Chapter 3

The sun was already setting as Benedikt changed into his dinner attire. Another formal naval uniform that was more suited for a friendly yet refined and important evening.

They would be formally introduced to each other for the first time in less than two hours.

Benedikt looked out of his window following the colour grading of the changing sky above and the shimmering ocean below.

He hoped that his first impression was good and that he didn't do anything to embarrass his family or upset the Kirishimas.

Behind the veil he was able to roughly see Yumiko's face and her faint smile after he first spoke. 

Seeing her in front of him highlighted her small and delicate figure. She was almost an entire head smaller than him. It was somewhat adorable.

He wanted to freely talk to her without any worries about formalities and customs. Suddenly, it became important to him to get closer to his future wife.

Benedikt felt irritated by the different thoughts and all the small little things he had to consider, so he turned off the lights and left his room. He needed some fresh air to get a clear mind, to put everything into proper order to not mess up later.

He spotted Hagen standing in the hallway, talking to other employees.

Hagen almost saw him at the same moment and looked confused, but still came over to the Archduke. 

"Your Royal Highness Benedikt. Where are you going with this expression on your face?" Hagen spoke calmly, yet his brows were furrowed. 

"I'll be in the garden for a moment, I need to get some fresh air." Benedikt noticed that his face was tense, probably looking more grim than he wanted. So he eased his facial muscles and tried to relax. He couldn't possibly look so troubled and walk into one of the Kirishimas. That would be outrageous.

"Shall I accompany you?"

"No, I will be back before the dinner starts, do not worry."

Hagen looked at him for another moment and nodded. 

"Thank you, my friend," Benedikt tapped his shoulder while walking past him. Usually, it would have been Hagen's duty to stay close to him in order to ensure a problem-free procedure for the upcoming evening. Benedikt appreciated that he still let him go alone.

The garden was the inner courtyard connecting the main building with the other attachments, a miniature version of the main estate's garden. However, Benedikt preferred the smaller garden more for its more intimate feeling. It didn't feel so extensive since it only had a small fountain and a wooden pavilion. 

As he entered the empty garden, he was immediately surrounded by the various spring flowers that were already in full bloom. The air had a floral and faint ocean-like smell. 

The water inside the fountain was splashing softly and he sat down inside the rounded pavilion. 

A few smaller birds seemed to have nestled here, so he listened to the sound of the water and the birds chirping. The lights from inside the estate were illuminating the garden. The damped noises from the employees calmly but swiftly and thoroughly going by their work could be heard as well. They must also be on edge for having to accommodate the special guests. None of them had experience in serving people from any other continent and any visible and clear mistake was grave. Though his parents would never fire an employee for that. Everyone here had the same pride and self-esteem regarding the Hohengoldlinden duchy that any fault would also affect their own personal feeling. So this was also about their own image and the well known fact that the people of the Hohengoldlinden duchy were excellent hosts.

However, any small fault from them wouldn't weigh as much as one of his own.

Benedikt tried to sort his racing thoughts, trying to find order and direction. 

The dinner was yet another formal event where custom and behaviour were most important. Mistakes were not allowed and even though everything, even to every tiny detail has been a part of his daily life, he worried about doing something wrong. 

All written and unwritten rules have been internalised inside his brain since he was born. The royal customaries and conformities were an undeniable part of his identity. And yet, he had the unreasonable fear of messing up.

Benedikt sank deeper into the wooden bank and sighed. 

"Is someone here?" Suddenly a voice called out speaking britan from behind him.

Benedikt turned around and saw the delicate figure of a woman in yashimian clothes. He stood up immediately, walked towards the woman and bowed down.

"Please pardon my rudeness, I didn't hear you coming."

As he got up he saw that it was Yumiko standing before him. He straightened his uniform and tried to be calm even though his heart began racing nervously.

She wore a dress with lavish patterns, colourful and shimmering in the dim light. Her dark hair was tied into a beautiful, elaborate updo adorned with glimmering pearls and flowers. 

Benedikt hadn't seen someone so beautiful before. Along with the warm light coming from the windows surrounding the garden and the floral, fresh air she gave off an almost mystical feeling. 

She snickered and shook her head. "It was me who surprised you," she bowed down deeply.

Her alleman pronunciation was meticulous. 

He smiled back at her. "Did you come here for some fresh air as well?" It might have been imposing to assume that, but he felt strangely calm now after her light-hearted response.

She nodded with a faint smile. "I didn't know that the garden here was already occupied, I should be leaving since you were here first."

"No, you don't need to leave. Please stay, there is plenty of space here for the both of us to enjoy the garden." Benedikt looked over to the pavilion which had seats enough for six people.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose any longer on you."

"You are not imposing on me in any way. Please feel free to take a seat." Benedikt stepped aside.

Suddenly a thought dawned on him. "I should be the one to take my leave, please take your time here." Maybe she wanted to be alone and he felt ignorant for not thinking about it first. 

"What should we do? There is so much space and yet none of us want to stay," she laughed faintly and he grinned as well. 

"It would be an honour if you could join me for a short while." Benedikt stepped closer to her and extended his arm to lead her.

"It would be my pleasure," she stretched out her right arm towards his hand. 

"May I?" Benedikt glanced at her and she nodded with a smile on her lips.

He carefully took her hand, gently bowed down to kiss the back of her hand and placed it on his left arm. 

Yumiko held onto his arm as he guided them towards the pavilion.

It had an almost natural, routinely feeling how she walked beside him while letting him lead the way. 

He let her sit down first and took a seat opposite of her.

"The garden here is wonderful, it has such a pleasant smell." Yumiko turned her head slowly around as she breathed in the air.

"Yes, indeed. You can also smell the saltiness coming from the ocean mixed with all the flowers." Benedikt also took a moment to just enjoy their surroundings.

He liked it that they spoke almost unconstrained with each other.

If it was for the usual customs, it would have been unbelievably scandalous. They weren't supposed to speak with each other yet, let alone unsupervised and unplanned.

Apparently, she didn't seem to care about it and Benedikt didn't want to ruin the quiet moment that they shared.

Benedikt glanced over to her and saw that she had turned her head towards the fountain behind her. He looked at her side profile, her eyes were closed and she had a faint smile on her lips.

As if she had noticed his eyes on her, she turned around to his direction. "May I have your hands?"

Benedikt blinked, feeling slightly caught and cleared his throat while sitting straight up. "Pardon?"

"I would like to get an impression of you, if it's not too impudent from me." Yumiko held up her hands.

"It's not impudent at the slightest, please excuse my thoughtlessness."

It made only sense, so Benedikt stood up, got down on one knee in front of her and placed his hands into her small open palms.

His hands easily covered the entirety of hers and he looked at her face as she began tracing his fingers.

She slightly tilted her head to the right as she focused on every information which his hands offered. Yumiko kept her eyes closed and he could see her long dark eyelashes.

She was even more beautiful up close.

Her fingers moved delicately, thoughtful and skillfully. As if she was taking in every little detail and drew her own impression of him based on what his hands offered. It was fascinating observing her. Benedikt got a glimpse into what her world was like and he wanted to know more about it. 

He looked down and followed her slender fingers as they kept his hands captive.

Neither of them spoke a word, there was no need to hold light conversation which would have been tactful in order to avoid the awkward silence. However, for Benedikt it wasn't awkward. It felt strangely intimate. A silent exchange free of all customaries that he enjoyed. Within this wooden pavilion, in the dim lit night, it was only them.

"That was very generous. I appreciate it very much, Your Royal Highness." Yumiko faintly but distinctly squeezed his hands before letting them go. Up until this point he didn't quite assume that she knew who he was, but she must have remembered his voice from before.

"Just Benedikt is fine, I'm not too hung up on titles." 

She smiled at him but didn't reply.

Benedikt looked at his hands, of course Yumiko's exploration didn't leave any traces, except for the tingling feeling on his skin.

"What did my hands tell you?" He looked up to her, remaining before her. Nervousness welled up inside of him. 

She politely folded her hands on her lap. 

"Countless stories of your hard work and kindness. It'll take up more time to unravel all the details." Her lips curled up to a grin and he felt relieved.

"Then I shall offer you my hands to take freely any time that you want to continue." Benedikt was serious about it.

Yumiko's eyebrows rose up in surprise and she gasped a little. "Oh my."

Shyly she turned her head to the side and tried to cover the smile on her lips with her hand.

"How could I reject such a generous offer?"

"You don't." Benedikt shook his head with a grin on his face and stood up. "Shall we go? The others might be worried about our absence." He extended his hand in front of her.

Yumiko nodded, took his hand and stood up.

Benedikt led her to the main entrance to the estate.

"I will take another exit"

She searched for the door and Benedikt carefully guided her hand towards it. 

"Thank you very much." She smiled at him, brightly and genuinely.

"I shall see you soon again." Benedikt opened the door for her and bowed down.

"I hope I will be able to recognise you."

"Certainly, I will be the one with the hands rich with stories."

She giggled and bowed down as well. 

Benedikt watched her enter the building elegantly and easily. She moved towards the west wing dedicated to the guests.

For another moment Benedikt stood by the door and let the scene with Yumiko play before his eyes again.

She was lovely and had a mind on her own, free from rules and customaries. His initial hope for a bright future ahead deepened.

It was daring and truly scandalous for them to have shared this moment together. Completely unplanned and spontaneous. Nevertheless, this might be the reason why it felt so wholesome and real. The usual formalities were disregarded equally from both of them and Benedikt appreciated it very much.

He turned around to enter the estate from a different door and couldn't stop grinning until he reached the door on the other side. He wouldn't tell anyone about this chance encounter, this shall remain a moment that only they shared with each other. Hagen would be furious anyway, so he wanted to spare his friend from the worries.

Before opening the door Benedikt straightened his uniform, tried to replace his genuine grin with a more appropriate smile and stepped inside filled with excited anticipation for the upcoming dinner.

Yumiko's heart still fluttered as she went back to her room. She had memorised the outline of the hallway leading to her designated chamber. She walked along the outer side occasionally touching the window to ensure that she was following along correctly. 

She could still feel his hands on her fingertips. At first she was startled by the sigh that she heard in the garden as she had entered it. Yumiko snuck away while Takane-san was busy in order to take a breather before the dinner.

She couldn't have possibly expected to encounter Archduke Benedikt out of all the people and she really enjoyed the few minutes that they shared in secret.

He was a gentleman through and through, but she felt confirmed in her notion that he was playful. Certainly a man of great royal manner and conscientiousness, but also someone who broke from the strict restrictions and principles.

Yumiko realised that she genuinely enjoyed speaking with him. Since she had also broken away from her uprightness and spoke with him freely, she felt confirmed that he was truly someone that she could trust and be familiar with. He spoke with her on eye-level and she undoubtedly liked it that he didn't seem to be bothered by her obvious circumstances.

Yumiko managed to find her door and quietly snuck inside. 

As she wasn't confronted by an upset Takane-san, she assumed that her brief disappearance wasn't noticed, so she calmly sat down on the comfortable armchair on which she had started her little adventure. She faintly heard Takane-san rummaging in the room next door, probably organising things before the dinner started. 

Yumiko couldn't help but grin at the thought that she wasn't caught and that she was able to meet her future husband without everyone else knowing about it. 

It felt like a secret that she would keep as a precious memory. Only deepening the already positive impression she had of him. 

Footsteps came closer from the neighbouring room and the door was opened. 

"Ojou-sama, I think we can go and meet up with your family for dinner now." Takane-san spoke calmly, but her nervousness was noticeable. Yumiko knew that she was just as worried and on edge like everyone else.

Yumiko stood up, straightened her kimono and smiled at Takane-san. "I'm ready."

"Very well," Takane-san came over to her and took her hand. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Yumiko nodded in agreement, she felt nothing but excitement. "Yes, certainly."

Takane-san patted her hand and led her outside the room. 

Her brothers were already in the hallway to accompany them to the other members of the family.

Together, Yumiko in their midst, walked on the soft carpet to the great dining hall where the proper formal introduction would begin.

"You look lovely," Yumiko's mother greeted her adoringly and took her briefly into her arms. 

They gathered in the guest's waiting room. The Hohengoldlindens were in the room beside them and it was determined that the Kirishimas had to join them as soon as they were ready for the introduction. It was an act of being ready to give away the hand of their daughter. 

Afterwards they would all head over to the adjoining dining hall to eat.

Her father also took her into his arms. "I'm incredibly proud of you." 

Yumiko patted his back in a comforting way. 

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to help our family." 

She felt her father shake his head. "If there was a different way, I would rather take that over this situation." 

She heard her oldest brother subtly sigh in disbelief.

Ichinobe was still upset. 

"You are doing great. They are a good family." Their mother spoke up to end any possible conflict between the two men. "We shall go. We can't have them wait so long." 

"How are you feeling?" Ichinobe touched Yumiko by her shoulder and she turned to him.

"I'm fine," she smiled and her genuine expression must've assured him that she was truly fine as he didn't reply back and only squeezed her hands three times. 

She squeezed back as well, a gesture that her family established to show affection and support.

Now was the moment that she had anticipated for such a long time. The moment her present and her future were depending on.

Her father took her hand and led her and everyone else to the door where the Hohengoldlinden family was waiting behind.

Yumiko felt nothing but pride and cheerful anticipation.

She heard that a heavy door was opened and held her breath for a moment.

Just like practised before back in Yashima her father led her inside the other room, ready to formally hand over the hand of his daughter.

After a few steps they stopped and she knew that they were standing in front of the Archduke Richard, his wife and her future husband.

"Good evening Koshaku Kirishima Saigo, I hope you had time to rest well." The Archduke greeted them first and naturally only addressed her father since he was also the representative of their whole family.

"Good evening Erzherzog Richard von Hohengoldlinden. Thank you very much, the estate is nothing but comfortable." Her father addressed the Archduke in alleman as a sign of equal respect, the Archduke had used the yashimin title as well.

"Today we are standing in front of you as the Kirishima Clan from Yashima to humbly give you the hand of our only daughter in marriage to your son." Yumiko listened carefully to her father and although they had previously practised this as well, a shudder ran through her back as he spoke the fateful words.

As he finished the declaration he squeezed her hands subtly three times before stretching her arms out to complete the formal hand over.

"We are grateful for the opportunity that you have offered us so generously," He held back for a brief moment, stopping the motion. "Though, since we are concerned about Yumiko's circumstance, it certainly isn't an easy decision."

The following few seconds were the ones that Yumiko was the most afraid of ever since the marriage was arranged.

The declaration of her circumstance has always made her feel dreadful. Her heart was beating nervously.

"We are well aware of her so-called circumstance. However, please rest assured, that we don't see that as an impediment in any way." Archduke Richard's voice sounds firm and kind giving his careful, earnest words a certain reassurance.

A wave of relief showered Yumiko's body.

"May I add that there isn't any 'circumstance' to be concerned about. In my eyes your daughter is flawless and will be taken care of accordingly. I have personally supervised every adjustment to accommodate her needs. Please rest assured that beside yourself she is in the best hands within the Hohengoldlinden family." It was Archduke Benedikt's voice that now spoke so clearly and determinedly. A sense of authority, almost equal to their father's, swung along his words only underlining his seriousness. 

It made Yumiko's heart flutter. She never felt so accepted from anyone else besides her own family. She only had a shy hunch before this moment that he truly didn't seem to care about her situation. Yumiko didn't want to be disappointed and remained careful with her hopes in that regard. That was until now.

Benedikt and his father had now officially declared that the Hohengoldlinden family were aware of her particular condition and still accepted her. Even accommodating her.

It was a dream come true.

Yumiko felt her father's hands subtly releasing the tension and he continued to give her hand over to the Archduke.

"The Kirishima family is truly grateful for your unprejudiced consideration towards our daughter. We shall remain obliged to your kindness." Her father's voice now sounded softer, relieved and she felt glad about it. 

The greatest hurdle was behind them.

Her father let go of her hand and she felt how someone in front of her carefully took her hands now. Without a doubt it was Benedikt who had a hold of her now, she recognised the familiar feeling of his hand that she had observed carefully just before the meeting.

"It is me who has to be grateful towards you for trusting me with your daughter. Regardless of the arrangement, I will give my utmost effort to be a worthy husband to your daughter." Benedikt's words echoed firmly in the room, filling Yumiko with happiness. He gently squeezed her hand before kissing the back of her hand.

She felt like the luckiest bride of an arranged marriage. 

"I will also give my best to be a deserving wife to you and your family. The core of being from the Kirishima family shall be carried onwards as an example for our union. Although I am incapable of seeing the world around me, I will without a doubt still be a great wife to you."

Yumiko's voice was equally firm, overflowing with genuine happiness and hope.

It was clear that being blind had its disadvantages. Yumiko and her family knew that she wasn't necessarily considered unblemished in the royal society. Something that was indispensable in their world. For most people her blindness was an obstacle that overshadowed the opportunities a marriage with the Kirishima family brought along. Other families in Yashima were hesitant considering her as a potential wife so that no one really approached her father to ask for her hand until the Hohengoldlinden family did. 

In some way it was considered shameful. Yumiko wasn't capable of finding a spouse within her own country, but had to be wed off to some foreign Archduke instead. It felt like she wasn't good enough for the people of Yashima. No one wanted a wife who was born without eyesight. A woman who will never see the light of the world around her. 

However, the Hohengoldlinden family gave her a feeling of being accepted just the way she was and for that she was endlessly grateful.

She will prove to the brutal world that she was indeed capable of being a wife, a wife to none other than the strongest naval family of the western continent.