Of Friends & Lovers – Chapter 1
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Kyou Kara Maou is copyright to Tomo Takabayashi.
I claim no ownership of the characters.
Author's note:
Firstly, I'll like to state that I don't read Kyou Kara Maou in English.
I'm quite confused here as to how Gwendal's family name is suppose to be spelled in English when I refer to the English references sometimes it's von Voltaire, sometimes it's von Walde. For the time being I'll be using von Voltaire.
Also the prior incident mentioned in this chapter is cannon.
I'm guessing the English version for Anissina's brother name based on his name in the novels. His weird quirks in this chapter however are real.
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The silence of the study is so deafening, one than hear a pin drop. Although it would not make much of a difference to the two occupants if a war broke out in the middle of the room.
Gwendal von Voltaire, eldest son of the former Demon Queen Cecilie, has a reputation of being stern of face and his manner is generally one of cool collection.
His current expression now however is anything but calm. In fact, one who does not know him would say the Lord von Voltaire is…distress?
A strange expression normally reserved for the one across from him.
Seating across from him, the Lady Anissina von Karbelnikoff is starting to look distinctly green in the face herself. This in itself is quite weird since everyone knows that if anything, it is the other way round.
Both stare at each other, then at the two letters lying on the table between them. One bears the crest of the von Karbelnikoff family, the other has the brown look of being travel-worn with its frayed edges but the ink is still dark enough to show it has obviously been recently written.
In a clear crisp hand, the first document proudly states Anissina's name. Whereas the other, spells out 'Gwendal' in many whimsy loops and curves.
Anissina eyes their respective correspondence and with a shudder finally speaks.
"My brother, Demitri has sent word that he'll be arriving at Blood Pledge Castle in a fortnight for the annual ball of the Ten Families."
Gwendal raises a hand to rub his temple. "My mother, Cecilie sends word that she would be arriving for the annual ball."
Pausing for a moment, he asks Anissina.
"What are the chances that Demitri won't mention to Mother the incident that occurred two years ago on the Karbenikoff property?"
Anissina gives a whimper and hugs herself. "He has been 'assuring' me over the last year that if Lady Cecilie has any objections against it, he would bring the matter before the Ten Families, your brothers AND the Maou."
Both the friends turn an even paler shade of white just before hitting their foreheads on the table in despair.
Gwendal actually likes Anissina's brother. The Lord von Karbelnikoff in terms of physical looks, he is like a male version of Anissia, with the same blood-red hair and blue eyes.
Personality wise-other then a peculiar love for all things avian and slight obsession with money he is of a much more (in Lord von Voltaire's opinion) pleasant disposition than his twin sister (aka he feels sorry for all the men who ends up as Anissina's guinea pig).
Things changed two years ago when Demitri tried to arrange a match-make for his younger sister. Anissina, whose firm belief is that a traditional marriage is the bane of progress for women everywhere, of course protested to such a match. The mad inventor even to cook up a scheme to get Demitri to drop the idea.
Poor Gwendal unfortunately got in caught up in the mess when he had tried to rescue his younger brother Conrad, who had disappeared. Leading Lord von Voltaire to think his second brother had been forced into the scheme. (It turned out otherwise)
The long and short of it was that Demitri ended up thinking Gwendal and Anissina were passionately in love with each other. So much so that they were willing to die for each other rather than be forced to marry another- despite their very loud and vocal protests. For like his sister, both can be literally deaf to the views of others once fixed upon an idea.
Thankfully through, Demitri had declared that he would 'respect their wish for privacy and not announce their intentions towards each other'.
Gwendal and Anissina concluded because, firstly, knew it was hopeless to change Demitri's mind, secondly it got Anissina out of the arranged marriage.
However after two years, it would seem that Demitri was getting impatient. Impatient enough it would seem to even bring it up with Cecilie, former Demon Queen, champion of free love and Gwendal's mother.
If it was anyone else, the two childhood friends were confident they could easily brush it off. However if it was Lady Cecilie…Gwendal and Anissina would be marching down the aisle within a week.
The very idea of being married to each other…immediately both felt faint.
And they have exactly two weeks to save themselves.