Sinthia and The Demon Duke of DeSidea: 23

“Are you going to read the letter, Your Grace?”

Kairn was honestly about to snap and throw Elias out of his office window. “Elias you are testing my patience. You’ve asked me that all through yesterday evening and all through today morning. I will read it when I’m not busy. Now please.”

Elias stared at him with big round eyes. “But it’s vey important. Sinthia has many things to say to you.”

”And since when did you start calling the princess by her first name?”

”Since I first met her! She insisted that I call her that. Isn’t she wonderful?”

“I do not know and neither do I care.” Kairn bluntly replied before opening another file from the pile in front of him and writing in it with his quill. “Oh did I tell you? She called me cute!”

Without even pausing, Kairn said, “All the human women that meet you call you that, Elias. That isn’t anything special.”

“But she called me cute despite my tail, Your Grace!”

Kairn looked up for a bit. “You know that you are to disguise your non-human features in front of humans, correct?”

Elias shifted nervously. “I know, but I forgot to that one time. But she wasn’t horrified or disgusted! She thought It made me even cuter!”

Kairn nearly rolled his eyes. Why was Elias so taken with this human? Every breath would turn into glorious praises about the princess and how wonderful and kind and magnificent she was. Did Elias not understand? What it was the princess was losing by having to become a DeSidea? She had no reason to be kind.

“She also said that your handwriting was so beautiful that she wished to frame it and hang it up!”

The quill that Kairn had in his hand stopped moving. It’s nib sat dormant on the paper, a blotch of black ink forming under it. That had caught Kairn by surprise. But he soon gathered himself and resumed his work. “It is to be expected. My handwriting has always been exceptional so that is not shocking news to me.” He knew what Elias was trying to do, and he refused to play along.

“A-and she said that she went into the commoner town yesterday. She gave me a bun from her visit! It was really tasty.”

“Wonderful.”

“Umm...”

Now, Kairn would finally know peace, even if it was for a short while.

“She also said that she would be nice to you like she’s nice to me.”

The room fell silent.

“She said that your horns and claws and eyes looked very stylish and beautiful from the portrait you sent to her.” Kairn turned his eyes to his aide, who was now sheepishly fiddling with his tail with his eyes glued to the floor.

“And you honestly believed her when she said that to you, Elias.”

He nodded immediately. “She promised.”

“Humans break promises all the time. Why should I believe hers?”

“Because her eyes didn’t lie. I can always tell when they lie because their eyes don’t.”

Now Kairn was becoming annoyed by this.

“She promised she wouldn’t be scared of you either.”

“And why was she promising such things to you Elias? What prompted that?”

“Because I asked her. I made her promise all those things... because even though I think she’s really amazing, I’m still a bit scared that she will react like all the other humans, even though I believe that she’s different.”

“And why are you so scared of that? It’s how humans are. That has never changed.”

“Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

They sat in silence for a while, Kairn looking at nothing in particular while Elias looked at the floor.

After a long while, Kairn held out his hand to Elias. Elias looked up at him, then at his hand in confusion. He then placed his own hand in it. “I don’t want your hand you dupable fox. The letter.” Elias’s eyes went round with happiness before nodding and rushing out of his office.

He soon came back with a purple envelope and something wrapped in a napkin. He took the envelope, but eyed the napkin suspiciously. “And what exactly is that?”

“It’s a bun! It’s called the Silk bun! They’re having a festival in the coming days, so they eat this a lot!” Kairn kept his eyes on the napkin as he used his claw to open the envelope.

Dear Kairn

How nice you are to continue sending Elias over. He is such a joy to be around, and I can tell he really cares for you. Thank you for trying, it means the world to me. But you make me sound so enigmatic! I’m not complicated at all, I promise. I’m very simple. I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Of course” in a very sarcastic tone, but I’m serious! I’m very simple.

And my self-expression is not particularly unique. Just slightly different. 

I’ll take your word for it when you say that you are not petty, but I didn’t threaten you! I simply alluded to the fact that I would visit if you had too many words to tell me through your letter. I wouldn’t want you to spend more than a week writing to me after all. It would be faster to just talk. You make me sound like some sort of gangster, haha!

Speaking of talking, I thought that it would be wonderful to tell you about about my adventures In town. Right now, everything is decorated in shades of purple because of the coming Silk Light festival. Even some of the food is purple, like the iconic Silk bun. (I sent Elias to you with my last one. Taste it. It’s really good, you won’t believe it.) Everyone was dancing and singing and having a great time too! Although I’m not one to do so, I felt like joining them.

Somehow, Kairn doubted that claim. She seemed eccentric by nature.

I also helped a strange man out. I think he was a noble, but he had no idea how to disguise himself and blend in with the common folk. It was an eventful day.

Actually, there is something very serious that I needed to discuss with you, Kairn. There are many complicated things on my end, and perhaps one day I will be able to explain it to you, but to borrow your words; I will be very frank. I want to have a wedding.

For the first time in perhaps years, Kairn’s eyes widened with surprise. He squinted to read the sentence again and again to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, but no matter how many times he read it, it didn’t change. She really said she wanted a wedding. Now with apprehension, Kairn reluctantly resumed reading.

There are many reasons as to why I would ask for a wedding, but the biggest reason is the way people have come to see a princess’ marriage to the DeSidea house. They seem to think that it is the equivalent of sending a princess off to die, and I know that that simply isn’t true. I am expected to be sad, in mourning and devastated and yet I cannot find a single reason to be.

I cannot continue to tolerate the misconception that people have developed of this marriage. I will not contribute to the propagation of this ignorance. I would like to have a big, splendid wedding to show those people that not only is this to be a joyous occasion, but that I am not some lamb to be sent to the slaughter. It isn’t a slaughter for heaven’s sake it’s a WEDDING.

And besides, I think it would be a fine idea to show you off as my husband to the whole world! Don’t you think so too? I think you would look absolutely dashing in a wedding suit. What do you think of me wearing a red dress to compliment your hair instead of white? Or—

And with that Kairn shut the letter. He was stressed. Somehow he felt very stressed all of a sudden. “She’s stressing me. I feel very stressed.” He found himself muttering.

“Why??” Elias asked, leaning closer.

“She wants to have a wedding?? Does she not understand what marrying me entails?”

“I don’t think she cares.”

“Obviously she doesn’t. She’s even thinking of what colors her dress should be!”

“Oh, she showed me some sketches! They’re very beautiful!”

Kairn stared at Elias, annoyed that he was not taking his side in this shocking news.

“We can’t have a wedding. There is no reason to—“

“She said there was.”

“And I don’t accept it.”

“But there’s a reason. And a good one. If people are able to see you in such an occasion then a little of their fear of you will alleviate. Not to mention it’s a chance to show that you aren’t a pariah that one should be ashamed of. I think that Sinthia is... very happy to be engaged to you.”

No she wasn’t. It was simply not possible. There was no reason to be proud of becoming the wife of a demon. No one in their right mind would think that to be something worth boasting about.

“Finish the letter, Your Grace! She worked hard to write it out. I was there, she really did.” Elias urged.

-Or would you rather a white one after all? I don’t know quite yet. Ah, I’m sure you’re absolutely shocked about what I’ve just asked, right? You see, Kairn. I want to show this world that I will not be ashamed or scared of you. You have given me no reason. And I’m not so gullible as to believe rumors and the like. So why not show the world that what they firmly believe to be a tragedy can actually be a very grand and joyous affair? Plus wouldn’t it be fun to come down to the Ophelian Kingdom and do some sightseeing? I won’t boast too much, but we have got some of the finest sights around.

Oh! Or better yet!! Would you like to have the wedding at your castle?? That way people can come and see for themselves that you and your land aren’t that scary at all. Oh my, how exciting. I’m really looking forward to planning this wedding. Anyway, I think that I’ve rambled a lot. But before I go, I think that we should have a wedding because Elias would make such a cute flower boy! Can you imagine him scattering petals around? He really loved the idea.

A lot.

Haha.

Anyway, I will be looking forward to your reply!

Your phenomenal Fiancée, Sinthia.

P.S, don’t use my full title to address me Kairn. Let’s be friends! Best friends!

“She bribed you with the possibility of being a flower boy, didn’t she.” Kairn flatly asked Elias. Elias’ face folded as he tried to make a shocked and scandalized face. “No!!! No she didn’t how could you think that of me Your Grace!! No!!! That’s not true!!”

“Look at you, you’re horrendous at lying. She did didn’t she??”

“Sh-she didn’t!! Sinthia is just that great at designating roles!! I don’t know what Your Grace is talking about!”

This was very very very bad. Kairn was alone in not wanting this wedding to happen. “It will be too expensive if we decided to have this wedding.”

“She included a rough budget plan, and said that she would negotiate for the treasury to pay for it, since it is customarily celebrated when a royal weds.”

“Who would come for the wedding? Tell me. What nobles do you know would come for the wedding?”

“She said that many nobles are obligated to come to give congratulations, and she emphasized the fact that she was going to work something big out.”

“Why is she so firm on having a big wedding?? Can’t we have a small one with her and her family?”

“No can do! She said that she’ll be debuting something very important during it.”

Kairn was now desperate. “Either way. I refuse.”

“She told me to tell you that you accepting the wedding would count as the dowry you owe to her father, so it would be wise to accept such a great offer.”

Kairn swallowed the rest of his complaints as he silently lamented his loss.

I accidentally forgot to post this yesterday gosh darn