Chapter 22: Chapter 22

The ride to the royal palace wasn’t long, and it wasn’t the chattiest either, For the young couple in it sat in comfortable silence, each having his own thoughts, his own worries, and fears that didn’t want to burden the other with, it was one of the rare moments when they chose to remain silent in each other’s company, being so close with their knees were almost touching was more than enough, for words were no longer needed to connect them.

It barely took two hours before their carriage reached the capital, traveling the forest in the time of dusk was quite the experience for Sara, especially with how beautifully the colors of green, gold, and orange have blended, but it was still not as breathtaking and overwhelming as the sight of the capital and the castle. Her eyes stared out of the window where her small palms were placed.

Sara never saw so many people gathered in one place people, and definitely not with such diversity, there were all types of people, men and women, old and young, children, babies, of different colors, in different clothes, all looking happy, singing and dancing in small or big groups, some gathering around performers in flashy clothes doing some tricks and acrobatics, some were gathering around stools that contained foods and drinks, children were running and playing happily in the decorated streets, some holding colorful lanterns and others small banners that they waved enthusiastically at the passing carriages, the sounds of their laughers resonating like melodies in her ears.

Sara was truly overwhelmed by the scenery even though she wasn’t quite happy about it, this celebration was for her brother’s coronation, and her innocent mind translated it as their way to express their relief to get rid of her father.

“What are you thinking about, My fair lady?” Eren noticed the slight frown on Sara’s plump lips and couldn’t help but ask

“Everyone sounds so happy to get rid of my father…” She said while looking at her hands, it was something she did whenever she felt frustrated and Eren never failed to notice it, leaning forward, he placed his finger under her chin to make her look at him.

“Look, Sara, the ones you see outside are common people, they are people who probably never met a member of the royal family before, they have nothing against your father nor do they favor your brother. For them, the person sitting on the throne is just an unknown entity that they can only hope to be good enough to not make their lives harder. These people care about the crops and the taxes more then they care about the politics, and what you see now, is just a chance for them to get together, celebrate and take their minds away from their daily lives struggles, most of them don’t even care why they are celebrating.”

“But some do.” There it was, Eren thought, that sad, vulnerable look of hers that made him want to pull her not just into his embrace but inside his ribs and protect her with all his might, shield her from any and everything, including himself.

“True, not everyone is that oblivious and uncaring about politics, some commoners as well as the nobles are smart enough to dig into the politics and I have already told you, My fair lady, that sadly, King Edard wasn’t the best example for a king, not many liked him, and the kingdom was indeed facing some difficulties because of his ways, many alliances were lost or barely saved and only by the queen’s efforts. It doesn’t mean your father is a bad or evil person Sara, it just means he wasn’t the best for the job, and for such a very delicate position, people have the right to expect only the best, someone fully devoted to the throne, and from what you have told me and what I have understood, your father has chosen you.”

Did he really? Sara asked herself while smiling at her dear friend, his words were indeed encouraging and she appreciated them coming from him, but did her father really chose her over the throne? It was true that her father didn’t neglect her or completely forgot about her existence, but his “attention” could be easily described as a minimum, his visits were short and rare, and in each time he would tell her he couldn’t or won’t be able to visit because he had a lot of work, however, according to Eren, her father barely did his work…

Sitting back straightly, Sara noticed that Eren had placed a mask on his face as well, a black one that didn’t exactly match his clothes but definitely matched his unique personality, his enigmatic charm, and mysterious character, the mask was simple, with just continuous patterns decorating it in a very discreet manner. It was a beautiful but bold choice indeed but she didn’t care much about that, for the fact he wore one made her heart flutter as he was announcing himself engaged, and she liked to think it was for her.

“We are here, Are you ready, my fair lady?”

“As ready as I can be.” Sara offered him a smile before taking a deep breath, their carriage had stopped right in front of a large golden gate and Eren chose to give her few seconds to prepare herself.

“One last thing, my fair lady, please try to avoid unnecessary interactions, and if anyone asked about your identity, which they will, tell them your name is Sara Ren and you are originally from the north, and that you are here as Duke Salvatore’s fiancée.”

“Okay.” Sara nodded in agreement, she was thankful for her friend for thinking about this matter and at the same time, so excited by the fact he asked her to pretend to be his fiancée. She didn’t know why she liked the idea so much, well she did, she just couldn’t find out the right word to address that reason yet.

“Okay then, let us go meet your family, my fair lady.” Eren stepped out of the carriage first then gave his hand to her, they walked toward the gates and Sara nearly dropped her jaw at how beautiful the castle was, how big it was and how high the towers were, the inside was wonderfully illuminated as if the sun resided there, thousands of candles and lanterns’ light reflected on the white walls, Paintings that captured amazing scenes, status sculpted to perfection, vases with the most beautiful bouquets, tables decorated so elegantly, servants in their clean and neat attires moving like invisible shadows to serve the guests, nobles in their luxurious clothes and expensive jewelry, some of them wearing masks just like her and Eren, but even with those on, she couldn’t help but feel conscious with all the stares they were sending her way, some were admiring stares, some were envious, some were questioning, she tightened her hold on his elbow, wary of all the looks, she wasn’t used to be the center of attention of so many people, she was usually avoided, but now, seeing all those pairs assessing her while the lips moved behind the fans or the cups, she felt exposed and wanted to hide behind Eren or just ran away from there, for her, extra attention, even if it was out of admiration to how alluring she looked, was stressing and intimidating.

“Don’t worry, my fair lady, I am here with you.” Eren said while placing his other hand on the one holding his elbow, giving it a gentle squeeze, he smiled at her warmly.

“They are all staring at us.” She said in a whisper while he led her through the hall, seeing how destabilized she was, he chuckled a little, not caring if her behavior was so un-ladylike, she was so cute and so…herself, nothing was capable of sullying her innocent pureness. Not the fanciness and not the wealth. However, he wasn’t so happy about all the eyes on her, especially the male eyes, he felt as if they were looking at his dearest belongings, a feeling that surprised even him.

“Of course, they would, my fair lady, I told you that you look as beautiful as the moon itself.” He stopped to sigh, “And now I want to gauge out their eyes and feed them to my hounds.” He said the last part to himself, not wanting to scare the beautiful girl with him.

“Let’s dance.” Eren said and started pulling her behind him, truth is, he saw many people looking at her, some even wanted to approach her and he didn’t like the idea at all, he didn’t like the thought of her attention, which was solely his so far, to be shared with others, he didn’t like people thinking about her the way he thought about her, he didn’t like people wanting her, and he feared that she may even like some of them in return, he knew how beautiful she was and that men would throw themselves at her feet and shower her with affection, he feared that once he is no longer the only option, he would stop being an option.

“I don’t know how to dance.” Sara tried to stop him but she couldn’t force him to without getting anyone’s attention, she was horrified by the idea of making a fool out of herself, she knew she wasn’t exactly acting like a lady, and that her personal assistant would be really unhappy if she saw how clumsy and clueless she looked, and to add a horrible show to that among the tens of couples dancing in perfect harmony with the most perfect moves… just what was the man thinking?

“Trust me.” He said while stepping into the dance area, placing his arm on her back, he gently lifted her and placed her on the tips of his feet, her body was glued to his in a very intimate way, looking around her, Sara noticed that only few couples were that close and they were not getting the kindest looks.

“Eren.” She whispered, her cheeks burning red behind her mask, his Hand was firmly placed behind her back, it wasn’t exactly painful or uncomfortable, just not the gentlest, the strange new roughness thrilled her, she liked how tight he was holding her, securely, possessively…

“Maybe this would tell those peasants with curious eyes that you are not unclaimed.” He said while taking her free hand in his while the other rested on his shoulder, she was too surprised by his words and he didn’t care enough to hide them any longer, he was already regretting bringing her there but again, he couldn’t say no to her only direct request, not with the way her eyes looked at him, so vulnerable and hopeful, especially if it was the last wish he was going to grant her.

“What was on your mind when we were in the carriage and when we first arrived, Sara, you were calmer than usual.”

Changing subjects after saying such heart stopping things? Sara asked inside her head before answering him.

“About my family and this night honestly, but then when we reached here, and I saw all of this, the life, the people, the castle, it is so beautiful and big Eren, and I couldn’t help but ask myself, why would my father lock me in the holy tower, which now feels like a grave, couldn’t I fit in here? With my family, where I belong.”

“You belong with me.” Eren interrupted her firmly with a serious face, he didn’t plan to say the words but he didn’t regret saying them, he was tired of fighting it back, the urge to claim her, to make her his, he knew how wrong it was to say those things, especially now, especially with what he had in mind, but for once he didn’t care about anything else in the world, it was just him, his abstract self without all the weights and shackles he carried, just him, and just her in his arms, in his mind, in his heart.

“Eren.” Sara looked at him with those pure eyes of hers, admiring the man holding her, everything about him, the edges and darkness he was hiding but she was still capable of seeing and sensing, the gentleness, the way his smile made her feel, the way his eyes stole her breaths, the way his words lifted her off the ground and placed her on the fluffiest cloud, the way his arrival in her life felt like the warm sun rays on frozen grounds, how he filled her days with life, Sara thought about every emotion she felt toward this man, how she looked forward and counted hours to see him, how she missed him, how she thought about him, how she wanted to tell him everything, how she felt safe and happy with him, how she felt disturbed and jealous when seeing him with Geraldine, and suddenly, all those feelings blended up in one, and the word that described them, the one she was looking for was clear as daylight.

“I love you, Eren.” She said, warmly and loud enough for him to hear, her eyes reflected her feelings, and for the first time she wasn’t shy or reluctant to express herself and the way she felt, not towards this man who walked in her life and saved it in so many ways, and not with the way he publicly displayed his affection towards her by holding her so close, it just felt so right to say the words right now, in the place they were, which was supposed to be her home but only felt so because she was in his arms, so tightly and securely held, her face close to his.

What didn’t feel right though was the way his body tensed as if hit by lightning, his jaw was clenched and his hand tightened even more, the mask for the first time became a problem for she couldn’t decipher his expressions, not with how dark they were.

Fearing she might have said something out of place, something that might ruin everything, not to mention feeling a bit disappointed for not receiving the reaction she hoped for, Sara opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the hall turned sickly cold, and every single candle or lantern in it was extinguished, all at once, and creepy darkness enveloped everything and everyone in a blink of an eye as if the hall was swallowed by a pit of shadows.

Sara shivered in fear, especially as she heard people gasping, alarmed and panicked, the place was so dark she couldn’t even see Eren’s face who was still holding her, trying to step back, she felt him hold her tighter before his lips were placed on hers.