The Man I Marry

Chapter 19

"And honestly, if we are going to win this hunt, we don't need that kind of negativity."

"I have brought the prisoners – I mean, players!" Luna announced gleefully, obviously quite pleased with the recent turn of events.

As they stood in front of the long table where Mina, Rae, and Amy were assisting the scavenger hunt pairs, Serenity glanced at her betrothed surreptitiously from the corner of her eye. For a man who didn't want to see her, he turned up with amazing regularity. She was flabbergasted to hear they were matched together and she had gaped at Luna with a mix of both shock and trepidation when the cat cheerfully came to collect her, a sullen Endymion not far behind.

"Well, isn't this a lovely surprise!" Mina's reply was honey-sweet, making Serenity even more suspicious.

"Is it? One would think it was somehow arranged." Serenity's eyes narrowed sharply, moving from Mina to Luna and back again as they both contrived to look innocent.

"Must be fate!" Mina dismissed the accusation blithely with a bright smile and a shrug.

"Surprisingly, Serenity's reasoning is logical. This is too much of a coincidence." Endymion crossed his arms and sighed as if severely put upon.

"What do you mean 'surprisingly'?!" Serenity forgot all about being awkward and threw him a peeved glare.

"I'm sorry, perhaps you prefer 'oddly'? 'Unexpectedly'?" He retorted, the corner of his lips gently upturned as if suppressing a laugh.

She huffed in annoyance. "They're all awful!"

Luna leapt lightly onto the tabletop and shushed them both. "Enough bickering!"

Mina took this as her signal and busily started giving the scavenger hunt instructions. First, she handed them a rolled parchment scroll. "This is your item list. To win the hunt, you must be one of the first five pairs to gather all ten items on the list and bring them back here."

"But this scroll is blank." Endymion said, lifting the parchment to the light.

"It's charmed." Serenity explained. She and Rae had been casting charms for most of the day. "It will appear once they signal the start of the game."

'That's right! Wouldn't want anyone to get an unfair head start," Mina winked. "Now, if you would like to finish quicker, you can try solving any of the five riddle clues. They each lead to different locations where you have to complete a challenge. Once you complete a challenge, 2 items can be scratched off your list."

This certainly didn't sound like the usual party games at home. Endymion was growing more and more concerned. "What sort of challenges?"

Mina merely laughed. "Entertaining ones."

That certainly did not sound good. "Does everyone have the same list?" Endymion asked, already worried about the prospect of fighting over items with other pairs. Glancing at his side, he caught Serenity biting her lip. He wasn't sure how much experience she had with this sort of game but she certainly seemed worried about something…

"Good question! No. Other pairs may or may not have the same list as you. Bear in mind, if your scroll is lost or stolen, you are out of the game." Mina then went around the table with a bright red ribbon in her hands, looking at them expectantly. "Hands, please."

At first, the Prince was puzzled. "What?"

Serenity knew this was coming. Inevitably, her gaze fell on Endymion's hands, loose by his sides. They were not a pampered prince's hands as one would expect of an heir to the throne, but a warrior's, rugged and strong and warm. It brought back the heated memory of last night, those long fingers weaving through her hair, his other hand molded to the curve of her back. The memory made the butterflies in her stomach act up in a flurry.

Hellfire, Serenity. Get a hold of yourself and stop ogling the man's hands! Embarrassment made her face burn and she couldn't even bear to look at Endymion.

"Oh! Didn't you know?" Mina smiled in satisfaction, almost bursting with eagerness. "You'll be cuffed together for the entire hunt."

"What?!" He exclaimed, then paused in bewilderment, as if expecting Mina to break out laughing and say that it was all in jest. He then glanced at Serenity, who simply swallowed around the nervous lump in her throat and avoided his gaze even as her ears turned a brilliant red.

In too good a mood to let this state of shock stop her, Mina simply leaned forward and brought their limp hands together, tying the ribbon cuff snuggly around both of their wrists. "If your ribbon cuff is broken or untied at any point, you are out of the game. They are charmed against tampering, so don't even think about it."

Endymion didn't doubt the truth of that statement. He felt the 'click' and the cold stickiness of the charm as it settled on their tied wrists as soon as the final knot was in place.

As Mina tugged one more time to make sure the cuff was secure, she gave them the final reminders. "Strategize wisely and carefully. You are free to form alliances if you wish, but bear in mind that all pairs are free to steal items or untie another pair's ribbon cuff. You may roam the entire ground floor of the manor and the gardens, except the stables and servant's quarters. If five pairs have already completed the quest, your parchment scroll will once again turn blank, which will signal the end of the hunt. Any questions?"

The only response from the pair was stunned silence.

Mina beamed at them and waved sunnily. "May luck lead you! Please wait until we signal the start of the hunt. Next!"

Luna unceremoniously ushered the dazed pair off to the side. "Have fun, you two!" she called out sweetly.

Serenity could only watch in dismay as Luna waltzed off with an annoyingly cheery sway of her tail.

Rae shook her head, chuckling at the sight of the betrothed couple awkwardly stealing glances at each other behind facades of indignation. Clearly, tonight's pairing was no mere happenstance and, noting Luna's satisfied glee, Rae can only assume the feline had her dainty little paws all over that particular plot. Nevertheless, how effective this particular plan is remains to be seen.

"Next please!" She called out, just about finished with her latest pair. She bade them good luck and stopped short when she caught sight of who was next in line. General Jadeite and the darling Lady Sibyl. She didn't take him for the type who participates in scavenger hunts so this was a bit of a surprise. Her heart skipped a beat as they made their way to her, recalling the bewildering turn of events with Eris, not to mention the awkward exchange when she brought him to the library that morning. Simply remembering made her cheeks warm up with embarrassment.

Everybody had looked up in surprise as Jadeite came in. "I... thought we might need an extra pair of hands." She had lamely explained.

"So... is this what you forgot in your room?" Mina cheekily inquired.

"No! I-I was just… walking. A-and then…" As she was clumsily groping for any ideas, Jadeite stepped in effortlessly.

"She saved me from a terribly cruel fate. I had to make it up to her somehow. She exacted a rather high price, to be honest." He had admitted with chagrin.

Oh, so now he wants to go back to the octopus, does he? Putting her hands on her hips, she couldn't help being miffed. "How ungrateful! Feel free to go and run right back into your huntress' clingy arms then!"

"Jealous again, are we?" He had teased with a raised eyebrow and a carefree chuckle.

"Delusional, are we?" She scoffed immediately, already feeling her cheeks going red, even as the others smiled with their banter.

Needless to say, she was a bit leery about encountering him again, knowing he had the almost uncanny ability to throw her off balance. Luckily, the Lady Sibyl was her usual plucky self. As they reached Rae, the widow greeted her effusively, her gigantic ribbon headpiece bobbing up and down.

"You look beautiful as always, Lady Sibyl." Rae replied with a smile. "Ready to start hunting?"

"Am I ever! And I'm lucky enough to have this charmer as a partner." Lady Sibyl let out a trilling laugh as she hooked her arm around Jadeite's.

"Believe me, I am the lucky one, my lady." He cheerfully replied, winking at his partner, which earned him another bright laugh.

Yes, a born charmer, that one. Rae had to agree, struggling with the effects herself. She had to be careful, lest she get sucked in just as easily. She inclined her head at him, greeting him with cool formality. "General."

He looked at her, eyes suddenly unreadable. "Your Highness."

An uneasy silence followed. Rae expected some sort of witticism or jest but Jadeite uncharacteristically looked like he was at a loss for what to say. This is strange... Baffled, she cleared her throat and attempted a jest of her own. "Be sure to keep up with Lady Sibyl now."

That won her a slight smile, the corner of his lips tilting upwards, which sent a flutter through her chest. "I doubt anyone truly can, but I shall try," he responded.

Now what? She floundered for a reply that will jumpstart their usual verbal sparring. "Sadly, the lovely Eris seems to be preoccupied. How disappointing," she said in mock lament, noting earlier that the formidable huntress was already paired off with another haplessly enamored prey. Not that she was deliberately keeping an eye on things or anything...

"Thank the gods." Jadeite murmured in relief. Rae's efforts were rewarded though, as the slight smile he wore grew bigger. It was an open smile, lacking the roguish guile she usually found lurking behind his eyes. The fluttering in her chest was now a rapid beat, as she felt the heat gathering in her cheeks.

Lady Sibyl, chuckling as she watched the exchange, leaned in with a sudden realization. "Oh my, am I interrupting something here?"

Rae could only stare at her, startled. "Wh-what?! No!" She denied in a rush.

That seemed to bring Jadeite back to his playful self. "We don't need to deny our relationship, Rae..." he said in a convincingly hurt tone, happily encouraging Lady Sibyl's misguided notion.

"Stop that!" She glared daggers at him and turned back to Lady Sibyl, who was outright giggling now. "Please ignore him, Lady Sibyl. He and I are not-"

"Oh darling, I've been there and back again." Lady Sibyl interjected, as she winked mischievously. "I know what's going on here."

Rae shook her head empathically, "No, no, no... that-that's definitely not what's going on here."

Jadeite, was no help whatsoever, of course. "As you may have noticed, our romance is fairly new," he explained to Lady Sibyl in a low voice.

"Practically non-existent." Rae clarified pointedly. Avoiding Eris is one thing, but fooling a poor old woman into believing their pretend romance was going too far. She sent another set of daggers Jadeite's way, to get her point across.

"...And alas, our pairing wasn't in the cards tonight." Jadeite continued his explanation, completely ignoring her sharp-edged look.

Damn this man! "Yes, I'm heartbroken. My soul is crying," she replied a scathingly flat tone.

"Ah, Princess, it eases my heart to hear you're as devastated as I am." He gave Rae one of his old smiles, one of those rakish ones that made her cheeks warm. Then he leaned into Lady Sibyl's ear, whispering conspiratorially, "As you can see, my Rae is a bit of the jealous sort."

"Excuse me?!" To Rae's horror, Lady Sibyl simply nodded sagely to Jadeite's absurd lies.

"Ah, young love!" The sprightly noblewoman tittered nostalgically, then gave Rae's hand a gentle pat. "No need to be jealous, my dear. Well, a little can spice things up but too much can tear a romance apart, you know."

"So true." Jadeite agreed in all seriousness. So annoying, Rae grumbled inwardly.

"Both of you simply need to be more honest with your feelings."

That comment made Jadeite stop short. "That again..." he sighed tiredly.

Deciding to ignore his cryptic remark, Rae focused on the well-meaning Lady Sibyl, who still smiling at the two of them beatifically. "I-Lady Sibyl, I appreciate the thought, I really do. Fortunately, none of that is my concern because there is absolutely nothing between us." Rae insisted with the utmost vehemence.

"Oh! Oh, of course. Don't worry, my dears, my lips are sealed!" Lady Sibyl nodded delightedly, gesturing a locking of lips and throwing away the key.

Rae brought a hand to her temples and groaned dejectedly as Jadeite went on to sweetly thank the poor woman for her support of their "budding romance."

Well, as always, things are off to a brilliant start. Endymion sighed inwardly as he stood beside Serenity, the silence between them stretching to no end. He did mean to talk to her tonight, but now, fettered together as they were, things were rather awkward. Weren't the shackles a bit too much for a party game? As he eyed the innocent-looking ribbon cuffs in exasperation, he was caught for a minute by the contrast of their hands. Serenity's hands were a smooth rose-tinted ivory, delicate and soft while his were rough and tanned and practically twice the size. With their hands bound together, her arm brushed his with almost every movement, and every feather soft touch sped up his heartbeat. He cleared his throat and frowned at this new development, staring ahead to avoid his Serenity's searching gaze.

Serenity sensed his uneasiness immediately, also a faint embarrassment. This is obviously an inconvenience to him. He has a hundred better things to do, she concluded with a sigh. She usually loved scavenger hunts, but this was certainly awkward.

Don't let His Grouchiness get to you. She coached herself sternly. Just act natural! He's your annoying betrothed, remember? Just act like you always do. Last night was - it was - Don't think about last night!

Taking a deep breath, she stopped herself from stealing any more glances at him and instead decided to start strategizing for the hunt. Once they win the scavenger hunt with her brilliance, it'll wipe that superior smirk he usually has right off his face.

Carefully taking note of which pairs were promising as allies and which to avoid, she noticed the particularly lively conversation going on at Rae's table. Serenity couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight.

The silvery laugh caught Endymion's attention. "What?"

She looked up at him, slightly surprised that he would bother to ask. Usually, he would just ignore her, unless decorum required them to speak. Counting her lucky stars that they have finally started a conversation, she shared a smile with him and glanced back at the table. "Rae and Jadeite are getting along splendidly, aren't they?"

Endymion followed her gaze. "Huh. Remarkably so. Who knows how long that will last."

Serenity frowned disapprovingly at his less than sparkling response. "Charming. You really know how to brighten a heart's dark winter days, don't you?"

"But one of my many talents." He replied with a straight face.

She shook her head. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm not one for tragedy."

"No, that you're not." In contrast to him, she could sail into a room, effortlessly bringing the sun with her. He was still puzzling out if it was mere naiveté or simply a strong belief in the intrinsic goodness of people that gave her such boundless hope and optimism. Granted, he wasn't ruling insanity out either. The corner of his lips quirked up in a soft smile.

"What?" She inclined her head curiously at him, wondering what caused that rare, intriguing little smile.

"I agree with you. Perhaps that is why you are the White Moon's premier matchmaker." He joked, breaking out into light chuckle.

"You make fun but at least I am doing something worthwhile. Not just brooding and being disagreeable and..."

"You honestly think meddling in people's love lives is worthwhile?" He shot her an incredulous look, then added belatedly, "And I am neither brooding nor disagreeable."

It was her turn to regard him with a raised eyebrow. "Well I don't know what you call it in your planet, but here that's exactly what it's called! And honestly, if we are going to win this hunt, we don't need that kind of negativity."

That brought him up short. "Win the hunt?"

"In fact, seeing as I know most of the people here, I know exactly who we can strike up an alliance with-" She was about to go on enthusiatically but halted when she saw the deflated wince on his face. "What is it?"

"I hardly think we need to exert ourselves too much…" Serenity gaped at Endymion blankly as he continued. "We can simply make a token effort at 'scavenging' then we can leisurely while away the time until the hunt's over."

She could only shake her head at him, in a mix of disbelief and bewilderment.

"You have a point. That would take too long." He went on to make another proposal. "We can mysteriously 'lose' our scroll. That's easy. Or have this pesky ribbon untied in a climactic tussle with another pair, if you're feeling dramatic."

"Unbelievable! Are you honestly not even going to try?!" She reprimanded him in a vexed whisper. Here she was all fired up to dazzle him with her cleverness and it turns out he has his heart set on idly twiddling his thumbs.

"There is really no point in tiring ourselves. We've already done our jobs as guests of honor. Let the others have their fun."

She huffed as she bit off another frustrated exclamation. This Prince was sorely lacking on all sorts of princely qualities, it seems. Taking a deep breath, she decided to try another approach. "I'm surprised," she said in a deceptively easygoing tone. "I mean, that's what lazy losers say."

"Excuse me?" he snorted derisively. He knew she was goading him, but 'lazy loser' was pretty harsh word choice when he was simply trying to make things easier for the both of them.

She sighed, her voice rising as she attempted to convince him. "Everyone worked hard to make this event a success! Including your Generals! Will you dismiss all of their hard work?"

"Oh, those two have been working hard all right." Endymion shook his head at the realization that it is exactly because of all the Shitennou's 'hard work' that he was stuck here, awkwardly tied to his fiance, in the first place.

Does she think he's a lackadaisical clod now? Winning this hunt seemed to be important to her. This is going to be nothing but trouble, he groaned inwardly.

Thinking that his furrowed brow meant he doubted their ability to succeed and needed even more convicing, Serenity assured him as confidently as she could. "Sneer if you must. But I assure you, you are in the best hands! I win this sort of thing all the time, I'll have you know!"

He eyed her resignedly. "Very well, oh great scavenger hunt champion. What exactly is your winning plan?"

She practically blinded him with a brilliant smile, then leaned in on tiptoes to whisper her scheme. Well... maybe this scavenger hunt business isn't too bad... he thought as her breath ghosted against his ear.

"First off, let's aim for these challenges. I doubt that a lot of pairs will even give these a try and the more we complete, the faster we finish."

"That's too risky. Who knows how difficult those challenges are? In the end, it could eat up our time and we'll have nothing to show for it."

Of course, he'd have a rebuttal. Serenity wasn't even surprised anymore. "I'm telling you, we can breeze through this list! of course they want you to think the challenges are difficult! But how hard could they actually be? It'll probably be as easy as stuffing your face with as many galaxy puffs as you can in thirty seconds or something! Piece of cake!"

Ah, Serenity's optimism at it's best. "While it hardly surprises me that you would be an expert at that type of challenge," he chuckled, continuing to argue his point, "I still say it could be more trouble than it's worth. If several items on this list are easy to find and easy to carry, we can go for those first without having to stuff our faces silly. Then we can worry about going for the challenges or the more difficult items."

"Other pairs will be doing the same thing!" Serenity responded in an exasperated whisper. "We'll just end up in a scramble for these little items when we could be scoring big in the challenges! It's a risk worth taking!"

"It's better not to take any risks at all, as much as possible."

Serenity let out a decidedly unprincess-like groan. Honestly, he was driving her crazy. First, not even wanting to make any effort, and now going for the most boringly safe strategy ever. Perhaps he lost heavily the last time he took a risk? Reserving that thought for more scrutiny later, she put both hands on her hips. Belatedly, she realized that she had pulled his captured arm along, and now it was sticking out from her wrist at the waist, bent awkwardly. He simply raised a dark eyebrow at her.

Deciding to ignore the cumbersome position with as much aplomb as she could muster, she managed to glare at him determinedly. "Not taking any risks means not winning! Who's the great scavenger hunt champion here again?"

He returned her gaze, cooly unimpressed. "Taking too many risks means not winning either, just so you know. Let's wait until we see the actual list to decide."

"Fine, then" Serenity muttered, agreeing that it would be pointless to argue any further without any idea about what's on the list in the first place.

"Can I have my arm back now?" Endymion inquired, his midnight blue eyes gleaming with humor. A smile lurked at the corners of his mouth as he studied her.

"Oh." A bit embarrassed, she stiffly released her arms back to her sides.This man! What was so damned amusing?

"What else were you thinking?" He asked, startling her again. He seemed genuinely interested to hear her ideas at least, and didn't dismiss them out of hand but argued his own points. They had contrasting viewpoints most of the time, but it showed her a lot about him. And she was learning quite a bit about herself too.

"Striking up an alliance with another pair." She inclined her head, gauging his reaction.

"Are you saying the great scavenger hunt champion can't win this one on her own?" He teased her, feigning shock.

She gave out a wry sigh. "Champions need help too! We could compare lists, exchange items and information..." It was certainly amusing to think that they were discussing the possibility of alliances when both of their kingdoms have been in heated negotiations about one for decades. Their marriage was, in a way, the culmination of years of work.

He shrugged, "Having another set of eyes and hands could be valuable. But how can we be sure they won't turn on us?"

"We just have to be very careful about who we make an offer to. We'll have to come up with our own exit strategy and be on our guard. What about Jadeite? He seems like a capable scavenger hunter. And don't underestimate Lady Sibyl. She is fierce. They could be a big help."

Well. Apparently, Jadeite is capable and I'm chopped liver. Endymion sighed. "Believe me, Jadeite is capable. But he is just as likely to rob us. That scoundrel plays dirty."

She gave him a confused look. "Isn't he one of your trusted men?"

"Yes, I trust him with my life. But with games? Absolutely not."

She could only laugh at that. "Well, I have a few other candidates but it's best to wait to see how things turn out." In her experience, observing the pairs first to see how they strategize and work in action will lead them to the best choice.

Before they could discuss any further, they heard Lyta and Nephrite announce the start of the hunt. As the scroll in Endymion's hand started to glimmer with the fluid curves of Lunarian script appearing on its surface, Serenity's heart raced with anticipation. Things are off to a brilliant start.