Part Thirty-Nine
Very Brief Recap
- Iris is pregnant, and Wolfram's the father!!
- Iris is pregnant, and Anissina's the father!!
- Iris is pregnant, and Yuuri's the father!! Oh no!
Covering the Bases
Part Thirty-Nine - Ground Ball Up the First Base Line
Conrart - *leads the girl down the halls of the castle in silence, not bothering to check over his shoulder to make sure she was still following him/eventually arrives at the king's office, knocking on the door*
Iris - *dutifully follows him, looking around at everything that they passed/feeling a little nervous/she'd wanted to see Yuuri, but she wasn't quite sure how to tell him*
Yuuri - *glances up at the knock on the door midway through signing his name/he had already spent a good amount of time telling the seamstress that he really didn't care how his outfit looked - ended up just letting Gunter decide for him/his mind was too busy to think of what kind of stitching he would like on the collar and whatnot, anyway/looks back down to finish his name* "Come in..."
Conrart - *pushes the door open, allowing the girl to enter before him*
Iris - *quietly steps into the room, clasping her hands together in front of her, noting that her palms were a little sweaty/anxiously she wipes them along her skirt, taking another deep breath before looking up at the king, hoping he couldn't tell that she'd been crying recently*
Yuuri - *finishes his name, placing the page onto the pile of documents he'd already looked over and signed/reaches for another, but catches sight of the girl/blinks at her in confusion, quickly putting the paper and quill down, standing from his seat to move around the desk/worried since he didn't know what was going on yet/glances curiously at Conrad before turning back to the blonde* "Iris...?"
Iris - *shifts a bit awkwardly, looking down again* "Yuu-" *stops herself, unsure how to address him under the circumstances* "-Your Majesty..."
Yuuri - *quickly shakes his head, noting the way she changed her mind halfway through his name* "'Yuuri' is fine..." *stares at her, moving a little closer/had... had she been crying?/startled* "W-what's wrong??"
Iris - "I..." *timidly glances back at Lord Weller/it was true that he had helped to save her and that she trusted him at least a little, but after the things she'd said to Lord Wolfram and his obvious disapproval, she didn't feel very comfortable around him/quietly* "Can I speak with you alone...?"
Yuuri - *even more confused, but nods* "Yeah..." *glances up at Conrad*
Conrart - *gives Yuuri a quick nod, then exits the room, closing the door behind him*
Yuuri - *turns back to the girl/still worried* "Did you want to sit down...?" *motions to a set of chairs off to the side of the room, a little table in between/she looked a bit worse for wear to him*
Iris - "I..." *slowly, she nods* "Yes..." *perhaps sitting down would be for the best/she moves to the chair he'd motioned to, sitting upon it demurely*
Yuuri - *carefully follows her, really hoping she wasn't still upset over that morning - though she had every right to be upset.../sits in the other chair, pulling it out a bit so he could sit closer to her/asks again* "What's wrong...?"
Iris - "I just..." *now that she was here, alone with him, she didn't know if she could say it/instead, she starts with what's easiest* "I wanted to thank you... for defending me this morning. You... you didn't have to do that..."
Yuuri - *shakes his head sadly* "I'm really sorry about his behavior to you... he shouldn't have said such things..." *pauses, sighing* "I tried talking to him... but I don't think I got through to him... I'm really sorry... I'll talk to him about it another time when he's had the chance to cool down..." *stubborn brat... if he didn't love him so much...*
Iris - *flinches lightly/she could only imagine the things Lord Wolfram would say to him the next time he spoke to him/would Yuuri hate her for what she'd said to the boy? to be honest, she hadn't wanted to, she just couldn't stand it anymore/surely he wouldn't blame her, right? he'd understand, wouldn't he?/becomes even more nervous, her hands fidgeting where they rested in her lap* "Lord Wolfram... he..."
Yuuri - *freezes at the mention of the boy's name/did he do something again? was he mean and say more horrible things?/feels extremely guilty, really hoping the girl didn't have to put up with too much/at least she made it out of there with both eyes.../watches her, noticing how nervous she looked/worried* "Are you okay...?"
Iris - "I... I'm fine... I just..." *can hardly look at him, focusing her gaze on her trembling hands* "I tried to help Lord Wolfram with his dress... like I said I would. He... he called me to his room, and..." *takes yet another deep breath/this wasn't easy at all* "He said things... I... I didn't mean to make him angry, or... or for things to turn out this way..."
Yuuri - *tenses up/how could Wolfram say such horrible things to a girl as sweet and caring as her?/clenches his teeth together, trying not to let the morning's frustrations resurface/softly, trying to help the girl calm down* "I'm sorry... I really am... I'll definitely talk to him again..."
Iris - *now she just felt guilty* "But... I mean... he had..." *pauses for a moment to recall the healer's name/she'd been so nice to her, despite the situation - of course, it was only now that she began to wonder if the woman had even understood the situation entirely/had she known that the baby was Yuuri's?* "He had Gisela come in..."
Yuuri - *stares at her with wide eyes/he thought Wolfram didn't want to know... did he really change his mind that quickly...?/swallows thickly, suddenly very nervous/takes a deep breath* "What did... what did she say...?"
Iris - "I... I'm pregnant..." *this was so hard/how had she expected to be able to tell him without her heart nearly jumping up into her throat?*
Yuuri - *takes another deep breath, trying to calm himself down/just because she was pregnant didn't mean it was his... /though, something in the back of his mind was telling him to run... and run fast.../nervous, but still concerned* "Is the baby okay...? There's nothing wrong with you, is there...?"
Iris - *shakes her head* "No, the baby... the baby's fine. Gisela said that I'm underweight, but... but the baby should be okay as long as I... take care of myself..." *'and don't go anywhere near Lord Wolfram, who no doubt wants to have me killed,' but she didn't say that*
Yuuri - *lets out a small sigh of relief, honestly glad that she and her child were going to be okay* "Thank goodness..." *his mind was now screaming at him to get out of there before it was too late...*
Iris - "But..." *how to tell him?/'it's yours' seemed a little too... foreword? maybe.../her heart begins to beat quicker, and she has to take a few deep breaths to try and calm it/nervously she licks her lips, then swallows heavily, her throat feeling a little tight* "Lord Dimitri... he told me I was pregnant... but he never had anyone look over me..."
Yuuri - *why was his heart pounding like it was...? what she was telling him... it didn't mean for certain... he just had to stay hopeful... somehow... somehow everything was going to turn out okay.../nods slowly to the girl, letting her know that he understood/at least he was trying to understand..../or hoped he was trying to understand - which sometimes proved difficult since he was so stubborn*
Iris - "But I thought... after all the times that he'd..." *really doesn't want to talk about the things Lord Dimitri had done to her, so she shakes her head and continues on* "I'd thought he was telling the truth... I... I wasn't in any position not to believe him, even though I knew he lied about things as a way to... to gain control over people... I just... so I thought I was, but I was never sure... and now..." *'now I know'*
Yuuri - *can easily feel his breathing get labored, his heart pounding wildly/it couldn't... it wasn't possible..../barely above a whisper* "You weren't pregnant before...." *pauses to swallow, trying his best to control himself* "But then.... you are now..."
Iris - *nods slowly, but doesn't say anything/wonders if he realizes what she's trying to imply/can't even look at him at the moment/definitely does not want to see his reaction*
Yuuri - *slowly brings a shaky hand to his mouth, staring at the girl with wide, horrified eyes/he felt like he was going to be sick*
Iris - *squeezes her eyes shut so she doesn't have to look at him, trembling harshly*
Yuuri - *carefully pulls his hand away from his mouth so he could speak, though it was still just barely a whisper* "Wolfram.... he knows....?"
Iris - *nods* "He..." *what was she supposed to say? how was she supposed to explain what had happened when she had no clue as to how he would react to it all?* "He got angry..."
Yuuri - *of course Wolfram got angry... he was actually surprised that the girl got out of... whatever it was... unscratched/shakes his head, pulling his hand to his mouth again* "No... no no no no... no, it can't... I... no... I promised... I didn't mean.... I never meant.... " *what the hell was he going to do now?? how could he ever make it up to Wolfram?? after everything.../stays seated, but can feel his whole body start to shake/what now...???*
Iris - *finally looks up at him, tears in her eyes again/whispers* "Yuuri, I'm sorry..."
Yuuri - *slowly shakes his head* "No... don't apologize... you've done nothing wrong...." *carefully stands from his chair, staggering a bit over to his desk/he had to think... there had to be something he could do.../suddenly pounds the side of his fist onto the desktop, papers fluttering off of the tops of the piles there* "Dammit!!!" *ends up collapsing to his knees, still clinging onto the edge of the desk, resting his head against it/what was he supposed to do???*
Iris - *flinches as he curses, squeezing her eyes shut again/was he angry? was he mad at her? what... what did he expect her to do?/swallows hard again, opening her eyes to see him kneeling there, and she can't stop herself from going to him, kneeling beside him with a comforting hand against his back/whispers, tears streaking down her face* "Do... do you want me to... to get rid of it...?" *'please, say 'no,'' she thought, 'let me have something, let me keep one thing for myself'*
Yuuri - *turns to stare at her, horrified at her suggestion* "No!! Don't!! No..." *trails off, mouthing wordlessly, still trying to figure everything out/finally actually looks at the girl, completely guilt stricken/she was here telling him everything... and all he could think about was how it was going to affect him and Wolfram... what about her...?/quickly moves his arms from the desk to wrap around her, pulling the girl into his chest, trying to comfort her/chokes out a whisper* "Thank you for telling me... I'm sorry for getting you into this mess... I never wanted to put you through any trouble..."
Iris - *cuddles against him a bit awkwardly/how could he possibly apologize? it wasn't his fault; of course, she tells his as much* "It's not your fault... you didn't want this any more than I..." *'any more than I did' wouldn't exactly be the truth/she'd much rather have Yuuri's child than Lord Dimitri's/at least she knew Yuuri would take care of her and the baby... or, at least, she hoped he would/he didn't seem like the kind of person who would just shove her aside because of something like this/cries a little harder* "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ruin anything!"
Yuuri - *holds onto the girl, sitting down on the floor more to lean up against the desk/shakes his head again, trying to calm her down, as well as himself* "Shhh... you didn't ruin anything... you've done nothing... what happened wasn't your fault..." *pauses, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the desk* "The one who is at fault is already... dead... there's nothing we can do...." *so it was true... there really wasn't anything he could do... what was done was done... and he would have to live with his actions/still felt a great pain, thinking about how Wolfram must have taken the news... how was he ever going to make it up to him...?*
Iris - *continues to cry, feeling horrible about everything as usual/it was a relief to know the truth, but if she could go back and change it... actually... she's not really sure she'd want to* "But, I..." *what was she supposed to say to him now? what good would words do?* "I said... horrible things to him..." *okay... so it hadn't been as horrible as the things Lord Wolfram had been saying to her, but still... if Yuuri had been there... she could only imagine what he would have done...*
Yuuri - *blinks at the girl, confused/after what Wolfram had said to the girl at breakfast, he could only imagine what he would have said to her in private/he wasn't sure he wanted to know exactly what happened.../though, he was worried about what Wolfram was doing now... if he was really angry, it was almost a surprise that no one has come to report a fire in the castle.../or what if he broke some glass again and hurt himself? what if he got so over stressed that he started having stomach pains again??/tries to control himself, speaking softly to the girl* "What happened...?"
Iris - "He... he told me that... that I didn't deserve to be here... that I should be thrown into a whorehouse..." *swallows thickly, unable to look at him as she told him all of this/she still didn't really understand how it was possible for someone like Yuuri to fall in love with someone like Lord Wolfram, but she wasn't in any position to question his feelings* "He said I belonged on the streets, and that... no matter who's baby I'm carrying... I'll always be nothing more than... than a whore..." *grips tightly onto his jacket* "So I told him... I said that he wasn't any different... that the only reason people would never be able to say those sorts of things about him is because he could hide behind your wedding... that he's just... an expensive whore..." *winces, and bites at her bottom lips/feels even worse now, not because she'd said those sorts of things, but because Yuuri knew about it/she had no idea how he'd react, though she couldn't imagine he'd be very happy about it*
Yuuri - *stares at the girl, feeling a little sick to his stomach/how could they say such things to each other? after everything they had both gone through... how could they say such things...?/still quietly* "You're not a whore.... and neither is he..." *well... technically... Wolfram would be one, but the girl definitely wasn't... but that was far from Yuuri's mind - and would probably always stay far from his mind* "I... thank you... for telling me..." *yeah, he was angry that someone was calling his fiancé a whore... but the brat had been doing the same thing/wasn't really sure how he was supposed to react to everything, seeing he was still trying to figure out what to do about their new stack of problems*
Iris - *looks up at him then, tears still streaming down her face* "I'm sorry! I didn't mean any of it!" *well... not really...* "I just... I'm so tired of being treated so horribly!! I don't want to have to put up with those sorts of things anymore!!! I... I just... I want to live in peace... I want someone to take care of me!!" *what she really meant was 'I want you to take care of me' - even if he didn't love her back, she still wanted him to care enough to look out for her safety and well-being - but she didn't think it would be very prudent to say something like that to him at the moment*
Yuuri - *continues to stare at the girl, not really sure about anything anymore/nods slowly, hardly able to imagine everything she had gone through already in her life* "It's okay... you don't have to worry about anything... you're safe here..." *as long as she had people watching out for her whenever she and Wolfram were in the same room.../lifts a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks* "Don't worry... it'll be okay..." *he hated just making promises, especially since Wolfram never seemed to be cheered by them/what else was he supposed to do? there was nothing he could do at the moment other than make sure she was safe*
Iris - "I..." *tries to hold back her tears, swallowing again* "Are you disgusted by me...?"
Yuuri - *blinks, startled by her question* "Wha...? Why would..."
Iris - "Won't... won't people know... about the baby...?" *she really couldn't think of any way to hide it, especially if it inherited Yuuri's color/nor did she really want to hide it/it was an innocent baby, not something dirty and sinful - the act that had created it may have been, but she didn't think it would be right to place any sort of blame or scorn upon an unborn child* "They'll know what happened... they'll know that you... that I..."
Yuuri - *winces a little/the last thing he wanted was for Wolfram to suffer, especially because of him/shakes his head lightly* "I... I'll figure something out..." *more like beg Gwendal to help him figure out what to do... because he really had no bloody clue* "It'll be okay..." *well... as okay as anything could possibly be now...*
Iris - *he'd figure something out, huh? that was as good of an indication as anything that he planned on hiding it/for some reason, that upset her/averts her gaze off to the side, attempting to prevent herself from crying more* "Are you going to hide me away? Like I'm something impure and shameful? After everything... you're just going to pretend that it didn't happen... and hope that no one notices that you suddenly have two children instead of one?" *she knew she shouldn't be questioning him/he was the king after all, and as a mere commoner she was obligated to do whatever he wished of her/that didn't mean it didn't hurt to think that he really was ashamed of her, that he didn't care enough to stand up for her and his actions*
Yuuri - *stares at her, startled again/he had no intention of hiding her or the child, merely trying to think of the best way to explain himself when people did start to ask questions/panics a bit* "N-no! You're not anything like that! Especially not the innocent baby! I would never do anything like that!" *had she really thought that he wouldn't want her to have any freedom? that she would be kept in the castle, locked away from everyone?/a twinge of guilt and hurt rose up in his chest* "I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make it sound like... like I would do something like that..."
Iris - "I... I apologize, Yuuri..." *she felt slightly better hearing him say that, but it didn't ease her doubts completely/from what she'd heard and observed, he seemed to hide quite a bit from the Royal Court... not that she could really blame him* "It's just that... Lord Wolfram and I are in very similar situations, and since you're attempting to hide his pregnancy-" *she hadn't exactly been told bluntly that he was, indeed, with child, but her instincts told her that it was true* "-I thought that... that you wouldn't want people to know about me... I... I've heard what you had your advisors tell those of the Royal Court... you had them leave out everything about... us..." *not that there really was an 'us'*
Yuuri - *cringes again at what she pointed out* "I... I want to do anything I can to protect him... Everything that has happened... if people started talking badly about him... if he lost all his credibility... especially because of me... I wouldn't be able to live with it... If there was a way to hide that he was pregnant... then I would do it..." *pauses, shaking his head lightly* "I didn't want anyone to know about us... because of what people would say about the both of you... How the king was unfaithful to his husband... and..." *pauses again, feeling even more guilty than he had been* "I didn't want to hurt him further by having everyone know.... I.... I was being selfish... If people started calling him things... horrible things... I wouldn't be able to stand it... I could hardly control myself when my friend said things like that, even if it was just to prove a point... I'm sorry..."
Iris - *slowly pulls away from him, looking up at him again/her heart hurt* "You want to protect him, you want him to be able to keep his good reputation..." *though she was honestly beginning to wonder what sort of a reputation Lord Wolfram had to begin with* "What about mine? They'll say things about me, too... only I won't be able to hide behind a marriage or a title like he will. And if you really aren't going to hide me away like you say, you'll have to tell them something... either the truth or... or some lie... but... they'll still have to know that you had an affair. It won't matter that you weren't willing..." *she knew it wasn't very proper to be talking to him like this, and if it had been under any other circumstances, she wouldn't have dared/but, even though she knew he was in love with Lord Wolfram for whatever reason, she didn't understand what made him so much more important/why should she have to suffer from ridicule, while he sat there with his expensive clothes and jeweled crown?/it wasn't fair!/he'd willingly become what he was now! she hadn't*
Yuuri - *stares helplessly at her/what was he supposed to do…?/slowly shakes his head again* “I don't want anyone to say anything bad about you… I don't want your reputation ruined either…” *pauses, lifting his hand to run through his hair in frustration/glances off to the side, staring at the floor* “I don't know what to do, though… I don't know… I'm really not that smart… I just know how I feel about things… I know what I think is right and what I think is wrong… I really don't fare well when it comes to grey areas…” *which was probably why he loved baseball so much - there was a winner and there was a loser, no questions about it* “I… I want to be able to do whatever I can… but I just… I just don't know…”
Iris - *kneels back on the floor in front of him, not allowing herself to cling to him again, though she would like to/the poor guy looked so confused, and though it did make her just the slightest bit bitter that Lord Wolfram got so much special treatment merely because he was the king's fiancé - when really the blond had brought this whole thing upon himself - she couldn't say anything else against him when Yuuri looked so conflicted/so she simply sat there silently and waited*
Yuuri - *continues to stare blankly at the floor, trying to figure out something to do to make things better for both Wolfram and Iris... anything he could possibly do to save them from such suffering they could very possibly have to face/why did he always get away with so much? why was it that it was okay for him to do so many things and not really be questioned, yet when those around him are in trouble, they get all the pointed fingers, all the stares/why couldn't he figure something out?!/mumbles, not looking at her, still* "I'm sorry... I just... I don't know what to do... I'm sorry..."
Iris - *flinches as he continues to apologize/that definitely isn't what she wants to hear at the moment/quietly* "Apologies aren't going to fix this, Yuuri." *not that there was really anything to 'fix' in her mind/people had affairs and illegitimate children all the time - both commoners and kings - so it wasn't like this was a first time occurrence in their country/it was something they'd have to deal with, but not anything they could change/even so, she felt bad for him/it's not like he'd asked for this, after all/he'd come back thinking he'd be able to get married and live happily with his fiancé; surely he hadn't expected to have two children at one time* "You... you should talk to your advisors. I'm sure they'll know what to do in situations like this..."
Yuuri - *he knew what she was saying was true, that apologies couldn't solve anything... but it made him feel at least a little better - apologizing/nods slowly to her, still staring at the ground* "I... I will... I just..." *pauses, not really knowing exactly what he 'just' wanted to do/was there anything he could do, after all?*
Iris - *takes a deep breath, lifting a hand to wipe at the tears on her face/after all of his reassurances, he hadn't done much of anything to make her feel better/her doubts and insecurities remained* "You don't want to tell them..." *he was ashamed - that was the only way she could think to explain his hesitation/she'd been right, this ruined everything for him*
Yuuri - *swallows, trying to calm himself down enough to actually think* "I have to tell them..." *what else could he do...?/glances awkwardly at the girl* "I..." *pauses, stopping himself from apologizing again/shakes his head* "Thank you... for coming and telling me everything..." *opens his mouth to say more, but can't seem to find his voice/too lost in thought*
Iris - *looks down at the floor/was beginning to wonder if she should have even bothered telling him/so far it hadn't done anything to make her situation any better* "You don't need to thank me. I figured it would be better that I come to you than leave that particular burden to someone else." *did she sound bitter and upset? she sure hoped not*
Yuuri - *winces a bit, looking up at the girl again/nothing seemed to be going right for them... not since that morning, at least* "Iris..."
Iris - *refuses to look back up at him or become too hopeful* "Yes...?"
Yuuri - *watches her, taking a deep breath/if there was anything he could do, he could at least keep her safe* "I'll protect you and our child... don't worry..."
Iris - *silently nods, but otherwise has no other reaction/somehow that didn't seem as if it would be enough, though she knew better than to ask anything else from him/he already had his fiancé, and his pseudo-legitimate child to worry about*
Yuuri - *drops his gaze back down to the ground, wishing there was something he could do to at least make her feel better - he was doing really horrible in that department lately, it seemed.../mumbles after a few long moments, a bit curious* "Wolfram... when you left him... did... was he okay...? I mean... I'm sure he threw a horrible fit... but... he wasn't putting himself in danger of anything... was he?" *would really just like to ask how the girl managed to get out of whatever confrontation she had with the blond alive... though, apparently Conrad was near them, or even with them...*
Iris - *trembles just slightly as Lord Wolfram was mentioned once again/unconsciously her hands ball into fists/she understood why he would be concerned, and she didn't fault him for it, but why did he have to ask her those sorts of things?/has to force herself not to sound so bitter, and to continue to speak quietly* "He tried to attack me. Lord Weller restrained him, and Gisela was forced to knock him out."
Yuuri - *stares at her, eyes wide* "He what?!" *eyes quickly scan the ground as if it could possibly tell him what to do before moving to scramble to get to his feet once more/what the hell??*
Iris - *looks up at him, before gracefully standing to her feet as well, standing before him/forcefully keeps a frown from crossing her face/here he'd just been informed that she was pregnant with his child, and the only thing he could do was worry about his fiancé?? sure, it was alright to show some concern, since Lord Wolfram would inevitably be affect as well, but shouldn't he be talking to his advisors, shouldn't he show a little more care and concern to the person most troubled by the entire situation - i.e. her?/it wasn't really like her to be selfish or vindictive, but she wasn't about to sit here for the next nine months and not be shown at least some respect/maybe she didn't have a fancy title or anything like that, but after everything she'd been through, she figured that, at the very least, she deserved more consideration than what she'd gotten so far* "He tried to attack me..."
Yuuri - *stops, having started to take a step towards the door, staring down at the girl* "I..." *what was he supposed to do??/can feel his breathing start to get a bit labored again/quickly shakes his head* "I'm sorry... I..." *trails off, lifting a hand to run through his hair again/what the hell was he supposed to do??*
Iris - "I honestly don't mind his anger, Yuuri. If I were in his shoes, I know I'd probably be angry, too, but I can't just sit around anymore and let people treat me like that." *takes another deep breath - she'd been doing a lot of deep breathing lately* "I'm tired of it. As a nobleman, I'm sure there are all sorts of laws about what he can and cannot legally do to a commoner, and maybe he has every right to treat me like he does, but I..." *pauses, feeling her eyes sting* "I've been hurt too much. I'm not asking you to give up on him, nor am I questioning your feelings for him... it's just... after what happened today and all the rumors I've heard about him..." *looks up at him carefully, fidgeting nervously* "... he needs to be controlled..." *when they'd been back at Dimitri's manor and she'd tried to envision what life at the palace would be like, she definitely hadn't imagine herself lecturing the king on his fiancé’s behavior/legally she had no right to, and yet she felt she had to/no one else seemed willing to do it, and if these sorts of things continued, she knew she'd end up saying worse than what she had today/she didn't want that*
Yuuri - *stares, listening to what she said/part of him didn't want to believe that Wolfram was so out of control that he had to be told to do something about it/was he really that blind to everything going on? did he really let the blond get away with so much that it was starting to hurt the other people he cared for and wanted to protect?/shakes his head lightly, panicking a little as he watched the girl* "Iris... I... I won't let him touch you... I'll make sure that you're safe... you don't have to worry about anything..." *frowns sadly, knowing full well that she had been hurt so much over the past three months - how could he let anything else happen to her, especially after all that?*
Iris - "It isn't so much him touching me that worries me." *tries to keep her voice as level as she can possibly make it/if she was going to have a serious discussion with him - something she would admit to not being very good at; serious conversations tended to make her a little nervous, because they had the habit of leading to something bad - then she didn't want her voice shaking in her anxiousness* "You say you don't want people saying things about either of us - especially about him. You don't want him to be discredited, and yet everything he's ever said to me has been callous and hurtful. You expect to be able to protect my reputation as well, when he's saying such heartless things?"
Yuuri - *continues to stare at her, quickly shaking his head* "No! I'll make sure he doesn't say such things to you again... I... I wish he had never done so in the first place... If I had known that was how he was going to act... I... I would have done something about it earlier..."
Iris - "How do you expect to stop him from saying things like that?" *sort of wishes she'd followed them out of the dining room that morning to hear their argument, if only to find out if her suspicions were true or not/she had a feeling Yuuri gave Lord Wolfram whatever he wanted, and though he may have yelled at him, he'd most likely given after a while* "It doesn't seem as if your talk with him earlier did any good at all."
Yuuri - *winces, knowing she was right* "I... I won't let him get away with things any more... I'll make sure I get through to him..." *how he was going to do that... he had no idea... but he was going to do his best*
Iris - *shakes her head/somehow she doesn't believe him* "I'm sorry if I sound insulting, Yuuri. I really don't mean to, but..." *how to make him understand that his was a serious problem, because as of now it didn't seem to her as if he had any inclination of stopping Lord Wolfram from acting the way he did/maybe he'd speak with him, and try to get him to tone down the insults, but that wouldn't really change things for the better/quietly* "He acts like a child... and you let him..." *so many times since she'd first arrived, she'd thought of Lord Wolfram as nothing more than a boy/sure, he was refined, modest, and well-mannered when he needed to be, but it seemed to her as if no one had taken the time to make sure he finished growing up/and giving him everything he wanted and allowing him to have his way and behave cruelly to others didn't make it seem as if he had much of a reputation to protect in the first place*
Yuuri - *stares at her, completely at a loss for words/she... she was right... he'd always known that Wolfram was spoiled... and that he got away with most things.../what was he supposed to do..? it was for his own good, right?/slowly nods at her, but says nothing*
Iris - *curiously looks up at him* "Have you ever even won an argument against him?"
Yuuri - *flinches lightly/mumbles, embarrassed* "No..." *none that he could remember, at least*
Iris - *still feels a little awkward to be having this sort of conversation with him, but reminds herself once more that there probably wasn't anyone else in the palace who would do so* "I haven't seen the two of your react around one another very much, but I can draw conclusions from what I have seen. My guess is that, when you get into an argument, you may fight for a while, but eventually you cave in and apologize, even when you have nothing to be sorry for." *pauses* "This morning, when you took him from the dining room to talk to him about the thing's he'd said to me, did you apologize to him?"
Yuuri - *stares at her, feeling a light flush rise in his cheeks* "I... I yelled at him... I shouldn't have... I could have spoken to him more calmly... I..." *trails off, flushing a bit darker*
Iris - *shakes her head/was of the opinion that no amount of calm talking would get through to the stubborn blond* "So, in the end, you let him get away with it."
Yuuri - *feels absolutely horrible and embarrassed that she was right/slowly nods*
Iris - *looks of to the side again, inhaling and then exhaling slowly/so he hadn't really defended her after all* "You yell at him, and then you apologize and coddle him. You think you'll ever be able to win against him when he knows you'll eventually give in?"
Yuuri - *stares down at the ground/was he really that pathetic...? it was true that Wolfram really had him completely under his control...?* "No... I don't think I'll be able to win if he knows that..."
Iris - "You should be more forceful, in actions as well as with your opinion..." *feels horrible for telling him what he should and shouldn't do/shifts uncomfortably, finding it increasingly difficult to keep this conversation going* "I know that's not who you are - I love that you're kind, and gentle, and trusting - but with some people..." *looks up at him again, though it's hard to meet his eyes when he's gazing at the ground* "That doesn't work with some people..."
Yuuri - *slowly raises his eyes to meet hers, though however awkwardly, nodding to her once again* "I'll try harder... I don't want him to be able to always get his way... it's not good for him..."
Iris - *had to try very hard not to frown/it wasn't good for him?! what about everyone else?!/only now was she beginning to realize how completely caught up he was with Lord Wolfram/back at the manor it had been understandable; he'd missed him, it was only expected that he would pine for him as he had, but this?/the way he spoke of him, the way he treated him, the way his thoughts constantly circled back around to him, no matter who else was involved or what the original topic had been... it spoke of more than affection, more than love/it was near obsession!* "I don't mean to be rude, Yuuri, but this isn't just about him."
Yuuri - *stares at her, confused* "I..." *had he been only talking about Wolfram...? was he really only thinking of him....?/lowers his head a bit in shame* "I'm sorry... I understand..."
Iris - *also lowers her head, staring at the floor with her hands clasped in front of her/softly* "I don't think you do..."
Yuuri - *winces lightly, glancing guiltily at her* "I... I don't mean to make everything about him... I..." *'I can't help it...' was more on the lines of what he wanted to say, but how pathetic would that make him sound...? not that he didn't seem so already...*
Iris - *didn't know whether she could believe him or not/she'd learned a lot about him since they'd arrived at the castle, more than she'd learned during the month they'd been held captive together* "I love you, Yuuri, and I respect you and your decisions. I don't mean to cause trouble, nor do I wish to lecture you or give you advice that you may not wish to hear, but I can't sit timidly by as I did with Lord Dimitri, and let your fiancé treat me or any other innocent person like a worthless sack of garbage. If you wish to refer to me as your mistress in public, then I have nothing to say against that, but I am not a whore. I was raped; I didn't not go to Lord Dimitri's bed willingly, nor did I conceived this child willingly, and I will not allow anyone to say otherwise. I apologize if I have offended you, because that was not my intention, I merely want..." *pauses, feeling her eyes sting again/she wasn't used to being this... cold and bitter/she didn't like it* "I want a place here... like you promised... and I'll never have that as long as Lord Wolfram continues to speak out and act against me."
Yuuri - *listens to her in complete silence, not daring to move an inch from where he stood/once she was finished, he nods, looking directly into her eyes* "You have a place here... I won't let Wolfram get away with calling you such horrible things, nor will I allow him to touch you... You have your reputation to uphold... And I fully understand that you are in no way a whore... I'll be sure to have the Royal Court well informed that everything that happened was against your will... I'll do whatever I can to make sure that they understand that..."
Iris - *carefully nod, keeping her tears at bay* "Thank you. That's all I ask of you."
Yuuri - *nods are her once more, though worried* "Are you okay...? Is there anything else...?"
Iris - *slowly shakes her head* "No, there isn't anything else. I've been fine. I can hardly tell that I'm even pregnant."
Yuuri - *watches her for a while, staring at her stomach/can't help but feel curious/mumbles, flushing lightly* "Umm... Iris...?"
Iris - *looks up at him, wondering why he seemed so nervous* "Yes...?"
Yuuri - *takes a deep breath* "Is... is it alright... if I... I mean... can I try to... feel... the baby...? Please...?" *wants to know for sure/Wolfram really had been right, then... about how he wouldn't have been able to notice if the child was his or not...*
Iris - "I..." *stares at him strangely for a moment* "You... you can do that?" *she knew healers were able to sense it, some to a greater extent than others, depending on the level of their power and skill, but she hadn't thought anyone else could/although, he being the king and one of the most powerful men in the world, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised*
Yuuri - *flushes a little darker, nodding* "I mean... I'll... I'll have to... touch you... I can't really feel it otherwise..."
Iris - "Oh..." *thinks about it for a moment, but doesn't really see any harm in it/if anything, she thought it was sweet, and at least some proof that he cared for their child at least a little* "T-that's fine..."
Yuuri - *takes in another breath, stepping carefully towards her, still staring down at her stomach/once close enough, he slowly reaches his hand out to place over the girl's stomach, closing his eyes as well*
Iris - *stands still and watches him, peering up at him with curious eyes*
Yuuri - *holds his hand against her stomach for a long moment before slowly opening his eyes, blinking a few times to stop the sudden stinging he felt in them/it wasn't as strong as with Wolfram... but it was there... it felt completely different as well, but somehow he knew that what the girl told him, about how it was his, was all true...*
Iris - *continues to look up at him, before slowly lifting one of her own hands to place it on top of his/quietly* "Can you feel it?"
Yuuri - *swallows, then nods* "Yeah... I can feel it..." *forces himself to smile lightly at her, ignoring the tears that seemed to be filling his eyes against his will* "You're going to be a wonderful mother, I just know it..."
Iris - *smiles back at him, though she feels a little guilty, especially when she sees the tears in his eyes/still speaking softly* "And you're going to be a wonderful father..."
Yuuri - *chuckles lightly, slowly shaking his head* "I'll do my best..."
Iris - *nods, keeping her hand in place over his/she likes being close to him like this, though she knows it's wrong of her to crave his attention so much*
Yuuri - *sighs lightly, trying to keep himself from thinking only of Wolfram again/was he okay? had Gisela really knocked him out? was the baby okay?/shakes his head, trying to clear his head better* "Are you going to be okay...?"
Iris - "For now, yes..." *she couldn't really guess about later, as she had no clue*
Yuuri - *nods at her, feeling a bit awkward about pulling away from her with his hand being held against her stomach/softly* "I... should probably be getting back to work... Or else I'll never finish..."
Iris - *nods in understanding, but grips onto him a bit tighter, tears quickly springing into her eyes again* "Can you just... I mean..."
Yuuri - *stares down at her, eyes widening a bit in slight alarm, though not pulling away* "What is it...?"
Iris - "I... it's just that..." *swallows thickly, unable to verbalize her request/it was a horrible thing to ask of him, but after the conversation they'd had and the doubts that had bubbled up within her... it would be nice to have some form of tangible reassurance, though she wondered if it would only make her feel worse in the end*
Yuuri - *continues to stare at her, confused/what was she so nervous about asking him…?* “Iris… what is it…?”
Iris - "Can you... " *slowly she raises her other hand to the side of his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb* "Can I..." *was she being too selfish? was she being a hypocrite, saying all of those things to him earlier, claiming not to want anything else from him, only to come back and request something that he may not be willing to give* "... kiss me? Just once..." *immediately begins stuttering, dropping her hand and looking away* "I... I mean... platonically... it wouldn't mean anything... and it's alright if you say 'no'...I just..."
Yuuri - *watches her, feeling guilt building up within him/after everything... she didn't have someone to love her back... not the kind of love he felt for Wolfram, at least/how could he be so caught up around Wolfram to ignore everything else...?/softly* "I care for you like I would a sister... but... just this once... it'll be okay..." *just this one time wouldn't hurt... and she knew that he didn't love her back like she loved him.../though, it made him feel even more guilty*
Iris - "I... just this once... that's all..." *it wasn't as if he'd never kissed her before, but it hadn't been real; she'd been pretending to be someone else, and he hadn't known any better/and the other time... well... that hadn't been real either* "I just..." *places one of her own hands against her stomach, as if she could feel the baby too, even though she could never hope to* "I want this to mean something. I know that it was a mistake, and I realize that whatever children you have with Lord Wolfram will take up a larger part of your life, but... I still want... to be cared for... I want our baby to be cared for... I want it to be born to two loving parents. I love you, and if you could just... care for me... even just a little... that'll be enough..."
Yuuri - *nods at her slowly* "I do care for you... just not as deeply as your feelings for me... And I will love and care for our baby... you don't have to worry about that... I won't let anything happen to either of you..."
Iris - *nods once more in understanding, looking up at him, though she found it difficult to gaze into his eyes/he was much too kind, giving her something like this*
Yuuri - *watches her carefully for a few long moments before slowly leaning down, gently touching his lips against hers/it wasn't so bad... and she knew he loved Wolfram... so why not just let her have something she wanted after having to go through so much...?*
Iris - *closes her eyes and kisses back gently, lifting a hand to frame the side of his face again/doesn't dare to press too deeply without permission*
Yuuri - *could only force himself to hold the kiss for a few seconds before carefully pulling back, flushing brightly/the kiss didn't mean anything... so it was okay.../or so he told himself, though he couldn't seem to shake the guilt that was eating at his heart*
Iris - *steps away from him a bit once he pulls back, removing her hand and immediately glancing away from him/sadly* "Please... don't tell Lord Wolfram..."
Yuuri - *shakes his head lightly* "I won't... I promise..." *he didn't have the heart to keep telling Wolfram all the things that he did behind his back*
Iris - *nods, swallowing heavily once more, before forcing herself to take a few more steps back* "I... I should probably leave you to your work then. I've already taken up so much of your time..."
Yuuri - *shakes his head again* "It's okay... thank you for coming to me..."
Iris - *looks up at him with an ironic little smile on her face* "Who else would I come to?"
Yuuri - *stares at her, feeling sad at hearing her words* "Iris... there's plenty of people around the castle... it's okay to make friends... I... I don't want to disappoint you all the time like I have been..." *can only imagine how she felt* "You should try talking to Jade... or her brother Hale..." *good luck with that one...* "They're really nice... and they've helped me out a lot... I just... I want you to be happy while you're here..."
Iris - "I... I know..." *feels a little guilty for focusing so much of her thoughts and feelings on him/although, it wasn't exactly her fault that she felt uncomfortable around these people/after everything that'd happened, if would take her a while to trust anyone completely* "I am happy here, Yuuri. It's just... it'll take some getting used to, I suppose..."
Yuuri - *nods at her, trying to show her that he understood* "You're safe here... I won't let anything happen to you... so please don't worry...."
Iris - "I won't..." *slowly moves towards the door, though stops to glance at him again once she's grasped onto the knob* "Will I at least be able to see you sometimes...?" *it had hurt a lot over the last two weeks, only being able to see him as they passed one another in the hallways*
Yuuri - *nods again* "Yeah... You're welcome to stop by here whenever you feel like... I mean... I might be a bit busy, but I would appreciate the company..." *pauses, thinking about it* "Though, you might have to bring something to entertain yourself... like a book or something... Especially if Gwendal is here breathing down my neck to finish with all my work... But… you're more than welcome... And Wolfram hates it here, so you won't have to be bothered by him at all, if you're worried about that too..."
Iris - *nods again, though still makes no further move to leave the room* "And... is it acceptable for me to continue eating in the dining room, or... or should I not...?" *after what had happened this morning, she wouldn't really blame him if he didn't want her there*
Yuuri - *watches her, shaking his head sadly* "Yes... you're more than welcome to eat in the dining room... I'll make sure what happened this morning won't happen again..."
Iris - "Alright..." *quietly* "Thank you..." *now she's able to truly smile, though it's small, and she feels her timidity quickly returning* "I'll... I'll see you then..."
Yuuri - *smiles lightly back at her, moving a bit to turn back to his desk* "Have fun... okay?"
Iris - *nods a bit, eyeing his stacks of paperwork* "You, too..."
Yuuri - *snorts* "Yeah... I will..."
Iris - *nods and smiles at him one more time, before finally opening the door and leaving the room*
Yuuri - *lets out a small sigh, then turns back to the desk, leaning down to snatch up a few of the papers he had knocked loose earlier/heads back to his chair, placing the papers he had picked up where they belonged/sits down, picking up his quill, dipping it a bit into the little jar of ink before reaching for the next, unsigned page/skims over it just briefly, knowing that Gwendal had already gone through all of them, then moves to sign his name* "Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Furi...." *pouts at the drying ink for a moment before placing it on the 'done' pile, then moving on to the next one*
Gunter - *after spending the last little bit of time with the seamstress, trying to work out plans for His Majesty's wedding attire, they've hit a bit of a roadblock, and so he leads the woman back to the king's office with the intent of asking him for his opinion/it was his wedding, after all, and it was only right for him to have some say in how his uniform would look/knocks on the door*
Yuuri - *looks up after placing yet another page on the pile* "Come in..."
Gunter - *easily pushes the door open, allowing the middle aged woman with him to enter the room first, then he crosses in as well* "Your Majesty, I realize that you left the plans for your uniform up to me, but I fear I am unable to decide. It would be better if you were to tell us what you would prefer so that you may wear something appropriate on such a special occasion."
Yuuri - *gawks at the man/was it really that difficult to just pick something out...??* "Uhh... Okay....?"
Gunter - "It should be apparent that the fabric will be dyed black, as it would be highly inappropriate for you to wear something other than the royal color in front of so many of your guests. However, I do believe that, for this occasion, your jacket should be equipped with gold lining instead of white."
Yuuri - *continues to stare at him, though a bit glad he had a moment to rest his hand from writing his name over and over again* "Sure... Gold lining sounds perfect..." *not that he really cared...*
Gunter - "Splendid!" *whips out a few little swatches of fabric* "What sort of ornamentation would you prefer, then, Your Majesty?"
Yuuri - *gapes at him, feeling a little worn out from the man's enthusiasm/sighs, pushing back his chair and moving around to the man to look at the little pieces of fabric/pretends to look at them* "Which one do you like best...?"
Gunter - "Oh, well, I haven't really been able to decide..." *beams at the king, then motions towards the seamstress* "Harriette has come up with a few suggestions that sound simply marvelous!"
Harriette - *bows a bit*
Yuuri - *looks from the man to the woman before sighing a bit* "Let's hear them..." *not intending to sound worn out, but next to Gunter... any one would look a little tired*
Harriette - *flushes a little bit at being before the king* "Yes, Your Majesty..." *bows a second time before continuing* "At many of the other gatherings and celebrations you've hosted, you've worn a ceremonial drape around your shoulders. It would be acceptable to wear one at your wedding as well, but with a few more cords and jewels. However, Lord von Christ and I thought of epaulettes, but since you have never shown much of an interest in the more traditional forms of dress, we weren't sure if you would find them to your liking..."
Yuuri - *stares at the woman as if she were speaking in an entirely differently language* "Epaulewhats...?"
Harriette - *flushes a little more, and shifts in place* "Shoulder ornaments, Your Majesty... they were very fashionable some twenty years ago. Lord Weller had a particular fondness for them. I do believe he had them on his dress uniform."
Yuuri - *makes an 'oooh...' shape with his mouth/he knew that.../yeah...* "That's fine.... Wolfram is dressing in the traditional wedding... clothes... right...? Whatever would match him better, I'll be good with..."
Gunter - "Yes, they would look wonderful in such a formal setting, Your Majesty! We would also be able to attach a short cape if you would like, in any color that you would prefer." *is probably a little more excited than he should be, but then he's always had a weird fascination with the king's clothes*
Yuuri - *gawks at the man again, wondering if he should check with Gisela to make sure that Gunter didn't need some kind of medication...* "Okay... that sounds fine with me... "
Gunter - *blinks at him, and begins to wonder if he was even paying attention* "What color would you like the cape to be, then, Your Majesty?"
Yuuri - *brings himself back from spacing out a bit* "What...? Oh... color... Uhh..." *grins at the man, despite everything that was still bothering him* "What color do you think would bring out my eyes best?" *obviously just joking/hey... he couldn't stay miserable the entire time... he had to entertain himself somehow...*
Gunter - "Well..." *peers closely into the kings eyes* "I suppose... it would be best to pick a color that would go well with the color of the epaulettes and the lining..." *gets a dreamy look on his face/His Majesty was so handsome and regal!* "Perhaps it would be best if the cape were black as well?" *since Yuuri's come to this world, he's developed a preoccupation with the color black*
Yuuri - *raises an eyebrow at him, really hoping the guy knew he was just joking with him* "Sure... if you think black would be good, then that's fine with me..."
Harriette - *smiles brightly at the king, though not nearly as bright as Gunter was currently beaming* "Would you like to wear the shoes you're most accustomed to wearing, or more formal boots?"
Yuuri - *sighs a little at how excited they both seemed to be* "Boots...." *hey... if Wolfram was going to be wearing glass heels, then he could at least wear something he wasn't used to as well/that, and it might just give him his height back when the blond was in the heels...*
Gunter - *suddenly looks concerned, hearing the king's sigh through his happiness and excitement* "Are you feeling alright, Your Majesty? You seem a bit distracted..."
Yuuri - *blinks at the man, mentally kicking himself for not just focusing on what was in front of him* "I'm fine... Don't worry about it."
Gunter - *immediately starts to worry anyway* "Are you feeling ill?! Do you require a break from your work?!"
Yuuri - *holds his hands up in defense, laughing a bit nervously* "Gunter... I'm fine... I'm taking a break from my work right now..."
Gunter - *still nearly panicking* "Is it Wolfram?? I hear he's thrown another one of his little temper tantrums. The maids in the hall said they could hear him shouting obscenities." *frowns disapprovingly*
Yuuri - *of course he was worried about Wolfram.../shakes his head* "No... it's not that... I'm fine... really..."
Gunter - *is not very satisfied with his answer, though now that the topic of the little blond brat has been brought up, he spares a thought for the boy* "It is highly inappropriate for the king's fiancé to be acting in such a vile manner."
Harriette - *just stands there and keeps her mouth shut*
Yuuri - *sighs again/he'd already been lectured on that just an hour or so earlier* "I understand that... I'm going to have a talk with him... He won't be doing such things again..."
Gunter - "I sincerely hope not. It's an embarrassment to the monarchy! He should be ashamed of himself! Why, if he dares to act that way in front of his wedding guests..." *well... he doesn't really know what he'd do if that were to happen, but he knew the boy wouldn't get away with it without a nice, long lecture*
Yuuri - *rolls his eyes a bit/after all the fuss Wolfram gave him about looking nice and eating properly and doing everything else perfectly, he would really hope that the blond would be able to compose himself appropriately for the event/pretty much repeats himself* “Don't worry about it, Gunter… I'm going to talk to him about it…” *though, he already knew that was going to be a tad difficult to accomplish correctly, especially since he really was worried about how he was doing at the moment - of course, he was taking Iris's lecture to heart and has convinced himself that he wouldn't mollycoddle (pun intended for all intents and purposes) the blond and his previous actions against the girl* “Is there anything else I need to... approve of…?” *changing the subject with the man has worked in the past… why not now?*
Gunter - *pauses in his ranting at the king's question, snapping out of his irate mood to smile at him again* "Not that I can think of at the moment, Your Majesty, although it would be helpful if you were to tell us if you require any additional ornamentation."
Yuuri - *waves a hand at the man* "Sure, sure... But really, what ever you guys can think of should be fine... I really don't care..."
Gunter - *blinks at him, a little startled by his flipancy* "Your Majesty... this is your wedding..."
Yuuri - *winces* "I know... I just really don't have very much of a fashion sense... " *obviously...* "So... I'm really not going to be helpful..."
Gunter - *sighs a bit* "Are you sure there's nothing bothering you, Your Majesty?"
Yuuri - *forces a smile* "Yup! Not a thing!"
Gunter - "Well..." *looks torn between believing him and asking him more questions concerning his physical and mental health* "Then Harriette and I will leave you to your work, and begin preparations for your new uniform immediately."
Harriette - *nods excitedly*
Yuuri - *continues to smile at the two* "Thanks... I'm sure it'll turn out great."
Gunter - *begins to lead Harriette to the door/as bright and bubbly as always* "Have a marvelous day, Your Majesty! Will we be seeing you at dinner this evening, or should I have the maids bring something to the office? Or will you be in your room?"
Yuuri - *honestly didn't know where he would be/it depended on if he got his work finished... among other things* "Uhh... I'll try to go to the dining room... if I'm still tied up, then I'll just send for something... And you have a good day, too..."
Gunter - *gives an enthusiastic nod before opening the door, only to run head first into Gwendal, who had apparently been about to enter*
Gwendal - *growls a bit in annoyance, but is quick to move Gunter out of his way, nearly shoving him into the hallway and directly into Anissina's line of vision/let him deal with her/he didn't have the time, nor was he in the mood*
Harriette - *gives a bow and then scampers out*
Gunter - *yelps a bit in surprise, running as soon as he caught sight of the red haired woman*
Gwendal - *slams the door behind him, making sure to lock it*
Yuuri - *stares a bit nervously at the obviously disgruntled man/he didn't think he wanted to know...*
Gwendal - *notices that the king isn't exactly behind his desk signing papers like he should be/twitches a bit* "Why are you not working?"
Yuuri - *sighs a bit, then lifts a hand to point at the door behind the man* "Gunter..." *that should be explanation enough....*
Gwendal - *stares at him for a moment, then nods/yes, that was all the explanation he really needed*
Yuuri - *lets out a deep sigh, then moves back around the desk to sit down/well... he was going to find out eventually.../doesn't reach for another piece of paper or the quill/instead, he crosses his arms on the desk top, watching the man and trying not to look as worried as he felt* "Gwendal... we have a problem..."
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Characters
Yuuri - Guine
Wolfram - Mikage
Iris - Mikage
Conrad - Guine
Gunter - Mikage
Harriet - Mikage
Gwendal - Mikage