Kyou Kara Maou – Yuuri's Hot Date
Summary: Wolfram challenges Yuuri to have a date with a girl. Loosely part of my Epilogue story arc.
Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou of course.
AN: For those in metric countries, Vedanya (the shortest von Trondheim) stands 191 cm. Kieran is 160 cm, Wolfram 167, Manfred 168, Yuuri maybe 173 by now. Aldrich looms above the other von Bielenfelds at 185 cm.
Chapter 8 – Lady's Choice
After every fifth dance, there was a break for grazing and socializing. Considering Yuuri's resounding failure to connect with anyone he was dancing with, it was no surprise he was left standing alone, at loose ends. Wolfram was surrounded by a flock of girls, Efram as well, and Kieran was making the acquaintance of her fellow heirs Dietrich von Bielenfeld and Trenton von Gratz, best friends who were less than half her age. Yuuri's own dance slot with Kieran was toward the end of the ball. He considered drifting with the tried and true, making conversation with Conrad and Adelbert, but his feet didn't move.
What am I doing? he wondered. What do you want to do? he answered himself.
A laughing Wolfram detached himself from some admirers and joined him. "Sire? You look lost." His face was beautifully flushed from dancing and smiling. Having already had a monster hangover this week, he was sticking to the dancer's deep goblets of sparkling water.
"Ah, you're right," confided Yuuri. "I feel like I'm screwing this whole evening up, and I'm not sure… what to do about it. I keep dancing with a girl and… not connecting. Girls dance with you, and it's like they glow with happiness. Girls dance with me and look glad to be rid of me at the end. Ah… any advice?"
Wolfram laughed softly. "Well, Yuuri… the rest of the world has to go away. There's only the person in your arms. Everyone else is just… obstacles to not run into. I just put all my attention on trying to make her feel appreciated and graceful at the dance."
Yuuri smiled at him. "You're good at this."
Wolfram shrugged. Actually, he'd surprised himself – he hadn't danced at a marriage ball since before Yuuri came, and had been awkward and stiff at it then. He'd grown up and relaxed a lot with Yuuri. Well, and Aldrich and Hahaue and Conrad and Chichiue made him screw his head on straight for tonight. "Yeah, I guess I am, tonight," he said with a smile. "But Yuuri – you're much better at it. You listen to people with your whole attention, make everyone feel special, all the time. Usually… It's not like you to be so stiff, so serious." Wolfram stole a look at him from under his eyelashes.
"I'm… not being myself, am I…" said Yuuri. That's why. That's why everything is off. I'm thinking this person's more important than that, this issue's more important than that… I'm not usually this judgmental. "I think… I owe Vedanya von Trondheim an apology," he confided.
"Mm, if you ignored her, you certainly do," agreed Wolfram. "It's hard for the von Trondheims – they're not fully accepted in society yet, not fully compatible with Shin Makoku custom. They're too tall, too strange, matriarchal instead of patriarchal, forced into the federation by Maou's decree, not welcome. She probably had high hopes for you to help her be accepted. Ah – it'll have to wait for next break, time to line up again."
Yuuri did a lot better in the second set of dances, applying Wolfram's advice. He put all his attention off of himself and Kieran and Wolfram, and onto finding the charm of the girl in his arms. This set, they curtseyed and gave him real smiles at the end. But he was still certain that they had no particular desire to ever dance with him again, nor he them.
Maybe they're simply sure they never will, he told himself. But he was unconvinced. I think I'm still not connecting.
-oOo-
Kieran tried her best, but with most of her dances, there was no spark. They each had some variation on a 30-second set speech, usually focused on why he thought he'd make a good Lord Donaghie. This was fair enough, she supposed. She wasn't in the market for a Lord Donaghie to rule over her, however. She had every intention of ruling her own domain, thank you kindly.
Her own set piece was prompted by Wolfram – she asked each man whom he would recommend her to marry. The ones who were thrown by the question she ruled out of the running. The ones who lectured her she disliked. The ones who used the opportunity to press their own cause, well, that was fair enough, and she judged by the quality of their answers. More than one, like Wolfram, recommended someone else, at least in addition to himself. At their parting, she met each man squarely in the eye. A couple who'd passed until then, failed at the end – they looked like they weren't at all sure they liked her.
I want to be liked. So far, the only ones who seemed to really like me were Lords Wolfram and Efram. Or is it that I haven't liked them? But Aldrich stepped in to debrief her on results so far, and remind her regularly, that each man was a clean slate. Try to give each a fresh chance and an open mind.
She took Sylvain's hand. His approach was different. He spent his dance getting to know her, the girl, Kieran. He complimented her on how beautiful she was, but also on what he'd learned researching her, about her accomplishments and interests. He inquired after her father's health and care arrangements. And she inquired in kind – of course she'd researched every man she'd picked for her dance card. Time was almost up before she remembered her yardstick question.
"Aside from me?" he answered. "I'm afraid I don't know as many outside Bielenfeld as I'd like. Lord Wolfram would excel, but his heart lies elsewhere. Lord Erick, but he'll inherit Trondheim. Of us squires… I believe I'd be the best choice."
When she curtseyed her farewell and looked him in the eye, he returned her jaunty smile with a warm smile and direct gaze of his own. She broke the gaze, blushing – the first time that had ever happened. She glanced back over her shoulder as she walked away, but as it should be, his attention was entirely on the girl he was to dance with next.
You've not much competition so far, Sylvain von Tarkenburg, and some fine recommendations. But she'd already told Aldrich she wished to interview him. She dutifully cleared him from her mind to give the next man a fair chance.
-oOo-
Efram dutifully swapped his dance card at the second break – there was no reason before, since it was full until the third set. "Whoa!" he said. To his amazement, the card was completely full.
"You made a big impression in your dance with Lady Kieran," said the girl at the desk, with a big grin. "Your slots went like Maou buns after that!"
"For being a goofball? Really? Cool!" He scanned down the list to see if he actually knew any of his new fans. "Hey, wait a minute… I had a dance with Greta Shibuya in slot 13."
"Did you write it on both cards?" the protocol girl asked in dismay. "The one you kept and the copy we kept here to swap out with you?"
"I… no," said Efram, crestfallen. This was his first dance card ever. He'd forgotten he needed to update both cards. "Sorry, my fault, not yours."
He walked over to Greta. "I'm sorry," he said, almost in tears, as he explained that he couldn't dance with her. "And you're the only person I really wanted to dance with. You grow up so fast. You were like my little sister just a couple years ago, and now you're almost my big sister, and pretty soon you'll be a grown up and I'll still be a kid, and –" He turned away to get a hold of himself before he cried. "I just really wanted to dance with you tonight, before you leave me behind."
"I'll dance the last dance with you, Efram," she said, and hugged him. "Wimpue will always be my father. I'll just cancel on him. It's OK."
She ran over to Yuuri and explained. "Please, Yuuri? Do you mind? It's just… Efram was about to cry, and… Now you can dance with Wolfram!"
"Of course it's OK, Greta. I'm the one who messed up the first dance, after all." They exchanged big hugs.
Wolfram joined them. "What's everyone so upset about, Greta?" Greta explained, then bounced off to tell Efram they were definitely on for the last dance.
Yuuri smiled at Wolfram. "So, I have the last dance free after all. Will you dance with me, Lord Wolfram?"
"I – oh, Yuuri," he said sadly. "There's nothing I'd rather do. But Kieran already asked me."
That hurt. Both of us, I think. But Yuuri smiled gently, and said, "I understand. Perhaps… Lady Vedanya will allow me to redeem myself. If you'll excuse me… Ah, Wolfram? Dance with Greta for both of us, would you?"
Wolfram nodded, and they shared a sad smile.
Ted and Franklin von Trondheim appeared to be the only Tronds here tonight who'd made it out of the ghetto. The rest stood in a clump in their sunglasses, ranging upwards in height from the relatively tiny Vedanya at six foot three. Yuuri approached and bowed, and begged a word. She reluctantly stepped aside with him.
"I owe you an apology, Lady Vedanya. I'm afraid I was distracted during our dance, about how I'd screwed up Shin Makoku customs yet again. I hope you'll forgive me."
Vedanya curtseyed. "I can well relate, believe me. These people form a very closed society. Apology accepted, Sire."
"Will you let me redeem myself? May I have the honor of your last dance, Lady Vedanya?"
"I should like that very much, Sire."
The lights dipped to summon people to the next set. "This one is lady's choice, isn't it?" said Yuuri. "May I escort you to the stag line?"
Vedanya asked Brendan Lord Gratz' brother in law Hjalmar, the largest man on the stag line. With the Maou handing her to him, he could hardly refuse.
-oOo-
When the time finally came for his dance with Kieran, Yuuri was feeling a lot more comfortable about dancing with the other girls. Setting things right with Vedanya, and making a connection with her, seemed to crack a film of ice that had coated him since his heart hardened against Wolfram. His smiles were genuine, as was his interest in others. He laughed at himself easily. The girls were reluctant to let him go, and he looked forward to seeing them again sometime. Well not seeing them again, in any amorous sense, but at least chatting with them again.
Kieran… was a different story. He was grateful for the gloves he wore, for he felt like his palms and neck were sweating. Well. You wanted a true test, of whether you'd like a girl better than Wolfram. She's… It was no trouble at all to picture unwrapping her from a pink nightgown in bed. Sweet Shinou…. He gulped. It's just a dance. She's in the market for a Lord Donaghie. There will be a dance, and nothing more.
Let the memory of this dance last a lifetime… Sweat dripped down his spine.
"Sire," Kieran said, stepping up to him with a curtsey.
Yuuri gulped. Stared. Blinked. Belatedly bowed. Managed a smile, and took her hand. Looked away realizing he was blushing crimson. "Ah, I'm pleased to meet you, Lady von Donaghie. I'm, aha! not the most gifted dancer, I'm afraid."
Kieran quirked an eyebrow, and intimately familiar green eyes flashed demonic amusement. "Would you prefer I lead?"
Yuuri chuckled. "Ah, no, I refuse to be that much of a wimp, thank you. I hope you're enjoying your stay with us? Greta tells me you two and Efram have been having fun together."
"Yes, thank you! Greta's been a lovely hostess. She's told me so much about you. It must be difficult to juggle being a king with parenting all those children."
"Ah," Yuuri felt a flush coming on again, "others really do the juggling. I just… play with them. They're… a lot of fun." I've got to get the conversation to stick on her side, or I'll be crimson the whole dance… "So… are you finding any interesting prospects for your… future husband?" Wait, that's just as embarrassing…
"I have four on my list to meet with so far," allowed Kieran. "I heard about your date the other night at the – Diabolical Newt, was it? That sounds so fabulous! We have nothing like that in dreary Donagal. I should like to go to a place like that before I go home." Kieran studied him, amused. No, Aldrich extends the invitations. "Sire… who would you recommend I marry?"
"Aha! I… would defer to Lord Aldrich's counsel, Lady Kieran," replied Yuuri.
That was a new answer – he recommended not a man to marry, but a man whose advice he valued. She supposed that made sense, for a king – and probably for a domain ruler as well. Kieran prompted, "I've heard good things about Lord Wolfram, and Squire Sylvain von Tarkenburg."
Yuuri flushed harder. "I could not recommend anyone more highly than my political advisor Lord Wolfram," he breathed. "Ah, Sylvain… I've only met socially. I like him, though."
"And yourself, Yuuri Maou? Would you recommend yourself?"
"Aha! Perhaps I'd say – I seek to improve myself, Lady Kieran, as both husband and king," replied Yuuri, grateful that the music had stopped and his embarrassment was about to end, and simultaneously wishing he could hold this beautiful woman in his arms for hours more. She's… not just beautiful. She's enchanting.
He's really adorable, thought Kieran. The king of peace, with outrageous majutsu powers, whom they call the greatest Maou in generations, perhaps ever. And the most wonderfully loving, considerate father I saw from Greta's closet. Yet, he's truly, astonishingly modest and kind. And – unless I very much miss my guess – he finds me very attractive as well.
"Thank you very much for this dance, Sire," she said, curtseying deeply. "I hope to speak with you again."
Yuuri bowed just as deep, regardless of how many times Günter tried to teach him not to. "I would like that. Lady Kieran." He met her eyes, and decided he did not care how deeply he blushed. For she blushed, too. And they both smiled very warmly indeed.
Yuuri had to give up on his next dance, and invited the girl out for air on a balcony. This wasn't entirely rude – people did get overheated. He glowed at her, and she believed she was listening to him, but all he could think of was Kieran.
Or, he thought with a sudden pang like a dagger thrust, is she more interested in Wolfram? For if Wolfram is interested in her…
"Sire?" the girl – he had no idea what her name was, though he'd already re-checked the card three times – looked up at him solicitously. "You are overheated, Sire – I shall fetch you some water at once." And she scurried off to do that.
What do I want? I … both of them. If instead… they got each other… I should never forgive myself for having lost either of them. What do I do now?
Calm down. Concentrate on the girl you're with until this is over. Concentrate on your daughter until you bid her good-night. And then… only then… then you can think about this. For now… But I can't!
No. What you can't do is dance with Vedanya von Trondheim again, while thinking about Wolfram and Kieran! She'd be perfectly justified for breaking you in two, and given her brawn, she could do it, easily.
That thought made him laugh at himself, which allowed him to pull himself together. He never did manage to thank whoever-it-was who ran off for water, but he did place his attention on each of his other dance partners for the rest of the night. During the last dance, he was delighted to hear from a modestly pleased Vedanya, that Hjalmar, the man Yuuri had handed her off to on the stag line, was requesting another meeting through her brother. Lord Gratz' brother-in-law Hjalmar Stovemuessen was heir to a vast mountain ranch not far from the Trondheim Pass. He was Gratz's rough equivalent to a Bielenfeld plantation squire's heir – a noble one notch below Lord. He warmly wished them both the best of luck.
He'd mastered the knack now of putting all the other dancers out of mind. He'd far rather focus on Vedanya's good news, anyway, than the pangs of watching Efram take his dance with Greta, and Kieran take his dance with Wolfram.
-oOo-
Aldrich and Kieran closed the ball, at the top of the stairs, just as they began it. They led the audience in applauding the band, the Maou for letting them use his castle, the protocol staff for the dance card management, the army of servants. The ballroom would remain open and refreshments served until everyone left, or dawn, whichever came first. Then Günter led a thundering round of applause for their hosts Aldrich and Kieran, and the ball was over.
"Kieran, thank you for playing coy until the ball," said Aldrich. "But now, you've free run of the castle. And I'll touch base with you late tomorrow morning about scheduling one-on-one meetings."
"But I already know –"
He interrupted her with a finger on her lips. "I'm sure you do. But if you're too keyed up to sleep yet, go ahead and socialize. I need to do other things in the meantime. Kieran, I hope you enjoyed your ball."
Kieran beamed. "Yes. Thank you, oh, thank you, Aldrich!" And she flung her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.
He laughed, and bowed, and set off to kiss his drooping son good-night, and distribute princely sums in tips, before he could join Manfred in bed.
-oOo-
Relieved early of his last dance partner, Wolfram snuck over to the musicians during Aldrich's speech. They readily agreed to send a small string quartet to meet him down in the flower garden.
He snagged Efram and Greta on the way to catch Yuuri, still chatting with Vedanya and her brother and a star-struck Hjalmar.
"Sire, I hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of arranging a… second last dance," said Wolfram, beaming. "This way."
So Yuuri got to dance with Greta after all. And it was no effort whatsoever to put his full and undivided attention on the beautiful little girl who grew more beautiful all the time, but was no longer a little girl at all.
When they were done, she curtseyed deeply, and he bowed even deeper. Greta said, "Thank you so much, Yuuri! And Chichiue Wolfram, for giving me my dance with my Wimpue. Do you… forgive me, Wolfram? For getting a dress to wear to the ball?" She looked up at him with those huge liquid brown eyes, and he drowned as usual.
"Anything. Anything for you, Greta. And you do look absolutely beautiful." He hugged her warmly, if no longer so closely as he did when she was still a girl.
"Then… can Efram and I go to the after-party?" she grinned bravely. Efram put his head on her shoulder and grinned a maximum pixie smile to go with hers.
Wolfram laughed. "Efram's father is here –"
"Chichiue said it was up to you because I could do it if Greta could, but not if she couldn't. So – can we?" Efram added bishounen halo to his maximum pixie grin.
"Go," said Yuuri. They ran before Wolfram could disagree.
Wolfram folded his arms and glared at him. "Yuuri, it's well past midnight –"
Yuuri put a finger to Wolfram's lips and turned to the musicians. "Could you maybe, possibly, play a third last dance? Because… I never got to dance with Wolfram." He looked Wolfram in the eye sideways, with a soft smile.
Wolfram blushed and nodded.
And that was the best dance of all. They didn't say much. They tended to blush and look away each time they caught each other's eye. They'd been engaged for years, but they'd been sleeping apart, under stress, wondering whether they'd ever sleep together again, for days. They'd danced over twenty-five dances each that night, each with a girl in his arms. But none had this kind of heat. Familiar skin and curves seemed to burn through fabric, to reach for familiar hands and mated skin that had been apart too long.
They fell apart shyly as the song ended, and thanked the musicians, and sent them back to Günter to collect their pay for another set. Yuuri turned to Wolfram again, but Wolfram gestured 'Stop' with one hand, the other pointing to the ballroom balconies above them. We have an audience, love. Greta and Efram enthusiastically led the applause, and Wolfram and Yuuri waved and bowed. Wolfram folded his hands behind his back and wandered off toward the garden doors.
Yuuri followed, wanting to take Wolfram's hand, and yet fairly sure Wolfram's body language was disinviting that. When Wolfram reached the wall, he leaned against it sideways, facing Yuuri, his arms now crossed in front of himself, loosely.
"Yuuri…" he said, in the husky bedroom voice Yuuri knew so well, so dearly. "I'd like to ask… if you're willing… would you be willing… to talk to Aldrich with me? As a marriage… well, engagement… counselor? I… for my sake and the children's sake… and yours… I'd very much like for us to do that. I think… that would be a good next step. Would you be willing to do that? For us?"
Yuuri was stunned. I'd intended to take you in my arms and kiss you. Call this whole crazy engagement hiatus off. Yeah, Kieran was intoxicating, but you, Wolfram… My body wants its own. You. And this ball… was an utter disaster, except that you made it right. You told me how to fix what I was doing wrong. No one else knows how to do that for me. But you do. I don't belong here without you, love. The real problem with that ball, from beginning to end, was that I should never have been there without you at my side. You're my partner – body, heart, and mind, in the challenges of home and family, or politics and global threat.
But now you're not sure? I've been crueler than I thought… But a marriage counselor? Talk to your liege lord and cousin about our most intimate problems? That…
That what, idiot? Wimp? That's too scary? You'd be willing to die for Wolfram, go to the ends of the earth for him, but not sit with him and talk to Aldrich? Are you really that afraid of Aldrich? He's the only von Bielenfeld who isn't scary!
Yuuri laughed softly at himself. He turned his back onto the castle wall, and leaned his head to look up at the stars. He said wistfully, "Yeah. OK. If that's what you think we need to do next, we can do that."
"Thank you," Wolfram breathed. He gave Yuuri an awkward kiss on the cheek, turned his eyes down, turned away, then stopped. Without looking back, he said softly, "Yuuri… try to trust me a little until then. I know I haven't been trustworthy, emotionally, so much but… all is not as it seems. We'll meet with Aldrich soon. OK?" At the last, he looked back at Yuuri in appeal.
Yuuri frowned a question, but it went unanswered. "OK. I trust you," he said.
And Wolfram went into the castle, to his separate cold bed.
Yuuri pondered the cold and distant early morning stars for a while.
I thought I was off the hook.
I thought I could simply kiss Wolfram, sweep him off to bed, and this whole thing would be over. No need to look at my attraction to Kieran. No need to look at my terror of Kieran taking Wolfram away from me.
This whole thing was a very, very bad idea! Dammit, I didn't want to look! I still don't want to look! I want to pretend we never started this crazy thing, that none of it ever happened! I love him. We were fine. Why did we have to look…
Wimp.
I'm not a wimp. Well, I am a wimp. But that's not the problem here. I was happy with him. He was happy with me!
But you got engaged by accident when you were 15. He was 80-something, but by his lights, he wasn't ready to consider marriage either.
I could lose everything. Who am I, here, without him?
That's pathetic, Shibuya Yuuri. Shall we go scratch on Wolfram's door? Please take me back because I'm too scared to face your world without you?
Well… if it's true…
It isn't true. It would hurt, hurt bad. But with Conrad and Gwendal and Günter and Greta and the others at your side – could you really not face the world without Wolfram? If he died tomorrow, would you abandon Shin Makoku, Greta, Bertram? Your allies and friends and vassals?
But I didn't want to do this! I didn't want to find out! If something like that happens, Shinou forbid, if and when, then I will face it. There is no need to face my attraction for a girl! I wasn't attracted to one before this whole stupid thing started!
Back up. Why did this whole stupid thing start? Wolfram said he knew why, but… He never told me.
He turned and lay his face against the cold greenish smelling stone of his castle. Maybe when we meet with Aldrich… we could start from that. Whatever that is. In the meantime… I should go to sleep. Because I'm getting nowhere. Nowhere at all.
After he put on his pajamas, he toyed with Bertram and Frieda's hair a long time until his brain shut down. And he went to bed, exhausted.
-oOo-
Kieran added only three names to her list of people to interview. A total of six wasn't bad. Except that fully half of them were unacceptable.
Aldrich leaned back, gazing at Kieran with pursed lips, for a full minute, before he spoke. "Kieran… there is no way, whatsoever, for you to marry Erick von Trondheim. You are both heirs to domains, and neither of you are going to give your domain up. Your father has forbidden you to marry anyone from Trondheim. And on a purely physical basis, excuse me, but – a baby of his will weigh upwards of 15 pounds. You're too small for him. Why is he on this list?"
"I like him," said Kieran, not meeting Aldrich's eye.
"I like him, too. But he's not going to marry me, either. Kieran… talk to me."
"I want to talk to him privately, heir to heir, about undoing the feud between our fathers."
"Alright. I'll set up a meeting. But it won't be private. Lord Franklin and I know far more about this than either of you." She looked up to argue, but he replied firmly, "That's final, Kieran. Next. I want to rule out the Maou and Lord Wolfram as well. Kieran, neither of these men have asked for your hand in marriage."
She looked away. "Invite them anyway. Maybe they'll come."
Aldrich tapped his finger on the table, and then relented. "Alright. I'll ask them. But Kieran, the fact remains. There are only three men on your list who've offered – no, who are considering marrying you. I'd like you to think long and hard about whether there are any other men you'd be willing to give a chance."
And you'd better make yourself damned pleasant to those three, Kieran. Pretty soon my gloves are going to have to come off, pretty chit.
-oOo-
There are a couple new pictures (unfinished) on the website – Kieran with Wolfram, and A Fully Justified Kick.
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