Volume 1 Chapter 3 Part7 (1/2)
VOLUME 1
Season 3, Episode 7
Episode 7:
It turned out to be a surprisingly easy search.
In the grounds of a temple nearby, Rosalie sat pensively on a bench.
Not wanting to startle her, Shun slowly walked towards the bench and sat down.
He wasn't exactly quiet , what with his rustling footsteps, but Rosalie didn't seem to notice him at all.
Sitting down on the bench, Shun noticed that it was a lot smaller than he remembered. He used to come here all the time when he was a kid still.
–
”Shun, why did you lie to me?”
”What?”
That was unexpected.
”You lied to me. You said my food was 'strong'. You even ate it all and -”
Oh, was this about the bento from the other day?
”Well… You did make it just for me after all. There's no way I could've said it tasted bad.”
Rosalie lifted her head slightly to stare at Shun.
”You're very kind, Shun.”
She gave him a small smile, and then proceeded to hang her head all over again.
”You're very kind. I don't deserve to be your bride.”
Without letting him get a word in edgeways, she continued with her tirade.
”I failed the bridal training! I failed at cleaning, at laundry, at cooking. I failed at everything!”
Her eyes were red and puffy from all her crying.
”At this rate, I can never make Shun happy.”
Shun didn't quite know what to say to cheer her up.
The Rosalie he knew from the games was very much attuned to people's wishes. He knew that if anything went wrong, she would really take it to heart.
But he also knew that she'd get up and say ”I'll definitely overcome this!”
Or so he thought.
This time though, failing the bridal training really seemed to hit her hard. She seemed defeated, broken even. And while he was waiting for her to get back up and say her usual ”I'll get it next time!”, even he knew that it wasn't forthcoming.
It seemed that this time, it was down to him to cheer her up.
”Rosalie! It's alright if you can't cook. Don't worry too much about it!”
”Why not?”
”You'll improve with time, I'm sure. And plus, you're not the only one who needs to cook. I can cook for both of us.”
”You can?”
”Sure I can. That Yakiniku Pork Bowl that you had for dinner the other night? Yeah, I made that.”
”You … You made that?”
”Sure did. And that's not all. I make a mean -”
Shatter.
Shun looked up from his tirade to find Rosalie sprawled out on the ground, her face crumpled with shame. Clearly, it was her pride he heard shatter.
”I'm going to go out and train.”
”What?”
Rosalie stood up, almost as if she were about to head off again.
”W-Wait!”
Shun couldn't let her go that easily.
”Let me go, Shun. I've lost all right to be your bride.”
Almost as if she couldn't control it, her pent up emotions started to colour her face, and tears were close to falling.
”I'll kill the Demon King even without your power, Shun! Just you wait!”
Now she was starting to sound like sour grapes.
Uh-oh.
What in the world did he just start?
–
Shun was about to put an arm around her shoulder when Rosalie turned, and just like in those old period dramas, gently but irrevocably escaped from his grasp.
”Shun, just marry Mikoto. She's most suited to you.”
”What are you talking about? Wait! Wait, Rosalie!”
He was pulling at straws here. She could run faster than the wind. He stood no chance of catching up once she was gone -
”You were waiting here weren't you?”
The evening brought with it the sounds of crickets in the fields, as weary feet retired games of tag.
”You were waiting here, hoping for someone to come along, weren't you?”
She stopped.
And turned around.
Her face said it all.
”How did you know?””
Because I know that bench you were sitting on.
”Because, I too… When I was younger, I used to sit where you were sitting.”
Shun fingered the edge of the bench.