Episode13
1500 Words
Before leaving Victoria City, Selena decided to stop by a clothing store. It had been a while since she last indulged in new garments, so she splurged on ten extravagant ball gowns. Each was intricately designed, complete with elegant whale-bone corsets and hoop skirts that cinched her already slender waist, making each breath feel like it might snap the delicate structure.
From a young age, Selena was accustomed to the restrictive embrace of corsets and the grandeur of hoop skirts; they had become an integral part of her identity. The rushed escape had deprived her of these familiar trappings, leaving her feeling unanchored.
“...Tighten it a bit more, please. I’m sure I can manage this size!” Selena strained against the bench in the fitting room as she pulled her abdomen inward.
With some effort and the assistance of the store's attendants, she finally managed to fit into one of the dresses. After catching her breath, she wandered over to the accessories section, selecting a chic hat to adorn her head.
Mike followed silently, settling the bill.
As Selena prepared to leave, he couldn’t help voicing a concern, “Miss, we have a long journey ahead.”
“I know,” Selena replied, glancing down at her newly chosen heeled shoes, realization dawning. “Do you think these shoes are unsuitable? Don’t worry, Mike; you can just carry me!”
It wasn’t the shoes that concerned him.
Mike paused briefly, attempting a gentle suggestion, “The dress isn’t ideal for long periods of sitting.”
A knight traditionally should not critique. Yet the petite princess was clearly struggling for breath, stubbornly embracing the corset, evoking Mike's quiet sorrow.
Back home, such restricting contraptions didn’t exist. Women were tenderly cared for by their partners, not made frail for aesthetic ideals dictated by masculine perspectives.
Selena misunderstood Mike's concern, assuming it was disdain for the cumbersome garment.
She felt slightly troubled.
Before yesterday, the proud princess would never have entertained any of her knight’s suggestions. Yet he had recently driven off the queen's Silver Knights and helped evade their pursuers, prompting Selena to decide he deserved a measure of kindness and respect as a reward for his loyalty.
“My brother told me that all ladies wear corsets. I’ve worn them all my life; not having one feels strange,” she explained.
“But it causes you discomfort.”
“…”
Selena blinked, looking up quietly at the towering figure before her.
With his dark skin and hair, his blue eyes hidden under tousled locks, Mike usually wore an impassive expression—ever-resolute and dependable. Yet beneath that stoic facade, she recognized the tenderness of his heart for the first time.
“They never bothered me before,” she insisted, offering a smile that was both gentle and firm.
*
Knights are bound by duty, always following their princess’s commands.
But, on occasion, things didn’t go quite as planned.
Just as they hadn’t now.
After sending her new dress to the cleaners for a quick refresh, Selena found herself enjoying an indulgent afternoon tea at Victoria City's finest cafe to bide the time.
When Mike returned to retrieve the cleaned gown—
He returned with a bag containing the pristine dress and another filled with a jumble of broken corset pieces.
Selena’s lips twitched, her fingertips lightly gripping the fractured whale-bone corset, her expression a mix of aristocratic composure and ironic amusement. “Oh—Sir Mike, could you kindly explain why my hoops and corset are in such disrepair?”
Mike remained silent, not offering an explanation.
He laid his sword aside, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, silently inviting whatever punishment the princess saw fit to bestow.
Selena’s breathing hitched in frustration.
She glared at this immovable dark fortress of a man, finding him as stubborn and dense as the stones buried beneath the earth.
“You’re absolutely—absolutely insufferable!”
Words eluded the flustered princess. Unable to articulate harsher reproach, she turned abruptly, her heels tapping sharply against the ceramic tiles.
Mike quietly gathered the remnants of the whale-boned corset.
Kneeling with a straight back, his long lashes cast shadows over his face—an expression of absorption she’d never observed before. With some curiosity, he pieced the corset back together, sizing it in his hands.
Its width matched the contours of the princess’s waist.
Mike was satisfied with his “achievement.”
Old customs should be discarded.
His Miss had been bound by unpleasant constraints for too long; she needed a breath of fresh air.
And to embrace—accept—a new companion.
Perhaps in the form of...himself.
His dark complexion perfectly concealed any trace of a smile.
Mike took no offense at Selena’s proclamation of ‘hatred.’ Quite the contrary, he was rather pleased.
He keenly sensed the softening, the shift in her behavior, which used to be all guardedness and suspicion, whereas now it was blossoming into recognition and acknowledgment.
His Miss was beginning to embrace his presence.
The timing was ideal; he ought to approach her for the well-earned reward he’d been waiting for.
Should the princess bestow it shyly, the knight would be considerate of her hesitance.
Mike mused mischievously that receiving it without alarming her—might provide a thrill unto itself.
*
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The originally retreating princess returned, footsteps sharp with determination.
Selena’s indignation flared anew, incensed by her knight’s audacity to defy her wishes!
She stormed back, dress skirts in hand, oblivious to the unapologetic smile still lingering on Mike’s face, her cheeks puffed in irritation, and kicked at Mike's kneeling leg.
The floor was slick; she missed.
“Ah—!”
Her sharp cry coincided with a shrill scraping noise, the heel scuffing against the floor.
“Crack,” it snapped!
Losing her balance, she fell back unexpectedly.
Her large, rounded eyes glimmered with panic; before she could transition from anger to surprise, a firm grip steadied her by the waist, pivoting her effortlessly onto Mike’s leg.
His long arms encircled her impossibly delicate waist.
Gently squeezing once, a realization flickered across his mind:
—With just one hand, he could wholly capture the princess.
So soft, he imagined.
His blue eyes twinkled with suppressed amusement, though his face remained stern and unaffected.
Still kneeling, Mike kept an aura of steadfast reliability. He placed the princess on his bent knee, half reclining her securely against himself.
“Miss, are you alright?” he asked with calm, measured concern.
Selena: “…”
As swearing to herself, she had never experienced a day of such disgrace!
Absolutely—it was, simply—
“Waaah—wahhh—wahhhh—!”
Selena burst into tears of mortified distress.
The knight’s deep concern, meant as genuine, felt mocking to Selena’s ears. Not only had she missed her kick, but her shoe had absurdly broken, nearly causing her to fall! The humiliation only compounded by being nimbly rescued by the one she’d intended to strike, settled safely in his lap, saving her further embarrassment!
Should there be a crevice to crawl into, prideful as she was, the princess would undoubtedly wish to dive in, never to be seen again!
Too mortifying!!
Mike was taken aback by Selena’s explosive crying.
He hastily reached to wipe her tears away, but she shoved his hands aside with small, hasty swats.
Feeble fists landed lightly against his head and chest with negligible force. Yet, with each reactive bounce off his firm muscles, they grew red with impact.
Resigned, Mike gently clasped Selena’s hands in his own, preventing her from causing any further discomfort to herself.
He mouthed silent words, yearning to offer comfort, yet fearful of revealing too much of his heart's adoration, lest she detect the change within him.
Quietly, he continued to kneel, serving faithfully as her throne.
Selena’s tears gradually abated, her sobs quieting down.
Not quite comfortable, she shifted her wrist experimentally.
The knight, unwilling to contravene her will, released her hesitantly, savoring the moment before unclasping his fingers.
Selena stood, flustered and irate, glaring at the seemingly obtuse yet secretly wily knight. Crossing her arms, she pointed a finger his way, speaking with faux authority, “From today onward, you are forbidden to speak to me!”
Mike froze in surprise.
He rushed to argue, his efforts manifesting only as silent movements!
Selena paused, startled.
She hadn’t expected the enchantment’s efficacy to be so powerful.
Her previous interactions with magic were minimal, and her knowledge of master-servant spells scant, leaving her cautious around Mike.
But looking upon him now, voiceless yet animated by surprise, matched with his tousled hair—his endearing cluelessness was almost charming.
Selena: “Hehe.”
Her mood noticeably improved.
Generously, she decided to pardon her knight, “Alright, alright, I’ll allow you to speak.”
Author's Note:
Nini (Mike): Pretended to be quiet to hide his unmentionable thoughts from the Miss, almost turned into a real mute.
- Writer
