When they arrived, the scene was lively. Children were running around, their faces smeared with ice cream, giggling and shouting.
The aroma of breakfast wafted through the air.
"Hey! We made a deal! Ice cream is after the meal!" Letentia called out, laughing as she set down the basket of fresh vegetables and fruits.
She began to chase the children, "Children, stop your action immediately, you do not want to see me mad."
Resendus burted to laugh and followed her, and soon the royal guards joined in, their serious demeanor fading as they ran after the playful children.
Letentia noticed the contrast, the same actions, but with different meanings.
Suddenly, a loud knock echoed through the orphanage.
"Breakfast is ready! Come to the dining room, everyone!" a staff member shouted.
Juld appeared, carrying a steaming pot, his face beaming with pride.
Letentia gently set a little one down and rushed back to grab the basket again.
"Resendus, you can go eating breakfast if you're hungry." she said, smiling at the royal guards. "Please, feel free to make yourselves at home."
In the dining room, the scene was amusing, Resendus and the guards sat in the modest dining room, looking slightly out of place.
Curious children reached out to touch their garments and swords, while others kept their distance, unsure of the newcomers.
"Please, do not touch the sword." Quaerus said, trying to maintain his composure, though annoyance flickered in his eyes.
Amorus, one of the children, looked up at the guards with wide eyes. "What is this? Is it heavy? Are you all the spouses of Tia sister?"
Letentia felt her cheeks flush. "Amorus! It's not every man I bring is mine… my… ahhhh…"
Juld's face twitched, a smile threatening to break through his serious facade. "Why don't we start enjoying the meal?" he suggested, his tone inviting with a forced smile.
As they sat down, Resendus took Letentia's hand, his grip warm and reassuring.
"We already agreed that we will walk down the aisle together." he said, his voice steady.
"What? Huh? WHAT?" The room erupted in shocked gasps. Quaerus stood up, his face pale. "My highness, you are engaged already!"
"Yes, I am engaged." Resendus replied, his tone firm. "Yes, your highness, you are engaged to the grand duchess's first daughter." said Quaerus.
"What?" Letentia's mind raced. "I'm… I'm just Letentia!"
Resendus smiled softly. "But Letty, when we played house years ago, you promised to marry me."
Juld looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Letentia felt a whirlwind of emotions. "I grew up here! I'm just one of the caretakers!"
"Yes, but you are still a viscount's daughter." Resendus insisted.
"A former viscount's daughter. Please, your highness." Quaerus interjected, his voice tense. "You promised the grand duchess's first daughter that this would be your last time looking for someone. You're already in your thirties, and you still don't have an heir."
"It's not my problem." Resendus replied, his eyes fierce. "The marriage isn't arranged by me, and I did not agree to it either."
"It is your highness's privilege to not accept it." Quaerus said, his voice low. "You know how many rumors she has to endure."
"I can only promise my commitment to my love." Resendus declared, his gaze locked on Letentia.
"I cannot love someone else. I cannot promise something I don't believe I can do."
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air.
"What are you talking about?" Juld asked, bewildered.
And before Letentia could gather her thoughts, the weight of Resendus's words hung heavily in the air.
She felt a mix of confusion and disbelief swirling inside her.
"Resendus, what do you mean?" she finally managed to ask.
"We were just children playing games. This… this isn't real!"
Resendus's expression softened, and he leaned closer, his eyes earnest.
"Letty, those games meant something to me. Your smile was the only thing can brighten my day. I never forgot the promise we made."
The room was silent, the children momentarily distracted by the tension.
Juld looked between them, his brow furrowed. "But you can't just decide to marry someone based on childhood games! There are responsibilities, expectations…"
"Expectations?" Resendus interrupted, his voice rising slightly.
"What about love? Shouldn't that be the foundation of any marriage? I can't just accept a fate that doesn't include the person I truly care for."
"Let us marry now."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Letentia
Resendus
Guards
Children
Juld
Staffs
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Resendus, his guards and Letentia arrived at the lively orphanage, but the atmosphere shifted when Resendus revealed their engagement, based on a childhood promise. Tension arose as they navigated the expectations of duty versus love, with Resendus insisting that true affection should guide their choices. Letentia grappled with her identity and feelings, questioning the validity of their childhood promise in the face of adult responsibilities.