V1C3

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‘Matilda…’

A

voice called in a whisper. She awoke to her cheek being caressed. In the bright

glow of the full moon and the light of the candles; the person on her bed is

well illuminated. Leandroth.

Why

was he here?

Was

this another perverted dream?

Most

likely. She gave a fleeting smile. He

saw her small smile but did not reciprocate.

He frowned at her, ‘I heard you drank poison,’

Matilda

gave a tiny almost indiscernible nod. What did it matter, it was not an

interrogation. How come he knew about her country’s secret poison? Ah yes, it

is a dream. Her head was woolly, she couldn’t think.

‘Do

you not want to be my wife so badly?’

She

nodded.

This

was a political marriage. She had no choice but to obey the decisions. But that

wasn't the reason she took the poison...

She

wanted to rest.

‘…Matilda,’

Even

so, her true desire was impudent. She wanted to laugh at the hypocrisy/irony.

She

wanted someone to worry, somewhere at the bottom of my heart. She wanted

someone to look for her – somewhere in the corner of her heart. No. That was

not true. Not in a deep down corner but with her whole being, she wanted to be

needed.

To

be needed by whom?

Her

father, the King. Her Father.

She

started to cry.

Luckily

this was only a dream; she did not have to worry about Leandroth seeing her

like this.

Matilda

cried, all the tears she had suppressed and endured, she cried.

She

began to sob loudly, dream Leandroth hugged her tightly. Even though it was a

dream, it was still rather nice. Her dream was nice.

Now

if she had a dream about father, it would be good.

While

she was crying, her dream Leandroth said incomprehensibly,

‘Matilda, no matter

how much you think you dislike me, I will make you my wife!’

Huh…?

She stopped.

‘I

will not let you cry, you are my wife. I will not return to governing until you

are well. I will not let you escape from me for the rest of my life!’

She

peered at him through tear drenched lashes, ‘Aren't

you a dream?’ she asked dozily.

Leandroth

stared at her, confused. His eyes widened as he began to comprehend Matilda’s

mutterings.

‘Dream?’

‘I

am dreaming, right. This is a dream and you are not really here.’

Because

she thought she was dreaming, she let herself cry. She closed her eyes and

opened them again. Leandroth was still there looking at her.

‘Eh~?!’

No

way, this is real?! She

looked incredulously at him.

‘…Did

you think you were dreaming of me?’ He asked

Matilda

slowly nodded.

‘Whispering

so persistently, you caressed me?’

Matilda

nodded without thinking about the question, but then noticed it was odd and

tilted her head to look at him.

Whispering?

What?

‘I

thought that I had a nice dream, but ...’ he said vaguely as he pulled up the

covers around him. Matilda thought this scene was a tad strange, as she jerked

back from him. She felt a thick hot lump pressed against her body.

‘Um…’

Heavy!

She

tried to exclaim, but stopped when there was a tremendously long sigh from

Leandroth, ‘It’s…’ he whispered in her ear.

‘A

dream, is it?’ he said swaying a little. It was a little scary. But the

weight was slowly pulled away but he had a smile on his face that looked a bit

lonely. He held is arms up to her and pulled her into a hug, making her sit

between his legs. He held her tenderly and asked,

‘So

tell me why you are crying…’ he stroked her cheeks, wiping her tears. It was

too embarrassing to confess that she was crying because she wanted her father’s

love and attention. She turned her head away.

‘Because

of me?’

She

shook her head.

He

smiled at her sweetly and asked, ‘Is it because of your father?’

Why

are you smiling here?

‘Is

it because you love your father very much?’

Her

eyes widened at that.

‘Did

you think your father abandoned you?’

She

did not nod. From the start, none of her effort was needed by her father. Leandroth

held her face in his hands. They are bigger than her father’s, firm and

callused hands of a sword user. She could not answer or nod. She stiffened her

body as Leandro brought her in for a kiss.

‘First

of all, I am sorry. I didn't want to do such a thing because I wanted you get

to know me better, and so I could know you better. I didn't want you to suffer,

but I couldn't help myself.’

Such

a thing? Was this about the first night she arrived? Her face grew flushed,

‘I

am really sorry but it wasn't a dream...’ he said.

Matilda

looked at him in shock, he looked quite sheepish.

‘I-I

thought I was a pervert, I thought something was wrong with me…’ she said, the

words coming out with a burst of courage, ‘I was convinced that I who was having

such lewd dreams was disgraceful.’

He

gave a sad smile, his expression a bit lonely as he asked, ‘Tell me the truth,

do you not want to marry me?’

His

expression was grave. She worried about her reply, but Matilda turned from him

and said,

‘I

do not know,’ that really was the truth.

‘I

see,’

She

turned back to him to see him smiling gently, ‘That…your

Majesty,’ she began to say,

‘Leandroth,

I want you to call me Leann.’

Why

are you so gentle? She wondered as she looked up at him. His gaze was warm.

‘Your

Majesty,’ she began again, making Leandroth laugh, ‘after some thought, I don’t

think that carrying out my duty as the Empress is hateful.’ Leandroth had an

expression of dissatisfaction on his face.

After

so long it is true, trying to kill one’s self it is not hateful when one sees a

bleak future. She gave a self mocking smile

‘For

now, let’s not think about our respective roles.’

‘What?

Why?’ She asked her head tilted to one side

‘Why?’

He replied, apeing her head tilt, ‘Why do you mind marrying me?’

This

issue was something she had wanted to let of her chest.

‘Marrying

a lewd ugly woman like me does not benefit the Barenshiaga Empire or you.’

‘Benefits huh…’

‘And

if you were planning on having a mistress, would it not be better if we weren't

too close, and calling each other by name comfortably?’ she said, as a nervous

sweat filled her palms. She did not want to care whether he took a mistress, or a whole harem, or had his heir with another, it didn't matter. If she wasn't

allowed to die, she wanted to live quietly and graciously.

But

she did not want to suddenly be abandoned, wondering why she wasn't needed

anymore. His kindness to her was just a poison. She did not need affection made

of lies. She did not want it.

‘Therefore,

it would be better if you call me “Empress” and I keep on calling you “Your

Majesty”.’

‘You

surprisingly do not listen to what people are telling you,’ he said laughing, ‘You

don’t want to have anything to do with the empire or the Emperor,’ his laughter

made Matilda frown, ‘but,

the person I have desired for a long time is within my grasp.'

Matilda’s eyes

widened as Leandroth’s words begin to sink in.

‘If

the one I desire comes, I have to make them Empress, do you not think?’

Matilda

tilts head in confusion and Leandroth mirrored her.

‘Well

I welcomed them. I have welcomed you.’

What

about all those ladies in the courtyard?

‘Well,

I do not need it,’ she protested. It is painful.

Leandroth

pointed at Matilda, ‘I need it.’

‘Ehh?’

‘I

need you, Mattie.’ He said smiling brightly at her.

‘Me?’

‘You.’

‘You

mean me?’

‘Yes,

you.’ (Zuben: It couldn't be. Then who?...No1 stole the meat from the cooking pot)

His

smile was dazzling; Matilda could not take her eyes off his handsome face. It felt as though she was being enchanted by a being with strange powers. Such a feeling

was convenient.

‘Please

understand this; I have no plans to have a white marriage with you. You will

not be returning home for I am not letting you go,’

‘So

you will accept it, and accept me.’ He said his voice deep and seductive.

Matilda

was mesmerised by Leandroth. She did not notice as he turned her and lay her back

on the bed until he covered her with his heated body. He began to kiss her

working his way down along her right shoulder.

‘We

have about a month and a half before our wedding so it should not be too bad if

you get pregnant before the day. It is within a tolerable margin, don’t you

think?’ he said seductively as he slowly peeled her night dress off her shoulders.

It

is not a tolerable margin of error at all, she cried inwardly.

‘Let

me make love to you.’ He kissed her, taking her breath away, making her dizzy.

His right hand cupped her left breast from over her night dress,

‘Soft.’

He crooned, smiling through his kiss. It was a joyous smile…Incredible. He drew

down her clothes to reveal her breasts, Matilda watched the man who would become

her husband caress the mounds of fat that she’d hated for so long, happily.

If some sentences are jarring and slightly

incomprehensible, it is because they were entirely incomprehensible.

Yay!

The misunderstandings with Leandroth are somewhat clear at least, and she can

stop this mopey idiot nonsense she was doing. Funky time is funky. As I am

editing this I am on the bus hoping the bus would teleport me home because my

bladder is full and I am also full of enough air to fly me to Burma! Not good.

Not good at all!

Let me know of any typos if you would be so kind x