Ch. 7: Time and Again
Amongst the carefully cultivated trees and shrubs, the trees stretched up tall and proud…-.
OO: “This is a lovely garden.”
The garden was full of vibrant plants as I spoke aloud my admiration.
OO: “Thank you for showing me around Yanagi.”
As we walked down the small stone path, I looked up to Yanagi where he walked beside me.
Yanagi: “It’s nothing. I’m just following through on the orders to show the Princess of Traumere the territory.”
Even though he said it was an order, throughout the last several days, Yanagi had been quite busy with official business, yet he still showed me various places throughout the territory.
OO: “The sweets from that tea house were delicious… and it was really fun being on the main street when it was so lively.”
Yanagi: “…huh, that’s surprising.”
Yanagi’s lips stretched into a thin smile.
OO: “What?”
Yanagi: “Our territory is at the tip of Kuyou, so I figured you’d find it too rustic or that you’d make fun of it.”
OO: “! I’d never do that!”
Yanagi: “Haha, seems so.”
I felt my ears heat up as Yanagi laughed.
After he’d told me his reason for protecting this territory on that moonlit night, it seemed like I’d seen his more natural smile time and again…
(I wonder if he’s opening up to me a little bit.)
Taking that smile as a sign that we’d grown closer, I was filled with a bittersweet sensation.
Ch. 8: Squirming Expectations
As twilight wrapped around the territory, the darkness gradually increased…-.
Having returned from the town around the castle, Yanagi walked me back to my room.
OO: “Thank you again for everything today. Have a good night.”
Yanagi: “…yeah.”
At the moment of parting, Yanagi’s expression seemed a little gloomy…-.
OO: “Is something wrong…?”
Yanagi: “…no, it’s nothing. Pleasant dreams.”
A light smile graced his lips, then Yanagi was walking away down the hall.
That smile as he saw me off remained burned into my eyes even as I tried to fall asleep…-.
…
……
When I awoke, I was looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and I immediately felt out of place.
(Where am I…?)
I looked around and found myself lying on a futon in a room that was not the one I had fallen asleep in…-.
OO: “…”
I hurriedly sat up and my field of vision spun.
Shizuki: “You shouldn’t move so fast.”
OO: “!”
I turned in surprise and saw Shizuki sitting near the futon…
Shizuki: “I just laced your bedroom with a sleeping drug. My apologies for the rough behavior.”
(Then Shizuki brought me here?)
Though I wanted to get out of there immediately, I was disoriented from the strong sleeping drug and couldn’t even stand up.
OO: “Why did you bring me here?”
My question exposed my wariness, but he showed me his arm wrapped in a bandage.
Shizuki: “I want you to testify that Yanagi gave me this injury, seeing as you’re the woman who was in the visitor’s seating area. There are still many people who don’t trust my words.”
(…it’s just like Yanagi thought.)
————————–
Yanagi: “When they’re reputation in the hierarchy falls, my brothers will eagerly use any bit of information they can get. Before long, rumors spread, all at the hands of someone pulling the strings.”
————————–
Shizuki: “To restore the points I lost during the Sword Dance Ceremony, I need your testimony to validate the rumors.”
At such a selfish claim, I reprimanded my useless body while glaring at him.
OO: “I’m not the only witness. There were other people in the area who know you didn’t get hurt then…-.”
Shizuki: “I can suppress the testimonies of any number of servants and vassals!”
Shizuki was suddenly yelling as he cut me off.
Shizuki: “Even though he’s younger than me, and just because he has a little of the king’s favor… I’m the one who should be the next king…”
Immediately after, he started muttering to himself with a brooding expression.
Inside that unstable mindset, it seemed as if his desire for power and his jealousy of Yanagi were stretched out before me.
————————–
Yanagi: “It’s because I love this land.”
Yanagi: “It’s natural for a prince like myself to want to support the country he was raised in.”
————————–
(He’s completely different from Yanagi.)
Yanagi’s words were always harsh… but there was a warmth that shown through when he talked about his country.
OO: “Yanagi is always looking out for this country. …but what are you looking at? I think all you see is the credit that comes with being Head Prince and that status of being king.”
(I would never give a false testimony to support someone like that.)
While I spoke my declaration clearly, Shizuki’s lips began to tremble…-.
Shizuki: “What does an outsider like you know!? You’re just a helpless woman that I can easily hold down with my hand alone!”
OO: “…!”
He forcefully pushed my shoulder and pinned me down flat to the futon.
Ch. 9: Maelstrom of Rage
Eyes burning with violent anger looked down at me, roasting me alive…-.
As Shizuki held me down against the futon, my stiff body shrunk back.
OO: “Someone…”
Shizuki: “It’s useless. I’ve already cleared out all the people in the rooms around here.”
With a scornful laugh and cruel eyes, Shizuki slowly drew closer to me.
OO: “No, Yanagi…!”
I shut my eyes tight and reflexively called out his name…-.
Shizuki: “Gha…!”
There was a sound like he was gasping, then the noise of a heavy impact.
(Wh-what just happened…?)
The unpleasant weight over me had vanished and I nervously opened my eyes…
Yanagi: “Aah, now I’m REALLY pissed off…”
There stood Yanagi, his long and flexible leg extended out for a kick.
Yanagi: “…”
As our eyes met, his expression was smoldering with rage and twisted in pain.
Quickly hiding it, Yanagi slowly walked over to the collapsed Shizuki.
Yanagi: “Aaah, and you’ve even unwound your bandage… and no injury. Busted.”
Shizuki: “! Yanagi…”
As Shiuzki tried to crawl away, Yanagi grabbed him by the collar with one hand and lifted him up.
Yanagi: “I didn’t think you were foolish enough to go this far, Elder Brother.”
As he easily lifted his brother up, Yanagi pierced him with a vicious glare.
At the same time, I heard multiple footsteps approaching down the hallway…
Yanagi: “It’s over for you. …don’t show your face in this castle again.”
Releasing his grip, Yanagi spoke his proclamation with a low voice.
As I watched him look down calmly at his cowering brother, I could see an anger there that was like an uncontrollable, raging fire.
Ch. 10: Before Falling in Love
The uproar had come to an end, and the silence was so distinct it felt like being at the bottom of a dark pit…-.
The soldiers had taken Shizuki away, leaving only Yanagi and myself in the room.
Yanagi: “…can I touch you?”
Yanagi knelt down at my side, and I heard an anxious tone in his voice.
It was the first time I’d heard him like that, and I slowly became aware that I was shaking.
(I was so scared…)
OO: “…yes.”
I managed a nod, and Yanagi gently picked me up.
Wrapped in his sweet, calming scent, I felt the threads of tension throughout my body start to ease…-.
…
……
The paper lanterns lit the well-organized room in a warm glow…-.
Yanagi had brought me to a room fairly deep in the palace.
Yanagi: “This is the safest place here. Once dawn breaks, you should leave this castle.”
As soon as we’d arrived in the room, I’d noticed Yanagi’s scent in the air.
(This is probably Yanagi’s room…-.)
My eyes wandered around the room, unable to look at him, and Yanagi lightly shrugged his shoulders from where he’d settled beside me.
Yanagi: “Relax, I’m not so desperate I’d do something to you right now.”
He spoke jokingly, but there was sincerity shining in his eyes.
(…I was saved by Yanagi again.)
None of it had seemed real, but now everything was catching up to me.
OO: “Um… thank you, back there.”
Yanagi lightly bowed his head, then looked at me awkwardly.
Yanagi: “There’s no reason for you to thank me OO.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Yanagi: “I told you, people like you just get treated like bait around here. …I knew Shizuki was after you.”
(! That’s why when he walked me to my room…-.)
With that comment, I finally understood the reason behind Yanagi’s expression back then.
I was at a loss for words, and Yanagi’s elegant eyebrows furrowed…-.
Yanagi: “Even though I knew he wanted something from you, and I knew it could get dangerous, I still left you on your own.”
The cold moonlight came in through the window and deepened the shadows on his face.
(Why does he look like he’s in so much pain…?)
Yanagi: “I used you. I’m sure you have a grudge against me now but…-.”
As he spoke vehemently, Yanagi turned his back to me.
I didn’t think as I reached out and grabbed his kimono, stopping him from moving any further away.
Yanagi: “…what?”
As he turned around, Yanagi’s expression and demeanor had gone back to how he always was.
And yet…-.
OO: “You just looked like you were in pain…”
(What he said wasn’t a lie… but I know it’s not everything.)
OO: “…if you’re worried about me, I’m fine. Because you protected me.”
I wanted to see how Yanagi truly felt, so I intently looked up at him…-.
OO: “!”
Before I knew it, my shoulder was being pushed and I was suddenly looking up at Yanagi as he hung over me.
Yanagi: “I hate that expression of yours, as if you’re constantly forgiving me.”
I felt his breath on me and my heart started to pound.
Yanagi: “Do you even understand what I did to you?”
Yanagi’s earrings shone brightly in the pale moonlight.
OO: “…you used me as a decoy to catch Shizuki, right?”
Yanagi: “If you get it, then why?”
His voice became fainter as he spoke with a mixture of frustration and fever.
OO: “…because I know that you were happy when we spent these last few days together. From the start, you knew I felt out of place in this territory and paid attention to that… and then tonight, you worried for me, right?”
Yanagi: “…”
Amidst the mixture of moonlight and the glow of the paper lanterns, Yanagi’s eyes were filled with a mixture of complicated emotions.
OO: “And I love that awkward side of you Yanagi.”
As he criticized himself with his own sharp words, I loved him even more.
(I’ve fallen in love with Yanagi.)
Precisely because of that, even after everything that had happened, and even after he said he’d used me, I didn’t mind.
(I don’t mind at all if I’m used so that I can ease Yanagi’s burdens. If that’s what he wants…-.)
Yanagi: “OO…”
Yanagi gently placed a hand on my cheek, touching me as if I were something fragile.
As I met his deep gaze, I could see a heat burning in his crimson eyes.
OO: “Can I stay by your side?”
Yanagi: “…oh just be quiet.”
Instead of an answer, he stole my lips with his.
The kiss deepened immediately without pausing to catch our breath…
(…he’s such an awkward person.)
His kiss was rough, like he was gently teasing me even as I felt the incredibly tender love passing between our lips.
END
Secret Story: A Heart Thrown Into Disarray
The cold night air filled the hallway, and Shizuki’s servant stood as if he were trying to disappear into the darkness…-.
(…he’s full of openings. It’s laughable to think that he’s trying to keep watch.)
As I drew closer, unnoticed, I clapped my hand over his mouth and struck his neck with my hand.
The servant passed out before he could utter a sound as he smoothly slid to the floor.
(No skill in taking OO from her room, or in keeping watch… this poor plan with fail completely and they underestimate me.)
I was half amazed at it all as I pressed my back to the wall and strained my ears.
From behind the closed sliding doors, I heard OO’s voice rise in panic.
Yanagi: “…”
I forced myself to stay still even as my body tried to move on instinct.
(I can’t step in yet.)
As I felt my heart freeze, I thought of my plan to use this prime opportunity to take down my older brother…-.
OO: “Yanagi is always looking out for this country.”
(…!)
I heard my name and pulled back slightly from the wall I was pressed against.
OO: “…but what are you looking at? I think all you see is the credit that comes with being Head Prince and that status of being king.”
Those words flew, undaunted, from OO as she kept ahold of her fear, and I felt slightly irritated.
(What is she thinking, trying to protect me even with the position she’s in…-. No… when it comes to that princess, I don’t need to think about what her real motives are.)
That woman was so unbelievably honest that she wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was all clearly on display for me now.
(Truly dazzling. You’re the type to say what’s on her mind without hidden meanings. You probably don’t even know that I’m using you.)
Though my head was calm, suddenly a feeling of irritation cut its way through my heart.
(What is this…)
As my feelings fell into disarray and a faint sense of resentment started to grow within me, I suddenly heard the disturbing sounds of a struggle.
OO: “No, Yanagi…!”
Yanagi: “…”
As soon as I heard her trembling voice, those hovering emotions were blown away…-.
Resolved, I broke down the door and caught sight of my brother straddling OO.
An intense urge rose within me and I mercilessly kicked my brother with all my strength to send him flying.
(I knew from the beginning that this could happen. But…)
Yanagi: “Aah, now I’m REALLY pissed off…”
Those mutterings were meant for myself…-.
…
……
After catching Shizuki, I brought the trembling OO to my personal room.
(I achieved my goal. But… this isn’t like me. Normally I’d be calm about this, and even have OO’s room guarded, and that would be the end of it.)
I left off calmly explaining to OO that I’d used her, but I was still filled with an overwhelming sense of frustration…-.
OO: “…if you’re worried about me, I’m fine. Because you protected me.”
(Huh? Does she think I saved her at the last minute… what an idiot.)
The look she gave me was too open, and it fanned the flames of the emotions already within me.
Those feelings that were getting worked up within me reached their climax, and in the next instant…
Urged on by those emotions, I pressed her delicate body down.
Yanagi: “I hate that expression of yours, as if you’re constantly forgiving me.”
I looked into her eyes, open wide in surprise, and glared at her, partially to vent my own anger.
(You were just shaking and looked like you were about to cry.)
Yanagi: “Do you even understand what I did to you?”
OO: “…you used me as a decoy to catch Shizuki, right?”
Unsurprised, OO looked straight at me and answered.
Yanagi: “If you get it, then why?”
(Why, even though I’m really the one who hurt you?)
OO: “…because I know that you were happy when we spent these last few days together. From the start, you knew I felt out of place in this territory and paid attention to that… and then tonight, you worried for me, right?”
Yanagi: “…”
I couldn’t come up with an immediate response, and a complex, ferocious feeling fell over me.
(It sounds like you’ll permit me just about anything… I don’t even understand what such a beautiful person as you are to me. Someone like you, who has never felt the malice of another person, or seen the filth of the world…-.)
In this castle of demons, exposing your emotions means opening up cracks beneath your own feet that you could easily fall into.
Yet for OO, it felt like she could see straight through to the heart I kept hidden…-.
OO: “And I love that awkward side of you Yanagi.”
(…you really are good-natured to a fault.)
As I fell to silence, OO smiled softly at me.
Yanagi: “OO…”
My fingers moved on their own, touching her faintly flushed cheek.
The faint warmth there felt far too fragile.
(Since I’m done using you, we can easily end this relationship. But…)
As I felt a twinge of pain in my heart, I placed my palm against OO’s face.
OO: “Can I stay by your side?”
Yanagi: “…oh just be quiet.”
Now, I could see everything clearly before me, and I snatched away both OO’s words and her lips.
(If I go any further, I’ll work myself up more.)
I pressed into her more, deepening the kiss, and she admirably let me in.
As my thoughts turned solely to her, I felt as if she would someday completely thaw my frozen heart.
END