Chapter 91 Section 91 Asking permission to marry me

I have vacations every ten days, so I go back to Buckkeep for the holidays, and it's hard to get enough rest on these days.I'll report to King Shrewd, tell him every detail of what I've been aboard the Rurise, and watch the interest in his eyes with glee.He's looking better, but he's still not quite the vibrant king I remembered from my youth.Patience and Lacey took it for granted that I should call on them, and I dutifully called on Kettricken, gave Nighteyes an hour or two, sneaked up to Molly's room, and then went back to my own. , waiting for Chade to come to me at night to answer his quizzes.When dawn came, I went to report briefly to Verity, and he touched me too, to re-establish our Skill bond.And returning to the crew cabin for a good night's sleep is often a great way to unwind.

Winter is finally drawing to a close, which gives me the opportunity to speak privately with Shrewd.I used to come to his room on vacation to report on the progress of our training, and Shrewd, in better health than ever, sat upright in his chair by the fireplace.Wallace was not in the room that day, but a housemaid pretending to tidy the chambers was acting as Regal's spy, and the Fool still sat at the king's feet, taking pleasure in troubling her.I grew up with the Fool, and I have long been used to his pale skin and eyes, but the woman obviously didn't think so, and even peeped at the Fool when he seemed not paying attention, and when he found out, he immediately treated him with a smile. An eye for an eye, every look is more lustful than the previous one.At last she got so nervous that she was obliged to pass us with the bucket, when the Fool sent the rat with the rat's head peeking under her skirts, making her jump up and scream, The bucket of sewage spilled over himself and the freshly cleaned floor.Shrewdly rebukes the Fool, but the Fool grovels with ostentation and shows no remorse.Then the king told the woman to leave the room to change into a clean dress, which gave me my chance.

The woman had barely left the room before I could speak. "Your Majesty, I must ask you for something that has been brewing in my mind for a long time." There must have been something in my tone that attracted the attention of the Fool and the King, who listened to me at once with full attention.I glared at the Fool, who knew I wanted him to go, but he moved closer, almost resting his head on Shrewd's lap, and grinning exasperatingly.I refused to let this affect me, and looked at the king imploringly. "Go ahead, Fitz Horseman." He said solemnly. I took a breath. "Your Majesty, may I ask your permission to marry me?"

The jester's eyes widened in amazement, but the king replied with a smile like a child begging for sweets, "So, it's finally time. But can you consider dating her first?" The heartbeat in my chest was thunderous.The king looked at me with knowing eyes, but was very, very happy, and I dared to be hopeful about my request. "This really pleased His Majesty the King, but I'm afraid I've been with her for a while. Although I know I shouldn't be so presumptuous, it's just...it just happened like this." He smiled kindly. "Yes. Some things are true. And if you don't tell me, I'm afraid I'm really going to suspect you of your intentions, and wonder if the lady has been lying to herself."

My mouth was so dry I couldn't breathe.How much does he know?He smiled at my fear. "I have no objection. In fact, I am pleased with your choice..." The smile on my face echoed wonderfully with the Fool's.I took a shaky breath until Shrewd continued: "But her father is more reserved. He told me to hold off on this matter, at least until someone proposes marriage to her sister." "What did you say?" I could hardly speak, the confusion in my head kept turning.Shrewdly smiled benevolently at me. "The lady you're interested in seems to live up to her name. Jiemin asked her father to allow her to associate with you the day you set off for Buckkeep. I think you won her heart when you spoke frankly to the heroine , but Plondi turned her down for the reasons I just told you. I know the young lady had a big fight with her father, but Plondi was a man of his own. He wanted us to know he didn't I don't object to this marriage, but I don't want her to marry earlier than my sister, and I agree with him. I believe she is only fourteen years old?"

I am speechless. "Don't be so depressed, kid. You are both still young and have a bright future ahead. I guess he didn't stop you from seeing each other even though he chose to suspend your official relationship." King Shrewd looked at me very tolerantly, his eyes revealing infinite kindness.The Fool's eyes moved back and forth between us, unable to discern the meaning of his expression. I hadn't been shivering like I had in the past few months, and I couldn't keep it going, let alone make it worse.I managed to squeeze out a few words from my parched throat: "Your Majesty, she is not the lady I said."

Then there was silence.I looked into the king's eyes and saw his face change.If I hadn't been so impatient at the time, I might not have dared to look at him at first, but I looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he would understand.When he stopped talking, I bravely tried to speak. "Your Majesty, the lady I am speaking of is currently a lady's lady-in-waiting, but she is not herself a servant. She is..." "Quiet!" His words were more intense than the feeling of him hitting me.I can't move. Shrewd looked up and looked me up and down carefully, and spoke with all the majesty that even made me feel the pressure of Skill in his tone. "Listen to me clearly, Fitz Horseman. Prondi is my friend and my Duke, and you really shouldn't offend and despise him and his daughter. You can't associate with anyone now, anyone No way. I suggest you think carefully about the great favor that Prondi is willing to betroth Jiemin to you, and don’t forget that he doesn’t care about your origin. Other people might not think so. I will give Jiemin land and a title of her own, and so will you, as long as you are wise enough to wait for the opportunity and please this lady, you will find it a wise choice. When the time is right, I will tell you that you can and She's officially dating."

I mustered what courage I had left. "Your Majesty, please, I..." "Enough, Junqi! You've heard my opinion on this matter. That's all I have to say!" After a while he asked me to leave, and I left his room trembling.I don't know if I'm shaking with rage or my racing heart, just thinking about how he just called me by my father's first name.Perhaps, I told myself bitterly, it was because he knew in his heart that I would marry for love, like my father.Even, I thought malevolently, I might have to wait until Shrewd had settled down before Verity could live up to his promise to me.I went back to my room, feeling that maybe it would be a relief to cry, but I wanted to cry but there were no tears.I lay on the bed staring at the pendant next to the bed, unable to imagine how I could tell the conversation between King Molly and me, but I also told myself that not telling would be tantamount to cheating, so I decided to try to tell her as much as possible, but not now.The time will come, I promise myself, when I can explain it to her and she will understand.I could wait, and think of it no more when the time came, and I grimly resolved that I would never again take the initiative to call on the King unless he summoned me.