports did tend to come in either late at night or sometime into the next day. Thus, the squad and I had simply watched over his valiant departure.

“Bellis—the gardener—made a wheelchair for her recently, so she’s been able to traverse the manor that way.”

“I’m glad to hear it. We reached a decision on what to do with the crown prince and his sister, so things are finally settling down on our end too. Oh, speaking of which—the sister was sentenced to act as a maidservant to our princess. Under the condition that she’ll be strictly supervised, of course.”

“Ah, I see! Which princess, if I may ask?”

“All three of them.”

“Now that’s what I call a cruel and unusual punishment! I’m sure she’ll find the princesses’ scrutiny much harsher than whatever official surveillance she may be under. Hee hee. Of course, that would hardly be enough to atone for what she did to our Madam. Why, I certainly hope they work her to the bone!”

Is it just my imagination, or am I detecting a hint of something evil in Stellaria’s laughter? Well, considering how much everyone at the Fisalis manor loves the duchess, I guess that’s no surprise. And hey, I get it—I’m a pretty big fan of hers myself.

We kept wandering aimlessly, recounting other recent events and engaging in all sorts of idle chatter... but I was struggling to get to the whole point of this excursion!

While I was waiting for the right opportunity to broach the subject, we made it out of the forest and into an open field. Complete with a flower bed and pond, the sprawling lawn looked like the perfect spot to linger.

“Mind if we sit down for a bit?”

“Sure.”

I invited Stellaria to sit down on a bench just off the walking trail.

If I put this off any longer, it was only going to make it harder to bring up, so I went for it as soon as we had both taken a seat.

“I hate beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. Stellaria, will you permit me to court you with an eye toward marriage?”

My approach was about as straightforward as it gets: I looked her right in the eyes and told her exactly what I wanted.

The question must have caught her off guard; for a fleeting moment, her green eyes went wide with surprise, but it wasn’t long before she briskly rose to her feet.

“I’m afraid I must decline.” She bobbed her head in an apologetic bow.

Instant. Kill.

You’ve gotta be kidding me... She turned me down? Without even missing a beat?! Why did she even go with me on all those fun little dates, then? Don’t tell me I’ve been dragging her along against her will!

She kept her head down, and I stared blankly at the whorl of her hair.

If she wants to say no, then fine, that’s her choice. But if she doesn’t tell me why, I’m never going to be able to move on.

“Uh...hey, Ria? Can I ask why?” I attempted to ask as casually as possible. If I wasn’t careful, my voice was going to start trembling.

“Though I don’t mind dallying with you the way we have been, if you’re asking me for a formal courtship—let alone one intended to lead to marriage—I can’t help but worry about the difference in our social standing.”

When she lifted her face, Stellaria answered me with an almost feeble smile, a stark contrast from the one she usually wore.

“Dallying”?! What is she going on about?

“Hold on a second! Let’s put the matter of rank aside for the moment. Have you spent all this time convinced I was asking you out on nothing but a whim?!”

“There’s no reason to believe someone of your status and prestige would go out of your way to seek the company of a mere servant like me.”

I think I’m gonna tear my hair out. Is that really how she saw all my (desperate) advances?!

Though I was still working through my own shock, when I looked more closely, I saw that Stellaria had a miserable, distressed look on her face.

If she truly had no feelings for me whatsoever, she wouldn’t be making a face like that, right?

The moment I saw that expression of hers, the will to keep fighting surged up within me.

Oh, so she thinks I’ve just been “dallying” with her? Try again. If I back down now, she’ll be totally convinced this was all just a passing fancy! I’m not about to let that happen.

I’m going to make her see how serious I am, whether she likes it or not! She’ll never know what hit her!

“This meant more than just a bit of fun to me!”

“What?”

I grabbed Stellaria by the hands, clasped them in my own, and looked her straight in the eyes. Her green irises wavered.

“Except for a few extreme cases, the people of Flür have never been too fussy about romance between classes, have they?”

“Perhaps not. But regardless of what society at large may think, neither I nor my parents could ever approve of it. Our pride as first-rate servants wouldn’t allow it.”

“That pride may be something worthy of respect, but right now, it’s just standing in our way. I come from the family of a marquis, sure, but seeing as I’m the third son, I’ve been left entirely to my own devices. My parents would be happy with any girl I choose to marry.”

“I’m sure it’s a different story if that girl is a mere servant.”

For Pete’s sake, Ria, you really have a rebuttal for everything!

Here I was, arguing with everything I had, yet she refused to budge an inch. She just kept refuting whatever I said.

Fine. I didn’t want to say this, but you leave me no choice.

It was time to play my trump card.

“I have it on record that my family would be fine with anyone I marry, as long as my ‘bride’ isn’t a man!”

I really didn’t want to mention it, but now’s not the time to get hung up on that!

“Oh...”

That must have reminded her of the whole “you-know-what” debacle, because she soon had the face of someone struggling to stifle a laugh.

I was glad I had managed to lighten the mood a little, but being forced to dig up my own dark past felt like an innovative form of torture.

Back when that rumor was making the rounds around the royal palace, my parents and brothers had been among the first to hear it, and I had been called back to the manor as a consequence.

“So, I heard this rumor that you prefer men...”

“I don’t! That was my boss’s idea of a joke!”

“Really?”

“Yes, dammit!”

“Corydalis...we couldn’t care less about social standing. We only ask that you bring home a girl as your ‘bride.’”

“That’s my plan!”

My father had begged me to marry a woman. Of course, my mother and brothers had been nodding alongside him.

While I was engrossed in my flashback, gazing off into the middle distance all the while, Stellaria lowered her head with a dry laugh. “I apologize for all the trouble our master caused you.”

It sure wasn’t your fault!

“That mess is over and done with, so don’t worry about it. My point is, there’s no reason to get so hung up on your status.”

“But...”

“You may be a servant, but you work for the Fisalis family, don’t you? Not just that either. Both your parents were servants of the duke before you, so I’d say you’ve got a lot more to recommend you than the average commoner.”

Nobody could work at the duke’s manor without a proper background check. Considering the intense scrutiny each applicant faced, it was common knowledge that anyone employed there must be someone of reputable character.

“Well, perhaps...”

Stellaria’s eyes wavered in distress. I could tell this was going to take one last push.

“Do you not like me, then? If that’s the case, and you’ve only been going out with me because I’m too high-ranked for you to say no, I’ll give up on you here and now.” I threw her yet another straight pitch.

She went silent.

I’m begging you, don’t say “yes” here!

I watched her intently, praying with all my might.

“Rank or whatever aside, I’m asking about how you feel.”

Silence.

“Were you only hanging out with me because I’m a friend of ‘the young master’?”

“No!”

It wouldn’t be nice of me to corner her too hard. Thus, I brought up the vice captain in a deliberately nonchalant tone...and she immediately rushed to deny the accusation.

See that?

“So...?”

“I... I’m very taken with you.”

Stellaria was red to the very tips of her ears, but even so, she looked me straight in the eyes as she gave me her answer.

God, she’s cute. The cutest girl in the whole world!

“That’s what I wanted to hear!”

I pulled her into a hug, breaking into the biggest grin ever to be seen upon my face.

“I don’t know what my parents will have to say, however.”

Nestled in my arms, Stellaria still seemed to have her misgivings, but I wasn’t feeling worried in the least.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make them see things my way!”

How could I be so confident? Because if it came down to it, I would use my best friend (read: partner-in-crime) to make it happen.

Man, today is the best day of my life!

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Fisalis manor...

“Achoo!”

“Did you catch a cold, Cercis?”

“I don’t think so. No, I got the strangest feeling that someone just mentioned my name...”

“Oh?”

“Was it my imagination?”

“Must have been.”