Pure Hands Part Twelve
'She's going to be so excited!' King Lune thought with glee as he had to fight to keep from skipping or running to his wife's favorite sitting room. He had his dignity, but he hadn't felt this giddy since his own wedding day!
The guard outside the room grinned at the king's good mood as he opened the door. Lune strolled in, barely paying attention to most of the ladies-in-waiting in his eagerness to see Haru rubbing something into his wife's feet. She scrambled slightly to join the others in rising and curtsying to him, keeping her eyes modestly down as usual.
"I need everyone but my wife and her cousin to leave. Family business, you understand," he ordered, still grinning like he never intended to stop.
The ladies looked curious or even suspicious, but they still filtered out without a word. Lune had to fight with himself not to physically push them out the door so he could get on with the good news!
More out habit than actually remembering, he forced himself to count to twenty slowly before turning to beam at his cousin-in-law. "I haven't merely found a husband for you," he boasted with a wide grin. "I found a living legend for you!"
She blinked in surprise, even as her cheeks turned as pink as flowers. "Oh? How did you manage that, your majesty?"
He laughed before drawing closer to pat her head. "Just Lune's fine, Haru. I know I haven't taken a lot of trouble to personally talk to you, but we are family, and I know you're a good girl. Trust me, I couldn't find a better husband for you if I tried!" he gushed, so overcome with happiness that he couldn't restrain himself from hugging her, though her arms stayed at her sides awkwardly. "The best part is that you won't even need to leave Alon!"
"That is the good part. But this groom you've chosen, you're completely certain that he'll be good to my Haru?" Yuki worried anxiously as she stood up as well.
"Oh, this gentleman is renowned for his compassion and respect to everyone," Lune assured her happily. "I got lucky and snatched him up before he crossed into another kingdom. He used to be a prince, but he's humble enough to be satisfied with a baronetcy when he enters my service."
Haru brightened at that. "He sounds promising. Is he intelligent as well as kind?"
"I can't wait to take advantage of his brain as well as his sword," Lune swore while holding her hands between his own. "He's also witty and hardworking, so you see why I say I couldn't find a better husband for you if I-"
"Is this Prince Humbert of Yrael?" his wife asked suspiciously.
"Yes! Can you believe it?!" Lune demanded at the top of his lungs, wanting to jump up and down like he had when he first heard of the hero-
"Completely unacceptable. I thought you held Haru in regard," she scolded him angrily.
He blinked in surprise at her scowl, still holding onto his cousin-in-law's hands. "You realize I speak of the same man that defeated the Cyclops of Grea, and outwitted the witch of Heloth?"
"And was disowned for publicly declaring his love for his uncle's fiancée," she added with a glare. "Funny how you were neglecting that bit."
He couldn't resist flinching but couldn't help feeling guilty as the joy in Haru's face blew out as easily as a candle. She carefully removed her hands from his grasp and knelt at the queen's feet to resume rubbing ointment into them. She didn't say anything, but he could tell from how she held her shoulders that she was crushed at the revelation.
Yuki sat forward enough to rub Haru's hair comfortingly. "This is why you need to pay attention to gossip, Haru. You nearly agreed to a giant mistake."
"Thank you for looking out for me, as always," Haru thanked her, sounding like she was ready to cry.
"It's not all lost," Lune tried to salvage a bit desperately. "I mean, he just needs a new home and a good woman to help heal him, and he'll be fine!"
"With all due respect, my love, are you an idiot?" Yuki demanded in a deceptively polite tone. "That's not how heartbreak heals. That's too much to ask of Haru. If it's that important to have him in your service, do it without involving her."
"But he needs to be a citizen of Alon before I can give him a title," Lune explained, feeling panicked that his plan was now falling to the bottom of the moat. "There isn't a better maiden in court than Haru, we both know that."
The lady-in-waiting flinched like it was an insult, which made the young queen pat her head again while glaring at her husband.
"What's the point of giving your prince the best we have to offer if he won't be able to appreciate it? Answer me that, and I'll relent."
"He will in time," the king insisted. "He just needs some encouragement, that's all."
Much to his surprise, Haru spoke up, not turning away from her intense concentration on massaging the queen's feet.
"Your majesty. I'm seventeen years old. That's seventeen years' worth of being the marquis' only daughter, and my brother's only sister."
He gave her a confused look, but she waited another minute before explaining her point.
"I never got either of them to care about me, let alone love me. That's the biggest reason why I was granted the honor of being a lady-in-waiting, your wife saw everything I did to make them want me in their lives, and how badly I failed. If I can't win when there's no competition, what chance do you truly believe I have when there's more than firm competition?"
That silenced and sobered him. He wanted to say that before his Bride Selection, her father had campaigned strongly for her, but the marquis was a hungry opportunist.
If all he had to gain the crown's favor was a garden slug, he would have promoted the slug just as strongly as he had advocated for his daughter.
Deciding that the queen's feet were well-moisturized, Haru covered the jar and rose to put it back in the small jeweled chest. "You need someone who has experience making men specifically fall in love with her if having the former prince under your command is so important to you. Thank you for your vote of confidence, your majesty, but I assure you it was misplaced."
Lune wanted to protest. He still knew that if any girl in the kingdom could heal his hero, it was her.
But both of them had presented such an strong argument, that it could fracture his own marriage if he tried to insist on the match.
His wife gave him a minor glare as if to confirm his fears while gesturing for Haru to rest at her feet. "Work something else out for Prince Humbert if you want him so badly."
Lune sighed in defeat before showing himself back out of the sitting room. It took effort to hold himself like a king and not alert anyone in the halls to his current mood, but he caught little hints that his spirits would have been easier to hide if he hadn't been so jubilant on the way to see his wife and cousin-in-law.
The soldier outside of the suite saluted before opening the door.
Lune could barely look at his hero as he sadly slunk into the room the moment he was out of sight of any servants.
The exiled prince stood up as the young king entered, his own expression concerned and tired. "Your majesty seems to have terrible news to share."
Lune heaved a big sigh while settling himself onto the couch facing Humbert. "She said no."
Humbert's own mood turned to confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked in genuine bafflement.
"She didn't hear the rumors about Princess Louise, but my wife did. She has no interest in even trying to win your favor," Lune elaborated, deciding that it wasn't his place to share the poor girl's heartbreak.
Humbert stared at him before crossing the room and open the balcony doors to walk out.
"What are you doing?" the king demanded tiredly as the former prince looked all around.
"I'm checking for flying pigs."
Lune groaned while covering his eyes with one hand. "She has her reasons. They aren't mine to disclose, but she made it clear that the idea of chasing a man that's already in love is not to her liking."
Humbert flinched, but then slowly re-entered the room and closed the balcony doors behind him. "I see. I'm glad she learned prudence from her last heartbreak."
The king's hand that was on the couch's arm turned fierce in its grip. "It wasn't a suitor, it was… never mind," he sighed, reminding himself that Haru's business wasn't Humbert's, no matter how he wished for the opposite to be true.
Not even the quizzical look on the former prince's face was enough to change his mind. Lune took a deep breath before leaning forward. "I still want you to work for me. But since I want you to be happy here, I can't in good consciousness start targeting another girl for you."
Humbert's confusion only deepened. "You say that as if Lady Haru is the only maiden in the kingdom."
Lune let go of his face to count off the requirements on his fingers. "The only lady of noble birth that is not already married and would make you happy if you gave her a chance. There are other ladies, I assure you, but after what you've endured, Haru's the only one that would handle your grief and help you find happiness again."
Humbert sighed like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Your majesty, I've tried to explain before. I am not in the right state of mind to take a wife. I don't need a title."
Lune looked at him sadly. "Would you really be content with no home to call your own? No special person to tell all your troubles to? To be little more than an advisor?"
"That would suit me just fine." Humbert smiled whimsically. "I'll admit that I always fancied how 'baron' sounded, and I know I could handle the responsibilities, but it would be cruel to any girl if I marry now. I may not ever be ready, but if you want that to be a possibility, let me heal first. Please," he nearly begged.
Lune looked at him, knowing that all Haru needed was the right opening, and his hero would fall in love with her.
Then he blinked as he realized what this setup meant. If Humbert was his advisor, he'd be living in the palace, where Haru also resides. She would be demure and give him space if their paths crossed.
The same would not be said of every unmarried and a handful of married noblewomen once they heard of merely one of Humbert's qualities or caught a glimpse of his face. With him being unattached, they would be on him like a pack of wolves.
He'd be begging to revisit the Haru matter within a month just for protection and a private home to keep out unwanted admirers. Lune could arrange for them to talk privately instead of trying to arrange a match again to avoid conflict with his wife.
Haru would be able to handle it from there, regardless of her original intention.
Lune sighed again, focusing on Haru's sad upbringing to keep his new enthusiasm under tight reins. "Very well, Humbert. If being my advisor and personal champion is going to satisfy you, I'll at least make sure you're comfortable and given a fair wage."
The former prince relaxed at his acceptance, even kneeling before him with respect. "I'll do what I can to make sure you don't regret having me at your command."
Lune smiled warmly, though the prince was facing the wrong angle to see the slight smirk. "I'm sure I won't."