Chapter 1: Vows
Knock knock.
Claudio struggled to knock on the door, while also struggling to balance his own weight with a rather unkempt drunkard perched on his shoulder. He carefully placed the arm of the man around him to support his weight, but the man proved to be heavier than Claudio. Claudio was even lucky that he remembered the address of this place. The man had only mentioned it briefly in a passing conversation not too long ago. It was a rather average place—not too flashy, and not too modest. Judging from the residents of the place, it didn’t surprise him in the least. Claudio patiently waited, until an attractive woman dressed casually in a white blouse and well-fitting capri pants opened the door to the apartment.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Lady Cornelia,” Claudio said, smiling rather anxiously.
“Claudio?” Cornelia asked. Her expression changed to a surprised one when she identified the man asleep on Claudio’s shoulder. Upon realizing that it was him¸ she opened the door wider to let them enter.
“Is that Guilford? What happened?”
Claudio nervously smiled. “Ahh, well, it seems Lord Guilford was a little taken away.”
Taken away? “What do you mean?”
Claudio entered the apartment, dragging the drunken Lord Guilford inside.
Cornelia closed the door. “Is Guilford alright?” she asked, leading the two of them to the former Knight’s bedroom.
“Well, there has been some celebration, and some… drinking. Apparently, Tamaki forced Lord Guilford to drink.” And after such a sensitive conversation, Lord Guilford just needed a drink, Claudio thought. “Unfortunately, he drank too much than his body could take,” Claudio narrated as he carefully placed the drunken man on the bed. “We were lucky that Sir Tohdoh and I were sober enough to lead him home.” The rest were totally hammered.
Cornelia sighed. “Thanks for taking Guilford home, Claudio.” She sat down on Guilford’s bed and gently placed her right hand on Guilford’s forehead, feeling his temperature. There was a wistful expression on her face, and a tender silence that was rather uncharacteristic of the former princess. “It has been a long time since I have seen him like this,” she whispered. “The drunken one is usually me.”
Claudio smiled. He had heard of tales from his father about his adventures with the Second Princess and her Knight. He smiled at the memory. He stretched his arms a little.
Cornelia noticed this. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine, Lady Cornelia. Actually, I need to go.”
“Oh, I see,” Cornelia answered, transferring her gaze to Claudio from the drunken man on the bed. She stood. “Thank you, again, Claudio, for taking Guilford home.”
Claudio bowed his head to Cornelia, just like the old days, before leaving the apartment.
After hearing the sound of the door closing fade to nothingness, Cornelia sighed and looked at Guilford one more time.
Whatever led him to his current state must be a rather delicate thing to him. Guilford is not a man of temptations. In fact, if there is one person Cornelia could think of who has the unique ability to remain steadfast in any kind of ‘enticing’ activity—such as drinking, womanizing (although Cornelia has never heard of Guilford taking part in such activity)—it is her former Knight. Cornelia isn’t so sure about Darlton, since she doesn’t really hear about his personal life aside from what she hears from his sons or Guilford himself. However, “taken away”? As far as Cornelia was concerned, Gilbert G.P. Guilford is not a man that would easily allow himself to be taken away. If he was, Cornelia doubted whether he would still be by her side until now.
Whatever happened to him, Guilford wore a tired but peaceful expression on his face. His hair was disheveled. What she saw as a neat tie before he left became the exact opposite; his hair was almost untied, free strands forming as bangs at the side of his face. His jacket was gone completely—if Cornelia remembered correctly, he was wearing one this morning—and some of his shirt buttons were opened from the top, revealing a little view of his chest and the entirety of his neck.
Had there been women in their ‘celebration’?
Cornelia’s brows furrowed unconsciously, and she withdrew a deep exhale.
I need a drink.
Unlike Guilford, Cornelia prepared a hot cup of coffee for herself, leaving Guilford to rest. For their temporary stay in Japan, she and her Knight agreed to rent an apartment for the two of them. Since they were no longer royalty, they had to thrive on their own funds. Cornelia used some of what she had earned while she was doing her job as the Commander-in-Chief, and Guilford offered some of his as well. Luckily, it was more than enough for their needs—as two practical people, they had prioritized their comfort more than aesthetics—for now. And when Cornelia went to Japan to sort out some businesses concerning the new empire and to attend an upcoming wedding, no one questioned her when Guilford, now a friend and no longer a Knight, came with her. She had asked him, and Guilford courteously said yes.
For the wholeness of the day, Cornelia stayed in the apartment alone and tried to be patient. It was a free day, and she had nothing to do. Guilford, on the other hand, had been invited to a party of sorts.
“A party?” Cornelia asked Guilford. She was sitting on the table in the apartment’s small kitchen, watching Guilford as he was cooking and preparing their dinner.
“It seems to be,” Guilford replied. “It’s Sir Kaname’s bachelor party.”
“Villetta Nu and Kaname Ohgi,” Cornelia trailed off, “they’re really getting married…”
Guilford placed the dishes on the table. “Here, Cornelia.” It was a simmered dish of meat and vegetables—a hot, healthy diet. As expected of Cornelia’s Knight, of course.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at Guilford as he sat down. “Will you be attending?”
“That’s what I would like to ask you,” Guilford said. “I would like to ask for your permission.”
Cornelia was a little surprised at this. “Oh no, Guilford, you don’t have to ask for my permission,” she told him softly. “You are free to do anything you please.”
And so he went. Actually, Guilford had asked her one more time if she’d allow him, and she had to say ‘yes’ before he would allow himself to go. He insisted that he hear her permission coming from her mouth directly. And that decision of hers—which became his—left her with the bitter side effect of Cornelia being left in the rented apartment alone. It was a free day, and she could use some private time, but she had nothing to do. Before Guilford left, he had woken up early to cook her something to eat for the day while he was away. One of the reasons why Guilford came to Japan with her was because Cornelia needed him. Cornelia considered herself to be an independent woman, but there are just some things that she needed Guilford’s help on. That left her nothing to do—not even cook.
Of course, she had always thanked him for it. It was the least she could do. And she did try cooking for the two of them once, but it was a situation that she would rather forget… And through that attempt she had learned some things about her skills… Thankfully, Guilford had always remained to be the gentleman that he had always been, even after witnessing her awful cooking skills.
Her hands were around the cup, the warmth from the hot liquid entering through her hands to the rest of her body, and most importantly, to her head. Because right through that moment, a million thoughts danced through her mind.
A bachelor party is usually attended only by men… That’s right. But he looks… different. How did Gil get so drunk? I have never seen him like this in a long time… Of course, I did tell him to do anything he pleases… I don’t have the right to control his lifestyle. Even if he would still be my Knight now, I don’t have the right to control the way he lives his life… I no longer own him…
“Cornelia.”
Cornelia turned, surprised. She looked around to the source of the voice, and found her former Knight standing on the doorway to the kitchen, his elbow leaning on the frame of the door. It was the only time that Cornelia noticed that his glasses had been gone, too, when she found his eyes looking at her. However, this time, Cornelia wasn’t quite sure, whether the eyes she was seeing were the same eyes that she usually sees through clear glasses. Those gray orbs that had witnessed her everything.
Shaking her thoughts off, Cornelia stood up from her seat and approached him. “Gil…,” she said, “you need to go back to bed. You need rest.” She touched his arm, and looked at him, concerned. “Or do you want water?” She reached up again to his forehead and neck to feel his temperature.
“…”
“Wait, let me get you a glass of water.”
Cornelia hurried to the faucet to fetch the drunken Knight a glass of water. Guilford simply stood there, leaning on the doorframe and staring at her, even until the moment she came back to approach him. He didn’t move a muscle except breathe.
“You shouldn’t drink so much, Guilford,” she softly reminded him. “Here.” Cornelia handed him the glass.
But Guilford wouldn’t receive it.
“Guilford…?”
“…”
“…”
“Cornelia.”
For the second time, he mentioned her name. It wasn’t a slur; it was clear, as if he wasn’t drunk at all. And to Cornelia, he said it in a way that reminded her of many things past. And for the first time, Guilford moved. He motioned to her and took her by the wrist with his left hand, his elbow finally leaving the doorframe. He moved his face closer to hers, paused, and simply stared at Cornelia’s eyes.
It was the first time that Cornelia had witnessed Guilford to be like this.
Those eyes again…
“Guilford… the glass…,” Cornelia pleaded. However, she wasn’t exactly sure if she was worried for the glass on her right hand or something else entirely.
He stared.
Too close.
“Gil…”
“…”
“Gil… water…,” she repeated, but this time, using his nickname, trying to get his attention, all the time, also trying to hold the glass and prevent it from leaving her grip.
Instead of answering, Guilford tightened his hold on Cornelia’s wrist, nudging her closer to him. His other hand snaked down to Cornelia’s back to push her towards him.
And the glass fell to pieces on the floor.
However, Cornelia had no time to look, for Guilford moved closer to her than he already was. His nose was already touching her left cheek. She could feel his breath on the skin of her cheek and her neck.
Too close.
“Guilford… what are you —”
“Don’t move.” And this time, he said something other than her name.
And she did as he said. And before she knew it, Guilford began trailing kisses from her left cheek down to the side of her neck. He traced her cheek, then her neck, then moved back up to her face. His hands were still on Cornelia’s back and wrist, and he could feel his wrist go limp at his hold, both from his hands and from another part of his body.
“G-Guilford…”
Cornelia tried to regain her composure to resist, but Guilford wouldn’t let go. Cornelia had sparred with Guilford many times, even before he became her Knight, but it was almost as if the alcohol that entered Guilford’s body had given him a different kind of strength. Either that, or it was she who became weak.
“Princess…,” he whispered, finally stopping from his ministrations, and looking at her directly.
Princess… Cornelia silenced herself at the mention of the honorific. It hasn’t been long, but it’s as if it’s been years. Hearing that word from Guilford himself has brought back so many memories. Too many. They had been together for a long time; they had been through many things together with their comrades. So many things had happened, so many battles fought, so many deaths grieved. That one word began to mean many things to Cornelia. That word now became a part of her past. And hearing it from this man triggered a variety of emotions, but Cornelia fought herself to concentrate more on what was more important.
“Guilford,” Cornelia softly said, almost like a soothing whisper to a crying infant, her free hand moving from his arm to the side of his face, “you’re tired. You need to go back to bed.”
That stare again…
“No,” the former Knight deftly answered.
“But Gil, you—”
Cornelia was silenced, but this time with a direct ambush from Guilford’s lips. It came as tentative—with Cornelia not responding—but quickly became impassioned as Guilford’s lips heatedly devoured hers.
Guilford…
Among the many men Cornelia knew in her life, there was only one whom she trusted, only one whom she trusted with her life, with her entire self, only one who had her faith. And there was no question, it was her Knight. It was a trust that has been earned. It was a trust that they had built together in the decades of their knowing each other. To Cornelia, Guilford had been her only closest friend, her confidant, the only person she could tell all her secrets to, and the only person she could reveal her whole self to. He had been kind to her, amidst all her mistakes, all her failures. And he had been there to witness everything. Before, that trust was wrapped in the contract of knighthood, but after everything, she had realized that it was more than that; it was a bond that had been formed between the two of them.
And maybe, it was the reason why even the ‘Witch of Britannia’ couldn’t have the resolve to resist.
Gil…
Her hands had found its way down to Guilford’s chest. Guilford let go of Cornelia’s wrist, and that same hand reached down to the bottom of her blouse, pushing it up, his palm moving under her blouse on the skin on the side of her stomach.
God knows this wasn’t their first time. Cornelia wasn’t sure, but she had an inkling. Many times she had been drunk herself, and many times, too, did she not know what she did during the span of time she was hammered. In the morning after, she usually is greeted with a rather evasive (and blushy) Guilford and too amused Darlton, who would later tell her a small part of the story. However, if she remembered correctly, she was sure that it was only to the point of making out. Guilford, Cornelia concluded, was the ultimate gentleman.
Guilford’s lips moved to the side of Cornelia’s lips, allowing the two of them to finally breathe.
“Princess,” Guilford whispered quietly.
“Guilford,” Cornelia breathed.
She could still feel the warmth from his hand on the side of her stomach. She exhaled when he felt Guilford’s left hand move from the side of her stomach to the skin of her back. His other hand was still on her back, palm on cloth. Guilford’s left cheek touched Cornelia’s left cheek, almost like a form of kiss. Cornelia closed her eyes when she left Guilford’s hold on her tighten. She found her own hands moving from his chest to his back. She clutched on his already ruffled shirt.
They remained quiet for minutes, allowing themselves to revel on the intimacy that they had recently shared. Whatever led them to this situation, Cornelia didn’t know, and no longer cared to know. She herself didn’t know what was happening at all, but she felt comfortable, because it was her Knight.
The quietness was only broken by an unheard whisper from Guilford.
“…”
“Guilford?” Cornelia’s voice came out raspy, and she quickly cleared her throat. “Did you say something?”
“Why did you bring me here?” Guilford repeated.
“…”
He waited, and the stillness came back.
“B-Because…”
You know it, Gil. I know you do.
If only Guilford was sober, he’d realize that it was one of the rare times anybody had gotten the Second Princess at a loss for words. No one ever got the ‘Witch of Britannia’ at a loss for words, not even a drunken man.
“Because I need you with me, Guil—”
“Why did you leave me?”
Cornelia swallowed. Any trace of subtle nervousness she had felt earlier intensified. She knew this conversation would come, but she had not expected to be in this situation. She had not expected it to come this soon. She had not expected it to go this way.
“I wanted to do it alone, Guilford,” Cornelia pleaded. “I thought that you would be safer that way…” She said it, almost begging. “And Britannia needed you. Someone capable needed to rule, and I knew that no one would be more capable than you to hold that position, Guilford…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
They were still embracing, their cheeks still touching.
“If I told you,” Cornelia began, “I knew you would insist to come with me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You could have ordered me to stay, Princess, like you always do,” he said, not with a reprimanding voice, but with a gentle one.
Like you always do, Cornelia repeated. It hurt. It really did.
“At least you could have told me…”
“…” Tears welled up in Cornelia’s eyes.
“You always want to do things by yourself…”
So many thoughts circled in Cornelia’s mind. Such words… And coming from him. To Cornelia, Guilford’s opinion mattered. She had always asked him about his opinion on anything. Everything from him mattered, because of her trust for him. That was why, such words coming from his mouth held so much weight. It weighed down on her shoulders, on her mind, on her chest. Her Knight, who stood beside him quietly, who followed her orders quietly, now spoke to her, and said to her all these things. For years that they had been together, she had often wondered if her life choices had impacted his life in some way. Did he regret becoming her Knight? He had always been there to comfort her, to give her reassurance, but these words made her doubts resurface. Doubts…
And she couldn’t hold it any longer. The tears were too heavy. Her throat felt too narrow for her to breathe. Her tears fell on her cheeks and his. But he didn’t let go, and she tightened her hold on him.
“I’m sorry…”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“…”
“Why did you bring me here to Japan when you could have left me back in the capital?”
“B-Because…,” Cornelia struggled to speak, “you were… and still are… my Knight… Guilford.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“I…”
“Is that the only reason, Cornelia?”
Cornelia…, Cornelia’s own name echoed in her thoughts. His voice speaking her name will be forever glued to her memory.
“B-Because I need you… Gil…”
“...”
“Because I need you with me, my Knight,” Cornelia whispered. “I don’t want to lose you, too.” We’re the only ones left.
“Cornelia…,” Guilford started, “you know that I will always be here for you. Even if I am no longer your Knight, I will still remain loyal to you. You know that, don’t you?”
Cornelia nodded slowly, her cheeks rubbing against his. Guilford delicately rubbed his hand on her back to comfort her.
“Am I still your Knight?”
“Yes.”
“Am I still Cornelia’s Knight?”
“Yes,” Cornelia answered. “Gilbert G.P. Guilford is Cornelia’s Knight.”
“No,” Guilford protested, surprising Cornelia. “Gilbert G.P. Guilford is Princess Cornelia’s Knight.”
Two people in an embrace. Guilford tightened his arms around Cornelia, and Cornelia around Guilford. They were almost dancing, swinging, almost like a waltz. It almost reminded them of the past, when they were younger, when there were still too many things ahead of them. Back then, they did not know of the hardships and cruelty of the world. They simply danced like innocents, enjoying the music, feeling the moment. But that was the past, and this was the present. Things were different.
“I told you countless times, Guilford, I no longer am a princess.”
“…”
“Gil?”
“But you are a princess… Cornelia… that’s why I do the cooking for you.”
Cornelia chuckled softly. “I’m sorry I’m not a very good cook, but I try.”
“You don’t have to, Princess. As your Knight, I will do anything for you. And I mean anything.”
Anything. I know, Gil, I know you would do anything for me… even to the point of risking your own life.
“Cornelia…”
“Hmm?”
“…”
“Guilford?”
I love you.
But instead of saying that, Guilford muttered, “Let’s go to sleep.”
Cornelia softly laughed. “You drunkard.”