Snortttt

Cherion winced slightly, his brow furrowing as he turned toward the Solaric princess, who was clearing her nose yet again for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Iryna was absolutely unbothered by the concept of royal elegance at this point. She aggressively dabbed at her red, puffy nose with a silk handkerchief before letting out another loud sniffle. The tragic historical romance play they had just watched had completely destroyed her emotionally, and now she was sitting there looking like the world had personally betrayed her.

Currently, the group was gathered on a bench outside the grand theater, unsuccessfully trying to blend into the crowd.

Marielle let out a tired groan and crossed her arms. "Oh my god. How long are you going to keep crying? The actors probably already washed off their makeup and went home."

"Well, until I can get over the fact that Rosetta had to be trapped in a marriage she never wanted!" Iryna shot back, her voice cracking dramatically before she buried her face back into her hand to go bawl all over again.

Cherion sighed softly, reaching out to gently tap Iryna’s shoulder in a clumsy attempt to calm her down. "Your Highness, please. Take a deep breath."

It wasn’t just Marielle who was reaching her limit, the surrounding public was starting to take notice. Passersby slowed their pace, their eyes darting toward the bench. Whispers broke out among the theatergoers, people pointing discreetly at the weeping princess. They were probably whispering among themselves that the poor girl was experiencing some kind of horrific, abusive problem at home.

Which was funny, considering how different she’d been earlier.

During the first half of the play, Iryna had been completely normal, or, well, her version of normal. Loud, dramatic, and incapable of staying quiet for more than thirty seconds. She had practically been hanging over the balcony railing, loudly reacting to every scene, throwing her hands around.

She seemed to like it a lot.

Actually, she liked it a little too much. She had become so fiercely invested in the narrative that the moment the plot shifted toward the tragic political reality of the story, her mood plummeted.

She had felt an overwhelming, deep-seated sorrow for the female lead, Rosetta, who was forced to marry a complete stranger for the sole purpose of securing a peace treaty between two warring noble families. When the final curtains fell, Iryna hadn’t just been sniffling like the rest of the audience, she had been silently, intensely weeping, her shoulders shaking with a raw grief that felt far too real for a fictional stage play.

Wiping a fresh tear from her cheek, Iryna glared watery daggers at the rest of the group. "How come you are not crying? Are your hearts made of stone?"

Reiner rubbed the back of his neck, offering a helpless, casual shrug. "I mean, yeah, sure, it’s a sad ending for Rosetta. Having to get married to a man she can never love is rough. But hey, look at the big picture. At least both of their families are not going to have to kill each other anymore. The war stopped." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Ezek, who had spent the last ten minutes staring blankly at the theater posters, suddenly blinked and chimed in with absolute confusion. "Wait. Oh, they’re going to marry? I thought they were preparing to fight at the end."

Reiner’s head snapped toward him, his expression dropping into sheer disbelief. "I literally just wasted my breath explaining the entire plot, and you thought they were going to fight? I’m never explaining anything to you again. Hmph."

"Will she be happy? What if her true love is out there somewhere, waiting for her? Does she just have to accept a miserable life, or is she supposed to cheat on her husband just to feel alive?"

Marielle rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "Hey, princess, do compose yourself. It’s just a play. Don’t get so incredibly emotional over a bunch of scripted lines."

"Oh, you will never understand," Iryna mumbled bitterly, her voice dropping into a hollow, defensive whisper as she stared down at the ground.

Sensing the rapidly worsening mood, and the increasingly obvious crowd staring at them, Cherion quickly stepped in with a gentle smile. "How about we head back home now? The air is getting a bit chilly, and some warm tea might help."

Iryna, however, completely ignored what Cherion said. She didn’t move an inch. Instead, she slowly lifted her head, her sharp gaze locking directly onto Cherion’s face. The raw vulnerability in her eyes caught him entirely off guard.

"Cherion," she called, suddenly sounding far more serious than before. "What about you and the Duke?"

Cherion blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in topic. He felt the watchful gaze of Marielle, Reiner, and Ezek instantly lock onto him. "What... what about me and His Grace?"

"I heard that you two are betrothed to each other. That it was an arranged match," Iryna said, her fingers tightening around her damp handkerchief.

Cherion went quiet, the relaxed conversation suddenly feeling much more serious than before. He looked down at his own hands, acknowledging the weight of her question. Cherion took a slow breath, his thoughts drifting back to those early days.

"Yeah," Cherion said softly, his voice steady but completely honest. "It was."

"And?" Iryna pressed, leaning in slightly, her breath hitching as if her entire life depended on his next words. "How is it? How did you survive it?"

Cherion took a slow breath, letting his mind drift back to the chaotic days of his arrival. He admitted the absolute, ugly truth. "At first, I didn’t want any of it. When I was pulled into his world, I was completely terrified. I was resentful of the circumstances, angry at the world, and I felt like my entire life had been ripped away from me overnight. I honestly thought my freedom was gone forever."

But then, Cherion stopped looking at his hands. He raised his head and looked directly into Iryna’s searching, desperate eyes with a soft, genuine sincerity that made the bustling capital streets melt away into the background.

"But somewhere along the way, things changed," Cherion confessed, his lips curving into a small, incredibly tender smile, "We went through a lot together. There were moments where we didn’t even need words anymore. He showed me who he truly was beneath all the titles and expectations."

Cherion let out a quiet laugh, his eyes warm with unmistakable affection. "Now, I look back at how terrified I was, and I realize... I can’t imagine my life if it had never happened. I genuinely can’t imagine a single day not being by his side."

The group fell silent. Marielle stayed quiet, a softened look appearing on her usually gruff face, while Reiner and Ezek watched on with respectful silence.

Iryna stared at Cherion for a long, agonizing moment. Her eyes searched his face, swimming with an intense, complicated gaze that Cherion couldn’t really translate. Jealousy lingered in her eyes, though what stood out far more was the heartbreak beneath it and the awful feeling that this was the end of something.

Slowly, Iryna forced a small smile onto her face. Iryna gave Cherion a small, remarkably fragile smile, a smile that looked far too heavy for her beautiful face.

"You’re lucky then, Cherion," Iryna whispered, her voice barely carrying over the evening breeze. She lowered her gaze, her small smile turning entirely bittersweet. "Not everyone is as lucky as you."

Before Cherion could even say anything in response, Iryna abruptly stood up from the bench. She turned her back to the group, pulling her cloak tightly around her shoulders, and began to walk away without looking back once.