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.
Chapter 9 – An Ego of the Appropriate Size
"You could simply refuse to meet with her, Sire," suggested Aldrich. "I know that you're not in the market for a wife." He'd caught Yuuri in his office for a private talk between sessions of the Aristocrat's Summit.
Yuuri's eye was caught by the family portrait on his desk – Wolfram, Efram, and newborn Bertram to the left, himself with Frieda and Greta on the right. He swallowed. "Lord Aldrich… has Wolfram spoken to you yet? About… ah, marriage counseling? For the two of us?"
"A couple days ago," said Aldrich. "I haven't spoken to him yet today. Have you two agreed to meet with me about your issues?"
"Yes. Please," said Yuuri. "I'd be very grateful for that." He touched the portrait. "Is Kieran… inviting Wolfram to meet with her privately as well?"
"Yes," said Aldrich reluctantly.
"Would he forgive me if I accepted?" whispered Yuuri. "Aldrich… I really don't know what to do."
"Sire… if you're asking advice…"
"Please call me Yuuri, Aldrich. And yes, I need advice badly."
"OK, Yuuri. You say you don't know what to do. That suggests you want to do two things you consider… irreconcilable. If I understand the history correctly… Wolfram decided that you should 'try out' a woman. He felt you still harbored doubts. You love him, but you expected to grow up and marry a woman, and have kids of your own body. I don't know how much that part has to do with it, but we're all three bisexual and love kids, so I'll hazard a guess – it matters."
"Yes. But I love my kids!"
"Of course. The thing is, it seems to me that, while under the misimpression that Wolfram had lost his mind and hit the baths – and Manfred and I are with you, by the way – that would be sheer self-destruction for Wolfram, given his past. Anyway, at that time, you came up with your own decision – that for once and for all, you wanted to find out what it would be like to be with a woman."
"Yes. But not… sex… ah, necessarily."
"No. Though if you could have just gone to a brothel, you'd be done with this by now. So. What did you 'find out' so far?"
"I'm attracted to Kieran," Yuuri whispered. "And Wolfram."
"She's not going to go away, Yuuri," Aldrich said softly. "She and her chosen husband will be your vassals for the rest of your reign. So. Can you put this to rest yet? Or… do you want to go to The Diabolical Newt with her tomorrow night?"
"The Diabolical Newt? Again?" Yuuri laughed.
Aldrich shrugged. "She was intrigued. She'd like to go, and you have a costume. Cecilie's sure to have something she could borrow."
I wanted to bring Wolfram and Efram and Greta, Yuuri thought. I… would love to go with Kieran. And find out who she really is. I'm not sure… I know that. Maybe if I really knew her, this wouldn't be so confusing.
"Do you think Wolfram would forgive me if go? Or be… really hurt?"
"Well," said Aldrich, studying a fingernail, "Wolfram has two parents and myself telling him to give you a little space. Last night, it looked to me like he was managing it. Now… painful as it is for him… he really doesn't want this hanging over the two of you. If you're not done with your experiment yet, then, finish up. Put the question to rest for once and for all, if you can. Then, you can really give yourself to him, whole-heartedly. Isn't that what really started this? That Wolfram's never trusted that you were with him whole-heartedly?"
"He'd… be right," said Yuuri sadly. "I thought… after Mizrat… that it was decided. I'd chosen him, forever. I… had doubts now and then… but I refused to look at them. And… I'm not sure that was wrong… I truly believe that I could have left this box of questions unopened."
Aldrich shrugged. "Water under the bridge. The box is open now. So do what it takes to close it."
Yuuri nodded slowly. "Alright. Tomorrow night it is, at the Diabolical Newt. We should leave here around 8:30."
-oOo-
Kieran was unsurprised that Sylvain von Tarkenburg was scheduled for her first interview. Of course Aldrich would use his position as marriage broker, to give his lowly Squires a boost, when most contenders for her hand were Lords. And a Squire wasn't a bad idea, really. A Lord might feel… overly entitled to rule over her. Whereas a Squire might more readily accept her as the true ruler of Donaghie.
She explained this to him.
Sylvain listened, with a searching gaze. There was a long pause.
"Lady Kieran," he began eventually.
"Oh, Sylvain, you can call me Kieran!"
"Lady Kieran, I would prefer to be addressed as Squire Sylvain. Or Squire von Tarkenburg. For I question whether we will become friends."
"What!"
"Excuse me, Lady Kieran, but I heard you out. Now it's my turn. When I asked what you envisioned for Donaghie, I was asking about Donaghie, not you. The domain that your husband will rule. You seem… quite sure that you are entitled to rule, without considering why anyone would follow your lead. You ask whether I would follow meekly. The answer to that is 'No', frankly. You seem to be… remarkably under-informed about your situation. And… entirely too young to marry. I wish you the best of luck, Lady Kieran, when you are ready to marry. Though, in all honesty, my sympathies lie more with the good people of Donaghie. Good day."
"Sylvain! Ah, Squire von Tarkenburg! Wait, please!"
"No." And Sylvain shut the door gently behind himself.
Oh! How dare he! And to think that I liked him best! Of course I care about the people of Donaghie, that just wasn't the subject! And what makes him think that I should be obedient to him! It's my domain. I'd be raising him to the highest peerage in the land!
She flounced to her bed, furious. Remarkably under-informed about my situation. She tried to stay furious, because it felt better than being hurt. But… what did he mean by that?
-oOo-
Squire Toby von Guire was rather incredulous to find himself meeting with Kieran. He'd desperately wanted to hear about Sylvain's experience first, but the Tark had simply dropped a note off to Lord Bielenfeld in the middle of session, so Toby couldn't really run after him. Lord Bielenfeld didn't look very pleased by the note, either.
Young Toby had a tendency to babble when he was nervous. "So, wow. I, uh, never expected our proposal to be entertained so seriously, thank you! Well, like we said, Guire doesn't have nearly the resources of the Tark, but –"
"The Tark?" Kieran asked.
"The von Tarkenburgs, sorry. Anyway, um, so we'd have to be careful with finances. The wedding would be a small family affair, but your dress last night was really nice, so you could wear that. And at least Lord Bielenfeld bought you an awesome marriage ball, so it's not like you're missing out altogether –"
"The domain of Bielenfeld paid for my marriage ball?" Kieran whitened. This time, she wasn't making the same mistake she did with Sylvain. This time, she was listening. "Surely my father paid for it?"
"Oh, no! Not the domain! Oh, the Tark'd tell Aldrich to stick it in his ear, and probably talk with Manfred about deposing him!" Toby laughed at the idea. "Not that it would happen. The squires approve expenditures from the domain treasury. No, Lord Aldrich paid for your ball himself, and –"
"Why would he do that?" asked Kieran, aghast.
"Ah, well, I don't know, exactly. He agreed to be your marriage broker before you were born, and… this is how he likes to do it, I guess. And since Donaghie's bankrupt –"
"Bankrupt?!" squeaked Kieran. She heard the crack in her voice, and bit her lip. "Did you say… bankrupt?"
Toby's voice dried up completely. "Um."
He was saved by a knock at the door, and Aldrich requesting leave to enter. "Ah, Squire von Guire, I'm very sorry to interrupt, but… could I speak to Lady Kieran? We can schedule you another meeting."
"Ah, yeah… if she wants. Good day, Lady Kieran." Toby bolted.
Kieran sank slowly to her chair, and swallowed hard. "That was… enlightening," she said faintly. "Is it true, Lord Bielenfeld? That my family is bankrupt, and you paid for that… sumptuous!... ball? Out of your own pocket?"
"Close enough," agreed Aldrich. "Kieran, please call me Aldrich. Marriage brokering is a … personal matter."
"Please, Aldrich. But what does 'close enough' mean? I think… I should start knowing… more exactly."
"While I applaud the sentiment, Kieran… my finances aren't your concern." Manfred paid for the ball. Aldrich's gift was brokering the marriage. "Unfortunately, your father is a true Donaghie, and he doesn't discuss money with women, either. But yes, you're bankrupt. And… not just your family. Your domain's treasury is also bankrupt."
That stunning dress. The jewels. The music, the servants, the refreshments until dawn… Castle Donagal, falling into disrepair. Stupid! How could I have been so stupid!
"Kieran… don't worry about the ball," said Aldrich gently. "But the Donaghie finances… we need to discuss. I had no idea before I met you last month that you'd been kept so completely in the dark. Your father promised me he'd explain your situation to you himself before you came here. But, I guess he didn't do it."
"What is my situation?" she whispered.
"Well, whomever you marry becomes Lord Donaghie. I've been clear with you about that all along. But… Sylvain tells me… Well, that was a shame. The von Tarkenburgs made by far the best offer. But Sylvain is a very loving man. He wants a wife and children, a happy family life. And he has no reason whatsoever to settle for less. I can't tell you the details, of course, but… he has some very interesting offers before him. I'm not optimistic you'll get a second chance with Sylvain. Kieran… what did say to him?"
"I…" she swallowed, "I didn't know any of this. I… was a complete and utter ass."
"Could you be a little more specific?" asked Aldrich, with a wry grin.
"I told him I wanted to rule Donaghie, that it was my domain. I basically asked him whether he'd agree to those conditions. I was… pretty imperious about it."
Aldrich nodded. "Well, that would explain Sylvain's reaction. Kieran, there's no way a woman will rule Donaghie. The Aristocrats would reject you, because so would your subjects. If you tried to undercut your husband, you'd be serving your ego at the expense of Donaghie. You'd just be a nuisance to everyone, and a complete misery to your husband."
"No one will let me rule my domain," she said. "I've been an idiot."
"Yes, well, adolescents often are. That was Sylvain's basic conclusion. That you weren't mature enough to consider marriage, and that I should wrest control of your education from your father. I haven't spoken to Sylvain yet, though. I wanted to see whether the situation was beyond repair on your end first."
"What was their offer?" whispered Kieran.
"Sylvain to take over the domain now, and marry you when you were old enough. A gala wedding. Cash infusions – more than doubling the size of your annual treasury for the first twenty years, so Sylvain can rebuild Donaghie's economy. Excellent plans for how he'd go about it."
"Squire. I thought a squire was… minor."
"There are very few families, Lord or otherwise, who have the private wealth of the Tark. And their so-called 'plantation' isn't far behind Donaghie in population or complexity. Sylvain was trained to inherit both eventually. No, Squire may be a modest title, but the von Tarkenburgs are a major power in Shin Makoku."
"Why didn't you tell me? The details of the offers?"
"Well, that's not really your end of this business. You didn't even know the state of Donaghie's treasury, after all. Approving the new Lord will go before the Eleven eventually. Your end of this was to select a husband. Getting you a selection of people who could take on Donaghie and pass the Eleven, was my end."
"I thought I was shopping amongst gold-diggers for the least objectionable gold-digger."
"Well, now you know otherwise. And… if you don't mind, I'm not going to reschedule you with Toby. I suspect you chose young Toby as someone you would find easier to… dominate. Not because you were smitten. Am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong. Oh, Aldrich – I need to apologize to Sylvain immediately!"
"Agreed," Aldrich sighed. "But – take a pen and paper, write it out, and think it through. When I like your apology, then I will bring it to Sylvain. By the way – now that you understand your job a little better in all this – do you like Sylvain?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I like him very much. I –"
"Well, be sure to tell him that in your apology. Try to be specific, so he knows what you mean by it. And – I need to get back to the Eleven. I'll drop back in about an hour to get the letter from you, then talk to Sylvain. Sorry to rush you, but… I'm inviting Sylvain to tonight's meeting with the von Trondheims. I'd like to clear the air first if we can."
"But – how can I face him? I've been such a –"
"Kieran, I think you've done your best all along. Once you've apologized for exactly and only what you've done wrong, no minimizing or catastrophizing, he'll accept your apology. And then you move on. He may marry someone else – that's his choice. Just get right with yourself, not too big, not too small. Just – right with yourself. And it'll be fine. I'll be back soon."
-oOo-
Sylvain not only accepted Kieran's apology, but said he was impressed by it. And returned her an apology of his own. He had requested Aldrich not tell her the financial end of the Tark offer before they met, because he wanted the opportunity to meet as man and woman first. And he'd gotten his feelings hurt. Also, he realized on reflection that he already knew why she knew so little. She'd told him, hadn't she? Instead of getting a proper education, living with other ladies, visiting with her fellow aristocracy, she'd been home, caring for her sick father herself. He'd treated her like a spoiled pampered princess and a fool, and it was clear to him that she was neither. She was a diligent and dutiful daughter, who'd simply been kept in the dark.
"Apology accepted gratefully, Sylvain," she said. "And I am trying to learn. But my goal in learning won't be to undercut the man who rules Donaghie, but… to understand better how I can serve my people. I… had high hopes for that tonight. I don't know as much as I thought, but… I know we need to find a way to reopen the mines near Pitchblende – safely this time. I hope you'll come, too? And Sylvain – I do want to learn. I'd be grateful if you could take the time to teach me."
He smiled. "I'd like that very much, Kieran."
That night Kieran learned the history of how Aldrich became her marriage broker. He and Franklin led the Trondheim expedition to identify dangerous pitchblende veins and shut down all contaminated mines. Far superior in earth lore to the rest of the Mazoku, the Tronds were dismayed by Donaghie minecraft. In the end, they sealed a full three quarters of the mines – including the most lucrative – as well as some of the scenic cave systems.
And Dougal von Donaghie snubbed them. He refused to meet with Franklin to finance reasonable terms and find ways to open safer mines with Trond expertise. He emptied the gold from Donaghie's treasury, already nearly bare, and dumped it onto the lawn, and then even took away the wagons. The Tronds had to go buy their own to cart the heavy load back to Trondheim.
Trondheim didn't offer help again.
Aldrich von Trondheim von Bielenfeld would have happily written Dougal off as well. But under orders from his father, he requested the right to broker the unborn heir's marriage, in payment for his role in closing the mines. Or at least, that's what he told Kieran.
Sylvain assured the group that the Tark wanted to invest in new mines, whether or not Sylvain's suit flourished with Kieran. Aldrich said he could ensure that the Maou and Eleven forbade Lord Donaghie to interfere with the enterprise – the backers would own a fair share of the mines to pay back their investment.
And Kieran hesitantly offered to hire a nurse for her father and go down to Pitchblende herself to host any mining expedition from Trondheim, to ensure their welcome. "Or does that… sound foolish?"
They smiled at her. Sylvain said, "It sounds like a plan. Let's go forward with it."
After the meeting broke up, Sylvain and Kieran stayed up well past midnight, talking. And Sylvain found that she cared for the land of Donaghie deeply. She might not know its finances, but she knew and loved its people well. And she was… truly beautiful. Breathtakingly so. She was brave and brash, smart and humble, and willing to do whatever it took to serve her people. She was… noble.
She in turn found that once she got her ego cut down to size… No, that wasn't quite right. She'd been afraid, and hiding in bravado. But she'd found that being vulnerable with Sylvain was quite safe. In fact… it felt very comforting indeed.
"Sylvain… I should like very much for you to take over as Lord Donaghie. I probably am too young to marry yet. But if you should… find that you don't want to marry me, later… would you still rule Donaghie well, and help me find someone else to marry, so that I can stay in Donaghie and help anyway? Though… I really would like to give Chichiue a grandchild, so that he can let go in peace."
Sylvain cocked an eyebrow. He'd mentioned his thoughts on that subject exactly once – to Wolfram and a couple babies. Wolfram would not have repeated that.
"Ah," said Kieran, blushing, "I… was hiding in Greta's closet adjoining the nursery, and overheard. I'm sorry! But… I think I fell in love with you then, Sylvain, hearing that. That you really understood, about my father and me." She bit her lip.
Sylvain smiled. "I'm willing when you're willing, Kieran. I have the blessing of my family, my liege lord, and your marriage broker. Will you marry me? Someday."
Kieran breathed, "Yes!" And he kissed her for the first time – her first kiss ever. It felt – beyond perfect. They smiled, and gazed tenderly into each other's eyes.
And Kieran said, "Oh, rats!"
Sylvain laughed out loud. "I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, Sylvain – you're going to think I'm an idiot! I had a whole plan for tomorrow to repay Greta's kindness… Can you keep a secret?"
Yes, he reflected, it is a silly adolescent girls' plan. But he not only agreed to keep her secret, but to help the girls as well.
You don't have to grow up too fast for me, Kieran. You've already lost too much of your youth, alone with a sick old man. Ah, but you're with the Tark now – all fify-odd of us, and I do mean odd! Soon enough, you'll look back with nostalgia on the days when you ever found time alone!
-oOo-
The next morning, Kieran all but flew down to the stables for her picnic date with Wolfram. There he was, in blue and gold riding uniform, blond hair shining in the sun. She pulled up to him out of breath, laughing, and he turned to her.
"Lady Kieran," he said.
The resemblance was so strong that it took her a moment to register that this was not Wolfram. "Lord… Manfred, isn't it?"
"Yes. I'm Wolfram's father. I hope you don't mind – Wolfram asked me to ride out with you. He'll meet us at the picnic site."
Along the way, Manfred told her the story, of how she came to be, and why she could never marry Wolfram von Bielenfeld. Not for a king's ransom would Kieran have interrupted this story, though she'd never intended to marry Wolfram. She wanted to meet him in private to ask him if it was possible, that he was her brother. And she had her answer.
She shook her head sadly. "What a fool I've been, Lord Manfred. I thought I should rule Donaghie in my own right. I'm not even really a von Donaghie."
Manfred said firmly, "That isn't true. You are a von Donaghie. I'm your biological father, yes, but Dougal is your true father, the man who raised you. And you are his true daughter. Before the law, as well as in your hearts. Please never think otherwise. Kieran… I lay no claim on you. Except… please know that I do care. If ever you need help, or if you want another father after Dougal passes… I'm here for you. But, you will always be Kieran von Donaghie, Donaghie's rightful heir. And though Dougal never knew… Yes, this is private, but never dishonorable."
"You've never felt shame for me, Lord Manfred?" Calling him Chichiue… was unthinkable.
"Never. Some pain over the years, I'll admit. Regret that I could not claim you proudly, that I needed to keep your secret from your brothers when they were young. But shame – never. You were the child of your parents' love, the dearest wish of their hearts. I… helped. And, if you don't need any more time… your very private half-brothers await us at a picnic site over the rise."
She nodded, and they broke into a canter to join Wolfram, Efram, and Bertram for their first and last picnic, as brothers and sister.
"I gotta confess," said Efram, "I suspected you were my sister when I told you to shave off your mustache." He grinned his pixie smile and she tackled him, laughing.
When she picked Bertram up and kissed him, he sucked a finger, looked back at Wolfram, looked back at her, proclaimed, "Not Chewy!" and poked her in the breast, hard. She laughed at him, too, and hugged him tight.
"It really is like looking in a mirror," murmured Wolfram, gazing into her eyes. "I guess they were right. I really would have looked better as a girl." He smiled to show he was only joking.
"That's why," said Manfred. "Kieran's mother met you, Wolfram, in my clinic. You were too young to remember. The way Friedrich put it, was that Danielle fell in love with a dream, a child of hers who looked just like you."
"Well," said Kieran, "she certainly got her wish! But, I think we look beautiful as a boy, too."
"I think we look better," Efram confided to Bertram. Their mothers were sisters. "The green in our golden curls showcases our beautiful green eyes, don't you think." He hammed it up.
"They look more like me," opined Manfred. "And I look best of all. Right?"
Wolfram tossed some grass on him. "We all look pretty good. Let's eat!"
-oOo-
Wolfram walked some ways away, leaving Bertram playing between Manfred and Efram on the picnic blanket. Kieran followed him.
"You remind me of myself so much, Kieran," he said softly, looking off at the hills. "How I used to be, way back when, when Yuuri and I fell in love. But I've… changed. I hear you have a date with him tonight. Are you… serious? About him?"
"No. Why would you let him date me?"
"To find out. If after all this time… he still wishes I were a girl. And there you are," he said, with a quick sad smile at her. "A girl Wolfram."
Kieran was horrified. "I started this between you? Wolfram… if you knew I was your sister… why didn't you just tell him?"
"I still want him to make up his own mind. And… Kieran, I've never been free to be a good big brother to you. Anything I can do…"
She harrumphed at that. "Wolfram, this goes way beyond any favor you should do for your kid sister." Though not beyond a favor a kid sister could do for you, I hope.
He grinned wryly. "Well… but I owe you a lot of back years of brothering. No, it's mostly about him and me. I'm… boring. When we fell in love, there was all this cosmic earth-shattering danger, you know? Adventures and excitement and daring-do. And now… I'm a… mommy, mostly. And bore him with political briefings. I'm not the brash spoiled princeling he first slapped."
"Are you bored with him?"
"No," he murmured eventually. "The sun rises and sets in his eyes, for me."
Kieran took his arm protectively. "Then let's get him back for you. Greta and I will help."
-oOo-
Bananam00n's picture of Kieran and Wolfram at the ball is all colored now on the illustrations page – oh, does she do pretty work! Sparkling diamonds, gleaming quicksilver fabric, glinting gems and silver, even gold leaf and embossed buttons on Wolfram's suit – whoa! Stunning!
Well, so far not many votes on the OC favorite poll. Aldrich, Manfred, and Friedrich are tied for favorite, with Efram an also-ran. Kieran's got the only dislike vote. (Great timing, just when I had a Kieran-heavy chapter to write – LOL!)
Please review?