Chapter 11:Expectations
A soft breeze picked up, snaking its way down Izaya's spine as he shivered.
"What?" Lack of understanding and offense layered Shizuo's voice as he looked at his wife in what could only be understood as bewilderment.
"For the things I accused you of." Izaya elaborated further, his shoulders tensing as his body readied itself to run.
The king seemed mad. At what exactly Izaya wasn't sure.
An apology was nothing to get aggravated over no matter in which context it was served as long as it was genuine.
Yet a frown deeper than when the king cut down those bastards drew across his face.
Was the king mad?
Lowering his gaze, Shizuo's hand combed through his hair.
No.
He seemed defeated.
"Please don't apologize, you had all the rights to," he assured softly, "I didn't exactly give you any reason for trust."
Stance relaxing, Izaya realized his grave misunderstanding.
The king wasn't mad at him for voicing a worthless apology- he was mad that Izaya was taking the blame.
… did the king actually feel guilty?
Not exactly a smart choice since those human traffickers had acted on individual desires and not the king's orders. As far as Izaya understood, those men had tried to gain wealth through bribery and extortion. Had Shizuo not appeared at that exact moment…. it wouldn't have ended pretty.
Sighing softly, Izaya shrugged.
"I reap what I sow, I didn't exactly give you an easy time either."
A shiver trailed down Izaya's spine as another breeze picked up the damp evening air.
Not quite able to fend off the cold, Izaya tried to suppress a tremor.
Holy crap women's clothing was a joke.
Looking fancy was all it did there was close to no fabric on his skin. The undergarment consisted of nothing but useless strings and the top layer of fabric was so thin he wondered whether it was see through.
"...May I?"
Confused by the question, Izaya glanced at the king. His hand pointed to a gray blanket, resting on his lap. Izaya recognized it as the same the innkeeper had carried when they first arrived.
"The old lady gave it to me when she saw me sitting outside, I wanted to tell her I don't need it but couldn't convince her." Ah.
"I can imagine."
Reaching out, Izaya gratefully grasped the rough material of the heavy blanket.
"Not afraid I might burn it?" he asked with a quick tongue of wit, but Shizuo seemed nothing less than amused as he shook his head.
"I can stomach losing a blanket."
To say Shizuo was glad for his future wife's cooperation was an underestimation. Considering their bad start and her attitude until now he had been quite sure his own wife would hate him to the end of time.
Seeing her approach, talk and now even laugh was relieving beyond description.
It was a miracle. Especially after the prior events.
Eyes falling back to Kururi's collar he couldn't help but look at the cut.
"... does it hurt?"
Having finished curling up on himself underneath the soothing warmth of the additional fabric Izaya blinked softly. It took a moment for him to follow Shizuo's gaze and realize what he was talking about.
"Not really, it's just superficial."
Obvious doubt sprang to Shizuo's eyes.
"It looks deep." Izaya tilted his head, a soft smile decorating his lips as he felt the urge to tease the guy.
"Want to confirm for yourself?"
A second passed in which Shizuo seemed confused. Another in which his face lit up shortly and then the last in which his body tensed and expression grew flustered at Izaya's obvious insinuation.
"No." Firm and strong the answer stood as the king averted his gaze. What kind of lady suggested for a man to touch her in an indecent way like this?
Holding back an amused smile Izaya couldn't help but enjoy his reaction.
The king, slayer of men and monsters alike, seemed interestingly innocent.
Breath forming visible clouds of white before his eyes he glanced at the king. It was cold. Too cold to keep sitting outside for no purpose.
"So why are you sitting here, all by yourself?" Izaya asked, letting his eyes roam the dark outlines of trees that made up the surrounding forest.
"I'm thinking."
"Are you capable of that?"
A soft smile broke the king's iron expression.
"I deserve that I guess." Shizuo's expression fell as soon as it lit up. Wordlessly he kept staring at nothing.
Wrapping that blanket a little tighter around his body Izaya thought of another way to inquire.
He wasn't stupid, it was clear as daylight that the king didn't want to discuss the topics keeping him busy, but Izaya wasn't one to give up after two attempts only.
"What are you thinking about?"
A tired smile spread across Shizuo's face.
"Nothing of interest for a lady." He didn't mean to exclude Izaya, that he was aware of. Yet he seemed reluctant to speak.
"Let me be the judge of that." Doubt laid in the king's gaze as he directed it at him.
"You really want to know?"
"Would I have asked if I didn't?"
Pausing for just a moment Izaya wondered whether the king was going to send him away.
Shizuo seemed unsure whether to speak his mind.
"What it means to be a king," he finally said with a breath of relief. It seemed as though it had been a topic he had been thinking about a lot, alone. And now saying it aloud he seemed vulnerable.
Izaya could somewhat get behind that feeling.
The innkeeper had been quite direct. While she praised the king's son with all flattery available, she had not a single good word to say about his father.
It was probably a bit overwhelming to run the kingdom from one day to the next. If the king was anything like Izaya's father, then Shizuo probably didn't even receive a run down of his duties or similar help.
"... you hadn't exactly had the best example." Izaya tried slowly, not quite sure how to reply to the king's words.
Shizuo´s expression darkened, and for a second Izaya wondered whether he had overstepped a boundary. He was talking about the former king after all, it could be perceived as extremely rude to talk badly about the deceased.
Shizuo sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground.
"That's why I want to do better." a deep frown crossed his face, "But I keep making mistakes."
"What kind?"
"You." Surprise reflected in Kururi's expression and Shizuo quickly hurried on to avoid causing a misunderstanding. "I endangered your life. I should have kept guards around you. There are so many people out for my head, it slipped my mind that they might be after you next." The fact that his very own bride had been caught, hurt and nearly killed weighed far heavier on his chest than the lives he had taken from those bastards.
It was one thing to kill someone to save another, but being at fault for the situation in the first place was worse.
A different kind of pain, coupled with guilt, reflected in his eyes.
Izaya shook his head quickly.
"It wasn't your fault. I walked around the castle. Alone. I didn't think much of it either. Our mansion was safe and the thought of someone being out for me never occurred to me."
Especially since he was a guy in reality.
Abduction was something women enjoyed more often than men.
"It's commendable you don't hold me to blame but we both know that's far from true." Shizuo argued, "It's just like father said, I'm not cut out to be a king. I'm impulsive, reckless, stubborn. For a knight leading battle fine qualities, really, but for a king…"
Ah.
So their fathers really shared some despicable traits. Izaya had never lived up to his father's expectations and it seemed neither had Shizuo.
"There was aristocracy visiting our lands. I barely even talked to them and they declared war," Shizuo suddenly said, raising his hands to his forehead as he closed his eyes in what seemed to be shame.
War…
It was no light matter.
No words to assure the man came to mind, not to mention cheer him up.
"Is that why the wedding got delayed?" Izaya remembered the way the servants had reacted upon his arrival. The maids, the butler, they seemed like they had been trying to hide something.
Izaya mistakenly took those secrets as disdain towards his sheer presence.
Instead they had been worried about their new king and scared of what this war might bring.
"Can't exactly celebrate when parts of my kingdom are being slaughtered," Shizuo added, only confirming Izaya's suspicions.
It was bad to cause a war by accident. Really.
But he hadn't done so by choice or chosen lack of preparation.
"You know you aren't as bad a king as you make it sound." Izaya said, causing a certain amount of surprise to jump to the king's expression.
"Why do you think so?"
He shrugged.
"That thought right there? You care for your people more than for your own comfort, that already says a lot about you." After all, Shizuo left to prevent a war, very much aware he might get killed riding straight into its core. "Or can you imagine your father taking this kind of decision?"
Shizuo blinked.
Once, twice.
Izaya could almost feel the gears turn in Shizuo's head as he let the words sink in.
He averted his gaze, a soft smile grazing those hard features.
"Am I dreaming or are you actually trying to cheer me up?"
"Better even, I'm offering my help. Opposite to you, I'm fairly good with words." Confidence radiated from his future wife in a way that caused Shizuo to snort.
"I can see that."
"If you encounter aristocracy you have to be bold in your advances, quick in assertion and at best know more about them than they know about you." Kururi continued, harsh but quick in her explanation as she broke down the basics of small talk.
Shizuo knew all of that.
And yet…
"That sounds hella annoying." Izaya shrugged softly.
"I know a lot, I could easily take that part."
Lifting his face to meet his wife's gaze Shizuo couldn't quite hide his surprise.
"... you want to advise me?"
Seemingly just as puzzled, Kururi tilted her head.
"Why not?"
First it came in slow heaves, then grew until it became full blown laughter. Not quite getting the obvious amusement he had just served, Izaya frowned.
"What?"
Shizuo wheezed, "No, it's just, this is the first time I have heard of a woman trying to negotiate with aristocracy."
Oh.
And suddenly Izaya's guts dropped a level.
Right.
He was a woman.
The wife was supposed to stay quiet. Out of political affairs. The only task she was good for was producing a decent heir.
"Ah. Right. I shouldn't," he corrected himself quickly. Izaya hadn't quite considered his words.
"And miss out on that silver tongue of yours? What a waste." And with that Shizuo offered his hand to settle the deal. "I will gladly take your offer."
A bit baffled, Izaya looked at the king.
"... I'm still a woman in case you forgot." It was one thing for Izaya to not care about whether his sisters were girls or not. He had not once doubted Kururi's intelligence or Mairu's quick assertion of a situation- but comparing this and an official offer to aid the king …?
"My father used to keep women with him all the time," Shizuo explained, only hesitating shortly, "Although for… different services."
Izaya sighed.
"I think that's different-"
"How so?"
Was the king really that stupid? No aristocrat in their right mind would listen to a mere woman's opinion. Not to mention let her decide anything.
What Shizuo was suggesting was even more ridiculous than Izaya's offer.
Izaya had acted on a whim, forgetting what he was pretending to be, but Shizuo was fully aware of what he was doing.
…
But he wasn't joking when he said he sucked at negotiating.
If Shizuo tried to achieve everything by force like this it was going to offend other royalty for sure.
And Izaya couldn't help but feel somewhat honored.
His father had never let him appear anywhere- not to mention speak his mind. His opinions and ideas had always been ridiculed and ignored.
So this offer- was somewhat exciting.
His new position might as well leave him with more options to search for his sisters-
"How about this instead," he quickly said, "Just as you suggested you can take me to those negotiations, but I won't speak directly to royalty. They would end up offended. Instead you merely hear them out, tell them you will think about their offers and invite them again for a later time. I will tell you what I can about them and what choices are optional then you call them in and declare your decision."
Silence followed the brass suggestion and for a moment Izaya feared he might have overstepped a boundary.
Looking at him in what seemed to be fascination the king seemed to weigh his words on a different scale.
"... what?" Izaya asked, not liking to be left hanging.
Shizuo shook his head softly, negating any ill intention.
"Nothing. I just found myself thinking I might have gotten myself a decent wife after all."
Ah.
Right.
It was funny, all of this was just an act. Being the king's bride, marrying him if worse came to worst- and yet Izaya felt somewhat flattered by the comment.
It was a first. To be complimented for his wits that is.
Wind picking up again brushed past Izaya's nose, tickling a sneeze.
"We should get back inside." Shizuo announced courtly, ending the conversation with smooth ease.
A hand was held out to help his future wife get up from the tree trunk. An action that was for once very much appreciated, as Izaya's ankle was still injured.
"Yeah, we should."
to be continued~
Finally getting on a little friendlier terms here xD Can't have the two hate each other when they are supposed to marry, right? tse tse
Now let's see where this newfound trust will lead them~ C:
I hope you liked the update and see you next week~! :3 I will be updating on Saturday from now on instead of Friday xD