Sinthia and The Demon Duke of DeSidea: 35

//Note: it has been literal months since I wrote anything to do with SADDOD, so please do refresh thy memory by reading the previous ”chapter”. I binged all the chapters yesterday and thought it would be nice to write the next bit.//

The second youngest Ophelia princess... what was her name? Cecilia? Yes. It was Cecilia.

Cecilia was beginning to get on his nerves.

Vicktor didn’t want to be rude at all, but he was reaching the end of his patience. Through this whole outing, she had clung very hard to his arm, much harder than ladies normally would because of the moths and insects that freely began to take flight as the sun descended. She gave yet another fearful yelp when something buzzed past her arm, almost pushing Vicktor over with her sudden strength. Why did you come out here like this if you were going to get so scared? It’s not like you didn’t know there would be all these insects. The thought sharply zoomed through his head as he turned to look at her. Her blonde hair was tied up in an elaborate style, braided and threaded with beads and intricate decorations. He gave a barely concealed sigh, and she heard it. It must have made her embarrassed, because she suddenly calmed down and begun to shrink.

”I apologize, Your Imperial Highness. I-I’m not very fond of insects.”

He knew. So he offered a very polite but shallow smile and nothing more.  He watched her face fall with a mixture of shock and sadness, but he was really very tired of this. “You seem very tired from the fright of insects, Princess Cecilia. Would you like to take a seat? They have finished putting up the tent and chairs.” Vicktor started turning round and walking before she even gave her answer. He was not normally so rude, but he was beginning to tire. Who wouldn’t, after all? He had heard enough screams and shouts to last a lifetime in the short amount of time he had been outside. Guiding her to the tent her sisters sat at, he politely dumped Cecilia on the nearest chair, and could see her barely concealed crestfallen face even as the light faded. Vicktor turned his eyes to the two older sisters that watched them intently. “It seems Princess Cecilia is a bit worn out. I’ll leave her to rest.” The two watched him for a second, before the oldest sister gave a warm smile. “Yes, thank you so much for escorting her.” And with a final smile, he turned around to leave.

A little distance away, he saw Sinthia sitting on a rock, twisting something in her hands. Their fathers were chatting in low tones, seemingly engrossed in conversation. He was walking past them, when his father’s sudden roar of a laugh shocked him. “Ced that’s too good a joke! I’ll steal it for myself!”

The Ophelian king’s brows furrowed in confusion as he stated, “But that was not a joke, Alexander.”

“It is. That’s a delightful joke. Ah, Vicktor!” His father turned to him, his face very happy. This was strange to Vicktor. His father was always smiling and friendly to everyone, making jokes and laughing with very little restraint. But his face was rarely happy. Many people would not be able to tell the difference between the Novan Emperor’s normal disposition and the one he displayed with the Ophelian King, but Vicktor knew that this version of his father was genuinely pleased, not superficially jovial. Did he really enjoy the Ophelian king’s company so greatly?

“You look like you’re having a great time.” He murmured as he stopped in front of the two monarchs. “Yes yes. I told you that Ced is my best friend , didn’t I?” His father draped an arm round the expressionless man next to him to emphasize his point.

In contrast, the Ophelian king’s brow furrowed as he looked over at Vicktor’s father. “You told him that?”

“Of course I did.”

”Why would you lie?”

”Ah... this guy. I proudly declare you my best friend and you say that. Tsk tsk.”

Vicktor gave a light chuckle. “Well, seeing how happy you are, I don’t doubt it one bit.” When he finished saying that, he looked up per chance, and saw Sinthia sitting up as she continued to fiddle with something. What was she doing over there? He absentmindedly wondered.

Alexander watched his son’s focus shift ever so slightly. When he followed his eyes, he saw that he was looking at the youngest princess. To this, Alexander’s brow twitched. Oh... A light smile tugged at his lips. “The youngest princess looks lonely, Vicktor. Why don’t you keep her company?” Both his son and his dear friend turned to stare at him, Cedric doing so much more violently. Although he was not looking into his face, Alexander could feel the sharp glare that his friend was stabbing him with. Vicktor gave a startled blink, somehow shocked to have been discovered staring before giving a lopsided smile and asking, “Shall I?”

”You do—“ Cedric began, but the arm that Alexander had draped over his shoulder, tightened and cut him off. If it were anyone else who had the Ophelian King in a chokehold, they would have been arrested and tried for assassination. Only the Novan Emperor could get away with such antics. In his mind, Cedric repeatedly punched his friend’s liver for this obviously calculated attempt at matchmaking.

“Of course! Go ahead, my son. Cedric’s thinking it too.” Cedric was not thinking the same, and it most definitely showed on his face.

”Oh. Alright. Then I will.” And with that, Vicktor gave a slight bow of his head and walked off, Cedric’s eyes now focused on the young prince’s back.

She was plaiting grass. Or attempting to.

It had been years since Sinthia had done so, and now she was attempting to do it with a different pair of hands. The plus side, she came to realize, was that these hands were far more dexterous than her own had been. When she was little, she would work hard to make her plaited grass look neat and presentable, but she was never successful. Such were the hands of a clumsy child. She really had wanted to be perfect at anything right from the beginning. That competitiveness that still persisted well into adulthood seemed to be a staple in her life. It was there even before everything went to shit. Before she stopped trying to be the unbeatable kid on the playground and started trying to be the unbeatable woman in Business. Before everything went South. The thought allowed a strange smile to curl her lips as she placed a blade of grass upon another.

“Sinthia?”

The voice brought her out of her nostalgic thoughts. She turned to face whoever had called her.

“Oh, Vicktor. Wanna sit?”

”If isn’t too much trouble.”

She scooted over on the large rock and Vicktor sat beside her. When he did, something very strange happened. His skin grew cold and uncomfortable, and yet at the same time he felt like he would break out into a sweat. His heart was beginning to beat strangely. This was the same feeling he always got when he was about to go on an important mission, or address a large group of people. He felt nervous. What? Nervous? What was he nervous for? He stared at her hands as they wove grass into a long strand. He blinked twice, then took a silent deep breath. “What are you doing? With the grass?”

Her eyes flickered up to him before returning to the grass. “Me? I’m just playing around. Didn’t you play with grass when you were little?”

Vicktor thought for a little while, then he shook his head. “No, I don’t believe I ever did. Is it fun?”

”I dunno. Is it? Wanna try?” She turned to face him, offering the grass in her hands to him. Immediately, his hands shot up, waving to deny. He felt jerky and clumsy. Like a rickety house swaying in the wind. Why? “Oh, I wouldn’t want to ruin your beautiful work.”

”Beautiful? This looks like ass.” She snickered, taking one of his hands and firmly placing the braid in it. He was a bit shocked, he would not deny. Her incredibly casual and relaxed speech, along with her unrestrained actions were startling. Even more so when he remembered that she was the child of a monarch, just like him. She was younger than him, that he knew. And yet she somehow felt older. And quite a bit wiser. Perhaps it was because of how she insisted on treating him like a child. Very suddenly, the mysterious nervousness was replaced with something else. An uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

He gave a slight frown at that thought. Like a child.

“Okay, so take this strand, and place it over the others.” Sinthia instructed, indicating which strand she was talking about. At her sudden instruction, he was unceremoniously thrown out of those peculiar emotions he had begun to take note of. Although Vicktor complied, he was feeling a bit flustered because he was out of his depth. “And then you take the other one and— no no, this one. Take this one and place it over the other two.”

“Like this?” He attempted to do as she said. And yet he felt like he was awkwardly struggling. He rarely ever struggled, however. Why was he struggling? Why did his hands feel very clammy and shaky, like as if he was holding not three blades of grass but some strange lifeline?

”yeah. Like that—no wait, how did you... no, put this one blade like this—no, like this.” He could hear the confusion in her voice as he attempted poorly to follow her instructions, and that alone made him want to crawl in a hole and never appear before the world again. What was happening? He was competent, that he swore. He was! And yet, at this moment, under her very watchful eye, he felt anything but. His heartbeat begun to feel far too loud and fast, and his mouth felt dry. Was he sick? Was that what it was?

This was embarrassing. Vicktor shut his eyes in shame as he felt his face grow hot. He did not have nimble hands that could weave and create beautiful patterns. All he knew was how to swing weapons around or write numerous reports. But now, he was clumsily trying to braid some grass into a braid, and Sinthia was stuck trying to instruct him. But he honestly did not expect to be this bad at this. For some reason, he really didn’t want to look at her. The look she probably had on her face... he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing it.

“Okay, lemme show you. Look, Vick.” He heard her call to him, and for a strange moment, he feared that she was irritated with him. But when he hesitantly looked at her, he saw her pluck three more strands of grass. “If you’ve never plaited before, of course it’ll be a bit confusing. But that’s alright. Here, just watch what I do, and maybe it’ll make more sense.”

She didn’t sound irritated or impatient. If anything, she sounded soothing. Calm and patient. Vicktor let his eyes focus on her hands as they placed one blade of grass over the other, again and again. A peaceful rhythm.

“Oh... I think I get it.”

“Okay. Try it for me.” For me? He blinked at that, then begun to focus on his own thread. He  slowly did what he saw her doing, one blade over the other, slowly and firmly.

“You’re doing it. Good job.” She nodded, mildly impressed. She gave his shoulder a firm pat as she turned back to her own strand. Oh. He was?

“You’re not being sarcastic are you?” Vicktor asked in a soft voice, keeping his eyes on his own hands. He was unsure if he would be able to look at her now.

”Not at all, Vick.” At that, he felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. Vick. She had called him that twice. His nickname, which he never let anyone other than friends and family use. I wonder... he turned to stare at Sinthia as she calmly plaited her grass. I wonder if she knows that. Vicktor turned back his eyes to his own work, finding a strange peace in the repetitive predictability in this action. 

“Oh. Vick, look.”

At this, he turned his attention to her as she stared out before her. He felt his breath catch a little, and he was caught off-guard. Her brown hair was loose and free, ever so slightly ruffled by the wind. Right then, she turned to look at him, and he could see just how large and round her eyes were. It was quite dark, but he could see her pupils were dilated. “Not at me, at the Silk Lights. It’s time.” She said, turning back to the field. He did the same, and an audible gasp left his mouth as he saw the breathtaking sight before him. 

Thousands of beautiful pale purple lights faintly glowed in the sprawling fields, the grass rustling softly as a gentle breeze slowly swept through everything. The sky was now considerably dark, most of the sunlight gone but with just enough to leave a sliver of fiery orange on the horizon. It was beautiful. Very beautiful.

Vicktor felt his eyelashes flutter as his eyes found themselves looking at the princess sitting beside him. Truly very beautiful.