Chapter 240 - You're here so it's different

-Gardens -

"Do you come to these places often?" Lyn asked.

"Hm? In the past, I did, to take a break. But after I started coming in and out to practice riding, it stopped being a place I could relax --" he sits down on the ground. "Now, I don't come that much anymore. I like the forest outside better."

Still, the one who taught him to like the forest was Kazuya.

"I see."

"Right now, you're here, so it's different, though. Just that is enough."

A strong gust of wind blows then causing the leaf in the surroundings to rustle.

"That's a nice sound," Rhys commented.

Despite the silence between them, the sound of nature seemed to cover up the awkwardness. Indeed, he always gets a different sort of feeling when he's with her. Thinking about it carefully, the two of them have been through quite a lot in his short time back here. Although at the beginning, he had every intention to respect the happy little family and leave it at that.

Beth kept sending him looks, and there was that silent pressure to do something from Yuzuhara. Hearing the brunette sob, he glanced over, indeed to see her crying. She--?

"I do care about you, Rhys."

That's ---!

Lyn nodded, "You're so dear to me, and I respect you, and I want to be your strength, but now I realize that I still care about you and yet I have Kazuya. Someone whom I love a great deal... I. … so…. This isn't fair, is it? I don't know if it's okay to want to look at you the same way as I have until now."

She's really crying. This might be the first time he has properly seen the girls tears. No back then too, he saw them. He hadn't been joking around with her friends when he said he had fallen in love with her the second he saw her tears.

Rhys stood up and soon kneeled in front of her placing his sword on the ground. "I want that, too." she glanced up, "Lyn, while our status will separate us at times, I still want to be with you. I don't know how much I will be able to give back in return for what I get from you. And I know even how that you still love Kazuya. But even so, if you're thinking about me just a little bit more. I want to be with you from now on. I desire you to be beside me. I will protect the desires of us with both my body. To do so, it might be strange to ask you to help me. But you certainly give me strength. Therefore.. " he extended his hand out, "Will you take this hand, Lyn?"

Before Lyn could extend her hand out; however, somebody picked the girl up. "K--Kazuya?!!"

Rhys looked down, 'A bit late, huh?' He should have done this the other day.

__

Meanwhile, inside the ballroom.

She meets up with her brother first, before she returned to Lord Amakaze side. Pupillam was in no rush to go back. Currently, the man in question was surrounded by a group of nobles. She turned to her brother, Joshua.

"Even though I accepted, I still think we should make him change his mind," Pupillam mumbled. Initially, she didn't have any problems at all with the plan. Not because she harbored feelings for Lord Amakaze, but because it would be a convenient marriage for her. However, "I can't let Prince Andrew get his way."

Is it for his fiance's sake? Pupillam doubted it.

"Pupillam, you're the one he asked for. I'm just here to accompany my dear sister. But I do wish you luck with that goal of yours."

"Some twin you are." She narrowed her eyes in hostility. "You would just hand over your one and only twin on a silver platter? I understand that his house is higher than ours. But can you not express even a hint of opposition here?" Pupillam reached over and covered her face, pretending to cry.

Joshua rested his chin on his hand, before he said, "I fear for Lord Amakaze. What tactics will you use to scare him away." He chuckled at the possibility. "But let me tell you this now, my dear sister. Lord Amakaze is not your average man."

"I'm aware of the rumors."

"He's an awful man when it concerns females. You have your work cut out for you."

Since she was somebody born in a warrior household, she initially held contempt towards nobilities who had nothing on their sleeves but their mere titles and wealth. Only one noble has proved her wrong, and that was the Princess. Then again, she supposes King Daichi is the same way and General Adrian. There are people like Lucas too.

"Why did you agree to marry him if you're so opposed to it?" Joshua sighed, "You do not care for his title, and neither do I! We do not need his services, his wealth. If he wants to take away our power, then he can do so. We've already saved up a lot over the years, and the business has boomed. But even then, we don't have any real power of our own. So why would he chose you?"

Why is he even asking her this? This is a question neither of them could answer. Pupillam shrugged. If she were to tell him that this marriage was a convenient way to protect the Princess, then he would undoubtedly get angry. Her brother doesn't understand her devotion to the Princess. Sometimes, Pupillam didn't either.

"Let me guess, is it because you want to forget the crown Prince?"

She shoots him a warning glance and looked around. Thankfully, there were no other guests near them, "You know that is not it," Pupillam mumbled. "I already gave up on Prince Andrew." The moment she found out he was married, Pupillam understood that there were no more chances between them.

Sometimes she would think to herself if only the Prince were a commoner. If he were somebody from an average family, then a marriage alliance between them wouldn't be impossible. However, the man she fell in love with just happened to be the crown Prince of the Mist Kingdom.

"Have you spoken to him, aside from the usual greetings?"

"I have seen him plenty of times," Pupillam mumbled. It was clearly a lie, how many times has she actually seen Prince Amakaze? Though there was that incident back them...

"You will spend your life with him after having just exchanged a few words here and there? You're crazy!! Plus he's a womanizer."

"I will have to live with that."

And the conversation ends just there. Pupillam understood that her brother was thinking about a counter-argument. But, what could he argue about?

...

Pupillam swiftly returned to his side; thankfully, the crowd of people had vanished. She purposely delayed coming over, because she did not want to be harassed by the people. It was a stupid thought, of course.

"You have yet to give me an answer, My Lady."

Pupillam looked at Prince Amakaze from head to tie: tall, with black hair. He is handsome in a way she never thought of before, but good looks aren't everything. If she were going to choose based on looks, she would shame the Princess.

"I thought the answer was clear already."

"Was it?" Amakaze frowned at her, and again Pupillam feels a bit satisfied that she surprised him.

"I am still here," she said these words coldly with an indifferent look on her face. But, it does not change the situation. She wonders how he would react.