Leonard Marfont wasn't a subtle man. For starters, he was too tall and too heavy, and his voice was too easy to distinguish from most. Coraline was the one to first spot him on the road, and grandma Anne rushed her up to hide from him. It was all part of her plan, and she was all part of it from the moment she told her about it.
Twenty-one long years under 'his majesty, her lord grandfather' had taught her much about what she wanted out of life, and that was to give Plaenia the Queen it deserved: Herself. And a silly big warrior wasn't going to stop her.
Cora had heard a lot about Leo Marfont, enough to know she had to seize her change as soon as possible, and she'd need to act quickly to get his attention.
She'd had the shortest of times to undo her hair and dress down to properly welcome him. Her clothes would make her humble, her hair, loose around her shoulders and face, would make her look innocent, and the way she looked at him once she finally stood would show him desire.
Cora had been told he was big, but his actual presence was almost threatening that day. His handsome face was stained with blood - her grandfather's blood - and he was still drunk and stunned from battle when he saw her. He wanted her, she knew, and it was hard to hide.
So, Cora enticed him and waited.
His cousin's visit was a surprise but a good one. Princess Margaret had asked questions, and she answered all of them without caring the least, just being completely honest, and gained a new friend in the process.
When her family was warned about his visit, her grandmother had been quick to choose her best dress and put aside for Coraline to wear, but she just ignored it, sneaking to listen through the door to their conversation and quickly catching his intention. He was thinking about marrying her.
When she realised their chat was ending, her mind rushed, knowing she needed to catch his eyes quickly. So, Cora walked outside and undressed to only her shift, capturing his eyes through one of the windows but ignoring it, diving into the lake under the warm sunlight.
It took him ten minutes to go down to watch her.
Leonard Marfont was a pirate and a man. His body wanted a woman, and he needed a Queen by his side, and if showing him what his body wanted was the thing that would drive her closer to taking such a position, then so be it.
It took the King just some minutes to be outside, trying - and failing - to hide behind the scattered trees in her grandmother's garden.
"Watch out for the tulips, they were my mother's favourites," she warned him when he stepped closer.
King Leonard blushed so pretty when he realised she had seen him that Cora had to hold back a giggle, almost sorry for him.
"Lady Coraline," he squeaked. "I'm sorry, I was… I was looking… I mean, I wasn't looking, I did not see anything."
She lowered her chin slowly, hiding underwater up to her shoulders.
"Are you sure, your majesty?" Coraline asked. "I distinctly remember seeing you looking through that window."
His face became redder from face to ears.
"I… I…" he stuttered. "Lady Coraline, I…"
"Cora," she interrupted him.
"Sorry?"
"My friends call me Cora, not Lady Coraline."
Now that she had friends, that was.
He swallowed, something she could see in the way his Adam's apple bobbed in his thick neck. He was so big everywhere.
"So, we're friends?" he finally asked.
She smiled mischievously.
"You're here visiting me, your majesty," she pointed out. "I hope you have friendly intentions."
Leo stared at her for a moment, and she shivered when his gaze explored the skin of her neck and the exposed part of her shoulder, trying to see what the water was hiding.
"What if," he licked his lips. "What if my intentions are more than friendly?"
Cora raised her eyebrows in surprise. She didn't expect him to be this blunt."
"Are you here to arrest me, your majesty?" she asked, though knowing this wasn't it.
Leo chuckled darkly.
"You know that isn't it, my lady," he denied. "You know my intentions. There's no need to play coy."
Her eyes explored his figure, and she breathed in deeply. She couldn't deny how she felt about him, how very attracted to this beautiful and strong man she was, even if she didn't first start from that point. What girl wouldn't want such a handsome husband for herself?
"I don't know what you're talking about, your majesty," she insisted.
Leo stepped nearer, now close enough to look down at her from his position.
"Then why did you undress and enter this lake, my lady, if not to entice me with a good I can't even touch before making mine?"
Coraline didn't answer. She didn't have to, though - thank God, because he'd left her speechless.
"Cora," her grandmother approached them and curtsied to him. "I'm sorry, your majesty, this is not how we welcome people in this house," she chastised her, but she knew it was just an act.
"It's my fault, my lady. I caught her off guard," he chuckled. "I'll go inside and let the Lady Coraline alone to cover herself up," he decided. "Excuse me."
Leo walked back inside and Cora finally left the water, being quickly covered by her grandmother.
"Well?" Anne whispered, tying her dress with quick fingers. "How did it go?"
"Perfect," Cora looked over her shoulders, seeing Leo walking through the back door. "It was perfect."