The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 271: Good Enough

Chapter 271: Good Enough

At Stewart Manor, Kingdom of Ebodia

Taro was having second thoughts as he made his way to the dining room. He had Krisha by his side, sure, but this was her family after all. And somehow, just the thought of facing them made him feel fear in ways that not even his countless years of serving his king could ever do.

It also didn’t help that he only had five days to put everything in order. While he got permission from his king to tie things up on his end, he still had duties to attend to where he was irreplaceable.

"Are you alright?" Krisha asked him just as they neared the door to their destination.

"I’m fine," Taro quickly responded, making sure to keep his anxieties bottled up.

"Taro, I can tell that something’s wrong."

He inwardly cursed himself for showing weakness. Of course, Krisha would be able to pick up on his worries. He liked that about her, but this was the one time that he truly hoped that she wouldn’t think too much about him. This was his battle to fight, and he was determined to at least come out unscathed.

"I’m simply a bit worried," he truthfully replied after firmly recomposing himself. "I don’t want to disappoint your parents any further than I already have."

"Taro, if there’s anyone that’s supposed to be saying that, it should be me," Krisha sincerely stated with a warm smile, her hand tightening around his as she squeezed it for reassurance. "It was my choice to let you mark me, so don’t blame yourself for anything that might happen. Just let me do the talking and we’ll be fine."

"Alright," Taro nodded. "I’ll trust you."

They both gave each other an encouraging smile before they went and faced the door in front of them. Now wasn’t the time for hesitation. If they were going to announce their relationship, it was best that they looked as confident as possible. After all, if they were as sure in this decision as they were in their desire to have each other, then surely, nothing would go wrong.

Sharing a mutual nod, Taro and Krisha opened the door together. Immediately, they were greeted by her parents. Well, her mother, at least.

"You two finally arrived," Krisha’s mother, Sha, warmly greeted them. "Take a seat so that we can get started."

Taro nodded as he then led Krisha to sit by the table. Doing what was expected of him, he pulled out a chair for her before sitting just beside her. It was... awkward, to say the least.

"Thank you, Mother, Father, for allowing us to meet like this," Krisha began with a smile. "I know this isn’t the best time for this kind of announcement, but any announcement is better than none at all, right?"

An awkward silence settled in the room, and Taro could tell that his presence was sorely hated by the only other man in the room. Duke Rigor, Krisha’s father, clearly didn’t appreciate his presence, and he could only firmly hold his gaze as he held his ground.

"Daughter, what is the meaning of this?"

"This is Taro, my husband," Krisha bluntly stated.

"Husband?! Are you serious?!" the duke spoke aloud, his anger palpable with each word that he spoke. "Who even is this man? Did he even get permission to marry you?!"

"Father, I’m not here to ask for permission," Krisha quickly replied. "It already happened. I’m just here to inform you all that I’m now taken. You don’t have to try and find suitors for me or enter me into some kind of selection program."

"What?! Are you insane?!" Duke Rigor screamed in outrage. "We went all this way to put your name in as King Ezekiel’s possible Queen, and yet this is how you repay us?!"

"Father, this is final," Krisha firmly replied. "Taro is now my husband, and there is nothing you can do to stop us from being together."

Taro felt her hand snake its way to his own, and he gave her a gentle squeeze as he sat in solidarity with her words.

"Is he, now?" the duke scoffed. "He hasn’t even said a single word."

Taro gave Krisha a look, and she nodded back in reply, giving him encouragement to reply. "With all due respect, I like your daughter very much. I assure you, I’ll protect and care for Krisha to the best of my abilities."

"But are you strong enough? Powerful enough for that?" her father questioned. "Are you even good enough for her?"

"I am," Taro replied with conviction. "And even if you don’t think as such, I will strive to prove otherwise."

Another terse silence settled within the room, and Taro could only gulp as the duke promptly let out an annoyed sigh before finally touching his food.

"I will hold you to that.... For now," Duke Rigor scoffed.

Krisha let out a sigh of relief beside him, and he could only assume that they’d won their battle. For now, at least.

"...I apologize for the Duke’s behavior, Taro," Krisha’s mother sincerely stated. "However, while I don’t mind you and Krisha being together, you two should at least follow tradition and get married."

"Way ahead of you, Mother," Krisha eagerly smiled. "Might I suggest a garden wedding? We can hold it in two days’ time, and it won’t even be that hard to set up."

"Hmm... You don’t want something more fitting like a grand wedding?" her mother asked.

"We’re sure," Krisha stated as she pulled him next to her. "We don’t want something too extravagant. Just a small wedding with a few close family and friends would suffice."

"I agree," Taro nodded back, taking Krisha’s lead as he stated his piece. "I also still have my duties to my king, so a quick wedding would be more fitting."

"He has to leave five days from now," Krisha finished explaining. "So a small wedding would, as he said, fit our needs."

Taro watched as Krisha’s mother hummed to herself. "A garden wedding then... Very well. That can be arranged."

Beside him, he could feel Krisha’s joy radiating off her as they finally began eating. Likewise, he too was as happy as he could be as he dug into his own meal.

This trip had been worth it. And while he still had to woo Krisha’s father to his side, this was still significant progress.