Agatha forbade herself from doing something outlandish in front of so many people and just smiled, ignoring his face as much as she could. As the ceremony continued, she did all expected from her other than looking at him until the moment of her bidding farewell and leaving her family house.
As she tried to step into the carriage, Xavier held onto her hand. With his sudden gesture of his, Agatha finally peeks into his eyes, letting her soul be sucked into those black orbs again. Flustered by how she was staring at him, she hurriedly stepped inside the carriage even hitting her foot in the process.
"Are you alright?" Xavier tried to check her legs when she quickly withdrew her hand, escaping from his side, hastily responding, "I am fine." and went inside the carriage trying to hide from him.
Xavier clenched his fingers into a fist, as the feeling of rejection crushed his spirit. Afraid that the eyes watching him would start whispering, he put on a smile on his lips and bid goodbye to his in-laws and entered the same carriage she was in.
Agatha tried to ignore his presence and kept her eyes peeking through the window as her feet cried in pain.
Xavier wanted to initiate a talk but from the looks of it, she seemed anything but comfortable. He was unsure what caused her to have such great walls around him. Xavier gulped, clutching his fingers trying to figure out a way. If doesn't talk, the wall won't disappear, and he will remain a coward once again…
"Your feet…" Xavier spoke up, crushing down to check her feet. Agatha got flustered by the sudden movement and moved further away.
"Your majesty?" Agatha calmed herself down before inquiring with a raised brow.
"You injured your feet there. I just want to check if it's okay?" Xavier cleared himself, trying to check again.
"Your majesty, that may not be appropriate. You are a king, and touching one's feet doesn't suit a king." Agatha bounced back, trying to make up an excuse for him to not touch her.
The way she only looks at him as a king and calls him your majesty instead of him calling him husband or his name sends him into the depth of despair. Why can't she look at him, not as the king but as her husband, the love of her life as he does? Why can't she call him anything other than your majesty? Was it that hard for her to fall in love with someone like him?
"Xavier. It's Xavier." Xavier remarked, staring into those emerald eyes of hers.
"W-what?" Agatha stammered at the sudden mention of his name.
"My name. Stop calling me your majesty. Either call me Xavier or husband." Xavier declared, grabbing her feet and checking her wounds. "You…are bleeding," Xavier claimed, his eyes widened on seeing her white socks tainted in a crimson hue.
"Just a small cut. It will be fine." Agatha murmured, withdrawing her feet. Her face was already flushed from his earlier remarks.
Agatha was perplexed by the sudden change of attitude in him. The Xavier she knew never told her to call him husband or by his name. He wouldn't even waste a breath or bend down to check her wound. Who was this man? This was not the person she knew more than a decade long. As if a different person took his form.
"Stop the carriage by a nearby inn. Call the royal physician for me, your queen injured her ankle." Xavier shouted to the drivers, sitting beside her.
"Yes, your majesty." The driver responded, fastening their speed.
Agatha almost stopped breathing, as he sat near him. His scent lingered around the top of her nose. The sweet woody smell with hints of cinnamon and orange reminded her of the summer when crickets crackle in those deep woods.
Chrishenburg was located by the cold sea, with the lands covered in dense woody forest. During winter it was always covered under a blanket of snow, something magical. While in spring, those dead trees suddenly revive with flowers starting to bloom and dance in the warm sun for summer, are were her favourites. The land gets filled with abundant life, soaked in vigour and vitality. The water runs through the dense forest, cooling it down while those trees canopy hide her from the sun and the world and most of all the noise of the forest was the most she loved. Those days were the peace to her soul.
As she recalled through those days, the carriage suddenly bumped onto something almost causing her to hit her head on the roof if it was not for Xavier, who was fast enough to put his arm around her and hold her tight.
Agatha gazed at him in astonishment, seeing his arms linked around him. Xavier saw her emerald eyes, staring at him with dilated pupils. He didn't notice before, but they were dangerously close to one another. Their faces were just inches apart, Xavier could hear his heart pounding against his chest, ready to jump out of there any moment.
Agatha was first to break free from the stare and his arms, turning her head away and giving him a little push. Xavier withdrew, clearing his thoughts in the awkward air between them.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to do that." Xavier tried to break the wall of silence, looking everywhere except her.
"Ah, ye. Thank you." Agatha gave a bow as a gesture of gratitude.
Suddenly the carriage was put to a halt, with the guard coming and opening the door for them. Both of them were thankful for the timing of their arrival. The atmosphere inside the carriage was too awkward for them to spend another minute there. Agatha was first to get up and step out, with Xavier following and grabbing her arm from behind. Without any warning, he scooped her up in his arms, making Agatha gasp with all the guards and servants following her.
"Your majesty…" Agatha swallowed hard, trying to voice out.
"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?" Xavier raised a brow, suddenly bringing her closer to his face, before whispering into her ears in a gentle seductive tone, "Call me that once more, I will have to teach you in a better way."