Chapter Twenty Eight: The Proposal
Haru was still a little depressed the next morning, and it wasn't just from the fact that the sun hadn't risen yet. She had never been fond of winter to begin with, and the shorter ration of sunlight reinforced her distaste of the cold.
The brunette sighed sadly as she pulled a warm overcoat over her body, tying the laces tight before buttoning her thick winter boots up her legs. She just couldn't shake off that inner chill that had accompanied her since the one-sided conversation she had tried to conduct with Baron last night. She sighed again, feeling lower than she had in months.
'Why won't he trust me? I trust him. What could be bothering him so? Not even Muta's problem made him act like this.'
A knock rapped politely at her door, making the brunette break out of her silent depression. "Coming, Hashi," Haru called out, tying a thick scarf around her neck as she crossed the modest room and turned the handle.
But when the golden light from the hallway flooded into her room, the brunette gasped as she angled her head back slightly, since she had been expecting someone shorter.
Baron was in her doorway, smiling nervously. Instead of his usual suit, he was also dressed for the frigid weather outside. "Good morning, Haru," he offered hesitantly.
The young woman bit her lip before answering him. "Good morning, Baron. Are you feeling better?"
The tawny feline took a second before answering. "I will be after I earn your forgiveness. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did last night, and I apologize." He bowed respectfully to her, clearly hoping that she would see that he was being sincere.
Not that he was ever anything less with her.
Haru tilted her head a bit, looking deep into those hypnotic green eyes. Deciding that she still liked what she saw in them, a shy smile crept onto her slim lips. "Apology accepted. But what are you doing up so early?"
Her feline employer smiled back at her warmly while raising one arm to her. "I was hoping that I could persuade you to take a walk with me. Few things are more peaceful then what's happening outside right now."
Haru looked at the offered arm, a little confused. "But I'm supposed to be training Hashi."
"I asked him to go ahead and sleep in a bit today," Baron answered, smiling roguishly.
Giggling in spite of herself, Haru took the offered arm, and walked with the orange and cream feline up the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front door.
The cold winter air slapped her icily across the face, making the girl wrap her scarf a bit more firmly over her face, and pull the sides of her woolen hat down in order to protect her sensitive ears.
The snow crunched softly underneath their feet as the feline lord and human girl left the grounds surrounding the silent home. Occasionally, by the light of the full moon, Haru would look up at Baron as he led her past evergreen trees and rippling icy brooks.
"Just where are we going, Baron?" she asked curiously.
He looked down at her, and smiled a bit warmer than usual, making the girl's cheeks flame a dark color. "Nowhere in particular. I just love how quiet winters are, don't you?"
Haru looked away from her dear friend, drinking in the soft serenity of the landscape. "It's beautiful all right, but I've always liked summer better. Swimming in the lake by day, catching fireflies by night…"
Baron laughed warmly, and worked his arm loose from her grasp so that he could wrap it around her shoulders. He squeezed her closer, purring softly. "Of course, every season has its own beauty. Part of my problem has been ignoring what's right in front of me, because I was always looking at how things used to be."
She looked up at him in confusion. "What are you trying to say, Baron?" she asked softly, making him look down at her, his eyes becoming a little afraid.
"Haru, have you been happy? Do you… enjoy working for me?"
"Of course I do," the brunette said, almost indignantly. "You're the best employer I've had since my brother and I were orphaned, and I'm honored that I can count you as a friend."
"And my children?" he pressed.
Haru laughed at how desperate he sounded, like he didn't already know the answer. "I love them. I love them just as much as I love Hashi. You shouldn't doubt something like that, Baron. I thought you knew better," she concluded with a teasing smile.
A relieved smile lit up his face, and he hugged her just a little closer with the arm that was wrapped around her form. "They adore you too, you know," he whispered. "You seem to have every von Gikkingen wrapped around your little finger."
Haru looked down at one of her hands, which was covered with a thick woolen mitten. "Must be getting a little crowded in there," she said critically, giggling in spite of herself.
Baron chuckled a little, and loosened his hold on her. Almost by accident, he allowed his arm to slide down her back until reaching her girlishly trim waist. "Just out of curiosity, Haru, was your father any good with mathematics?" the tawny feline asked out of the blue, making his smaller friend look up at him with surprise.
"What does that have to do with anything?" the slim brunette asked incredulously.
Her taller friend shrugged. "Just a small theory I've been working on since last night. Was your father a good mathematician?" he asked again, his tone turning persistent.
Haru sighed a little. "Not exactly. He knew enough to accurately pay his taxes and make sure houses can be solidly built to make good homes, but other than that, he stayed away from arithmetic like the plague. He was more of a nature lover."
For some reason, that made Baron smile even wider. "I was rather hoping that was the case, Haru. Would you mind terribly if I tested my theory?"
"What's your theory?" the brunette asked as Baron used the hand pressed against her waist to guide the girl around to face him. Smiling a little too innocently, the tawny feline gently grabbed her hand with the one that wasn't holding her waist, and held it to about shoulder level.
Then Haru understood.
"Baron, are you crazy?!" she yelled at him, trying valiantly to escape his grasp.
But all the tawny feline did was hold her closer, and bid his time. "Come now, Haru," he whispered into her ear softly. "It's just a small feat with feet, and I'm certain that you're fonder of me than you are of the Cat King."
"I'll kill you, Baron," the brunette tried to warn him, tears falling from her eyes and almost turning into drops of ice as they trailed down her face. "Please, I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," Baron assured her, kissing her frozen cheek fondly. Slowly, he began to move his feet, taking the brunette along for the ride. There wasn't very much style to her steps, but at least she was missing Baron's feet and legs with her clumsy footing.
Taking heart in this, she gripped his hand, though a little fearfully, and allowed him to guide her through what was meant to be a simple box step. But whenever one of Haru's legs began to get a little out of line, Baron would smoothly dodge the blow, twirling the brunette in his arms around until they were on new footing, and then try again.
The dance seemed to be barely more than the tawny feline avoiding the girl's powerful blows, but it was nonetheless the longest Haru had ever danced with anyone in her entire life.
"How are you doing this?" she whispered softly as Baron unexpectedly lowered her into a dip, and brought her back up again.
"Were you aware that your style of dancing is based on a mathematic equation?" he asked conversationally, twirling her around underneath his fingertips and bringing her back to the rotating box step before her elbow had a chance at his ribs. "Once one figures out the formula, the solution is fairly easy to conclude."
Without warning, he stopped dancing, and looked the girl straight in the eye. He smiled warmly, and brought her mitten-covered hand to his lips softly, his eyes glowing with a tender affection.
"I can't force you to marry me, Haru," he whispered. "And your dancing is still far from perfect. But if you have no objections, I would like very much to meet with you every morning, to practice until you are satisfied with your abilities. I'm willing to take all the time in the world, if that's what is needed to earn your love. You're a wonderful woman, Haru, and I truly hope that I'll never find out what life without you is like. More than anything, I would be honored to have you as my wife."
Haru stared at him, wondering if she was having a delirious dream again, despite the cold bite of the air and blinding light of the slowly rising sun. "Baron… are you sure you want this?" she whispered softly, smaller tears streaming down her face once more.
He smiled lovingly at her, taking her face in one gloved hand so that he could gently rub away the crystal-like drops. "Very certain, Haru. But do you want this? I won't force the issue if you wish to remain friends alone. I just want you to be happy."
Haru looked at her dear friend, scarcely believing that they really were having this conversation. His eyes seemed to be more beautiful than ever to her, lit by the light of both the moon and the rising sun. She saw fear in those glowing orbs, but that fear was pierced repeatedly by a timid hope that she knew all too well.
Feeling that only one answer would do the Baron's proposal justice, she smiled happily, and wrapped one arm around his neck to draw him closer still.