Romeo and Cinderella

Chapter 4
Never Bring A Lantern

We crept down into the foyer.

"I think it would be a good idea if I escorted you there," Luka suggested, "considering last time I let you out alone you nearly got murdered."

I was about to protest when I realized that Luka was probably right, and not going out alone wouldn't really be that bad of a plan.

"I'll take you to the wall," she continued. "There are a lot of guards around there so if you get caught you'll be pretty much screwed. And if the guards don't kill you—" she cut off and gave me a hard stare. "I will." That was her version of saying "be careful".

She started for the door, taking my wrist and dragging me a bit. "Wait," I intervened suddenly. "Don't we need some sort of light? Like a lantern?"

"No," she replied stone cold. "Then they'd see us for sure. Plus, there's no telling what kind of scum lies around at this time of night. We can't be spotted."

It seemed weird to be thinking about the scum of the town and not bringing a lantern. But I guess it made sense in some way.

We made our way silently out the door and into the all too quiet town. I felt like a rebel, breaking so many rules, until I realized that I was. It was somewhat thrilling, going out into the dark, especially for a noble like me who scarcely got out of the house. The marketplace was stone cold with hardly any sign that people ever inhabited it. It was hard to see.

At the end of the street was a lit lamp. Due to the damp, cold conditions, the fire barely flickered brighter than the surrounding black night, though it still managed to cast eerie shadows. But Luka didn't seem phased by anything. In fact, it was rather strange how she sped through each twist and turn. How did she know where she was going?

She stopped at the narrow alleyway that led straight to Len's secret garden. Without a sound she gestured for me to go on and started turning to go her own way. I looked around warily and started to slide in between the two walls. My heart stopped when I saw the light of a lantern get closer. I tried my hardest not to make a sound as I continued. Only a few more meters were left. Then, the lantern was inside the alleyway, soon to be followed by a hand. All of a sudden, someone grabbed my arm and towed me into the open space. My heart was pounding. I looked over to a pair of familiar blue eyes and I relaxed.

"Hi," I said to Len, blushing.

His eyes smiled at me. "Hi," he replied.

"I never really got to tell you properly earlier," I started, "how thankful I am… that you saved me. So, thank you."

"I should thank you," was his answer. "You were the one who killed him. I was a dead man." I cringed at "killed" and "dead". "So," he continued, "thank you." His smile made me melt inside. I wasn't sure what it was, but something was driving my fascination of him. Without thinking I touched his face. It was soft.

"You have soft skin," I remarked, oblivious to my own actions.

Len chuckled. "Thank you."

I realized that I had a hand on his face. "Oh!" I yipped. "Sorry. I didn't realize… I…"

He smiled and caressed my face. "It's fine." He bent down and kissed my cheek. Then, he became alert. He straightened out and pursed his lips at the uncovered gauze on my throat. "Meet me for dinner tomorrow," he came out suddenly, "same time." He grinned with his eyes. "I have to go." Len turned and left me dumbstruck in the cold, green garden.

.

The whole encounter was strange. It was not like two people meeting, no. It was more like two old acquaintances, friends, if you will, who hadn't seen each other in a long, long time.

.

Luka's knock on the door woke me up that morning. I rubbed my eyes drowsily as she stepped inside. She seemed to have a worried vibe about her.

"What's wrong?" I asked groggily.

"I'm just a little anxious," she answered. "I don't think you should meet up with Len anymore."

That woke me up. My eyes widened a bit and I sat up. "Why not? I've barely gotten to know him yet," I argued.

Luka sighed. "And I think it would be better if you kept it that way. You're engaged for crying out loud!"

"I don't care," I replied stubbornly. "I can't stay away from him. There's just this… interest that drives me back to him. Besides, he invited me to a midnight dinner tonight."

"I still don't think—"

I cut her off. "You weren't against it yesterday! Why do you have to go and change your mind all of a sudden?" A part somewhere inside me didn't dislike this argument. Luka was like the constitutional mother I never had, and that somehow made me happy when I argued with her.

Luka was taken aback. "I… I..." She couldn't think of anything to say. "Let's just get ready for Mass." I had forgotten that today was a Sunday, and, like all Roman Catholics of the eighteenth century, we had church.

"Yes," I agreed. "Let us get ready."

I chose something random from my closet. I never dressed up for church more than I dressed up for any other day. I happened to grab one of the nicer pieces, a yellow silk gown. Luka laced up my back. I tugged at the sleeves that flared out at my wrists and jostled the flowing skirt. This dress would be fun to dance in. I smiled.

.

Mass was uneventful as always. Besides, my mind was constantly wandering through the night to come. I wondered what would be for dinner.

It was lunchtime when we returned. As usual, we were to have a family Sunday lunch. I walked into the dining hall and nearly walked right back out at the sight of an unwelcome head of blue hair. Kaito stood and walked over to address me.

"Lady Rin!" he greeted. "It's a great pleasure to see you again."

I beamed. "You as well," I lied. "I presume you are doing well?" I tried not to sound as unpleasant as I felt.

"Yes," he replied, "very well, indeed." There was a slightly awkward silence. "Oh! I must be keeping you from your food! Here." He led me to my seat and pulled out my chair for me. I sat down and he kissed my hand.

I kept my emotionless gaze and replied, "Thank you." These things were only proper etiquette so the whole charade was really no big deal, though I had no idea how he took it.

Lunch was boring and full of many varieties of awkward silences between conversations. Most of it was about how splendid the food was, how lovely I looked today, family plans, etcetera, etcetera.

Overall Kaito's charm was revolting. It seemed to be all an act, like he was really just trying to play me up. Maybe it was something in his eyes. Kaito just seemed to look at me the wrong way. I didn't appreciate it and somewhere deep down hoped that I was wrong.

.

I looked up at the clock tower nearest my family's manor. It was eleven forty-five p.m., time for me to leave to see Len. I ate lightly at dinner so I would be hungry enough to eat something there. I exited my room, went down the stairs, and left the mansion with the clothes on my back. Hopefully Luka wouldn't be angry that I left without her regards.

By now I pretty much knew the route to the garden and I managed to make it to the narrow alleyway without getting lost. Luckily, there were no guards around, probably because it was a Sunday, so I made it across the border without any worries.

There Len stood, dressed as a servant next to a table with two candles and two silver platters. A lovely white cloth was draped over the table. It filled me with delight and I blushed. I was captivated.

"You have no idea the trouble I had to go through to get out like this," Len stated.

I giggled as he led me to my seat and pulled it out for me. He kissed me on the cheek before I sat down. "Everything looks so lovely," I commented.

"Well, I couldn't just invite you to a midnight dinner without making everything presentable," he said, faux appalled. "That would be sinful." After I giggled Len continued: "I shan't keep you from eating any longer." He lifted the lid of my silver platter to reveal a decent portion of dinner. It was too dark to see what kind of food it was, but it tasted delicious.

"This is wonderful," I complimented.

"I'll be sure to tell my cooks thank you," Len replied with a smirk.

I chuckled. "I still can't believe you got away with all of this."

"Me either," he remarked. "I pulled so many strings I thought I'd get tangled in them." His face went lighthearted. "I'm so glad you could make it."

My face mimicked his. "I'm glad I didn't forget. My day was a little bit stressful." I felt the life leave my eyes as I remembered Kaito.

"What happened to make your day so tense?" Len queried.

I sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it right now. I'd much rather get to know you more. This is the second time I've visited you and I barely know your name."

We both laughed. "Sorry, it seems rude," Len remarked.

"Agh. Stop with the manners already. I get enough of that shit at home." It was true. The manners were often very annoying, especially around Kaito.

"You're right," Len agreed, putting his feet up on the table. I could feel his sly grin from across the table. "I'm sorry is this too much for you?"

I leaned over with my elbows on the table, a big no-no in etiquette, with my own sly grin mimicking his. "Not at all. So, let's play a question game. I'll ask you a question, and then you answer it and ask me one."

"Sounds simple enough." It was actually so simple one of the peasants could play it without flaw. "Ask away," Len dared.

I pondered for a moment. "Hm. What is your favorite color?"

"Black," he returned. "What's yours?"

"Yellow," I said, "but black is a close second. Where is your family from?"

"A lot of places."

"I want specifics."

"My mother is German, but was born in France, and my father is Spanish. They immigrated over to Germany a bit before I was born," Len answered a bit monotonous.

"Ah. My father is French and my mother is German. Do you have any siblings?" I asked regardless the fact that it was Len's turn.

"Do you?" he tried.

"No, though I do have a maid that is somewhat like a big sister to me." The thought of Luka made me feel warm inside. With the exception of my meeting Len, she was always supportive of me.

Len huffed, sounded slightly irritated. "I wish my relationship with my maid were more sisterly."

"Why?" I pried. "What kind of relationship is it, if not sisterly? It certainly doesn't sound good."

"I… don't really want to talk about it," Len said, looking away awkwardly.

"Okay…" We continued to play this "question game" for a while. I found out that Len loved bananas, had an ill mother, hated war but sometimes found it necessary, and had a passion for singing. Then, I eventually got to the point where I started thinking of more personal questions, feeling mischievous.

"How many relationships have you been in?" I queried.

Len paused, unsure as to what to say, by the look on his face. "What do you mean exactly when you say 'relationships'?" he said, obviously stalling.

"Relationships, like with a woman. How many?" I could feel him blushing from the other side of the table.

"Well… I'll have to count," he replied finally. I watched him ponder and absently counting out on his fingers. One, two, three, four, five, six… "Seven including you."

Seven! "Seven!" I exclaimed. "I'm in… two including you!" Seven! Seemed a bit high for someone his age.

"You are in?" Len pointed.

Oh, dammit. I looked down.

"Who else?" he asked rather darkly, leaning in a bit.

I sighed. "My parents have arranged for me a marriage with a man from another German city," I looked up into Len's eyes with fiery passion: "and I hate him."