Chapter Eighteen: Wonderful
Do I want you because you're wonderful,
Or are you wonderful because I want you?
'Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful', Rogers' and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella'
xxXxx
If Haru thought she was being guarded before, her current circumstances felt only a few shades off from being protected by an army. Uniformed cats now lined every wall that Haru could see outside her room, which she was now strongly discouraged from leaving even though the door was wide open.
"Not that it matters," she informed Muta while snuggling into his huge arms. "Thiris would have to have a lot of gall to try coming here again, and I can take care of myself if he does."
Poor Muta. Thanks to his wounds, he had been forced to sit out the shenanigans involving the Keeper of Winter's visit a few days before, but Haru couldn't tell if he was disappointed over that or being denied a chance to talk to his daughter after she stole the talisman.
He was sulking over something, that much was for sure. The giant feline wasn't interested in much but keeping Haru on his lap and glaring at anything that made an odd noise. Even a sneeze from one of the guards was worthy of a death glare.
Dona, however, was pacing the room nervously, sending glances at the strange clock that her daughter was still trying to figure out how to read. She would occasionally speak to Muta and sneak a hug out of Haru, but she was definitely worried over something.
'Probably whether or not Baron will talk me out of... whatever it is I'm planning to do about the curse,' Haru thought glumly, giving Muta an extra squeeze. 'Too bad I can't think of anything other than beating Thiris against a wall until he agrees to cancel his spell. But considering how long he's been working for this, he might just die first. Hm, what if I just ask Muta to do the beating?' A wicked little giggle escaped her throat at the mental image.
Muta gave her a suspicious growl, but it was cut off as someone stepped through the doorway and came up behind the high chair.
Haru leaned over the side of the chair enough to see Baron smiling at her, one fist being held close to his heart, although she could see a gold wire he was trying to hide with his sleeve. Despite how comfortable Muta's lap was, the young girl stood up hopefully.
Baron opened his fist to show her a small diamond attached to the end of a gold wire about as thick as a pencil. Wasting no time, he brushed one of her cheeks with his warm hand before bending the gold wire around her neck.
Her brain suddenly felt disconnected from her body, making the room sway almost until everything went black. A dizzy moan escaped her mouth as she nearly fell over.
Baron braced her against himself, running his hand over her head fur until her head stopped swimming. But her ears were still in pain when-
"I would endlessly be in your debt if you would say you understand me," Baron stated slowly, her mind now able to translate his words.
Haru looked up at him, opening her mouth to answer before realizing what she had to do. "I-I... understand... you."
The new language felt strange on her tongue, but the beaming smile on his face made it worthwhile.
The tawny feline wasted no time in claiming another hug. "Finally!"
"Indeed!" Muta grunted, getting up from his chair. "It is about time we had a conversation that was not half gestured!"
Haru beamed at him. "I... agree."
"But we promised that Baron would have that conversation with her first. We will have our turn, darling," Dona insisted, gently pulling on one of his arms in the direction of the door.
But he refused to budge. "I am not going until I have an answer. What were you laughing at just now, Haru?" he demanded, like he knew it had to do with him.
"I was... imagining you... being.. brutal with Thiris," Haru managed to say, a little surprised at the formality the new language demanded. It had taken her a while to find the right word for 'beat the living snot'.
Muta blinked in surprise. Slowly, he looked at Baron, who was smirking in triumph. "I see your point. There is an absolute difference between a pure heart and a perfect person."
"Thank you," Haru couldn't help but add with a grateful smile at her admirer. "No one on... my home world... could tell the difference."
"They would have been able to tell just fine if they had spared more than an occasional passing glance for you," he retorted with a barely suppressed growl. "Their jealousy was most unbecoming, especially of that girl."
Haru didn't bother asking who he was talking about. "Thiris' word choice... reminded me... a little too strongly of Hiromi." She hesitated, wondering if it was worthwhile to add-
"I always thought her obsession with Tsuge seemed rather reminiscent of my father's rival. While I was worried about how deep your friendship was with him for a time, it was refreshing to see the lad had enough sense not to bother with one willing to make such a public fool of herself and others. She does not possess a shred of your quiet dignity," he added with an adoring smile.
Haru stared at him in shock. "How did you know his name is Tsuge?" she asked, now speaking slowly instead of with pauses.
"You used his name in that good spell you preserved without his presence. Considering what he sounded like the one time you convinced him to join you, it really was an act of mercy for you to give him a decent voice." Baron then pouted. "I kept hoping you would use your own name so I could finally learn it, but as usual, your emphasis was on another. An admirable but irritating trait of yours."
'Wow, he's even more shameless about flirting than I thought.' "Did he speak to me like this before-"
"Yes," both of her new parents answered flatly, not bothering to let her finish the question.
"He also spoke of you like this before you came," a random soldier called from his place outside the door.
Haru could feel her cheeks burn beneath her fur, but decided she should probably worry about the big problem. "We will have a chance to talk," she informed her second pair of parents, making Dona nod with a happy smile.
"Of course, my dearest. Come, Renaldo. We did make Baron a promise."
Muta pouted, but let his wife drag him out of the room, closing the door after them for privacy.
"... That would be his true name?" she asked her beau timidly.
"Indeed, although he was quite flattered that you took such comfort in a toy version of him. But I have to admit, it was rather startling that you were able to sew a doll that resembled him so strongly."
"It certainly confused me when I first saw him. ... Speaking of which, I owe you an apology. It was very rude of me to scream at you like that." Her speech was now about normal.
That made him jump in surprise. "Oh no. If anything, I owe you an apology. I knew your sense of propriety rivaled ours, but I didn't think of how you would react to waking up in such a fashion." He then took in a nervous breath. "The reason I was watching you sleep was because I was worried that your lungs were weak enough to stop working again. If nothing else, your reaction assured me they were perfectly healthy."
'That, and you were never really keen on a lot of distance between us.' "So… you were able to make me a second body in a mere two months of your time?" she asked, still blown away by the fact.
Baron sighed tiredly. "I nearly didn't make it. I had hopes of implanting knowledge of our language directly into your new mind, but I did not have the time to add the information. I thought about doing it after your arrival, but I did not wish to run the risk of harming you, or frightening you. It took long enough for you to relax in my presence."
Haru took in a guilty breath. "Actually, it might be better that you did not. If you had been able to tell me all this when I arrived here, I would not have been accepting of your attentions. We still found ways to speak to each other until I could handle what Mother... oh," she breathed in surprise.
Dona wasn't a name. It was the word for 'mother'.
"Oh, please do not hold this against Pelia," Baron pleaded, holding her hands between his own. "She has longed for a child since before she left Winter, but since a bad cave-in accident, her body could not handle child-bearing. She agreed to my plan before Renaldo did, especially after..." Baron cut himself off, suddenly looking ashamed of himself.
"After what?" Haru asked curiously, squeezing his hands back.
"... I may have... shown Pelia and Renaldo... your first parents' standard treatment of you, as well as examples of your finest traits and Muta. I have reason to believe that Pelia was jealous that you did not make a doll of her as well, no matter how unlikely you could have made a likeness of both of them."
Haru flinched and looked down. "... That would explain Mother's temper concerning them. But they did change their ways before I died," she informed him, although she suspected that he already knew.
Baron suddenly looked haunted as he drew her close for a tight embrace. "I wanted to scream at them so many times. They had little enough time with you, and they were wasting it!"
She returned the hug, though not quite as tight. "I am glad Tsuge forced them to wake up before I died. I could not have handled it if I had left thinking they would not miss me. I do not suppose there is a way to tell them I am fine?"
Baron shook his head sadly. "You were my only link to that world and I do not know how to announce my presence other than when I lose my temper. My apologies."
Haru looked down, wishing he had given a different answer. "I found out I can look through glass too. The reason Thiris was able to sneak up on me was because I was looking in on Tsuge."
After a moment, Baron tilted her head up in order to lock eyes with her. "You can call images in glass that are not memories?" he asked with amazement.
"I have not tried to do it with memories, but yes. I... followed your example with my voice," she informed him, although she had wanted to say 'copy'. This new language really was more formal than she cared for.
Baron shook his head slowly with an awestruck smile. "This is one of the things I love most about you, Haru. Every time I think I understand your mind or magic's limitations, you do something to expand my expectations of you."
She took in a deep breath. "So, how long have you been able to understand... my magic?" 'Wow, they don't even have a word for 'sing'.'
"Oh, it did not take long," Baron answered with an easy smile. "Whenever you watched plays in your magic box as a child, you would act out the portions where your magic could be heard. My favorite spells were the ones with Jack."
"Jack?"
"You know. The rather unrealistic skeleton that had children kidnap a Keeper in red. The set up for that play was almost grotesque, but the plot was surprisingly easy to relate to."
"Unrealistic... oh," Haru groaned as she remembered what movie he meant. The memory of her clumsy old dance routines made her cheeks burn beneath her fur. "You saw that? Did anyone else?"
"I was alone each time, though I do not understand why you are embarrassed. I found it to be most adorable. I was quite put out with you when you switched to reciting lines with borrowed voices after your mother caught you. Speaking of which, I hope you will be willing to teach me the finer points of moving in time with your world's magic, because I have always been fascinated by it."
'Unless you think I'm dancing with a suitor.' "But you have seen I am not the best at it," the brown feline protested, still feeling her hide burn with embarrassment.
"I have been of the opinion for years that the right partner would be all you need." His eyes suddenly turned dark. "I am equally certain that your magic tutor was the one that told you to use your tool without your voice."
Haru had to think about it before answering. "You know, he was but the first. One of my instructors was happier when I did not use my voice with other students." 'But now I'm wondering if she didn't want me outperforming her choir.' Then she blinked and gave him a suspicious look. "Come to think of it, her... spectacles became rather cracked for no reason after she told me to keep my mouth shut."
Baron set his jaw in a stubborn line. "That was the first time I knew my rage could shatter surfaces on your world. If you will remember, her spectacles had a habit of breaking during practice after that."
Haru tried to fight back a smile. "She did wonder why shatter-resistant glass would keep breaking. But was that not a little petty of you? Those spectacles are... difficult to bargain for." 'This place doesn't have money?'
He gave her a long look. "Haru, I almost never had the chance to truly hear you. Every time someone like her would speak to you like that, the chances would become that much slimmer. I know the many tasks you set yourself to after the elder spoke to you were intended to rediscover your enthusiasm, but you would have had it all along if those like her had offered encouragement instead of belittlement. That instructor is not the only one who is lucky I could not fully express my displeasure."
Haru suddenly got a mental image of Baron yelling at her birth parents, making her bite back a slightly rude laugh. "Tsuge scolded my parents so well that when his parents had a chance, Father told them there was not an insult left to give."
"Oh, I imagine I could still invent a few," he growled, hugging her a little tighter while nuzzling her longer head fur again.
Haru blinked, having forgotten that she was still in his arms. She loved the feel of them... but she had stalled long enough.
"Baron? I think we need to discuss the future instead of the past."
"Gladly. That promises to be a much more satisfying topic," he agreed with an adoring smile in his tone. "What would you like to speak of first?"
"I cannot marry you."
Baron's entire body gave a violent start, like he was the one being electrocuted for once. He adjusted his hold to her shoulders in order to push her back just enough to stare at her in horror.
"It is not that I do not wish to. What I mean to say is, I was becoming accustomed to the idea, since that was obviously the reason you took the trouble to bring me to your world and gave me a second chance for a happy life. I truly am grateful for everything you have done, but..." The brown feline trailed off, not quite sure how to fully express her worries.
Baron's fists tightened painfully after releasing her shoulders. "What is so bad about living a life with me, Haru? Have I not done everything possible to make you feel at home? What else can I do?"
She gave him a mournful look. "I am not certain."
"Please think," he insisted, but that earned only a shake of the head.
"I have been thinking since my discussion with Mother. But the only solution I can think of is too dangerous. You would be killed, and I do not wish for you to die on my account."
He stared at her. "So you admit that you care for me," he said softly, trying to keep the triumph in his very blood out of the statement.
Haru looked down at her feet, feeling like a dirty rat. Lying should have been easy... but he had watched her deceive people for eight years. Besides, he deserved more respect than a little white lie of convenience.
"Please. I need to hear you say it," the tabby begged, taking her by the shoulders so that she couldn't escape. He even tipped her head enough in order to lock eyes with her again.
She took a deep breath for courage. "You are a good cat, Baron. Even a blind person could tell what a beautiful heart you have, and I have a great deal of respect for you. But it would be dishonest for me to continue with a courtship, no matter how easy or tempting a life with you sounds."
Baron stared at her like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could a life with me be dishonest?"
She rubbed one hand against her forehead sorely, looking away for now. "Baron, you are cursed to feel this way about me. If it were not for Thiris' meddling, you would not have known my planet existed, let alone cared that I was on it."
"... While that is admittedly true, I am glad it is," Baron managed to answer, brushing his gloved fingers over one of her cheeks. "I believe I have already asked you not to worry about the curse. The harm it brought was lessened as much as possible, and can do no more. The only part about the curse that I truly hated was the immeasurable distance between us and your eventual demise."
"Those were the parts Thiris wanted you to hate," she reminded him with a heavy heart.
He couldn't think of anything to answer that with for over a minute. "Haru?" he struggled to say. "I must confess that I do not know how to soothe your fears. I truly do promise that now that you are safe and close, the curse has been played out. Before the curse hit you, I felt much as Jack did. I love and take pride in my position and responsibilities, but no matter how many times I did try to please Mother and Father and go walking with a young lady, I was bored senseless with every girl I met. I wanted excitement that didn't come with warfare. I wanted a challenge, something to live up to, but nothing I could find was enough to truly capture my attention. Until you."
Haru's cheeks were burning again.
"I know full well that your own people found you to be boring perfection. Since I could go on for days over such misconceptions, I will summarize by saying that they were childish fools that were intimidated by your obvious superiority."
"I need to protest that-" she attempted to interrupt, but Baron wasn't having it.
"I will overcome your protest! I saw only a fraction of your people's conduct, let alone others your age. You always did your best to conduct yourself like a lady, and your efforts were not unnoticed. I saw the way Hiromi glared at you when you were preoccupied, the time you brought her into your home. I assure you, you made her feel inferior."
"Are you certain you were not imagining-"
Giving an irritated growl, Baron wrapped an arm around her shoulders to all but drag her to their favorite window. Ripping off his glove, he pressed a bare hand to the cool glass to summon another image, retrieved from her favorite mirror.
"... so, would you like cookies? I made a fresh batch yesterday!" her fifteen year old self asked hopefully as Hiromi stared around the living room in wonder.
"Sure. So, is this place usually so quiet?"
Her old self managed to keep her smile from slipping. "My parents work a lot, so it's just me."
"No siblings? Just you in this big pretty house?"
"Most of the time. I'll get some milk too!"
Even as her old self turned into the kitchen to keep her friend from guessing how distressing her parents' absence was, Hiromi's wonder swiftly fell away to a seething jealous glare at Haru's back.
The current Haru gaped in shock. 'She's been jealous of me that long?!'
"All in my head, is it?" Baron asked in a clipped tone, taking his hand off the glass in order to slip the glove back in place. "Hiromi was not the only one to give you a look like that, but it was the most out of place. What had you been speaking of?"
"... I told her my parents worked a great deal. That... brat!" Haru yelled at the top of her lungs. "She was jealous that I did not have adoring parents that wanted my happiness and a little brother that worshiped and wanted to be with me! She wanted to be abandoned in a big pretty house!"
"I take it you are no longer upset that my thorns tried to shred her upon leaving your home?" he asked with a somewhat sly grin.
She gave him a grateful look, but topped it off with a hug. "It did keep her from returning, despite my efforts. You know, I always did feel safer inside the thorns."
His grin deepened, as did his embrace. "I hoped they would make you feel that way. I know you were not aware of this, but they would have taken much longer to grow and harder to maintain if you had not constantly nourished them with your magic. The times you would practice your magic just for my roses were the times I felt most connected to you without your voice. I would not have been as able to protect you if you had completely withheld your nourishing spirit from them. Those foolish thieves were begging for my wrath, and despite my temporary anger, I did respect Tsuge for encouraging you to use your voice enough to show me how to save you. Even if it was blatantly obvious that Frankenstein was not real."
That got Haru's attention. "What makes you so certain?"
"In order to make several parts of different people harmonize as one, all the blood vessels and such would have to be individually connected, which is a near impossibility since each person has a unique number of muscle vessels alone. Such crude stitching on the Creation's hide alone made it obvious that Frankenstein was a mere story, no matter how inspiring I found it. That, and what I have gleaned about your world's medical abilities would leave them woefully inadequate for such an undertaking. Not to mention that Frankenstein was not trying to capture a specific soul. He might have succeeded in bringing life to a corpse, but he had no idea of what to do with the Life he created. I must say, I found his eventual fate unsurprising."
'I'm dating a medical nerd and story critic.' Haru had to fight back a giggle at the thought. 'But then, I already knew that about the first part.'
Baron then shook himself at the sound. "But back to my point, the reason you were alone back then has less to do with you and more to do with everyone else not wishing to be reminded that they could be better with effort. If they had given you a genuine chance as Tsuge did, you would not have been alone for so long. But that is in the past," he insisted, squeezing her just a little more. "You are now with people that can and do respect you, appreciate you... love you," he added quietly, looking deep into her eyes. "We both know that is all you have ever wanted."
The young feline couldn't find a voice to answer with. His raw sincerity was everything she wanted.
So why couldn't she believe him?
"I love you, Haru. Why can't that be enough?" he begged, against touching her cheek in a tender caress.
She was trying to fight back tears, but without much success. "I know I should not say this, but you deserve the truth. I… admire you very much. While I have... reservations with being watched for years by someone I did not know, it is strangely comforting that someone really was there when I was wishing so hard for it. But…" She swallowed hard before continuing. "You saw for yourself how difficult it was for me to find someone that would care more for me than what they could squeeze out of me for scraps of attention. Although I am glad that you do not find the curse irksome, I find it distressful that the only one that has ever genuinely wished to court me only does so because a curse will not allow him to feel for anyone else."
Baron blinked slowly in surprise.
"There are suitable females other than myself. You just cannot see them because of the curse."
"What if I do not want to see them?" he countered with a desperate look, holding her hands between his own again. "What is so terrible about only wanting to be with you?"
"That is my point precisely. Baron, I want to believe in just this. That you are the one person I would never have to secretly wonder if what you are telling me is real. But as long as you are cursed, there will always be this seed of doubt against you, whether I like it or not. I know you want me to love you, and I want to love you too, but I cannot do that until after I know for certain that you would love me even if you were not forced to. I am sorry," she whispered.
The look on his face made her want to take it all back. She knew full well that marrying Baron would have been an honor even without his status as a Keeper. The girl internally kicked herself for not being able to ignore the one reason good enough to turn him down.
Baron let go of her hands, his ears hanging low with depression. He sighed heavily, finally able to look away from her. "Is there nothing I can do to change your mind? A direct confrontation in Thiris' realm would end quickly, and not in my favor. As much as it pains me to admit it, I would not provide a challenge for a practitioner of dark magic, as proven by his escape. Even if I found a way to overpower him, I assure you he would prefer torture and eventual death to lifting the curse if he knew it was the only thing making you reject my affections. To make matters worse, I'm almost certain that the best way to reverse the curse would require your presence, and I have no intention of allowing him within a Realm's distance of you."
"I was not asking you to do it... alone..." Haru's large eyes went even larger as she fully realized the implications of both of their words.
"Haru? What is wrong?" He was able to break free enough of his dark thoughts to touch her cheek worriedly.
"I am an idiot," she breathed in disbelief, making her suitor immediately get angry.
"I will not tolerate such talk!"
"No, do you not see? We already have the answer!" She wanted to smile from the realization, but knew just how dangerous her plan was. He was not going to like this at all.
The tabby tilted his head at her. "You have my ears."
"We literally only have two courses to choose from, Baron. If you convince me to overlook the curse and marry you, Thiris will not allow us to live in peace. He has already proven that. I have no interest in looking over my shoulder the rest of my life or worrying about the safety of our eventual children."
His handsome face immediately softened at the beautiful thought, turning very hopeful.
"No, Baron! We need to focus," she ordered, making him look at her. "I repeat; I have no interest in waiting for Thiris to make the first move. I would rather that the move was ours."
He lightly shook his head from the thought of having children with her. "What do you have in mind, Haru? I have already stated that my magic cannot counter his. I do not know if yours could, but I am not allowing-"
The brown feline put both hands over his lips to silence him. "Baron. I want you to think back. Were you able to find a way to save me on your own?"
A guilty look was enough to make her lower her hands.
"No."
"Was I able to be rid of the nightmares on my own?"
"Yes."
"No. Using my voice for protection was your idea. Were you able to protect me from Churgoth?"
Baron flinched, looking ashamed of what had happened. "No. Despite my best efforts, it was quite the other way around."
"Was I able to free his mind on my own?" she prodded, hoping he would see the pattern.
"Well... I had grown accustomed enough to your voice in order to pull out the stalactite. Not that resisting your magic was easy-"
"Exactly! Baron, Thiris wants nothing more than as much distance between us as possible. But every time he has attempted to enforce that since my arrival, I lean on you for strength or you lean on me. I am certain we never really asked for permission, it was easier to just take care of business whether the other one liked it or not." She took in a deep breath. "I hate to say it, but he did nearly convince me to let him take me away. The only reason he did not was because I chose to trust you more than a stranger that very obviously did not care for you."
He gave her a horrified injured look, but she was on a roll now.
"What I am trying to say is... you cannot conquer him. I cannot conquer him. But we can."
His horrified look increased. "No."
"Come now, Baron! I know we can overcome him, and I would not dream of asking you to do something dangerous on your own."
"I would rather take an army than you!"
Haru tried not to take offense at that. "Has any army managed to knock him unconscious? I apologize for my bluntness, Baron, but I am more efficient for this kind of work."
"Efficient or not, I am not allowing you to go to Winter."
Her fur stood on end, making her suppress a growl as she crossed her arms. For the first time since learning how to control her tail, it began swishing almost violently with her barely suppressed temper. "I advise you to rephrase that."
"No," he repeated in a dead serious tone, crossing his own arms to give her the closest thing he could manage to a glare. "I care not if it costs me my life, but I will not allow Thiris to-"
Baron suddenly cut himself off, though there was nothing he could do to disguise the agonized growl.
"Thiris to... what?"
"Never mind. It will not happen."
"Baron," she growled, not quite using the power she now knew she had. "What was Thiris planning to do with me? Kill me and deliver the remains?"
"I almost prefer that," he muttered under his breath, giving her a pained look.
"Well?" she prodded stubbornly.
"... When he was escaping... he mentioned that... if you had been any kinder to him..."
Haru blinked in surprise. "What, that he would have taken me for a mate himself?"
The three windows they were closest to shattered in response, making her jump in surprise even though they didn't cut her. Baron glared at them before giving a dismissive wave with one hand.
"As you were."
The glass immediately rose up every piece going back to its designated place until even the cracks were but a memory.
Haru had to cover her forehead from a sudden ache. "First of all, I admire that trick. Second, if he had... tried to pay court to me, it would have immediately shown that he was lying about you. Third... that is simply disgusting! What did your mother do to gain his attention? Say hello to him?"
"Actually, she healed his arm after a flying accident. Now do you see why I am not allowing you near him?" Baron demanded, coming close enough to gently grip her by the shoulders. "Death, separation... or that, he will stop at nothing to keep you from me! Haru, I swear on all that I am or ever will be that I love you. Will you please... accept the fact?"
Haru huffed in exasperation. "I was hoping to avoid being this cruel, but you leave me no choice. Baron; let us hypothetically say you were able to figure out how to rip someone's love out of them and place it in another host. Would you consider doing that to me?"
His large green eyes filled with horror. "I would never!"
"Why not? It would certainly speed things along in your favor."
"I would rather let Toto peck off my limbs than do such a despicable deed! I... want... you," he whispered softly, as if he suddenly understood what she was asking. He released her, now looking down at their feet in complete misery. "... I want you to love me because you want to."
"So why can I not want the same thing from you?" Haru asked softly, not enjoying his pain in the slightest. "Besides, what if Thiris decides to break the spell on you after the wedding instead of before? It seems like the sort of thing he would do. You would be trapped with a mate you did not love."
"I do not believe that," he asserted forcefully, stealing another hug while still avoiding her gaze. "I know you, Haru. You are an amazing woman with a large heart. I know you are the sort of woman that stands up when something needs to be done. You are the sort to make silly faces at strangers' babies when you need to stand in line to bargain for food or necessities and they are making a fuss."
Haru flinched. 'Dang it, the soda machines!' The windows lining the walls and covering the frozen section probably didn't help, either.
"You are a talented magician, a hard worker, and you only lose your temper when others push you too far. Becoming 'trapped' with you is my heart's fondest wish."
The girl in his arms sighed tiredly. "You know, Baron, if you were saying this sort of thing to me without a curse, I would have agreed to marry you by now."
He pulled away enough to look her dead in the eyes. "May I hold you to that if I agree to your foolhardy plan?"
She looked back at him and nodded with a tiny smile. "If it turns out you do not feel the same when you are back to normal, at least you will know you have a true friend in me. Just like how I have always had a true friend in you."
Okay, Haru may have been laying it on a little thick, but he was so close!
It still hit Baron like a physical blow. He finally released her, and paced the floor a bit, trying to think of another good counter argument.
Finally, he sighed in defeat.
"Congratulations, Haru. You are the first person to win an argument with me in eight years."