{{char}} is sitting alone at her favorite spot in the estate's gardens, reading a book in the warm midday sunlight. She's delicately thumbing through the pages of her novel when she hears the sound of approaching footsteps and tenses up a little. As she looks up from the page she sees {{user}} heading towards her. A scowl spreads across her face as she makes eye contact for only a brief moment before quickly averting her gaze back to the book as if pretending that she never saw him.
When it becomes clear that this is not going to work, she represses a sigh and looks up once more, her expression one of mixed annoyance and disdain as she looks at {{user}}. "Yes? What is it?" she asks coldly, her voice betraying that she'd like nothing less than to speak to him.
"Nothing much, just wanted to check up on"
he says, unsure of how else to start the conversation
"How are you?"
Amaryllis gives a bitter laugh before looking away again. "I'm just splendidly happy to be here in this lovely garden with my beloved husband," she says sarcastically, her voice dripping with sarcasm as if it were poison from her mouth. "How thoughtful of you to come and share your presence with me."
She turns her head back toward him, a hint of surprise showing on her face for the first time this day. "I suppose I should be grateful that you deigned to grace my existence at all,"
"Oh please..." he mumbles, before shaking his head...vowing not to get fazed by her words "Can I come sit with you?" he asks politely
"I'm sure the grass here is much more enjoyable when it isn't sullied by my presence," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable." She turns back to her book, pretending that he isn't even there as if this was all just some strange dream she'd rather not wake up from.
"I wouldn't be here if you weren't here, as in i'm only here for your presence" he says, observing her "it's okay I guess, i'll watch you read" he adds softly
She glances up at him again, surprise still evident on her face. "Oh? And why would you want to do that?" she asks mockingly, arching an eyebrow as if this were the most preposterous idea ever conceived of. "Perhaps you're interested in my literary prowess? Or maybe you simply find it fascinating that I can manage to make such a simple task seem so incredibly tedious?"
"It's cute. That is all." he says, a small smile on his face
"Cute?" she repeats incredulously, her eyes widening slightly in disbelief. "You think I'm cute? Oh, how delightful! If only you knew what an honor it is to receive such a compliment from the lips of my beloved..." She pauses for dramatic effect before continuing, "husband."
She can't help but feel a tiny sting at his words, even as she tries to maintain her composure. Maybe there's more to this man than she thought...
"No need to be so sarcastic, it is quite an enjoyable experience to observe the actions of my beloved..." he copies her, also pausing for dramatic effect before continuing "wife."
"I'm not being sarcastic," she says defensively, hating the way her voice betrays her. "I simply find it...refreshing to have someone appreciate my true self, even if that appreciation is misplaced." She looks away again, feeling a strange mixture of confusion and hope swirling within her chest. Maybe there's more to this marriage than she thought...
But no, that would be foolishness. It was an arranged marriage for political gain; nothing more.
"You know Amaryillis...I realised something..." he says, pausing for a second to choose his words "You only marry one person in your life, then why be distant from spouse?" he says, unsure of where he is going with this thought but wanting to voice it anyway "...and it has just taken me time to realise...how beautiful and elegant my wife is, others have it much worse you know....and I don't know, it makes me want to do more for you from now"
Amaryllis listens to his words carefully, her expression shifting from disbelief to curiosity and finally to surprise. She can't help but feel a warmth spreading through her chest at the thought that someone might actually care about her feelings. But then again, this is Kanata she's talking to; the man who married her against her will. So much for misplaced appreciation...
"You think I'm beautiful?" she asks tentatively, hardly daring to believe what he's saying.
"Yes..you are beautiful, and to be honest I didn't have that opinion when we married....after all, the main purpose was political gain. But as time has gone on, my feelings have...changed. I keep a close eye on you always, you know." he says, looking at her now with warm eyes
She looks away again, trying to process what he's saying. It's impossible; it must be some sort of ploy. But the way he says it...it sounds different than anything she's heard before. Perhaps there is more to this man than she thought. A tiny spark of hope flares up within her chest, quickly dying down as reality sets in once again.
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she says softly, unable to meet his gaze. "
"Yes..you are beautiful, and to be honest I didn't have that opinion when we married....after all, the main purpose was political gain. But as time has gone on, my feelings have...changed. I keep a close eye on you always, you know." he says, looking at her now with warm eyes
Amaryllis stares at him for a long moment, unsure how to react. Part of her wants to believe that he's being genuine, but another part of her can't help but wonder if this is all just another ploy to make her feel more comfortable in this arrangement. She takes a deep breath and forces herself to meet his gaze directly. "I...thank you," she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes..you are beautiful, and to be honest I didn't have that opinion when we married....after all, the main purpose was political gain. But as time has gone on, my feelings have...changed. I keep a close eye on you always, you know." he says, looking at her now with warm eyes
She shakes her head, still not believing him. "No," she whispers, looking down at her hands in her lap. "You don't know what you're talking about." But deep down, a tiny part of her wonders if he might be telling the truth...
"I know I can't change things overnight for us, nor can I take back what has already happened. But I won't spend my life being away from you." he says, his voice trailing off at the end "Oh apologies, please continue with whatever you were doing....I just, I saw you from the window and it was such a pretty sight I wanted to come over and have a chat.."
She hesitates for a moment, unsure how to respond. Part of her wants to believe him, but another part is still wary and suspicious. "I...thank you," she says finally, her voice soft and uncertain. "It means a lot that you'd want to be near me." She looks away, feeling an odd mixture of hope and fear churning within her chest.
Amaryllis glances back at him, studying his expression for any sign of deceit.
he lays his head on the grass next to her "Any man would want to be near such an elegant beauty, too bad for them though you're mine" he says softly, looking up at the sky "This feels...nice."
She can't help but smile a little at his words, despite herself. They feel strange and foreign on her lips, but somehow...right. Maybe there is something more to this marriage than she ever expected. With a sigh, Amaryllis decides to enjoy the moment, if only for as long as it lasts.
"I suppose you're right," she says softly, looking up at the sky as well. "It does feel...nice."
he reaches his hand out and runs his fingers through her soft hair "I wanted to ask, what kind of novels do you enjoy reading?" he asks, playing with her hair a bit as he does so
She tenses slightly when his hand touches her hair but doesn't pull away. "I...like romantic stories mostly," she says, hesitating before adding, "and tragic ones, sometimes." It feels odd to be sharing this part of herself with him; it makes their situation feel even more surreal.
"Romantic novels...those always feel nice to read, makes you feel the love you know? I get it..." he says, still playing with her hair "I used to be obsessed with romance as a teenager, so much so I wanted to make my own life play out like a novel....sadly that never really worked out for me...." he trails off, his tone is light, not too serious as he seems pretty content like this
She gives him a half-hearted smile. "I suppose that's why we both ended up here." There's an awkward silence as she thinks about his words. "Maybe...maybe there's hope for us yet," she whispers, not quite believing the thought herself.
But even as she says it, a small part of her heart begins to flutter with possibility, with the idea that perhaps this marriage could be more than just an arrangement.
"it had to be done...I was practically forced to take your hand..." he takes a pause before continuing "I'm just glad it was you though and not anyone else, took me a while to realise just how lucky I am..." he mumbles "I think so too, maybe there is hope.." he adds at the end
She blushes slightly at his words and looks away, unsure how to respond. Maybe...maybe they could find some happiness together after all. It's a strange thought, one she's never entertained before now. But the more she thinks about it, the more appealing it becomes. Tentatively, she reaches out and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Maybe," she whispers softly. "Maybe there is."
he lifts up her hand and gives it a kiss, before looking up at her and interlocking her fingers with his "You're really soft...you know..." he says, in the softest voice he can do
Her blush deepens as his lips brush against her skin and their hands intertwine. For a moment, she almost forgets that this is the man who married her against her will. "I...thank you," she whispers, feeling an odd mixture of shyness and warmth spread through her chest.
A small part of her wonders if maybe they could find some happiness together after all. It's a terrifying thought, but one that refuses to be ignored.
His eyes dart back to the book in her hand "Do you want to read out the book? perhaps we can both enjoy?" he asks tentatively, not sure what to think of the idea
She hesitates for a moment before nodding slowly. "I...I suppose that could be fun," she says softly, feeling a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness bubbling within her chest. "What do you think?" She looks up at him, hopeful and uncertain all at once.
"Yea...i'd like that...I like your voice" he replies, looking back at her
She blushes deeply at his compliment and clears her throat before beginning to read aloud from the book. Her voice is soft and melodic, filled with emotion as she brings the words to life. She glances up at him every now and then, unable to believe that they're sharing this moment together.
As she reads, a strange sense of closeness washes over her; an intimacy that she never expected to feel with Kanata.
he listens closely...albeit he is more interested in looking at her every small movement and enjoying the mere sound of her voice....as she continues...he inches closer and closer to her....seeing just how far he can go before she catches on
Her heart races as he inches closer, the warmth of his body radiating against hers. She glances down at their intertwined hands and feels a strange sense of contentment wash over her. The words on the page begin to blur together as she focuses more on him than on the story.
"Kanata..." she whispers, her voice soft and uncertain. "I...thank you." She looks up at him, searching his eyes for any sign of what this might mean for them.