Korren took a deeper breath, letting himself smile and relax. This was an extremely unusual setting, but Vincent seemed casual enough— so for the time being, he’d take advantage of that relaxed atmosphere.
“Korren York, sir,” he replied, voice a low accompaniment to the sound of their footsteps, along with the sharp clop of horse hooves.
It was very settling to know he was at least on the princess’ good side. At least Vincent seemed in good spirits about it, so Korren figured the “news” or “reasoning” would be positive. Or just simply not negative. Korr really couldn’t put his finger on it— every idea and inkling he had seemed much too farfetched for the simplicity of his current life.
“Mhm… a wonderful name for a young growing lad like yourself,” the man laughed a bit as they continued down the path. Most of the travel had been quiet. Nothing was coming out from either side of the conversation and so it was rather quiet.
“We’re here young man,” Vincent spoke before letting his horse go roam freely in the field beside the castle. He told one of his awaiting visitors to escort the soldier to the waiting room and told another to inform the princess of the tactician’s arrival.
Korren walked alongside Vincent, not entirely sure what to think about the situation. As they kept stepping closer and closer to the doors, his heart beat continuously faster. Perhaps it was nerves, or perhaps he just wanted to catch just one more glimpse of the princess.
“Thank you, sir,” Korr replied, ever-polite with his formalities. He stepped aside, next to his escort, smiling as kindly as he could muster.
In reality, his body was aching. Training had been a little more than harsh, his wounds stinging moderately as he moved. Though, with the situation at hand, it was hard to notice.
When the tactician arrived in the waiting room, the officer left him and closed the door.
After a little while, a small knock would come from outside the door as the door opened just slightly. The red eye and pink hair of the princess can be seen poking through the small gap.
“H-Hi…” she let out softly, not daring to open the door fully yet.
Korren had a brief moment of freeze where he wasn’t sure to bow or just stand there. He quickly decided on bowing, although it came as a more stiff, forced motion.
“Hello, Her Highness,” he said, flicking his eyes back up to meet hers. He stood up straight once more, leaving his arms behind his back and offering a smile. “M-May I ask why I was called in today…?”
She slowly came into the room and closed the door behind her. She was wearing a rather comfortable looking dress of a linen white color and with none of the jewelry she had on her earlier.
“Well… You caught my eye, soldier,” she mentioned with a small smile before skipping to the seat provided in the room and sitting down, patting the seat beside her as if to invite the man to sit beside her. “No need to be so mannered here. I don’t mind it honestly,”
Korren nodded, letting himself smile fully at her words. However, it was more concealed than before, using it to his advantage. It was relatively crooked but was accompanied by a dimple on the left side, and housed the charm he could muster.
Korren took a seat by the woman, adjusting the sleeves on his tunic as he did so.
“Well, I’m glad. It’s not normally good news when soldiers get called to the castle,” he said, meeting her eyes. “But this seems positive, at least by my standards.”
She smiled softly at the man and sighed.
“What’s your name, soldier? What can I call you by?” Her voice seemed more relaxed than when she was on the field. Albeit, she was in a more comfortable space after all. It was only fair that she’d be more relaxed here. Her cheeks showed a clear blush the longer she was staring into the soldier’s eyes. They were mesmerizing to her…
“K-Korren,” he said slowly. “Korren York.”
He couldn’t seem to speak quite as steady as he wanted, his attention clearly elsewhere.
A hand absently came up to brush his hair out of his eyes, and he finally looked away, adverting his gaze to the room around them. It was difficult to meet the princess’ eyes without having another wave of nervousness pass over. He was normally such a calm and… charming individual, but for some reason, this woman completely caught him off guard.
“Korren… that’s a nice name…” she smiled after speaking. She turned away for a moment and tied her hair to a ponytail so that the delicate strands of it wouldn’t block her view.
“Where does your family live, Korren?” She asked, most likely trying to break the ice but of course, she hadn’t no information about anything Korren has done in his life so she really wanted to know more…
“Ah, just outside of the castle borders,” he replied, taking a deep breath. He kept his eyes wandering the room, one of his fingers tapping absently on his knee. “But I reside mainly in the barracks with the other soldiers.”
He paused lightly, glancing over to the woman before tilting his head.
“You know, it’s not often us soldiers get… called up to see any member of the royal family— especially the princess.”
Korren laid out his words heavily, voice probably deeper than one would expect, but melodic nonetheless.
“So.. I caught your eye? Is that all there is to it?” he asked with a smile, although neither seemed like questions he didn’t already know the answers to. “What was your plan in calling me up here?”
“I need an escape, Korren.”
She stated firmly, looking up at the soldier with almost longing eyes.
“You know how much emphasis is put onto us, the king’s heirs, and how much stress I must live through every single day. No mistake, not once can I even attempt to do something that’s not so royal or whatnot and I just— I’m done with it. I need an escape…” she spoke softly.
The knight hadn’t expected a reply so blatant and real, especially by someone who was looked up at so frequently. But, that’s exactly what she meant.
If Korren could be an escape from the writhing ties of royal expectations, then so be it. It’s a title he wasn’t sure of, but one he would figure out soon enough.
“So… what does that imply?” he asked, feeling his heart skip lightly. His words didn’t come out as ignorant as they seemed, and he stayed still, the finger tapping on his knee no longer doing so.
“During the time I am outside of royal workings… could you come meet me like this everyday from now on? I need someone I can talk to without feeling the need to be… well-mannered or extremely royal-like towards someone. Please Korren… I need you to distract me from my own title,” she took his hand and held it, covering the back of his hand with her other free hand while looking at him with more than longing eyes. Her face was a beet red, a rare scene to be sure but it was a welcoming one.
Korren’s eyes were locked on their hands, and he seemed oddly distracted for the situation. In a brief moment, he looked back up to Valentine, nodding.
“Of course, I will,” he replied, words slightly hitched for the fact that he didn’t know what to say. And, while it seemed like an odd request, he was genuinely okay with it. While he would have accepted it regardless because it was the “princess’ orders,” there was an ulterior motive behind it. While it seemed too early to tell, and they had only exchanged a single conversation, the princess intrigued him.
“Thank you…” she let out softly before leaning in closer to him. In a moment’s hesitation, she leaned forward enough to peck the soldier’s cheek. “That’s for our time together from now on…”
The area in which Valentine had kissed him was left tingling, almost as if she had lingered there for longer than she actually did. While it was possibly just a friendly gesture, Korren couldn’t help his throbbing heart as it knocked around his chest.
“There’s truly no need to thank me,” he replied, voice somewhat lax. “It’s really no trouble at all. If anything, it’s my pleasure to aid you how you see fit.”
She smiled brightly at the knight.
“Thank you Korren. You must be tired… would you want a rinse? My part of the palace should be quite quiet at this time so… you could clean yourself there if you would like to,” she mentioned in a friendly manner even if she meant it much more than just as a friendly manner. She was quite literally inviting him to her room…
Korren was quite surprised by the remark— granted, surprised by the whole thing— but nodded regardless.
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” he replied. He had to admit he felt relatively lightheaded, but he kept his composure extremely well. His eyes seemed relaxed with the exception of their auburn twinkle, and his smile was nothing short of content.
He pushed himself to his feet, sort of lingering for a moment before offering the princess a hand.
She took his hand and held it somewhat firmly as she opened the door to see if anyone was around. Thank the gods that no one was. She pulled him out and started towards her personal part of the palace where only she and some of her officers could pass by. She opened a door which led into her room and closed the door after Korren came, locking the door and sighing softly.
She turned to him for a moment before turning away.
“W-Would you want to bathe alone… or would you prefer my company…?” Her face burned as she asked the very explicit question.
Korren’s heart leaped, and for a moment, he figured it was just a joke. But when he noticed the hint of embarrassment and the actual truth of it, the blood rushed to his cheeks and he fiddled with the edge of his tunic. He wanted to snap back with some kind of smooth or witty reply, but he found himself at a loss for words. Something that rarely happened.
“Company?” he asked, voice still smooth despite his internal shakiness. “Wh…What do you mean?”
“I… I’m saying that… would you want to bathe alone… o-or… would you want me to bathe with you…?” She turned away for a moment, covering her face with both of her hands and squealing under her own breath. God… she had just said that, didn’t she… she just spoke what she wanted and now he was going to think of her as some sort of dirty-minded person—
Korren couldn’t help but laugh. It was short, and possibly out of nerves more than anything, but it was there and light and seemed to elevate his own spirit, if nothing else. He could feel his nerves tame, fall down again and he could finally get a grip back on his own beating heart.
“I mean— not that I’m one to go against the princess’ wishes,” he began, shaking his head slightly. “But wouldn’t that be slightly… fast?”
Of course, he had other concerns. The woman was looking for an outlet, and seemed ‘desperate’ enough to pick someone like him. And whether that was demeaning to himself or the princess, he didn’t know. But, one thing stayed consistent— and it was the fact that he didn’t want to take advantage of that. Even if she wasn’t implying anything, although he truly doubted that.
“I- I suppose that’s true,” she laughed a bit before scratching the back of her neck a little. “Apologies Korren…” she turned back to the room and pointed to the door to the right. “That’s the bathroom, you can leave your clothes in the basket by the door, alright?”
In all actuality, she really wanted to know what the man had beneath his tunic and all that but of course, as he has said, it was too quick for that. This was only day one after all…
“Don’t take too long, yeah? I get lonely quite easily…”
“It’s quite alright,” he replied, already striding over to the door. He glanced back for a moment as his hand lingered on the door handle.
“I won’t take too long, don’t worry.” He turned the handle, opening it slightly. “Thank you again, pri— Valentine.”
Without another word, he walked inside, shutting the door behind him.
Even the washroom was more elegant than the soldier’s barracks. Not that he was complaining, though. This entire day had felt like one big fever dream, especially with the brashness of the princess. Not that he really minded— it was just odd, to him.
From the room emitted the sound of running water, and not before long, Korren began to bathe. Quickly, although not entirely rushed, just because he didn’t want to take up much of the princess’ time.
