Disclaimer: I've been kicked out from the original conception of the manga...NOT!
Thanks to Talye Kendrin for doing a fantastic job of beta-ing these chapters. Please check out her profile and support this fandom.
Characters: Izana Wistalia, Shirayuki
Pairing: Possible one-sided Izana
Wordcount: 796
Rating: General, Romance
Timeline: Between Chapter 41 and Chapter 49
Quotes: "Amore & Psyche: the soul is ineffable, therefore tru soul mates are indescribably connected."
― Serena Jade, Charismatic Connection: The Authentic Soul Mate experience
He was distracted all throughout the day. His right hand never left the pocket of his coat. As soon as Shirayuki left the mini-forest room, it was as if the very light and life was extinguish inside, leaving him cold.
Even the gifts of wine and homemade ale that Garack Gazelt prepared for him when they resumed their meeting wasn't enough to divert his thoughts away from Shirayuki.
Standing outside the balcony of his great bedchamber, brooding about the future.
His children.
His and Shirayuki's.
Was it possible that he had glimpsed a slice of the future?
Or was it an illusion created by the perfume?
Even now, gripping the bottle he kept hidden in the pocket of his nightshirt, the scent called out to him. Beckoning him.
The scent that altered the course of two lives.
According to his retainer, there were no records of Shirayuki's father; no records of who he was or where he came from. But the story that she mentioned seemed oddly familiar. One of their advisors mentioned about a past scandal from Tanbarun that occurred roughly two decades back. A duke was supposed to marry a beautiful woman whose hair was red as apples. However the day before the wedding, she was spirited far away by the duke's own nephew, who took the red-haired princess as his bride and married her.
The nephew was banished from court, never to return. And the bride was disgraced, no longer suited to be a duchess. And so she went back to her family. Their whereabouts were unknown afterwards.
Could this couple be the same one that Shirayuki was talking about earlier?
Izana opened his fist to reveal the bottle of perfume he stole. It felt heavy on his palm, as if the very weight of the future rested on his bare hands.
Papa. Papa.
The children's voice echoed in his ears.
I hope one day when you meet the one that you truly want, she would break your heart into pieces and will continue to haunt you for the rest of your life.
Altheaia's voice floated in the breeze. Like a promise that is slowly coming true.
His chest tightened. Of course he knew what this bottle meant to him! What this bottle meant to Shirayuki.
The scent that might be his downfall. Lo and behold!
His heart beat in response while he carefully read the label on the bottle he was clutching close to him.
Amore and Psyche.
Love and soul.
Author's Notes:
Thank you dear readers and followers for reading my short take on Izana and Shirayuki.