Baroness Robert greeted him as he stepped into the hallway on the way to his room. “The princess is already waiting inside,” she remarked, and promptly departed after conveying the message, her demeanor hinted at her being privy of something.
Kaon felt a familiar pang of isolation. Not a single soul he could truly trust, not even Joseph, nor Baroness Robert!
He stared at the closed door, letting out a defeated sigh. Standing there wouldn’t solve anything, but confronting the princess inside filled him with dread.
His gaze drifted to the window, a subconscious attempt to buy some time. But as he stared at his reflection, a wave of frustration washed over him.
“Seriously, what happened to my hair?”
It resembled a bird’s nest, a result of his nervous habit of messing it up whenever things went south. He fumbled for a comb, desperately trying to smooth things over (literally).
Suddenly, a creak from the door startled him. He whipped around to see the princess peeking out, a curious look on her face.
An awkward silence filled the air. Caught red-handed with his hands in his hair, pretending to admire the view was clearly out the window (pun intended). Kaon sheepishly lowered his hands. He wasn’t one for preening in front of company, especially women.
“Oh, hey,” he mumbled, acutely aware of how unprofessional it must appear for a knight to be caught like this. Not exactly a good first impression.
“This one opens to the outside too. I came in through the other one,” the princess chirped cheerfully, pointing to the door on her left.
Of course, it wasn’t unusual for a room to have two doors, but the princess, fresh off the carriage, wouldn’t have known that.
Kaon was a terrible conversationalist, but luckily Alessia seemed to pick up the slack whenever things got awkward. He breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the door, gesturing him inside.
“This must be your side,” she said cheerfully, completely unfazed by the situation that had him in knots. “Sorry about barging in, I was just curious if both rooms were laid out the same. I have never seen anything like it before.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kaon mumbled, relieved to see separate bathrooms and beds on each side. As they walked in further, he couldn’t help but notice the décor. It was clear a lot of effort went into making the place comfortable for them. He almost relaxed… until he saw the curtains.
“Aren’t the curtains cute?” Alessia commented.
Thin, sky-blue lace hung between their rooms, barely concealing the silhouettes of furniture on the other side. It felt more like a flimsy decoration than a functional barrier. The whole atmosphere the flimsy fabric created was… odd.
“Excuse me, Princess,” Kaon began cautiously, determined to get rid of that thing no matter what. He knew sharing a room with a guy must be uncomfortable and he didn’t want her to hesitate to make herself feel at home. He just wanted her to feel at ease and consider it a normal room.
He felt obligated to say at least that much, not just as a representative of Ferdinand, but also as her fiancé (sort of).
Suddenly, a wave of different addresses broke through his thoughts. “Prince? Prince Ferdinand? Prince Kaon Ferdinand?”
When he did not respond, Alessia suddenly said, “Kaon?”
The owner of the name blinked, bewildered by the casual address.
Alessia tilted her head inquisitively, humming his name a few times. “Shouldn’t we be a little less formal now? Even if we are only engaged.” Her bright red eyes blinked slowly as if waiting for a response.
He knew he should answer, anything at all, but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Hearing her say his name, a familiar word he’d heard countless times before, felt strangely foreign all of a sudden..
Wait, did his name always sound so… soft? No way, no one had ever called him that gently before.
Alessia blushed, biting her lip. “S-Sorry if it was rude. I just… wanted to feel a little closer.”
Kaon frantically waved his hands, eyes glued to her delicate eyelashes. “No, no, not rude at all! I’ll call you by your name too, so please, keep using mine.”
Relief washed over Alessia as she pressed her hands to her chest and exhaled. Maybe a bit dramatic in anyone else, but on her, it was endearing. ‘Okay, what am I thinking?’ he scolded himself internally. ‘She’s not adorable, she just happened to look adorable then.’
For the second time since they met, Alessia reached out first, a hesitant smile gracing her lips as their eyes met. “I’m excited to be here, Kaon. Please take care of me in the future.”
“I hope you’ll be happy here,” he replied, then added in a softer tone, “Alessia.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners, and Kaon felt a premonition. That radiant smile of hers, he had a feeling, would be imprinted on his memory for a long time.
***
The dinner was quiet, punctuated by polite but predictable questions about the journey and their accommodations. Leonidas’ comment about hoping they rest comfortably marked the end of the meal.
Walking upstairs, Alessia’s cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes sparkled like lanterns. “The food was amazing! That grilled turkey—wow! And the cream sauce was so light and creamy.”
It was the most animated Kaon had seen her since their arrival.
‘Picky eater by the look of her,’ he thought, wondering if her thinness and small stature were an indication, but he was pleasantly surprised to see her devour the meal. Her genuine enthusiasm over the food made her seem less ethereal and more like a normal person.
“And the desserts? Did you see how pink that cream was? How did they make it?”
“I believe they used dried and powdered strawberries,” Kaon replied, remembering the chef’s earlier presentation, which Alessia mirrored with wide-eyed interest. He started to wonder if they actually had desserts in Ingelos, since she seemed so fascinated by everything that was served at the dinner table.
Colored desserts were all the rage in the capital, a status symbol for wealthy families like theirs. Their chef’s dedication was the only reason Kaon was even aware of the trend. But Ingelos wasn’t exactly an unknown, normal family.
‘Maybe they couldn’t afford them,’ he concluded. Sugar was still expensive, and if they were desperate enough to seek financial aid from an enemy, dessert would be a luxury they wouldn’t prioritize.
“We don’t put much emphasis on food in Ingelos,” Alessia chimed in, seemingly echoing his unspoken thought.
Disliking light and a lack of interest in food – an interesting combination, to say the least. But Kaon held his tongue. Something else piqued his curiosity.
‘She’s sharp,’ he realized. What had seemed like coincidences now felt deliberate. Her responses seemed to anticipate his unspoken thoughts, like she was constantly reading the room. It was a refreshing change from the self-absorbed or insensitive mages he’d encountered previously.
They reached the second floor in comfortable silence.
Kaon reached Alessia’s door, took a deep breath, and unloaded the script he’d been practicing during dinner. “Alright, listen, I’ll stay in my own room. It’ll be way easier for you to settle in if you have the whole place to yourself.”
Alessia blinked, eyes wide. “But Kaon, they set up a room for us to share. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Getting used to a new place can be rough, so let’s just do whatever makes both of us feel comfortable.” He gave her a reassuring nod. Leonidas might yell, Baroness Robert might tear his ears off, but hey, small price to pay. Their future – well, more like their forced future – was already set in stone.
“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“No problem. It just makes sense… besides…” Kaon caught himself. Saying “Isn’t sharing a room with a complete stranger totally weird?” seemed a little rude under the circumstances.
Instead, he settled with, “See you tomorrow, Alessia. Sleep well.”
He felt a surge of pride as he turned to head to his own room across the hall. After all, a knight never abandoned their comrades in arms. They might be stuck in the same boat, but they had to look out for each other.
He reached for the doorknob of his room. Or at least, he tried.
He stared at the knob, bewildered. It wouldn’t budge. Just a weird clicking sound filled the hallway. He tried turning the knob harder, knocked on the door, but still nothing.
A shiver ran down his spine. He walked down the hallway, checking the other doors. Yep, his hunch was right.
Every single door on the floor was locked tight.
🍉🍉🍉
It’s the classic “and there was one room” trope. (￣ω￣) next post will be in two days. thank you for reading!
