Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

Dinner was... interesting.

At least, that’s what Christina felt.

It wasn’t bad, per say. In fact, if this was a year ago, she would probably have been quite impressed that a small Viscount-rank family could so quickly put together such a fine meal.

A couple days ago, aboard the ship as she ate the standard field rations of the Raging River Legion, Christina had wondered if it was just the bland food of the army, or if her own expectations for food had just become that much higher.

Now, it was clear to Christina that her taste buds had been completely spoiled by both Lucas and her own cooking.

That said, Christina still offered some genuine praise and thanks for the meal. She wasn’t going to be rude to the Dunnes who, by all accounts, had gone completely out of their way to be good hosts.

The compliments naturally filled Norah, Kapel, and even Jasper with smiles.

Prince Landon also offered some sincere thanks once the final course was finished before standing up, turning to Christina, and asking her, "Would you care to accompany me for a moment, Princess?"

This invitation naturally caused a few eyebrows to rise, but no one commented on it.

Even Jasper, by now, had figured out that Christina had less than zero interest in him and that if he kept annoying her, it would only cause her to stop being polite.

His mother and father’s occasional glares might also have helped him come to this realization...

In any case, Christina had also wanted to have a moment alone with Prince Landon since the beginning of the evening, so she gracefully wiped her mouth with her napkin and also stood up, "Certainly, Your Highness."

The two young royals then proceeded down the hallway, heading back out to the balcony where they had shared drinks earlier, leaving everyone else, including their so-called guards, behind.

.....

Standing at the stone banisters of the deck, Christina squinted slightly as her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight that barely illuminated the Dunne Family’s extensive gardens. She also unconsciously rubbed the bracelet on her right wrist, seemingly quite preoccupied with it for some reason.

Standing beside her, Prince Landon cleared his throat and then asked in a serious tone, "Princess Christina Rockwell, will you marry me?"

Landon had anticipated a number of reactions from Christina when he suddenly proposed to her; shock, confusion, disgust, embarrassment, or possibly even happiness.

He was a handsome young prince with high talent and good looks, so even if he was being perfectly objective, Landon felt that most girls would throw themselves at him if he showed any interest.

Of course, Christina Rockwell didn’t fall under the category of ’most girls’, so he was actually quite curious as to how she would respond.

To his astonishment, however, Christina’s only reaction was to let out a long, exasperated sigh, "Haaaa... damn it, I can’t believe I’m going to lose this bet."

"Pardon?" Prince Landon, who was now himself quite confused, asked.

Straightening up from where she was leaning on the railings, Christina chuckled, "It’s nothing, just a small wager I made with Lucas about whether you would propose to me the next time you saw me or not."

Landon’s face twitched visibly when he heard this, feeling both amazed that the young boy he considered dangerous had actually anticipated this outcome, and quite embarrassed that Christina had clearly been prepared for his surprise proposal.

Turning to the side, Christina saw the awkward look on Landon’s face and was tempted to laugh again, but she somehow contented herself with a wry grin as she asked, "Was this your idea, or was it Crown Princess Talia’s?"

Having been completely seen through, Landon also let out an uncharacteristic sigh, "It was my mother’s idea, though she left the final decision up to me."

"Oh? So, you really are interested in marrying me?" Christina asked, tilting her head slightly as she mused, "You certainly don’t look like the type to suddenly fall in love with a pretty girl and then propose to her."

Even someone as aloof as Landon couldn’t help blushing slightly at this remark, scratching the back of his head as he shrugged, "I wouldn’t be opposed to marrying a woman as outstanding as you."

"Thank you for the compliment," Christina nodded, then smiled, "But I’m afraid I must refuse. I only just made friends with Zara, and I’d hate to have this cause a rift between us."

Blushing much more brightly this time, Landon averted his eyes and muttered, "Big sister has nothing to do with this..."

"You know, for someone so good at acting indifferent, you actually quite bad at hiding your true feelings. Like when Zara fell on top of Timothy during their sumo match. For a second there, I thought you were going to charge out and challenge him to a fight," Christina couldn’t stop her laughter from leaking anymore, finding the slightly older boy in front of her to be much cuter than he was a minute ago.

Recalling his mother making similar comments to him, Landon felt particularly depressed at this moment. Still, he wasn’t one to just take a hit without fighting back, so he glared at Christina and asked, "Are you saying no because you’re not interested in me, or because you only have eyes for Lucas?"

Again, Landon was bound to be disappointed as Christina remained perfectly calm, flashing a lovely smile as she shook her head, "I’m saying no because Princess Talia’s plan won’t work. There’s too much animosity between our two kingdoms for a simple marriage to solve."

"How did you kno..." Landon gawked, before realizing his gaff.

Face-palming himself, the young prince let out a laugh of his own, "I’ve really been completely outplayed here, haven’t I?"

Patting the prince on his shoulder, Christina offered a few words of comfort, "Don’t feel too bad. You were just matched up against a bad opponent."

Smiling genuinely, Landon prodded once more, "Is that why you’re so in love with him?"

"Maybe," Christina shrugged, not revealing any openings.

After her 16th birthday, the young princess had done some reflecting and gradually come to accept her true feelings for her Senior Brother. She wasn’t about to go confessing to Lucas right this instant, but after coming to terms with herself, she definitely felt more light-hearted, to the point that even being teased about it no longer bothered her.

As for what she was going to do about her Sworn Sister Eris...

Well, we’re all going to be together for a long, long time, so there’s no need to rush, Christina thought to herself as she turned her attention back towards the garden, sweeping her eyes around methodically and meticulously.

"Haaa... I’m really no match for either of you," Landon grumbled, seemingly upset about being bested so thoroughly.

Leaning back against the banister, the Darr Kingdom prince asked curiously, "So, what did you want to talk to me about in private, Christina?"

Not bothered by the informal tone Landon was taking with her now, Christina’s expression turned solemn as she asked, "Who gave you the idea to come ashore?"

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