Shuriki x Esteban Requests

The Surprise: Part 6

"Esteban, darling?"

Esteban looked up from the buttons on his jacket to see Shuriki watching him through the mirror of her vanity. "Si, novia?"

She placed her hairbrush down and turned in her chair to look at him. "You've been very quiet today. Is everything alright?"

"I've...been thinking..." Esteban kept fidgeting with his neckerchief.

"About what?" Shuriki asked. She knew that it had to be important or he wouldn't have been acting so nervous.

Esteban tried to find the right words to explain to Shuriki what he felt, but when his mind failed to manifest said words, his mouth took the initiative and Esteban blurted it all out before he could stop himself.

"I want to have children with you."

Shuriki stared at him for a moment as she tried to process what he had just said. However, her wide eyes and immediate lack of a reply must've made him think she was upset and opposed to the idea because he immediately clammed up. "I-I'm sorry, Shuriki. I shouldn't have said anything. Por favor, forgive me."

Esteban started to turn away, but Shuriki placed her hand atop his shoulder to stop him. "Esteban, I can tell that this is important to you, but I don't even know if I can conceive, let alone carry to term. And given how things are between your family and I at the moment, I don't think bringing a baby into the equation is a good idea. Just...give me some time to think on it, alright?"

Esteban sighed. "Si. Take all the time you need, mi amor."

He tried to muster up a smile for her, but Shuriki could tell he was disappointed.

"I do love you," she assured him, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. That earned her a tiny smile and a return kiss.

"Yo también te quiero," he replied, giving her a hug.

They both heard a knock at their bedroom door and turned to see Isabel enter and run up to them.

"It's almost time for the autumn ball to begin," the child squealed excitedly as she pushed Esteban out the door. "You must go now, primo. Shuriki has to get ready!"

"But-"

Esteban could hear Shuriki's laughter and her gently chide his cousin as Isabel closed the door in his face before he had even finished his protest.

He shook his head and smiled. At least somebody in his family had warmed up to Shuriki. The chancellor kept telling himself that it was just a matter of time before the others came to truly love and accept her.

Esteban went to his office to finish dressing. He'd known Isabel would kick him out so Shuriki could get ready away from prying eyes, so he'd had some backup attire put in his office.

It took him a while to get ready. He'd had to replace his favorite gold jacket and ivory cravat with a white jabot and a maroon and black coat ornate with rose gold and emerald green leafing along the cuffs, collar and sides. His yellow-blue sash was also set aside in favor of an emerald green and black one trimmed in rose gold. Pressed black trousers and a pair of tall, polished black boots completed the ensemble.

Esteban stared at himself in the mirror he always kept tucked in the top drawer of his desk. He'd found the canteen of water he'd lost during the return trip from the Island of Santalos on his last birthday and used it on himself and Shuriki to reverse their ages, but he still felt as if he was in his late fifties sometimes instead of his thirties, especially in the rare moments when he wasn't sure if he and Shuriki wanted the same things in life.