Chapter 41

Soon, morning knocked on Ashite’s door. The day passed smoothly, and it was as if the shyness of the previous day was a distant dream.

Ashite ate alone this day. She assumed the king probably had work to do. Whenever she thought about it, she lost her appetite. Although she was used to eating alone.

The night, swift of foot, came quickly. Even though she didn’t understand why, Ashite was standing in front of the king’s office again. The darkness was most indifferent. She wanted to open the door slowly, but the servant pulled it open quickly.

Lu Havre rose from the chair and they exchanged greetings. Lu Havre beckoned gracefully.

“Ashite. I am not done with work yet. How about reading a book first?” Lu Havre said to her.

“I will, Your Majesty,” she answered.

Ashite sat on the couch and opened a book. Of course, she couldn’t focus on the words. She was reading it, but it did not leave an impression on her brain. There were already lots of other things on her mind. She was thinking of night, the office, that king, and herself. After realizing this, it came to her like a strong wind.

She rubbed her cheeks without reason. They didn’t feel hot. She patted her dress and checked if it was wrinkled. The maids dressed her up well, so there was no problem there. Her hair sometimes ran long, so she tucked it behind her ear. Fortunately, her hands and feet did not tremble. Everything she did was very cautious.

She felt the king’s eyes. <> she thought. Ashite turned the page. She was trying to soothe herself. At the moment, it sounded like the king was writing something. Her nerves were on the brink. The king was rustling papers as if he were rummaging through documents. She was getting thirstier. With her eyes on the book, Ashite reached her hand out to the table. She almost grabbed the teacup. Now, she had to hold it.

“Ashite,” Lu Havre said.

She suddenly lost control. The mug fell from the hand and hit the table. There was an unpleasant and harsh sound.

Lu Havre rose immediately. The cup had spilled, and tea doused the table. There were several papers, a pen, and a book on the table, all of which were now wet. Ashite was dazed but judged the situation and rose from the couch immediately when she saw Lu Havre was coming to her.

“Yes?” she asked.

“The cup…” he responded.

“Oh,” Ashite said.

“Dejan, Hannibel! Come in,” Lu Havre shouted.

“Yes. Your Majesty,” they answered.

“Is your dress wet?” he asked.

“No,” she replied.

Ashite tried not to stutter, and the effort was successful. Lu Havre immediately picked up the book, the papers, and the pen. He handed them to the servants without looking at them. Hannibel took the items. Dejan took his handkerchief out and mopped up the spilled tea. It was a big handkerchief and there wasn’t much tea, so the table soon became clean.

Ashite bit her lip. She decided to apologize first.

“I am sorry,” she said.

“That’s okay,” Lu Havre told her.

He answered immediately. Hannibel was trying to wipe the book, papers, and pen. Lu Havre was not looking at his servants. He was only looking at Ashite. He looked at her skirt to check if it had gotten wet, and he noticed her pale face.

“Are you sick?” he asked her.

“No, I am fine,” she answered.

It was a routine denial. Lu Havre brushed his hair away. She didn’t look all right at all, but he could not continue. He had to nod again as if he accepted her response.

Ashite realized that when she was feeling timid, she wanted to hide. She didn’t care about the servants being there. The problem was her clumsiness. Precisely, her clumsiness in front of Lu Havre. She had been born and grew up in Skara, where they embraced elegance, and she had passed the coming-of-age ceremony a long time ago, but she still did this. She could not stop sighing, but inevitably, she could not sigh the feeling away.

Day after day passed by. There weren’t many problems, but the shame Ashite felt only grew. Her pounding heart did not sink easily. The king, who had been showing his favor to her ever since, was still the same. Those sharp, straight, red eyes hadn’t changed. Ashite maintained her mask with extreme effort, but it would shatter if it were hit. It was that fragile. Nevertheless, Ashite tried and tried.

Whatever her innermost feelings were, the routine continued leisurely. They saw each other in the office every night.

One day, something different happened.

The night was getting deeper, as time can never turn back. Ashite was reading while Lu Havre was doing his work.

Lu Havre signed papers and massaged the back of his neck. He looked at Ashite out of habit. She was sitting and reading a book graciously. Then, her shoulders trembled slightly. As he wondered why she looked over at him. He thought their eyes had made contact. Lu Havre checked her face. She seemed to turn pale.

“Ah.” Ashite let out a sound.

She had cut her finger with a paper. Lu Havre jumped up. Last time, she had weakly grabbed the teacup without looking at it, and that had made him nervous. This time, she had cut her finger. He could not take his eyes off her. It could not be helped.

Lu Havre stood in front of Ashite. She looked up at him and then rose quickly as she noticed his face. <> His expression looked generally calm, but he frowned a bit as if he was worried.

“It’s nothing,” Ashite said.

“It can’t be,” Lu Havre replied.

“Your Majesty, it’s all right,” she assured him.

Lu Havre could not afford to listen to her, and he thought she was a denying her injury out of habit. He knew she was just saying she was okay out of reflex. He initially didn’t have much breadth of mind. He was only watching her finger. Even though it was a paper cut, it would hurt since she was a delicate lady. There was a bead of blood. She probably hadn’t seen that much blood before.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket. Even though it was an ordinary handkerchief, his was for the king, so it had a splendid pattern. He opened his handkerchief and quickly wrapped it around her finger. His big hands held her small fingers.

There was only a handkerchief between the two hands; one darkish, large, warm hand, and one small, pale white hand.

After feeling the warmth, rational thinking came back. Lu Havre’s words came slowly.

“Wait… Excuse me,” he said.

She could not refuse. Ashite clenched her teeth and slowly opened her mouth.

“Yes… It’s okay. Your Majesty,” she answered.

There were no other words exchanged. Lu Havre clasped both of his hands. The silence felt very long.

At one point, the blood seemed to have stopped, and the two calmly returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.

The next day, Ashite washed the handkerchief and returned it to Lu Havre, thanking him. Lu Havre smiled.

Time continued on. The leisurely days passed despite their private thoughts. The meetings between the king and the princess became a routine.

The morning came again. Bright sunshine knocked on the window of the room, colored with dim light, where Ashite was sleeping soundly.

Menang would be held that day.

The palace was busy beginning at dawn. An outdoor banquet hall was set up in a corner of the castle.

The elaborate bushes that the gardener shaped surround the banquet hall, and colorful flowers were set in the middle. A few small fragrant shrubs, with flowers and trees, encircled the edge of the banquet hall. A couple of entrances were temporarily made. The flowers that fully bloomed in autumn wrapped the gate like vines. Overall, it was very colorful. The sky was clear, and the red and yellow colors were gorgeous under the warm sunshine.

The people who came to Menang did not lose their own shine under the beautiful colors. Most of them were young men and women. Some were standing close like married couples, and others were standing slightly apart as if they were shy. In the middle, there were three or four big, long tables with people gathered around them. There were several guests seated at the small round tables as well. Some lovers were already hiding behind the trees.

On one side, the orchestra played a light, calm tune. People were laughing and talking while they drank something sweet or ate a small snack. The owner of the banquet had not come yet, so no one was drinking alcohol or dancing.

At some point, the banquet calmly sank. The wind was cool. The servant informed people of the king’s location. The princess of Skara was with him.

People wondered if the king would ever come to Menang. Since he had reached a marriageable age, people assumed he would. Then, who would be his partner? The time had come for their curiosity to be satisfied.

Bluish-purple hair fluttered in the wind. A woman with long pinkish-purple hair stood next to him. Out of courtesy, the woman was holding on to the man’s wrist. A white hand against a dark wrist.

All unmarried women had partners, but some, who had thought of themselves as a potential future queen, frowned. Young men with unmarried sisters also frowned slightly. The expressions of the heads of some famous noble families were hard to read.

They were wondering what was happening. No way. They had no idea the king would have applied to escort the princess to Menang. There had been no sign of it. He had always avoided answering when someone asked him to go previously.

Lu Havre stood in the center, pretending not to notice the changed atmosphere. Ashite was standing at his side.

The king arranged the banquet speech. He smiled slightly at the end of a relatively short commemoration.

“It is a good day. Everyone, please enjoy Menang. The blessing of Monvixo to all,” Lu Havre said.

The servant handed Lu Havre a transparent glass of liquor, and he raised it. Everyone toasted with the person next to them. Ashite took a glass from the servant as well. It was a pinkish drink.

Menang was a banquet that could be divided into the day and night celebrations. During the day, everybody usually drank regular beverages. Even if they drank liquor, it contained less alcohol. It was the evening celebration where they drank strong alcohol.

“So, this pink alcohol must be drinkable,” Ashite said as she smelled the drink.

Lu Havre backed away from the center of the banquet and went to the Ashite’s side. They toasted and then took a sip. Lu Havre gestured, and the orchestra played a piece of soft dance music.

At the beginning of Menang, men asked their partner to dance. The king was no exception. Lu Havre smiled. It was a different smile than when he had delivered the commemorative speech. His voice came like a whisper.

“Ashite, will you dance with me?” he asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Gladly,” Ashite said.

The two stepped up. They were close enough that their breaths mingled.

When they danced during Terre Sunds, it was a more formal thing. It was different this time. They could feel each other’s warmth. Two hands met. Lu Havre gently grabbed Ashite’s hand, and he placed his other hand lightly on her waist. Ashite placed her hand on Lu Havre’s back and they danced. They moved their feet carefully so that they would not touch the other couples.

The warm sunshine and the cold wind were perfect. The fragrant and savory smells spread, and each other’s warm breath was close.

Ashite was struggling to control her face. She had to pretend that nothing was wrong. The dance was not a problem since she could dance without thought, but he was too close. Although they saw each other every night in the office, they usually only faced each other while sitting on the couch.

Ashite felt her heart swell as she thought to herself. <> It was even a kind of dance that young lovers would perform.

<> Ashite wondered. Her bright yellow eyes and his red eyes maintained contact. She could not escape his gaze since they were dancing. Ashite swallowed everything inside.

At first glance, the two looked calm, but nobody knew their inner minds.

It had been a long time since Lu Havre looked at Ashite’s face that closely. If he bowed his face more, he could touch her nose with his. Unshakable, bright yellow eyes, blushed cheeks, a fine-lined nose, her round forehead. Fortunately, she looked well today.

Lu Havre had thought that she had a bad complexion these days. Even at night, he could see her face well since the lamps in the office were bright. Whenever her face became pale, she turned her head. When he tried to read her eyes, she buried her head in a book. When he asked if she was okay, she habitually denied everything. Her shoulders trembled, too. Why was that? He thought it was strange, and it affected him, also. Last time, in the dance room, he had almost acted on an impulse, and later, he became nervous about spilling the tea.

The first dance was over, and guests looked around the banquet hall for a while. There were a lot of people to talk to since so many had joined the party. Lu Havre walked away, saying he had someone to talk to for a moment. Ashite nodded.

Ashite went to a table nearby and sat down. Her legs had been shaking, so she wanted to get off her feet. She let out a sigh that she could not have in front of Lu Havre.

She had become like a child waiting hopelessly. She sighed again. She sipped on a sweet drink. The music continued while people laughed. The mood was up, but Ashite had mixed feelings. She waited like that for a while.

“Your Highness, it’s been a long time,” someone said.

It was a voice she heard before. Ashite looked up. The face was familiar, too. It was Count Guillaume. Ashite wanted to be alone, but she had no choice other than to respond.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

The Count’s face changed strangely.

“I didn’t know you would come to Menang,” he remarked.

Then he started to chat. Ashite couldn’t concentrate on listening or processing what he was saying. She heard part of what he said and answered slowly.

“His Majesty invited me,” Ashite told The Count.

It was not wrong, but Ashite left out that the king had applied to escort her.

“Is that so,” he said.

The Count smiled suddenly.

“Then would you have accepted it if I had applied?” Count Guillaume asked.

Ashite was suddenly wholly aware. What did he mean? A sigh tried to escape.

She clamped her lips together. He could not be serious. There was no reason.

Come to think of it, the Count had said he had a younger sister who hadn’t married yet. Then, was that the kind of wariness that she felt at every banquet? No. This Count obviously showed personal favor to her. That was how she felt in Theheras.

Or was Menang initially this kind of banquet? Could she pass it off as a joke? But could anybody do that to the partner of the king? Ashite looked down and wondered how to answer.

“I greet you, Your Majesty,” she said.

As always, to see him, she had to raise her head more.

Lu Havre beckoned roughly. He could not afford to look back at the Count.

“Ashite. Umm…” Lu Havre began.

He looked impatient as he chose his words.

“…I have something to tell you. Please follow me,” he said.