CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

[Light]

"Miss! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

I hear a voice ask me from somewhere in the office, but I can barely distinguish it from the others due to the state of numbness my mind is in. My feet seem to have a will of their own as they unconsciously guide me towards the exit. My trembling hand touches the door handle, and before I can turn it to free myself from the growing feeling of suffocation, I feel a hand touch my forearm, halting the action.

"Miss Light, please. We really need your help right now."

I turn around, coming face to face with Prince Felipe much closer than I imagined.

"Listen to your king's request, to the royal family's request. I know you don't know us very well, and there may not be enough reasons to convince you that helping us in this family and political crisis is the right thing to do, but..."

"I know exactly who you are, Your Highness," I interrupt his unfounded speech. "You are great rulers and very benevolent to our people. I have nothing to complain or question about any actions during your family's administration, Prince Felipe. But..."

I hesitate for a second, pondering the right words to use to clarify the situation coherently and to make them understand my greatest fear.

"What you are asking of me is somewhat grandiose and surreal. It goes beyond reality. There is no guarantee or possibility whatsoever that my participation in this scheme will succeed," I say in one breath, with my eyes fixed.

"And why not?" he asks, trying to engage me in his conversation. "Tell us your reasons so that we can understand your refusal, Miss Light. Because I still don't understand."

"I-I can't... this is too much for me. I can't... I can't breathe. I need some air," I mumble, my heart pounding against my ribs, a sudden lack of air hitting me, and I lean forward with a hand on my stomach.

"Alright, try to calm down a bit, yes? I won't let you have a panic attack. May I help you, Miss?" Prince Felipe asks, extending his hand toward me in a tempting offer.

And I wonder, should I accept? Can I trust someone who, even though exudes kindness and trust through his clear blue eyes like the midday sky, is still a stranger to me?

"Felipe, maybe I..." Princess Francesca intervenes but is interrupted by him.

"Leave it to me, sister. I am well aware of what I am doing," he says confidently and turns to me again. "Are you coming with me?"

Too perplexed to respond to his question with words, I simply nod in agreement and accept his hand, which remains extended in the air as I hesitantly place mine on top of it.

"We'll be back shortly," he announces to the others present in the room, and like a gentleman, he opens the door, allowing me to exit first. However, he doesn't release our connected hands.

Does the prince think that if he lets go, I might sprint away at any moment? Well, thinking it over, perhaps he's partly right because the way my conflicted mind is right now, it's really likely that I might do something like that or something similar.

"Nothing like some fresh air to clear the mind," Prince Felipe says, taking a deep breath when we are already outside in the corridor, and he places my hand on his forearm so that we can walk side by side along the path I am unfamiliar with.

"Yes, it is indeed a saintly remedy to calm the nerves, Your Highness," I reply, unsure of what to say to a man like him in this situation.

"Just call me Felipe, please."

He asks casually, and I avert my gaze, avoiding direct eye contact.

"May I call you just Light?" he asks. "After all, don't you think it would be a bit strange for us to treat each other so formally given the current circumstances? We are almost engaged," he says, emitting a low chuckle, and I furrow my brow.

What is he talking about? Has he gone mad in the last few minutes?

"What do you mean almost engaged? I didn't say I accepted the proposal."

"Almost because I haven't officially proposed yet."

Prince Felipe stops abruptly, and now I notice that he is leading us to a beautiful garden with a magnificent central water fountain, standing in front of me, blocking my path.

"Please, look at my face when we're talking, Light."

He gently lifts my chin with his fingertips.

"I want to know what's going on in there while we're together."

He says, touching my forehead with his index finger.

"So many things," I confess softly, blinking my eyes frantically. "I'm afraid that..."

"What? Are you afraid of me, Light? Am I terribly ugly for you to fear ruining your image next to me?"

I didn't expect that, so we both laugh at

the same time, bringing a certain lightness to the previously tense atmosphere.

"It's not that..."

I avert my eyes, embarrassed and blushing.

"It's just that... I don't belong in a place like this, you see? I don't come from a noble or important lineage; I don't have an influential last name or..."

"These are mere details completely irrelevant to us now, Light. So, come up with other excuses because these aren't enough to dissuade me from the initial proposal," Prince Felipe remains firm.

"But what?!" I exclaim, stunned by how straightforward he is with me.

"Furthermore, you're forgetting that by accepting this proposal, which may be costly in a certain way because it will require eternal commitment from you, but on the other hand, it will be highly advantageous for your family. Think about how your parents will benefit from establishing ties with the nobility through our union. They may even acquire positions in the castle if they wish. I'm giving you my word, Light, you and your family will be very well rewarded financially, I guarantee. And also..."

"I have no living family, Prince Felipe."

I cut him off before he can continue listing the dozens of advantages that anyone in their right mind would never refuse.

"My parents died a few years ago, so none of these things matter because I don't have a family to enjoy such benefits," I say, taking a step back, ready to see him give up on a new attempt.

"Then let my family be yours from now on. Let my father be your father, and let my brothers be yours too. Accept to be my wife. Marry me, Light."

Prince Felipe surprises me by taking a step closer, eliminating the little distance between us, and he intertwines our fingers.

"Will you grant me the honor of becoming my wife, Light?" His intense blue eyes probe the depths of my soul, stealing my breath and rationality with that question.

And now? What do I do? Hundreds of lives depend on this answer. How to deal with such responsibility under pressure? However, nothing else matters if my conscience knows what is right to do. So, even though I'm apprehensive about the uncertain future ahead, I reply.

"Y-yes. I accept."