A Royal Match - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Weiss finally figured out how to get Ruby talking - food.  Mentioning any food worked, but offering some worked even better.  Especially sweets.  Ruby had the biggest sweet tooth of anyone Weiss had ever met.

“I haven’t been out here in a long time,” she admitted while they walked through the cobbled streets of Atlas.  “But, supposedly, they have the best ice cream in the kingdom.” 

“You had me at ‘do you want to try,’” Ruby replied with a small hop that voiced her excitement.  Weiss couldn’t help but smile at the response, which seemed far too happy for a mere scoop of ice cream, but she wouldn’t complain.

While the weather had grown colder, Ruby had warmed up.  She still kept a respectable distance around Weiss or Whitley, but her nerves had subsided, and her smile was much faster to appear.  Her infectious energy, which she’d shared only with the staff so far, began slipping through more often, and the result was magnetic to behold.

Overall, the situation was as good as Weiss could hope for.  If she was forced to marry, she could tolerate Ruby.  They didn’t have to love each other, but they could hopefully be friends.  All they had to do was get married, and Weiss would be in the perfect position to take the throne once her father passed.

Of course, nothing was that easy, especially with Whitley intent upon winning Ruby over.  His strategy had changed as of late, from overt charm and chivalry to a combination of pointing out Weiss’ flaws and making bold claims about how great of a king he would be.  

Weiss couldn’t tell if his methods were working, and that scared her.  Would Ruby fall for his lies?  Possibly.  He was charming when he had to be and, in this case, he had to be.  And from what Weiss observed, Ruby smiled and nodded along with what he said, which inflated his ego and made it impossible to tell how she really felt.

“I don’t know why she made you walk all this way for it,” he complained from Ruby’s other side.  “I would’ve sent a messenger to fetch you whatever you wanted, so you never had to walk in this bitter cold.” 

Weiss scowled when he smirked at her, but Ruby just shrugged.  

“I don’t mind walking.  Plus, this way I get to see all the flavors.” 

Now it was Weiss’ turn to smirk, and Whitley’s turn to clench his jaw in annoyance.  But it was his own fault for trying to treat Ruby like a damsel in distress.  He didn’t understand that Ruby was a princess, not a damsel.  She wasn’t here to be saved - she was here to save her own kingdom.  There was some unfortunate luck and bad timing thrown in, yet she wasn’t playing the victim.  She was making the best of the situation, and Weiss respected that mentality more than she could put into words.

“There will be plenty to choose from,” she said when the small ice cream parlor came into view.  From the lack of customers inside, the owners must have been informed of their impending arrival and told everyone else to leave.  Not exactly the most realistic experience, but she didn’t mind the absence of onlookers.  

Ever the gentleman - for Ruby only - Whitley strode forward and opened the door for her.

“After you.”  After waving Ruby through the doorway with a smile, he left Weiss to hold the door for herself.  She rolled her eyes while walking inside and finding that the interior of the parlor was warm despite the temperature outside.  Almost too warm, actually.  Fortunately, one of their escorts hurried forward to collect their jackets, which Whitley quickly shrugged out of before tossing the man’s way.

“Thank you again for the jacket,” Ruby told Weiss while unzipping her own jacket - repeating the gratitude for what must be the tenth time.  Like the outfit she’d worn upon her arrival, the jacket was a deep red with gold accents but crafted by the best coat maker in Atlas.  No expense had been spared on the down or linings, making it worthy of a princess while also keeping her warm.  

“You’re very welcome,” Weiss replied yet again.  “I’m glad you like it.” 

When Ruby opened her mouth to respond, Whitley butted in.

“You should’ve gone with blue or silver,” he chastised Weiss before smiling at Ruby.  “Those colors suit you better.  They match your eyes.” 

Shaking her head at the attempted compliment, Weiss watched Ruby clutch the sleeve of her jacket before handing it to their escort.  The subtle gesture confirmed what Weiss already suspected - the color had nothing to do with how well it matched Ruby’s eyes and everything to do with how it made her feel.  Red made her happy.  It reminded her of home.  Whitley clearly didn’t understand that.

“You look pretty in red,” Weiss countered, only for her cheeks to warm when Ruby smiled at her.  “I’m just saying...” she attempted to correct before giving up and clearing her throat.  She wished that she could offer a compliment as easily as Whitley, or offer a compliment at all, without blushing.  Once upon a time, she considered herself to be quite good at flattery, but Ruby somehow tied her tongue in knots.

“I’ll buy your ice cream.”  With that proclamation cutting through whatever moment Weiss and Ruby had been sharing, Whitley looped his arm through Ruby’s and led her towards the front of the shop.  

“I’d hope so,” she replied with a short laugh.  “It’s not like I have any money.”

Weiss frowned at the offhand comment, but Whitley thought nothing of it while gesturing the shopkeeper over to them.  “Your most popular flavor for my princess here,” he ordered, but Ruby slipped out of his grasp and moved away.  

“I’d like to look first, actually.”

When Whitley frowned at the response, Weiss sent him an annoyed look before moving to Ruby’s side.  It was her idea to take Ruby out for ice cream, and he was the one who made a big fuss about tagging along.  He didn’t need to be a controlling ass and ruin the experience too.  

“The blueberry is good,” she offered while Ruby scanned the flavors on display.  When Ruby looked over, Weiss nodded towards the container filled with light purple ice cream.  “I don’t eat here very often though, so...that’s really the only one I’ve tried.”

“That’s because you’re boring, Weiss,” Whitley interrupted.  “Everything is excellent - you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose.” 

He flashed a smile to their amiable host with the compliment - as always, searching for ways to gain favor - before motioning for Ruby to order.  

“I’d like to try the blueberry,” Ruby replied, much to Weiss’ delight.  She didn’t know why it made her so happy that Ruby took her suggestion, but it did.  

“I’ll have the same,” she told the man while he scooped out their orders. 

“Suit yourselves,” Whitley grumbled before nodding towards the shopkeeper.  “Make me whatever your most popular order is.”

After setting Weiss and Ruby’s orders on the counter, the shopkeeper hurried to make Whitley’s next.  Because Weiss was closest, she accepted both cups and handed one to Ruby before nodding towards the tables placed around the room.  

“Let him pay,” she whispered while gently leading Ruby away from the counter.  “Since he’s so set on impressing you.”  When Ruby giggled at the comment, Weiss smiled and gestured towards the empty tables.  “Care to stay here for a while?” 

“But where will we sit?” Ruby replied with a serious tone but eyes that sparkled when Weiss laughed. 

“How about there?”  Pointing out a small table in the corner of the shop, Weiss couldn’t help but think that it would be fairly intimate if it were just the two of them.

“Sure,” Ruby agreed before heading that way.  As soon as they reached the table, she quickly set down her ice cream so that she could pull out Weiss’ chair.

“Oh.”  For a second, Weiss had no idea how to respond to the courteous and unexpected gesture.  “Thank you,” she finally said and smiled while sitting down.  Ruby sat beside her, which she happily noted meant Whitley would have to sit across from them.  

“I’m sorry about Whitley,” she added quietly while her brother schmoozed with the shopkeeper, putting his expert skills at sucking up on display.  “He can be...”

Trailing off, she tried to find a word that explained his behavior without coming off as vindictive or mean.  Even though she had some harsh words to describe her brother, she didn’t want to needlessly destroy his character in front of Ruby.

“Kind of a jerk?” 

Surprised by the response, a laugh slipped through Weiss’ lips.

“I was going to say ‘difficult,” she replied with a growing smile.  “But yes, exactly.”

Through that simple sentence, Ruby confirmed that Whitley wasn’t winning - and Weiss still had a chance.  Possibly a better chance than she initially thought.  

“I think that’s my favorite thing you’ve ever said to me,” she admitted, and Ruby smiled at her for a few seconds before looking down and spinning her spoon in her cup.  

“I hope I can say more things to make you laugh like that.” 

Feeling a strange skip in her chest, Weiss stared at Ruby and tried to sort out her suddenly fluttering emotions.  The way Ruby was looking at her right now made her feel...a lot of things.  All of them overwhelmingly positive.

“I have no doubt that you will,” she replied and, before she convinced herself out of it, leaned over to kiss Ruby’s cheek.  

This time, she lingered long enough to breathe in the scent of roses and savor the softness of Ruby’s skin before pulling away.  While an undeniable blush rose on her cheeks, she stared at her ice cream and tried to think of something to say.  

Fortunately, she didn’t need to say anything at all, as Whitley finished his schmoozing and joined them at the table.  She noticed the look he gave her while sitting down - part calculating hatred and part disbelief - but focused more on the way Ruby looked at her...with a cute little smile that put butterflies in her chest.  

She wished Ruby wouldn’t look at her like that...it made these instances of casual affection feel much bigger than they were.  But she also didn’t want Ruby to ever stop looking at her like that...because the butterflies in her chest felt real.  The blush on her cheeks was real.  And her wish that Whitley would disappear so they could have a moment alone was definitely real.

“I convinced the owner to send a container of blueberry ice cream to the palace once a month,” he said with a confident grin.  “Then you can have it whenever you’d like without traveling all this way.”

Weiss stifled an eye roll at the response, which was still completely off base, and noticed the glance Ruby sent her way before putting on a polite smile.

“That was nice of you.  Thank you.”

Whitley’s smile showed how clueless he was, but Weiss didn’t say anything while he took over the conversation the only way he knew how - shameless self-flattery.  While he jabbered on about how smart he was, she focused on Ruby’s responses.  What she liked, what she didn’t like, what she disagreed with but didn’t voice aloud.

Her comment from earlier wouldn’t leave Weiss’ mind, however - that she couldn’t even pay for ice cream on her own.  But how could she when Atlas used a different currency than Vale?

Weiss would fix that.  Ruby wasn’t a prisoner, and she deserved the freedom to treat herself should she desire.  She shouldn’t be beholden to the palace for everything she needed.  Weiss knew that her father would refuse such a suggestion, but she would figure something out...even if it meant taking money out of her own pocket.