Chapter Text
10:59 a.m.
You inhaled a shaky breath as your eyes locked onto the sleek looking clock hanging from the wall and knit your fingers together tightly in your lap as the hand of the clock rounded the halfway mark. Every second that ticked by seemed to sync up with your rabbiting heartbeat as you tapped your foot up and down, nearly rattling the whole table with your knee.
You kept reminding yourself that you were the one who chose this, you were the one who was desperate enough to set up a meeting. It was a risk you wanted to take, needed to take. If you didn’t, you’d have to eventually choose someone from your parents seemingly endless pool of suitors.
"We've indulged you long enough, but now it's time to focus on settling down and getting married. You know that you have obligations to this family, it's high time you started meeting them.” Your father had said it with a clinical tone and a hard look in his eyes. The way your family had viewed marriage never factored in love. It was simply a business contract between two interested parties. Never had you seen your mother or father look at each other with a hint of love or affection.
Your parents were indifferent acquaintances on the best of days and heated enemies at their worst. They hadn’t even slept in the same room since you were three. Instead, your father had a slew of mistresses while your mother just...accepted it.
“What do you expect me to do about it?” Your mother had always spoken with disdain when it came to your father. “It’s not as if I love him anyway.”
Love. A novel concept.
In your younger years you had been obsessed with watching any type of romantic movie; comedies, tragedies, fantasies, whatever you could get your hands on. You’d daydream about your vampire lover, your king, your barista, your cowboy, your knight–whoever it may be. You had hoped that one day you too could have your happy ending. You never wanted to end up like your mother, trapped inside of a gilded cage in a loveless world.
Your best friend, Gaz, was the one who gave you the idea of matchmakers in the first place.
“If you were already married, your parents would have no choice but to back off.” He was laid across your couch and tossing a ball up and down as he spoke with a carefree tone. Gaz was your one of your only ‘normal’ friends, one that your parents never approved of. They despised how he wasn't apart of your world, while you loved that he was separate.
You truly wished the situation was as cut and dry as he made it seem.
Gaz had encouraged you to break out of the mold your parents had carefully crafted for you since birth. He gave you the strength to want more for yourself. You wanted to marry for love, you knew it was naive but you couldn't help it. That’s why this meeting was so important.
The matchmaking agency you ended up settling on assured you that the profile you sent over would be very sought after. You knew how it would appear, rich heiress of a powerful company-who wouldn’t bite on that? You were never good at meeting people on your own, so your final hail Mary was left up to some poor matchmaker.
The agency responded with fifty seven interested matches within the hour.
“There are so many different types of profiles from the responses we’ve received! Some of the more high profile private applicants have showed interest in you!” Of course they would, you had probably already turned them down in person once before.
The agent sounded excited but you couldn't care less about the 'high profile' matches. The woman continued to squeal with enjoyment, as if this was the first match of her career. She even pointlessly warned you that since your family name would attract a lot of people’s attention, you needed to vet the profiles carefully.
“Anyone is fine.” You answered simply and the line went quiet. “Hello?” You asked tentatively when the silence continued for an uncomfortable amount of time. You told yourself that you gave up on love long ago, but maybe, just maybe the agent would be able to sift through the profiles and find someone genuine.
“Ah! Yes, um, are you sure?” Why did she sound so distressed? “You're really trusting me with this? W-well, I-I’m a great judge of character, just so you know! I’ll do my best!” Your eyes flicked to their business card where their tagline of 'finding your perfect match' seemed to mock you.
“Whoever you choose will be fine.” You had to have faith, because what else was there? If a matchmaking agency couldn't help you, you were destined to fail.
A discordant chime echoed through the cafe, breaking you out of your memory and signaling the top of the hour-the moment of truth. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as you absentmindedly spun your bracelet around your wrist.
It wasn’t the expensive brand name bracelets that usually adorned your wrists out of habit, but a silver bracelet that Gaz had gifted you once you graduated. It was a simple sterling silver bracelet that matched the same one he had purchased for himself. It couldn’t have cost more than a hundred dollars, a mere droplet to your finances. But to someone like Gaz, it was a quarter of his monthly dorm rent.
You lifted your coffee cup to your lips and heard the bracelet clink against the porcelain. The sound made you smile softly, as if Gaz were reminding you he was right there with you. One last time you glanced at your phone to read the name of your match–König. It was foreign and you wondered what kind of man he would be. Would he look like the prince you had dreamed about? The knight perhaps? Or would he be a king?
The sound of the door to the cafe opening made your heart skip a beat. Your eyes shot over to the entrance to see a tall man, taller than you had ever seen, step through the door. He needed to bend down just to get under the doorframe without hitting his head.
He wore a tight black button down that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The buttons looked like they were holding on for dear life and you tried to swallow down the lump in your throat. He wore a black face mask that obscured most of his features but you could still see his striking blue eyes. They reminded you of the family vacations you would take to the ocean as a child. His sandy blonde hair was cropped short and looked as if he hadn’t even bothered to run a comb through it all day.
You scoured his outfit, searching for the red tie that your match was supposed to be wearing. You slunk a bit in your chair when you noticed he wore nothing of the sort. Well, if your match was a little late, you’d understand. The cafe was a bit out of the way–busy enough but not packed to the brim. It was sort of hidden between a small deli and a lesser known restaurant. You tapped your freshly manicured nail against the top of the table as you waited. You had chosen a deep red, something sophisticated that you hoped wouldn’t clash with the red of your match’s tie.
A tap on your shoulder made you nearly jump out of your seat. The mountain of a man that just entered the cafe now stood in front of you with his hands held up in a silent apology.
“O-oh, I’m sorry, I was deep in thought.” You smoothed down your dress and adjusted your position in your seat nervously. The last thing you needed was to make a fool of yourself in public. The man said something in a language you didn’t know and you blinked at him in confusion. “I’m sorry, I don’t…” The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled red silk tie. Your lips parted in surprise as he gestured around his neck, miming out tying a tie.
He was asking for your help. Did he know he was here to meet with you? There was no way, it had to be a coincidence...and yet, he was the only man in here with anything close to a red tie.
“K-König?” You choked out, taking a chance and pointing to him in question. His eyes widened and he suddenly stood ramrod straight.
Oh, then he really hadn’t known.
“J-ja…ich bin König…ich…wow…” he stumbled over his words and you smiled despite yourself at his reaction. You gestured for him to sit but he shook his head and said something else in what was beginning to sound Germanic.
“I still don’t…” You were about to grab your phone and pull up a translating app but he abruptly dropped to his knees in front of you. Startled at his sudden drop in height, you recoiled sharply. He stared up at you with a clear apology written in his eyes. On his knees he was almost at eye level with you and you couldn’t help but blush at the closeness. You glanced around the cafe in embarrassment only to sigh in relief at the lack of attention on you.
“Bitte.” He held out his tie to you and you gently took it from his hands, letting your fingers drift along his warm skin. You could have sworn you heard a shuddering sigh fall from his lips but you carried on. “Bitte..” He whispered.
Diligently, you wrapped the tie around his neck and tied it in a perfect knot. You ran your fingers along the worn silk and marveled at how he allowed you to linger. He stared at you with those striking eyes and you felt your stomach flip. No one had ever looked at you like that, like you were an actual person and not some rare object to obtain.
“Um," You cleared your throat and let the tie fall back against his chest, “Please, have a seat.” You gestured to the open chair across from you. He stood up as suddenly as he had kneeled, and awkwardly sat down in the chair. His knees almost came up to the top of the table and it looked like he was sitting at a child’s tea party. He seemed nervous but was radiating an undercurrent of excited energy that you were starting to find contagious. “Do you want something to drink?” You asked, stupidly forgetting that he didn’t understand or speak English. You pointed to your own drink helplessly.
“Kaffee?” He tilted his head in question. You let out a small chuckle and nodded. He seemed genuinely delighted to have made you smile. You raised from your seat to order for him, but he reached out and caught your arm, stopping you.
“König? What's wrong?”
“Ah…” He seemed to be wracking his brain for ways to convey his thoughts to you. “W-warte…hier.” Here? Did he want you to stay? “K-kaffee…m-me…g-get?” He pointed a thumb at his chest in a desperate question.
“Do you want to get your own coffee?” You pointed towards the barista and then back to him. He nodded vigorously and shot up from his chair, almost knocking it over in his eagerness. He walked over to you and guided you back down into your seat. His chest brushed against your arm and you gasped at the feeling of his thick muscles. He smelled like leather and pine with a hint of familiar gunsmoke. Your father often took your brothers to hunt and they would always return with the acrid scent of gunpowder tainting their clothes.
As you watched him approach the counter you pulled up the phone number for your matchmaking agent, desperate to have answers. You stepped out of the cafe for a moment while the call connected, not wanting to disrupt the patrons anymore than you already had.
“Thank you for calling, this is Elena, how can we find your perfect match today?”
“Elena, hello, it’s me.”
“Oh! Yes, how is everything going with Mateo?”
“Mateo?” The world seemed to stop around you, leaving you feeling off kilter.
“I know he might not seem like it but he speaks fluent English, he studied abroad and I thought that you might find that attractive in a partner! We connected with his agent and he definitely seemed interested in marriage right away. His family is a part of that big conglomerate in Spain-”
“Elena, the profile you sent me was for a man named König and we're meeting at a cafe, not a restaurant.” The line went silent and then suddenly she let out a strangled noise that made you wince.
“What?!? What do you mean?!? I-I specifically sent over your profile to Mateo and he said he would meet you at the restaurant-!”
“As I said, the information you emailed me was for a man named König."
“Th-the foreign ex-military guy!?” She shouted and you had to hold the phone away from your ear. “No, no, that wasn't-I was transferring-I am so, so sorry about this! This was my very first match and I already screwed it up! Oh my god I’m so fired-”
So you were the first couple she ever matched.
“I-I’ll find König’s agent and we’ll get this mess sorted out. He-he’s in the building so p-please wait for my call!” She suddenly hung up, leaving you stunned by the obvious lack of professionalism. You let out a groan as you stepped back into the cafe, gripping your phone so tightly you were surprised it didn’t crack in half. You grumbled to yourself and weaved through the tables to get back to your own.
Gaz was going to have a field day when he heard about this.
How were you going to explain this to König? Surely he was supposed to meet a different girl at this cafe. Maybe you’d wait with him until she showed up? You felt sorry for the man you were supposed to meet–Mateo. You wondered what he was like, if he thought you weren't interested and stood him up.
When you reached your table you were surprised to see that König was sitting there with his head in his hands, his fingers clenched into fists. His shoulders were shaking and he was mumbling to himself as he dug the heels of his palms into his eyes.
A lone cup of coffee sat untouched in front of him next to his phone and you felt something tug at your heart. He was obviously distressed, maybe his agent had called already and explained the mix up. You were about to place a comforting hand on his shoulder when you saw his phone, open on the table. A translating app shone brightly on his screen in the dim cafe.
Du Bist eine sehr schöne Frau. Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
You are a very beautiful woman. It is a pleasure to meet you.
Your lips parted in surprise as your eyes devoured the words on the screen. With a sneaky smile, you pulled up a translator of your own and typed in a response.
You slid your phone next to his and tapped him on the wrist. He jolted and looked up at you like a startled animal. You gestured down at your phone, holding back a laugh as you saw his eyes widen.
And you are a very handsome man
Und Sie sind ein sehr gutaussehender Mann
Before he could respond, his phone rang and started blaring an upbeat top 40's pop tune that didn’t fit his demeanor at all.
“Hallo?” He swiftly answered his phone just as your own started vibrating. You saw it was Elena calling you back and you quickly took the call, hoping this would all be sorted out soon.
“Elena?”
“Y-Yes,” she sounded out of breath, “I managed to find König’s agent, he was on the fourth floor and the elevator was out so I had to run and get him not to mention I wore heels today so I had to rush up and-”
“Elena!”
“Sorry! His agent is here next to me and is currently explaining the mix up to König.” You sat back down in your chair and crossed your legs while you waited, noting with mirth that König was watching the movement of your legs intently.
“You mentioned he was ex-military?”
“Yes! I have his file pulled up just…just one second.” You heard the telltale rapid fire clicking of a mouse that indicated she did not, in fact, have his file pulled up. Normally, you would find this type of thing irritating, but something about it all seemed so comical you couldn’t help but be swept up along in it. “Okay! He’s a former colonel from Austria, he’s forty-two years old and he’s never been married. Apparently he’s been so wrapped up in his work that he never found the time to date and-oh!”
You heard a male voice-probably König’s agent, speaking to Elena but you couldn’t clearly make out the words. “Wait, really? But-but what about her own match?” Your eyes slid over to König’s face and you were surprised to see him staring intently back at you. You waved your fingers at him in a greeting and he purposefully looked away, but not before you saw his ears flush as red as his tie.
How cute.
“Hello, miss,” The man spoke with a deep voice and a thick accent, “I am agent for König. I apologize for mistake.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem, honestly, these things happen.” You reached down and adjusted the buckle on your new black pumps.
“These things should not happen. Never.” His pointed tone made you imagine the glare he was probably giving Elena. “Ahem, but I would like you to know, König has said he is ok with marrying.” You paused in your ministrations and stared down at the pristine patent leather of your heels.
What?
You nearly choked on your own words as König sank to his knees in front of you. He stared down at his legs with a furrowed brow before changing his position to only one knee. The perfect position for a proposal.
You had imagined your proposal a thousand times since you were a child. You pictured a myriad of different locations–fancy restaurants, a sunset on the beach, on the rooftop in a foreign country, on an ice skating rink near Christmas time.
Never would you have guessed that your first proposal would be in a random cafe before noon on a Tuesday while on the phone with a foreign matchmaker as you fixed the strap of your shoe.
The ring itself was beautiful and it sat proudly in a velvet box that looked comically small in his hands. He was staring at you with such sincerity that you could hardly turn him down.
“W-willst du mich heiraten?” His ears were red again and the flush rose higher on his cheeks above the line of his mask.
He was asking you to marry him, and you didn’t even know what this man's face fully looked like.
However, what you did know, was that he was Austrian, used to be a colonel, and was forty-two years old. He liked his coffee black, was as tall as a tree, and didn’t know how to tie a tie. He had been kind thus far and you couldn’t shake the memory of how he curled in on himself in despair when you had returned.
Had he thought you abandoned him? The thought made your stomach churn, you hadn’t meant to be so rude, but you saw now how your absence would make him come to his own conclusion.
“He never found the time to date.” You remembered Elena's words and it made you feel like absolute gutter trash. A lonely man who had been so consumed with work that he never had time for dating, much less for himself. He went out of his comfort zone to meet someone and she abandons him not even five minutes after meeting for the first time.
He was older, knew next to nothing about your family, and seemed to be infatuated with you already. You'd be insane to pass up this chance.
“I’ll marry him.” The words flew out of your mouth as if on instinct. You hung up just as the agent gave a confused shout at your declaration. You set your phone down and noticed König’s tense shoulders and downturned gaze. You leaned over and tilted his head up to stare into his sapphire eyes. “They’re so blue.” You mumbled and he stared at you helplessly as you spoke, desperate to understand what your decision was.
You held out your left hand and nodded, trying not to laugh at his evident surprise. He shuffled the box in his hands and grabbed the ring, only to instantly drop it on the floor.
“Scheiße!” It sounded like he was cursing himself and you felt your smile widen even more. His nervousness was endearing. He picked up the ring after a few unsuccessful attempts and grabbed your hand. He held it so gently in his strong hands, yet you could feel the tremors shake your own. He clumsily led the ring onto your middle finger.
“Wait!” You pulled back and he looked up at you, crestfallen, as if you had slapped him.
“N-Nein?” He whispered and you quickly pointed to your ring finger. “Oh…dieser hier?” He hovered over your ring finger, waiting for your final approval.
“Ja.” You answered and his eyes lit up, quickly sliding the ring onto your finger, not allowing you another chance to pull away. He kissed the back of your hand through the fabric of his mask and nuzzled his cheek against your palm as if to say thank you.
König turned your hand over to stare at the ring on your hand as he traced it with his thumb. With a small sigh, he took your hand in both of his and pressed it to his forehead as if showing reverence.
A Knight. He was definitely your knight.