The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 64

After a cup of tea, Avani looked a little better but still distressed. Sharmila watched her for a few minutes, as though considering, then stood and said, “I really must return to the village for a little while. Rishi, you should come with me and report to the tribe that Avani has been found alive and well, don’t you think? They need to be told sooner or later.” He nodded, and she turned towards Arthur. “You would be welcome to join us, if you would like to see our village firsthand.”

He bowed, smiling, and said, “I would enjoy that greatly, but first I must determine whether your village lies within our boundaries. If not, I’m afraid I must decline—it would be most irregular for a Prince to cross the border thusly without giving proper notice to both governments. If you can spare the time to come with me to my offices…? Dylas, will you please accompany me? As a Knight of the Realm, your presence will be more than sufficient as the honor guard my father would wish me to take, should I go.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure,” Dylas responded, more focused on Avani than on what Arthur was saying, but nevertheless when Arthur rose, he stood as well.

“Certainly, I will do my best to pinpoint our location on your maps,” Sharmila replied, then she turned to Chanda. “Come, Chanda, let’s leave Avani and Leon in peace for a while.” Turning to me, she asked, “Shall we meet back here at the same time tomorrow morning, then?”

I replied, “Maybe a little later. She’s drained from the events of the past couple days, and the extra rest will do her good. Make it 11:00, and I’ll arrange for a lunch to be delivered here.”

Sharmila nodded agreement and led Rishi out the door, Chanda reluctantly following, and they all headed towards Arthur’s rooms, leaving us to ourselves.

We sat in silence for a while, Avani on the floor, leaning against me as I held her in my arms, Baldur by her side with his head on her lap. Shortly after our guests left, Sano and Uno wandered in from wherever they’d hidden away. Baldur even allowed them to share his mistress’s lap—a huge concession on his part. In time, she seemed to relax again, the tension in her shoulders gradually easing.

When at last she spoke, I jumped slightly—startled out of my reverie. “I’m sorry, Leo. All this must be unpleasant for you to listen to—everything with Sundara and with… with him.”

I squeezed her shoulders, astonished that she could still concern herself with my sensibilities under the circumstances. “My Lady,” I said, holding her tightly, “any distress I may feel upon hearing your history pales in comparison to the suffering you’ve endured. Please don’t worry about me.” Then I pulled back a little to look into her eyes, hesitant to voice my concern. Finally, I said, “There is one thing I need to know, though. Are you… are you still married to… to that man?”

She stiffened, then slowly nodded. “As far as I know, yes. And I’m sure that if it were otherwise, Rishi would have told me immediately.”

Sighing, I asked, “Then what are we to do? If you are already married to another, then our marriage can’t be valid… can it?”

She drew in closer, shivering despite the warmth of the fire. “I’ll never go back to him. I don’t know what to do, Leo. Maybe Rishi could grant me the annulment that my father denied me? Then we can marry again—just quietly, since we’ve already had a big ceremony. Just something to make it official. If Rishi can grant an annulment, that is….”

“Why wouldn’t he?” I asked in surprise. “He knows what you’ve been through, so he wouldn’t need to be persuaded, as your father apparently did.”

“Yes, but you see, it’s been nearly seven years now. That’s well beyond the customary time restrictions for granting an annulment—one season for an annulment without cause if both parties agree to it, or up to one year with cause and with no requirement for mutual consent.”