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“Jakob! JAKO—Ahh!” Felicia tripped as she ran down the cobbled pathway of the astral castle. The butler in question rolled his eyes at her as she landed in a pile of flouncy fabric at his feet. He bit his tongue as she scrambled up to stand by his side, blush covering her cheeks fiercely as she apologized.
“Yes, Felicia, what is it that made you scurry here so fast?” She darted her eyes around, looking more at the ground than at Jakob.
“What is it, Felicia? Did you come here to waste my time?” He saw her cringing and watched as her clumsy hands fidgeted with her apron.
“Don’t be mad—“ Oh, this clumsy maid—she must have shattered more plates.
“Felicia, I am already angry, now tell me what you did this time.”
“It wasn’t me! I think our lady—“ Lady Corrin was in trouble?
“What about Lady Corrin!” He said it fast, too fast, probably, but Felicia was too panicked to realize.
She spoke, quietly, as not to raise alarm to the others around the grounds. “I think Lady Corrin is drunk.”
Jakob could feel a particular vein—He likely should have named it “Felicia” by this point—throbbing in his head. His lady was never known to participate in such devious activities, unlike some other members of her army that he could think of. Lady Corrin had never drunk anything stronger than coffee, for all the time he had known her. And no one had known her as long as he.
“What makes you think that, Felicia?”
“Well, she looked upset today. And Niles took her away from her duties. He had bottles of the pirate stuff! Rum? And when she came back, she didn’t look all that good.”
Niles. That deviant little criminal. What business did he have in a proper lady’s army anyway? Jakob resolved himself to take care of Niles later, Prince Leo be damned. For now, he began walking in the direction of Lady Corrin’s residence, Felicia trailing behind.
“Why did you leave her side if she looked ill, Felicia?” He had begun to speed up his pace, worry for his lady overcoming him.
“I tried to serve her. S-she didn’t want me to help her. She begged me to fetch you, Jakob. She said she needed you.”
Jakob stopped short. She needed him? Felicia walked right into his back and knocked both of them to the ground. He could feel the heat spread out over his face, and he hid it, grumbling as he pulled himself off the ground and shooed Felicia away, with a cry of, “AWAY, CLUMSY GIRL!”
If Lady Corrin had requested him, needed him, the crazy, misguided part of his brain reminded him, then he would be available for her, no matter what.
As he ascended to her rooms, he realized that he wasn’t prepared for what was to come in the slightest.
…
“Jakob! It’s Jakoooob!” His lady’s demeanor was off, the smile on her face dopey as she realized who had knocked on her door. She pulled him inside with a strength she rarely displayed outside of the battlefield, and when the door was shut behind them, she kept her firm grip on his upper arms.
“My Lady, you summoned me to your quarters?” He could feel his arms tensing at her touch, and his heart beating against his chest. Lady Corrin was touching him. He had, of course, touched her before—her hair, her clothes—maintaining her appearance was a part of his responsibilities. But she hadn’t touched him in a long while, since they were children and she would make him hold her hand.
“Mmhmm.” She hummed in agreement. Swaying them back and forth in her quarters. It seemed as though she was holding onto him partially for balance.
“May I ask why, My Lady?”
“My Lady, My Lady—why can’t you just call me Corrin?” She whined, pushing him closer against the wall.
He had to clear his throat before responding. “Yes, I’m sorry My—Corrin.” Jakob flushed again as he realized the implications of what he said. She seemed pleased. Her hands traveled up to his shoulders as she moved forward, pressing him against the wall and snuggling her face in the place where his shoulder met his neck. He was beginning to feel…hot.
“Your Corrin. It sounds so nice when you say it. Of course everything sounds nice when you say it.” She spoke into his skin.
All at once, angels were singing, trumpets were sounding, and cannons were booming in Jakob’s head. Could it be? Did she feel the same way about him as he did for her? Nevertheless, now was not the right time for a confession. His Lady was not sober, afflicted by Niles’ roguish personality and misbehaving. When she lifted her head and met his eyes with hers, he couldn’t help but get lost in the crimson of her eyes. It was such a rare color. She was so special. He didn’t deserve her.
“Jakob, have you ever kissed another girl?” He gulped. Another. He usually did all he could to suppress their first curious kiss way back in Castle Krackenburg, all those years ago. They were both barely sixteen and…well…it’d been her idea. And who was Jakob to refuse a princess? Especially one as beautiful as Princess Corrin. Of course Felicia and Flora knew nothing about this, and when Flora had tried to kiss him in the servants’ quarters after that, he’d recoiled like he’d been burned. It seemed his heart had been stolen by the princess for good. That was nearly five years ago.
So in short, “No, My L—Corrin.” He said, wishing he had the resolve to push her away.
She smiled. “I’ve never kissed another boy. People have tried, I guess. But, I never stopped thinking about that kiss.”
Jakob, for possibly the first time in his life, didn’t know what to say. Lady Corrin, on the other hand, looked like she had something else on her mind.
“So, then you’ve never touched a girl, or—or been touched?” She had released his shoulders and her delicate fingers were now tracing his cheeks, the other hand caressing his torso.
If there were cannons booming before, there were now fireworks and dancing dragons in his head. All the hierarchies of his brain were in total anarchy, giving way for other parts of him to take charge. Jakob realized all at once that he was sweating, shaking, and dizzy, a feeling he had experienced only when being praised for his outstanding skills as a butler. The world slowly began fading out of focus—his escape from this madness was sweet, sweet unconsciousness.
…
Jakob woke up in a place that was not unfamiliar, but was a place he had never thought he would wake up in: Lady Corrin’s quarters. His gauntlets had been removed as well as his boots, but aside from that, he was clothed in his uniform. He sat up, groggy as he usually was in the morning, and then all the previous day’s chaos came back to him.
Lady Corrin got drunk and tried to seduce him. And then he fainted. Fuck.
“Um…Hi, Jakob.” Lady Corrin sat in an armchair near her bedside. She looked a little sick, probably because she sported a large hangover from whatever swill Niles made her drink.
“Lady Corrin, I—“ He began, as Corrin blurted out, “I am so sorry.” She looked as though she might cry. To his surprise, tears formed in the princess’ eyes and she sobbed. He didn’t even think twice, collecting the princess into his arms and sitting back down on the bed. It was improper for him to be holding her like this, it was improper that she was seated on his lap, but his Princess, his love was hurting, and nothing else mattered. He allowed her to cry for a few moments, uncovered hands trailing down her back and up again.
“Why did you let your judgment get so clouded, My Lady?” She looked up at him, managing to catch her breath.
“Everyone is always expecting things of me. I chose the hard path, I chose to unite everyone, but sometimes I feel like it’s too much for one person. I know I’m not alone, but I feel like I am. Sometimes I want to run away. I begged Niles to get me drunk because I knew he wouldn’t tell anyone. I just wanted to be happy for a while, Jakob.”
“Corrin.” She looked up at him, surprised that he didn’t use any titles. “You don’t have to go to extreme lengths to gain happiness. I will always be by your side, and as long as you want me there, I will always try to make you happy.”
“Jakob, I’ll always want you by my side.”
“So then I will do anything to make you happy.” He hesitated. “Not in the way of a butler, but in the way of a man who loves a woman. Corrin, I love you. I was always afraid to say it, but from now on I will tell you every single day. And then, you’ll be happy.”
Jakob didn’t know what she would do next. But he had done it. He had bared his soul to his princess.
She looked at him, and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare faint,” she threatened, and she pressed her lips to his with such force that they were knocked back onto the bed, and they exclaimed their love to one another until it was dinnertime.
…
It turns out that they were each other’s happiness. Lady Corrin never again felt so alone leading an army, and Jakob was filled with so much joy for his reciprocated love that he accidentally complimented Felicia from time to time. She always asked him if he was feeling well.
And he would never admit it to Felicia, or to anyone else, but at Corrin’s side, in the middle of a war, surrounded by idiots and the threat of near constant death, he couldn’t be any happier.
FIN.