Next chapter. Please read the authors notes at the end.
Karin was nervous. To anyone who had known for more than a day, the words 'Karin' and 'Nervous' never really mixed unless you wanted to say 'Karin made everyone else but her nervous', which both her friends and enemies could attest to. So what could make the fierce Knight, the one who stopped Estashu's coup' de tat and showed no fear against a Vampire, nervous? Was it a monster unable to be beaten by magic? A group of assassins coming for her life? Or maybe it was an army of Elves that running through the borders?
No, it was none of these things. She could use her own skills to fight a monster immune to magic, she feared not what any assassin was capable of and she would fight against any Elves bravely and die without regrets or fears. Karin didn't feel nervous so long as she had at least the smallest chance of fighting against whatever came for her. What she feared was an enemy she couldn't fight against, an opponent that wouldn't even give her the chance to retaliate no matter what they did.
And this 'enemy' came in the form of Princess Marianne de Tristain.
Karin sighed and banged his head against the wall gently, making sure that no one was around to see her disgraceful actions. It had already been a couple of days since she had guarded the princess and every day was getting more and more tense. Oh sure, to anyone who saw their interactions they would think everything was fine: Princess Marianne kept a respectful distance and whenever she did deign to address her it was always politely by calling her 'Sir. Karin' or 'Chevalier de Maillart'. By all accounts things were going quite well.
This was exactly why she was worried. Karin removed her right hand glove and bit her finger in irritation; a small habit she had when she was unable to fight back against a problem. While Marianne was indeed acting in a manner that made it seem everything was alright, she could see the signs that the princess was hiding something. The princess would mumble to herself about the most random things and whenever Karin decided to ask what was troubling her the princess would blush a deep red and say that it was nothing for her to be concerned about. She also didn't miss the smiles the princess had on her face the second she thought that she wasn't looking at her. She was definitely hiding something.
Just last night she spotted the princess trying to open the door to her temporary room. While their rooms were next to one another - Far easier to come to the princess' aid should something happen - it didn't change the fact that her excuse of 'I thought it was my room' any more ridiculous. To start with, the princess' room door was far more ornate and decorated compared to hers and far larger, so that excuse wouldn't work unless the princess suddenly lost her sight.
And then there were the subtle signs. While the princess was far more subdued about it, there were multiple signs that would have made some of the castle servants start whispering rumors. Such as when she had invited her over to her room on the first night that she came here ostensibly because she needed help reviewing on her court etiquette. Apart from the fact that summoning a knight rather than one of her countless other educated servants was odd, Karin could hardly believe that dancing with faces in close proximity or holding hands while passing tea was etiquette that was taught to a princess. The dancing she could understand, but she couldn't ignore the fact that the princess was giving out hints and that every time she 'tripped' it was obviously intentional.
That wasn't even the end of it. Karin sighed and licked her right palm. While she knew that it was nothing but a placebo, the gesture still calmed her somewhat whenever she was nervous or frustrated. The princess had invited her to a private dinner. 'Just the two of us', she said. ...She licked her palm again. While she did find the princess charming, she didn't hesitate to admit that she hoped that the princess' misunderstanding with Daphne would cut off any further attempts at trying to woo her. She didn't want to lose her position as a knight because the princess thought everything would turn out alright in the end. She'd worked too hard and the princess' naivete would cause them both problems.
"Brimir damn it all..." She closed her eyes tightly and tried to keep herself calm. Right, dinner with the princess tonight. She would go in, eat the food and drink the wine when provided, and then leave once she made an excuse about doing her rounds around the castle. No doubt the princess would like to use the chance to try and ask her more personal questions or tempt her with various other things should she become receptive to her advances. But she wouldn't fall for it, even if the princess offered her a position as a general on a silver platter. She wanted to work for her achievements and her children - should she ever get choose to dispose of the charade and take a husband - would follow in those footsteps. Always loyal and working for all their achievements.
That sounded like a good rule to have. Hmm...
Regardless, she needed to prepare for tonight. She made her way to her room and opened the closet inside. Inside was the attire the princess had gotten for her not too long: The yellow silk shirt with bird feathers and lace at the front, the white pants with dragons depicted on the side and even a tail on its back end. She put them on quickly before eyeing the hat that was atop the shelf. It was seven-colored like a rainbow and had a crystal skull that showed up depending on how bright an area was. While many would have called the attire fancy, Karin considered it torture. Her movements felt restricted and every time she even stretched her hands she worried whether the fabric would tear and she would end up wasting the money the princess used to buy and then subsequently repair it after the trap Estashu laid for her.
Why didn't the princess just accept a suitor already? She heard prince Henry of Albion was of age and looking for one. Granted he was a few years older than the princess, but it could have been worse. She'd frequently heard stories of little girls marrying men already late into their adulthood. While it was mostly political and sex was for the sole purpose of granting heirs, she couldn't help but frown slightly at the thought of the princess marrying a decrepit old man just for a few political connections. Age didn't matter to her, but she wondered if Marianne would be happy once she left all her fantasies aside and focused solely on her duty. He would be there for her, of course, but only as her knight.
Her mind drifted to her friends. She'd taken a leave of absence yesterday in order to see if Centurion had gotten better, but Rancis and Barkus remained ever busy with their knightly duties; Barkus had to take more shifts since paying for the Enchanting Nymphs cost him quite a lot and Rancis had joined. Centurion had gotten slightly better, but for the most part he was still bedridden and now he had caught a cold or some other type of sickness. Amethyst volunteered to take care of him since he was their handler and she felt responsible, but Karin didn't miss the slight reddish tinge she had. Centurion didn't notice, but he apparently had an effect on the girl being that he was one of the few males she talked extensively with in her long life that didn't end with her running away to avoid being burned at the stake.
She could understand that...hypothetically, of course. It wasn't as if it was because she felt attracted to him herself. Of course not, that would have been silly. And she wasn't jealous at all, not even when Amethyst kissed him in the forehead for good health or when she stripped him of his clothes in order to help him change. She certainly didn't look him over and take note of his physique, she simply checked to see if he had any injuries on him or if the bite mark left a permanent scar. And she most certainly did not drool when he bent over and exposed his back and rear to her.
Yes, she was just platonically worried and nothing more.
...
...She had to get to the princess' room. Not because she wanted to or a part of her wanted to talk to the princess all night long, but because it was her duty. Nothing more.
There was a soft knock on her door, "Coming~" Marianne all but skipped to her bedroom door once she heard the soft knocks coming from the wooden surface. There was only one person that knocked so softly and politely to her, "Karin, please come in," She smiled at the pink haired knight as he strode into the room hesitantly. Her eyes traveled up his body; the clothes were expensive and cost quite a bit to repair after her fight, but seeing her knight wearing them made it all the more apparent to her that she made the right choice.
"Thank you for inviting me to this dinner, Princess Marianne," Karin greeted and bowed politely. Marianne grabbed the side of her dress, doing a curtsy and offering her hand to him. He nodded and kissed it, as is the fitting reply to the gesture. It was a pointless gesture, but Marianne liked doing it and it made the entire thing feel more dignified than it really was. Karin liked older and mature girls, right? She needed to show him that she could be just as mature and just as dignified as the admirer he was with days ago.
"The pleasure is all mine, Sir. Karin," She put on her best 'noble' smile and gestured to the table, "Shall we begin? I had asked the head chef and he allowed me to cook the meal with him earlier. Royal Adviser Alain disapproved, but it isn't against the rules for the princess to help in the kitchens," She giggled as she recalled his angry red face, "Ah, but let us not sour our night with talks of politics. Come, let us eat on the meal we have been given."
Karin forced himself to smile and sat down opposite the princess on the small table. Marianne clapped her hands together and did a quick prayer in gratitude for the meal...and in forgiveness. Her eyes drifted under the table where the empty bottle of love potion lay. While she had gone back on her promise and put more than a simple drop into the wine, one had to take into account that less than half of the potion was there by the time she got the vial and that the person she was dealing with was Karin. He was the one who fought again near impossible odds again Estashu and didn't even cry when he was about to be executed for crimes. Clearly he needed more than a drop to get him to confess his feelings.
After all, that was all it would do, right? While there were rumors she heard that they induced fake affection, she really couldn't imagine such a thing. In all the stories she'd read, true love conquered all and those of strong will never fell for the villain's attempts to get their allegiance. Certainly if this potion did induce fake affection then Karin would be strong enough to resist it, should the need ever arise. He was far too strong willed for it not to be the case.
Dinner was...calming, much to Karin's surprise. Marianne did nothing out of the ordinary and only asked about the assignments that he had received over the course of the week. He answered her to the best of his abilities, although he made sure to leave any grisly or gruesome details out of it. He doubted that the princess wanted to hear about Orc's squealing as their arms were cut off or how their diet consisted mostly of the children they'd manage to abduct from the villages they passed. She noticed him trying to gloss over details, but didn't press him on it. He was being considerate for her, after all.
And then it came for the toast. Marianne made sure to put the drops of potion in Karin's glass before he even came in here, so the wine sitting there on his cup was already set. She didn't want to put it in the middle of the dinner and risk him being suspicious, "Well then, should we toast to your new position as Chevalier?" She smiled and raised up her glass, "I expect that you have already done so with the others, but please humor me all the same."
"Of course, Princess Marianne," He nodded and raised the glass to meet hers. Marianne brought the cup against her lips and-
"Princess Marianne! The Royal Adviser is calling for you," A knock on the door interrupted her, causing her to nearly drop the chalice she held in her hands. She forced herself to smile and nearly slammed the cup against the table, spilling the drink slightly from its container. Why now of all times?
"I'll be quick, Karin," She remarked in a clipped tone, temporarily going back to first name basis. Karin nodded and lowered the glass he held in his own hands. He was slightly thankful that he hadn't drank from the wine yet. It would have been rude if one drank ahead of someone from a higher position than them. He looked at the princess' own cup before leaning across the table to bring it farther away from the edge. The way she put it down made it lean precariously close to the edge, and he didn't want the princess to spill a drink on herself.
"I apologize for the delay," Marianne sighed as she sat back down again, "The Royal Adviser is calling to suggest about another suitor," She sighed dramatically, "I told her to tell him that if he wanted to discuss suitor's then he could do it tomorrow. Its simply far too late in the day to discuss that," Karin would've liked to point out that it never stopped her from discussing her attraction to him, but he let it slide again. She was being calm and professional tonight for whatever reason and he didn't want to ruin it.
"Well then, should we-" She stopped as soon as she took notice of her chalice's odd position. Odd, it was in a different spot compared to where it was before she left; she could make out the spilt drops of wine and they were at a couple of inches away from where the glass was positioned now. Her glass had been moved, but how...did Karin switch them? She looked up at Karin, earning a confused glance in return. Did he think something was wrong and switch the glass? He always was perceptive, "Actually, could you do me a favor and please open the window? I feel a heat overtaking me."
Karin agreed to the odd request and made to open the window behind her. As soon as his back was turned, Marianne switched the glasses quickly, making sure to put them in the same position so that he wouldn't notice the change.
"Well then," Marianne coughed, picking up her glass again "Shall we-"
Another knock on the door interrupted her, "Princess, the Royal Adviser is adamant that you answer his summons."
Karin felt sorry as the princess' smile twitched and she forced herself to stand and make her way to the door. Sighing, he grabbed the princess' chalice before pouring more wine on it. While not a lot at first, the princess nearly slamming the glass once again caused nearly half the drink to spill out from over the edges. Once that was done, he grabbed one of the washcloths and wiped the spilled wine on her side of the table. It would be bad manners to drink on a dirty table. Granted for some reason his glass appeared to have less than it did before, but he let it slide. He was probably just seeing things.
"I apologize once again for the delay," Marianne forced herself to smile as she once again saw the placement of her glass altered and the content filled to the brim again. Why did he keep switching the glass? Did he assume that she wanted to poison him? That was ridiculous, "...Actually, could you close the window now, please? I feel a chill now that the night wind is coming. I'm sorry for troubling you."
"It is no trouble, Princess Marianne," He stood up from his seat and made his way to the windows again. Marianne repeated her actions from earlier, making doubly sure this time to keep the glass in her hand. She didn't want to do any more switcheroo's if she could help it. It would ruin the atmosphere even more. Karin closed the windows and internally sighed as he saw the princess already holding the wine in her hand. Hopefully she didn't decide to throw it against the window if she got irritated.
Marianne forced herself to calm before starting again, "Now then, maybe we-"
"Princess-"
Marianne muttered a quick 'silence' spell, aiming it at the door. The door shook slightly from the knocking, but no sound or voices came from the other side. Karin laughed nervously at her actions, and yet he said nothing. He certainly didn't want to see what would happen if he pointed out that she was acting kind of childish.
"Well then, shall we drink?" Karin nodded and gulped down the wine, noting tiredly that he would have to explain later on what he was doing here and why the princess had cast a...silence...spell...why was everything so blurry? She blinked rapidly and tried to dispel the fog that covered her mind, but it didn't work. Everywhere around her was a haze...except for her... His bleary eyes focused on her and her alone. Every move she did captivated him - The way her fingers moved, how her hair fluttered ever so slightly with every move she did...she was perfect. He didn't know why he was thinking this, but he did. He honestly thought that Princess Marianne was without measure.
"Karin?" Marianne could hardly keep the smile off her face as he finished drinking the wine. What would her knight, she wondered. Ah, perhaps they would hold hands as they strolled the garden under the moonlit night! She nearly squealed in delight at the thought. Or perhaps they would hug in the bed and let sleep take them? Much more boring, but she always wanted to wake up wrapped around the arms of her beloved and seeing his face when she first awoke. Or maybe...even a kiss? Her fingers touched her lips gently. Kisses were common to her, but never on the lips. How would it be like, she wondered. Ah, but she knew that it would be quick, and that was what disappointed her. All the tales she read mentioned it being only a quick peck on the lips and nothing else. But it was a sure sign of affection.
"Karin, is something wrong?" She reached a hand out and touched his ungloved hand directly. Karin shivered at the contact, nearly whimpering as he suddenly felt a shock of giddiness and pleasure at her touch. His mind drifted back to the brother the others had taken him, where the secret the princess would never know was nearly revealed. He recalled the sounds he heard through the walls and what one of them tried to do to him. His closed his eyes, as if he was in pain. He couldn't stop thinking of Princess Marianne, imagining what it would be like if they were in the same positions.
He shook his head roughly. No! She was the future queen of the land and he was a low ranking Chevalier! It would never work! Adding to that, she was still a child! Thirteen years old and barely in her teens. Yes her beauty was often talked about and yes she was mature for her age, but that didn't change the fact that she still had a long life ahead of her. He didn't need to think about her like that, nor the fact that she was fourteen and no one even hesitated to try and take her virginity when she had been dragged to that damnable place. Or about how...how her lips...how she wanted to kiss them so much and never stop...
"Karin- Mmph!" Marianne's eyes widened as Karin all but leapt over the table, knocking over the plates and glasses in the process, and taking her lips in a deep kiss. She struggled briefly before she melted into the gesture. This was...different from what she imagined. She imagined him to proclaim to her his affection and then they would take things slow. He deepened the kiss, and Marianne felt herself go limp in his arms. This wasn't what she expected, but if this was what he wanted then...
...
...She couldn't breath. As glad as she was to realize Karin loved her, it was getting dampened by the fact that her mouth was essentially plugged and her nose seemed to refuse to breath in air due to how unfocused she was. Her hands found themselves pushing at his surprisingly soft chest in an effort to push him away temporarily, only till she got a couple of seconds to breath.
Karin, however, had different ideas. Marianne nearly screamed - or attempt to, given their precarious position - in surprise as she felt something slither its way into her mouth. It took her no time to realize that it was Karin's tongue, which was currently probing her entire mouth and pushing against her own tongue. This was...wrong. Why was he doing this? And yet...the way her heart beat, the feelings of warmth that overtook her chest. This wasn't what she wanted, but she couldn't deny that a part of her enjoyed it.
They stayed that way for a while. How long, neither of them could say. Maybe it had only been a couple of minutes, but maybe it had been hours; it didn't matter in the end. Karin felt the haze weaken as his hand began to try and remove the clothing the princess wore, "Wh-What..." His eyes widened and he removed himself from her. She had lost consciousness not too long ago, no doubt because he, as a wind Mage, had a far higher breathing capacity compared to to others. His expression was a mix of disbelief, pleasure and...horror. Had he actually done that? He looked down at her unconscious body. Damn...he was thinking of doing it again. He wiped away the saliva 'bridging' them and carried her to the bed. No sense in leaving her to the floor.
"No, no, no, no!" Karin clenched his teeth and gripped his hair with both hands, wringing them together. No, it couldn't be that he was...yes he had found the princess charming, but he didn't think of her as a romantic partner...right? He found himself caressing her cheek before he bit his ower lip in frustration. Brimir damn it all, he was going to lose the title he worked so hard to gain if he continued! And not only that, but the princess would be shamed as well. Having a crush on a knight was no big deal, but actually engaging in...acts with him would ruin her reputation.
Especially if people found out 'he' was female. Rumors would spread that she was only interested in the same sex and then Tristain would be stuck in a rut with their only heir being declared unfeasible for possibly even supplying an heir to the throne. He...no, she looked down at the princess sadly. As much as she tried to fight against her set role, she was a princess and she was a Chevalier - It would never work. ...Unless Marianne suddenly decided to run away to Germania or something to earn a title through money for both of them, but she would have to refuse that idea. The princess of Tristain running to that upstart country would be the largest scandal of the decade if not the century.
"...Sweet dreams," She leaned down and kissed Marianne in her forehead. Again she felt the temptation to kiss her on the lips, but she held in the urge. She didn't know why she acted that way, but she definitely needed to keep herself calm. She fixed picked up the broken plates, noting dryly that somehow her glass, still holding a bit of wine, remained standing on the table.
"Need another drink..." She grabbed at her nearly empty glass and drank the remaining wine before making her way past the door. Neither the maid or any guards were there. It was likely that they'd given up after Marianne cast the silence spell. Although she called that sloppy: What if an assassin had broken in and cast a silence spell? Then it would be all their fault if the princess got captured or killed. She muttered the counter spell before leaving the palace.
Perhaps she could see Centurion for some advice. He would know why she was acting like this. She didn't trust herself to guard the princess right now.
Elsewhere, Centurion suddenly felt a chill. Why did he feel like something bad was going to happen? ...Nah, he was just imagining things.
Note to Marianne: Love potions are the epitome of 'Be Careful What you Wish For'. Oh, and I likely won't write what happens to Centurion - Unless people really want it; though I kinda doubt it since this story seems to attract people who want yuri/yuri-subtext :p It's easier to guess. Anyway, I have to admit that I have NO idea what to do after this. Shames me to ask, but can I ask for any suggestions anyone might have? And no 'Karin goes Rule of Steel. Bad End.' suggestions, please.
Mizuki00 - They're not translated. There's a good summary in the 'Back to Basics #5' thread on spacebattles. Just look it up and there should be a link to the summaries in the table of contents.