Midnight Promise

The cottage was dark and quiet when Silver arrived home. With how late it was in the evening, he shouldn't be surprised. The moon was high in the sky, its pale silver light providing some break in the dark. It would have been more appreciated, had he not known the layout of the cottage like the back of his hand.

Silver locked the door before kicking off boots and leaving them by the shoe rack. He quietly made his way through the foyer, past the living room and up the stairs to his and Charlotte's shared bedroom. With every step he took, he could feel his bones ache from the long week he had spent by Malleus' side. He was set to inherit Wild Rose Castle until it was time for him to take the throne on his 200th birthday, and preparations had to be made for it. Silver considered himself lucky that he was able to get the weekend off when he did, as there was a lot of work still left to be done. The castle has been in such a taste of disarray for centuries that, to Silver, it felt like ransacking an ancient ruin. Uprooting the memories of the dead who had laid to rest there like the thorns and briar that covered the ancient stone from the depths of the soil to the top of the highest spire.

Truly, there was no better place for Malleus. The one who loved the scars that showed the passage of time like no other. Silver supposed no one else would be able to appreciate the beauty that came with its disrepair than he.

And Silver's place was here. Inside of a little cottage, hidden deep within the forest. The quaint cottage was and always would be his home, the place he associated all of his most precious memories from childhood. Even now as a royal knight when his duty was to serve and protect his King till his dying breath, he still would give anything to return to his childhood home. To find his father and girlfriend waiting for him with open arms. To watch as they bicker over what to make for his welcome home feast and how to prepare it. While Lilia no longer lived with them, having moved out into a small home close to the capital to give the couple their own space not too long ago, the idea seemed nice.

As quiet as a mouse, Silver opened the door to his bedroom to find Charlotte fast asleep. She was still in her day clothes, clutching one of Silver's old shirts like a baby does with their blanket with Grim curled up at the end of the bed by her feet. Charlotte had probably wanted to wait up for him, eager to see him after being gone for what she would describe as long time. She was always a bit clingy, but Silver supposed that comes with the territory of her circumstance. She wasn't sure if her time here would end, so she tried to hang onto those who made her life a bit brighter as tightly as she could. It would surprise Silver none to find out that she had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him and Grim had to struggle to get her up the stairs. Or perhaps she had climbed into bed willingly and asked her companion to wake her up when he arrived home, and the direbeast grew more forgetful of his promise as his own eyelids began to grow too heavy.

Silver moved some hair from out of Charlotte's face. She didn't stir at the motion, sleep's powerful grip keeping her in dreamland. Good, he would feel bad if he woke her up now. She deserved to rest.

He contemplated crawling into bed with her, but his travel clothes would be uncomfortable to sleep in. Now that the curse he had been blessed with had fully been broken, Silver found he missed how easy it was to fall asleep in whatever he was wearing. During his school days, it was a lot easier to give into the curse and flop into bed wearing his Dorm Uniform than to change into night clothes every evening.

So he went to change, patiently waiting to crawl into bed and hold his girlfriend close. After shedding himself of his tunic, vest and pants and putting on an old shirt and pulled on some sleep pants, Silver's attention was swayed to the little box in his pant's pocket. A little gift he had gotten for Charlotte and was keeping on his person until it was time to give it to her.

Although, to call it "little" felt like a massive understatement and gross oversimplification. Inside the box sat a ring, one he planned on proposing to Charlotte with. They were still young, barely even twenty five, and hadn't found the time to fully talk about their future together given his current schedule. Yet the idea of waking up every morning to her smile, to come home after spending weeks or even months apart to her open arms, to raise a family of his own inside the very same cottage he grew up in with her just felt right.

And so he bought a ring and kept it on him until he knew he was making the right choice. That this strange woman from another world was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. That she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him as well.

Charlotte had once told him the phrase "fortune favors the bold". A phrase from her world used to describe one's courage and bravery. At the time, she tied it to the idea of never knowing something until you tried. The ability to look the unknown in the eye with your head held high and not shutter under it's crippling gaze.

And Silver hoped that Lady Fortune was smiling down upon him that evening.

He slipped the ring box out of his pant pocket, taking just the ring with him and walked over to the edge of the bed. He gently took Charlotte's left hand into his and slipped the ring onto her fourth finger.

It fit like a glove.

He took a moment to admire the ring as it sat on her pale finger, watching as it sparkled under the moonlight. A silver band with a low set round diamond in the middle, neighbored by a smaller emerald on either side. A simple ring, one that can go with most of her outfits and with a low risk of being caught or snared while going about her day.

Silver remembers how nervous he was when he first bought the ring, constantly asking his family if they thought Charlotte would like it while inside the shop. Lilia had told him that even if it wasn't her style or dream wedding band, Charlotte would love it because he was the one who gave it to her. It was his physical embodiment of their love.

Silver kissed the back of Charlotte's hand before crawling into bed with her. Neither she nor Grim stirred at the additional person joining them on the mattress. He gently removed his shirt from her grasp, placing it onto the floor to be dealt with in the morning, and pulled Charlotte close to him. As Charlotte nuzzled her head into his shoulder, subconsciously seeking both his warmth and welcoming him home, Silver felt all of his worries about the impromptu proposal fade away as he realized this was how he wanted to end his days for the rest of his life.

With his dear wife sleeping soundly in his arms, and a cat monster the size of a large dog sleeping on the end of their bed.

---

You really should talk to your partner about marriage before actually proposing

Based on a scene from the plus all the ring restoration views YouTube Shorts has been pushing me. This was supposed to be shorter, but I ended up getting carried away again. I like to imagine that when Lottie wakes up the following morning she has the same reaction as Ayako (lol)

Mister Darling is probably a song I'd use to describe Lottie's viewpoints on her relationship with Silver (besides the part of Yusuke accusing Ayako of cheating on him ofc. Silver would NEVER) as well as Kawaiku Naritai. I haven't read the light novels that are associated with Mister Darling and Shiawase, so I can't say if Silver and Lottie's relationship dynamic is the same as Mr and Mrs. Narumi

Yes, Grim is the size of a large dog within in Lottie's Post-Canon. He actually has his own bed, but he refuses to use it. He refuses to believe he's as big as he is, and old habits die hard as they say (Grim's bed is a dog bed btw. If you even care)