Chapter Text
Midnight
Quiet and carefully, she rose from the four-poster bed that stood in her room and snuck to her window. With a loud squeak, the girl opened the window and looked down on the dark yard in front of the mansion. A gentle summer wind blewed and leaves began to rustle while she sighed. The full moon shined bright on the sky and there were no clouds in the sky. It was perfect. This night was just made for her. Today she would flee from this perfect life and begin a new one. There where her feet would take her, where she always wanted to be and find her true destiny.
With a sigh she began to gather her things while the moon shone through the windows and flooded her room with faint light. An owl hooted in the night and some branches snapped in the wind while the leaves rustled like a warning.
*2 days before*
"Can you tell me what it means to 'study'? Miss Sato?" the teacher asked who was standing in front of a the girl's desk.
"No Idea..." Misheru mumbled to herself and looked out of the large windows in the dining room which offered a wonderful view of the forest that surrounded the mansion. Her gaze followed two blue birds and stayed on the horizon where mountains covered with snow devoured the sun. "Don't you sometimes ask yourself what is waiting behind all these forests and mountains? Is it real life or just a stepping stone in the direction? Do we keep running when we know what lies behind it to find out more or do we turn back after we have satisfied our curiosity?" she asked dreamily, staring at the white clouds in the sky that were passing by up there. Clearing her throat, the woman closed the curtains and sighed loudly while massasging her forehead with her fingers.
"Miss Sato... if only you would show so much attention to this lesson instead of your pointless daydreams" she spoke slowly and stepped closer to the table to take a look at her student's sheet of paper.
"But think about it, there could be someone waiting for you. Who know's who. There could be waiting an adventure, an exciting journey or the true love. Who knows if you are only locked in this big house and can't discover the world" she disagreed and looked up at the teacher who just smiled in amusement as if Misheru had just told a very funny joke.
"Listen.. I've been married for 20 years and have 2 children. I didn't ask to marry my husband, I did it out of honor and for my family. There is no such thing as true love. It just dosen't exist and it will never will" she finished her speech and looked at the sheet again on which she nodded back at her student while glancing at her pocket watch. "Oh my, we totally forgot the time. Please read the chapters about the history of Japan again, I'll ask you about it tomorrow. All right?" Miss Yamada asked and gave her a friendly smile while Misheru started to stuff her things into a bag. The girl got up and lowered her head respectfully in front of her teacher before she walked to the door on clacking heels. Before opening the door she took another look at the woman.
"You don't tell my father about my dreams, do you?" she asked hesitantly, tucking a strand of her black curls behind her ear. "Never, this is our secret and now go dear. Have a nice day" nodded the woman and watched as the girl disappeared from the room and closed the door. "There is really something special about our Misheru" she sighed before she started to collect the teaching material and leave as well.
Humming and swinging the bag back and forth happily, Misheru climbed the great stairs to the upper chambers while smiling dreamily to herself. True love. That must be a great feeling. To be with the person you truly love and to feel the love of the other every single day. What a dream. But that would remain just as unreached as her desire to travel the world and find a place where she really belonged.
"Are you still dreaming about this true love nonsense?" asked a laughing voice next to her, which scared her so much that she almost hit the person with her bag.
"Kaji! You shouldn't scare me so much! Someday you scare me so hard that I'll fall down the stairs and break my neck! Do you wan't that something like this happends to your sweet sister?" she nagged in his direction and pulled off the brown jacket she wore over her white blouse.
"Oh my dear little sister. I am sure if you fall a handsome prince will surely catch and kiss you. And after that he will take you to his castle and marry you like in your dreams" the young man grinned and hugged himself a few times while making kissing noises.
"How unrealistic! It's not true love like that! You have to get to know the person, learn to love them and when they love you too, you just notice that. It should tingle and tickle a lot in your stomach and you have to grin like crazy all the time when you really love the person. So don't speak about things you have no idea about idiot!" the younger scoffed at her brother while she walked a little faster, wiggling around on the heels of her pumps.
"Not very ladylike the way you talk and walk... I wonder if you can find a man like that" the boy chuckled in amusement and continued to walk next to his sister while looking at her.
"I don't care how inappropriate my behavior is supposed to be. I just have to put on the show in front of our father that I'm his little perfect princess" she sighed, relieved to have finally arrived at her room.
"Well, if you say that, your Majesty" her brother laughed and patted her on the shoulder before starting to walk away.
"You are such a baka Kaji!" the black-haired girl replied before she entered her room and closed the door with a sigh. Not a second later the pumps flew in a high arc across the room and landed in a white wooden wardrobe. She sighed in relief and threw her bag into the study corner she had set up before falling onto the pink bedcover and stretching out on the large four-poster bed. After she had recoverd a few minutes from the long day, she sat down on her duvet and pulled a book about the world from under her pillow, which she opened. Interested, she flipped through the pages and looked at the many pictures of the countiers she had never been to. She was just reading an exciting page about China when there was a loud knock on the door.
"Miss Sato? Are you in there?" asked a familiar voice whose owner entered the room without waiting for an answer. The book quickly disappeared under her pillow and she gave the person a big smile.
"Yuna, you don't have to address me so formally after all. We're good friends" Misheru laughed lightly and got up from her bed to give the young woman a little hug.
"Yes, Miss. Your mother asked me to get you ready for the dinner. She will also join us in 20 minutes" said Yuna happily while returning the hug gratefully and then practically danced to the large windows which she opened wide.
"What dinner? Have I missed something in my schedule again?" Misheru asked who was pouring herself a glass of water to drink while she scratched her head for a moment.
"Haven't you heard yet? Lord Nitobe will join us for dinner tonight. He said there is a big announcment and you will be visibly delighted" the maid warbled as she danced to a closet full of dresses and opened it.
"What kind of announcement?" Misheru bubbled into the glass whereupon she got a reproachful look.
"Well, I don't know it either, but now let us begin there is a lot to do" Yuna exclaimed happily before she grabbed the girl by the hand and pushed her behind the room divider.
"Hopefully the visit won't be as tortured as last time. He had absolutely no demeanor and smelled very strongly of aftershave" she complained about the guest, who she definitely didn't want to see in her house while she took off the blouse and skirt that she wore.
"If you mean that, Miss. I know you hate it very much... but there is a corset duty tonight" the brown-haired woman whispered to her mistress and immediately began to put on the corset and button it up.
"But I don't want to. Besides, I feel so uncomfortable when a 24 year old is staring at my boobs! He's such a perverted guy who should be locked up" Misheru openly revealed her opinion and squeaked as the maid began to lace the corset.
"Stop complaining Miss, he tries so hard and travels from so far to see you and your family" she replied while tightening the corset until there wasn't much space anymore to breath.
"I can't breathe" the 16 year old pressed out while she dramatically grabbed her throat, which Yuna didn't seem to buy completely from her.
"Anyone who can talk get's enough air, Miss. And you see, it dosen't look so bad" Yuna contradicted with a laugh and began to pull a hoop skirt and a few layers of fabric over the girls body.
"These dinners are so ridiculous! You just sit around and talk about politics. Uninteresting and boring. If it were at least about geography" the younger one grumbled and let herself be squeezed into the dress while she looked out the window. It was already getting dark outside, the wind was blowing stronger and the moon was rising behind the mountains while dark clouds chased across the sky. Sighing, the girl looked at herself in the mirror while Yuna began to twist curlers in her hair. "That's just not me! I look like a princess who got lost on the way to the ball. It looks so wrong. Can't I wear a blue dress or a red one instead? They are so much more beautiful than this pink one. And the worst, those frills they are in the way and everything is so tight! It literally crushes me" Misheru complained while she lifted a few layers of the fabric and threw them back on the floor with a hiss. With a giggle, Yuna helped Misheru into a pair of white high heels and tugged a crease in her dress here and there. "It's all show here" the black-haired girl hissed and looked at Yuna, who had now started to put some makeup on her face.
"Oh Miss, stop complaining so much. This evening will surely pay off for you. In addition, Lord Nitobe will tell you something about his trips, that will surely interest you" said the maid encouragingly and pushed the room divider aside to look at the girl. "You look wonderful... like a real princess" Yuna whispered, while holding her hands over her mouth and smiled.
"Indeed she looks like a princess. She's a born beauty. Her hair is as black as ebony, her eyes resemble those of a bear and her skin is as white and fragile as porcelain. My perfect princess" interrupted a third female voice the conversation between the two friends. In a long white dress with blue flowers, the woman walked over to her daughter and looked at her with a smile.
"I'll help with the preparations for the dinner. Excuse me" Yuna said and quickly disappeared from the room while chlosing the door behind her.
"You really look like a princess, sweetie- except for one little thing" added Misheru's mother and pulled out a small box which she opened and handed to her daughter. A fine silver chain with a green gemstone lay neatly on the red velvet of the box and glittered in the light of the room.
"That's grandma's necklace... And you want to give it to me?" Misheru asked shooked when her mother took the necklace in her hands and put it on her daughter's neck.
"You are now a young woman Misheru. With age comes maturity and I think it's time you wear this necklace. It's yours now. Grandma and I will always be with you now" the woman replied gently, kissing her daughter on the head.
"Mother? Tell me... Why do I want to see the world so much. Everyone in our village seems to be happy. They marry, have children and work until they die. Why do I want something else?" the girl asked while she slowly sat down on her bed and sighed.
"Oh darling. All people long for something. Some for money, some for honor or pride and others for freedom and love. But not all people get what they want and wish for. Know your place and don't leave it. It could hurt the people you love most" the woman sighed meekly and began to loosen the curlers from her daughter's hair.
"But what if I can't be happy like that? I want to see this world with all the wonders and torments. I want to taste the salt of the sea and feel the coldness of the snow. Roam the meadows, smell the sweet scent of flowers and feel the rain on my skin without fear that my outfit will be ruined. I want to experience culinary adventures and admire historical buildings. I want to be free" Misheru mumbled sadly and looked out of the window. The first stars were twinkling in the sky, the wind had died down and the clouds that had previously chased each other had disappeared.
"You know darling... Sometimes it's better just to dream your dreams and never try to realize them because they could really hurt you" the woman slowly stroked her daughter's cheek and removed the last curler from her hair. She rose elegantly from the bed and walked to a cheast of drawers from which she took out a box and opened it. A gold tiara studded with pearls came to light, which the mother now placed on her daughter's head. "So now you're done. And you look fantastic, very classy and elegant like a princess" the woman sighed gracefully and helped her daughter from the bed, who was struggling to stand on her feet.
"I can hardly breathe mother! The dress is too overwhelming and this tiara is way too heavy" she sighed sullenly and looked at herself in a mirror. She looked like a princess, no doubt, but if you knew what raging anger and sadness was hidden under the frills you would have better run away quickly.
"Please come downstairs right away, Lord Nitobe will be arriving soon and he has especially asked for you hun" Miss Sato said dreamily and disappeared from the room while humming a melody. As soon as the door shut, Misheru kicked one of the bedposts with full force and clenched her teeth in anger.
"Why does she never listen to me!? Why is everyone allowed to live their lives expect me!? Why? Why!? Why!!?" she screamed angrily and hit a velvet pillow from her bed. She hated this life, this role, this compulsion to make everyone proud. How everyone tried to control her! It drove her crazy and at some point she would probably not be able to take it anymore and just scream. Furious, she stormed to the window and looked out, down into the courtyard. A fine carriage stopped just in front of the noble house from which a skinny little man stepped and knelt on the ground. He grimaced painfully when a second person got out of the carriage and used his back as a step. Lord Nitobe was a fat young man with blond hair and a goatee. His eyes were pale gray and his skin was more of a shade of grey. Today he was dressed in a black suit with a bow tie and a top hat. In Misheru's opinion, however, he just looked rather stupid as he stood there and grinned to himself while his poor servant had to drag a large bouquet of flowers. Sighing, Misheru watched the scene as her mother and father greeted the lord warmly and a maid rushed to the poor servant's aid. She knew exactly that this bouquet of carnations was for her and she also knew that he wanted something from her for it. As if she were thanking him for this rubbish, he knew very well that she didn't liked carnations and he also knew that she was not corruptible. Angry, she closed the heavy velvet curtains and walked to her dresser where she put on her gloves. With a brush she applied red paint to her lips and then smiled kindly and lovingly in the mirror, just like she learned it. "It's only today" she whispered to herself before reaching out for her pink fan and hurried out of her room. Her heels clacking, she gracefully ran down some stairs before stopping briefly before the next. She breathed in and out deeply as she fanned herself a little cool air with the fan and sighed.
"Is the princess nervous?" her brother suddenly chuckled from behind her and stepped to her side.
"Nervous? Me? Why should I? It's just uncomfortable to enjoy his company, but it has to be" she sighed and poked her brother gently in the side while tucking a curl behind her ear.
"Just a tip from your lovely brother. Shut your mouth today and don't talk too much. Father recently got angry that you talked so much. You should keep your mouth shut instead of participating in our conversations" her brother sighed and shook his head as he straightened his tie. "I can never do that, stupid thing" hissed Kaji and tugged at the material of his tie a little more vigorously. Unable to see the misery, Misheru hit her brother's hands with the fan out of the way and skillfully tied his tie.
"You urgently need a woman, my dear brother. Already 19 and still single" the girl chuckled and gave him a smile while he just had to chuckle softly.
"Love you Mimi" he laughed and patted her on the shoulder as he walked away.
"Love you too, baka!" she called after him before she took another deep breath and went down the last flight of stairs into the entrance hall.
"Miss Sato, it is both an honor and a pleasure to see you again" said Lord Nitobe with a big smile as he bowed deeply and kissed her hand. Choking inwardly, Misheru continued to smile and respectfully bowed slightly in front of the man.
"It is also my honor and pleasure to finally meet you again, Lord Nitobe. I hope your journey was not too hard and long" she added while she slowly pulled her hand back and made a brief grimace behind her fan. Kaji laughed softly to his mother's right side while her parents looked rather reproachful while she did that. Without noticing that, the lord, smiling broadly, took the girl's hand again and led her to the servants who were still trying to carry the large bouquet of flowers.
"It's only for you Miss. I remembered how much you like carnations" he spoke again with that simple smile on his face and ran his hand over the arm of the younger one. Nobody got Misheru angry as quickly as this man. First he had the courage to drag these ugly flowers here and then to touch her so obviously, disgusting.
"What do you think of a dance, my lord? I'm always so impressed from your dancing talent" she whispered sweetly, smiled a little and fluttered her eyelashes.
"Oh if that is so. I cannot deny this request, my lady. Mr. Sato, I can kidnap your daughter for a dance right?" the man asked with a beaming smile and pulled Misheru even closer to him. With a nod from her father, the lord was even more pleased and was led to the dance hall with Misheru by a servant. Inwardly screaming, the girl entered the dance hall at the side of her admirer while she smiled even wider and cuter. How stupid was she? She hated the lord with all her heart and then invited him to a dance at the same time. "I am so happy to be able to dance with you again~ You can admit that you missed me~" the man purred and immediately grabbed the girl to put his hand on her waist. With his other hand he grabbed her hand and smiled like an idiot. Smiling more sadly then happy, she put her hand on his arm and just nodded with a red sheen on her cheeks.
"Of course I missed you, and especially your dancing skills. You've always been such a graceful dancer" Misheru replied, smiling wider to hide her actual anger about this guy. In the meantime a small orchestra had gathered and began to play a slow waltz while Misheru's parents and her brother were watching from the side. The girl and the lord danced across the parquet floor and were as close as they could get. Quite to the angry of the girl who just tried not to fall out of her role and to tell her admirer what she tought of him. Unfortunately, Misheru was so distracted that she accidentally stepped on his foot when her partner was very close, which gave a brief, painful hiss. "I'm so sorry, my lord, please forgive my clumsiness" she mumbled sweetly and fluttered her eyelashes for emphasis which seemed to work. But her mistake didn't seem to bother the man, he grabbed her a little tighter by the hip and pulled her closer to him.
"It doesn't matter, Miss. You were probably dreamy about your handsome partner, weren't you?" he whispered and gently squeezed her hand who only nodded. For about a minute everything went smoothly which earned proud looks from Misheru's family, but then everything went terribly wrong somehow. While dancing, Misheru now felt that a certain hand was no longer at her waist but slowly wandered in the more southerly direction. And that was it, now he had managed to get her to break her role. With full force and intent she stepped on the lord's foot and at the same time made sure that he stumbled over her leg. In the next second the lord sat on the cold floor, confused and completely taken aback, rubbing his butt. Immediately back in her role, the girl rushed to him and held out her hand.
"Forgive me my lord, I was so confused all of a sudden and didn't really know where my feet were anymore" she mumbled ashamed while she grinned inwardly, he deserved it. Misheru's parents and her brother had come out of their paralysis quickly and ran over looking shocked. The lord, now standing on his feet again, only laughed briefly and kissed the girl's gloved hand.
"Don't worry. The young lady was just subtly confused no big deal" he exclaimed and smiled as Misheru's parents quickly whisked him off to talk about his trip to america. Kaji had also hurried over and grabbed his sister roughly by the arm to pull her behind the next stone pillar.
"Have you lost your mind? You step on his feet twice and then you trip him too?" he hissed angrily and looked at his sister with a angry expression. "If father had seen that! He would lock you up faster than you can say a word! What the fuck do you think Mimi?" he grumbled on and looked at his sister a little more angry.
"I'm sorry, but I don't like being touched there! His hand belongs on my waist and nowhere else!" she nagged back and fixed her curls that were a bit messed up. "Besides, father didn't see anything. Only you and since you love me you won't tell anyone" she added and smiled again while she changed her gloves. Disgusted, she held up one of the fabrics in Kaji's field of vision. A large stain of sweat had spread there and soaked the fabric.
"Ugh, are you sweating now or what?!" asked the young man and moved a few centimeters away from the glove that was dangling in the air looking disgusted. "It's not from me! It's from this disgusting man, he always has sweaty hands, it's so disgusting" she hissed angrily and tossed the glove in a high arc into the nearest vase. Satisfied now, she pulled out a new glove and slipped it over her hand. "Just the dinner and then he's gone again, good for me" she sighed and opened her fan vigorously while she was already walking towards the dining room. But before she could get far she was pulled back fastly and pressed against the pillar again.
"Wait a minute, Miss Stupid, you're not going anywhere. You behave yourself now and think about the three R's. You calculate with the most improbable, you clear your thoughts and you react accordingly! Do you understand Misheru?" asked Kaji and looked intently at his sister who just sighed, nodded and then released herself from the grip.
"I only behave when he does it too" she added hastily and in the next moment she had already escaped fastly through the large door to the dinning room.
"This will be a disaster" Kaji murmured, fixing his hair again while he also walked to the dinning room.
With a loud burp the lord leaned back comfortably in his chair and called a servant to get more of the wine. Disgusted, Misheru looked at the man who was now wiping his mouth clean and then grinning over at her.
"That was delicious, did you like it too, Misheru?" he asked and grinned a little wider, which made Misheru shiver. She quickly nodded her head and began to sip stressedly from her wine glass. The Lord had finally stopped talking to her for two hours and now he dared to talk to her again. For 2 hours he had stuffed everything into himself without even complaining in any way. He had devoured the fish soup in no time as well as two whole bowls of caviar that he had mashed on his toast. A few splashes had even landed on Misheru's dress, leaving orange stains. And as if that wasn't enough, he'd eaten half of the fresh crabs plus a few oysters. Misheru herself would have long been full but the lord had really eaten 8 different dishes. Including jacket potatoes with roast pork, duck breast on rice, roast goose on yeast dumplings, beef fillet with fried potatoes and even a whole lobster. It was disgusting, he just keept eating and didn't even stopped. Meanwhile, more than just disgusted by his not existing manners and at how much this man had stuffed into himself, Misheru took a long sip from the wine glass and looked pleadingly over at her brother. Of course, Kaji had noticed her look and only nodded sympathetically before eating the rest of his crab. Stupid brother.
"Now that we have all enjoyed this meal, it will be time for dessert. That would be a good opportunity for your speech, Lord Nitobe" Mrs. Sato said and smiled at the rest of the audience, whereupon Misheru just rolled her eyes. He probably wanted to close a new deal with her father again or invite Kaji on a trip again like he always does it. Outside it thundered loudly and rain began to patter loudly on the window as the dessert was now served. Huge sundaes of ice cream, plates full of cakes, and bowls of pudding had been neatly placed on the table while Misheru tried to not enjoy the sight of the sweets too much. But just as Misheru wanted to grab the spoon that was stuck in the ice cream bowl, her father cleared his throat briefly. Again a sign that she had done something wrong. With a splash she let the spoon flop back into the bowl and grabbed a fruit skewer that a servant handed her. With a painful smile, she bit into the top fruit and looked out into the dark night. How much she would like to go out now and dance in the rain. That had to be great and sure to be a lot of fun too. Dreaming, she looked up at the moon that showed itself behind a cloud and smiled dreamily. In her dream world she was lying on a meadow between flowers while a boy stroked her hair. That was her dream, true love and finally to go out, see the world and be free like a bird.
"Misheru!" someone yelled in her ear which led to the girl choking on one of the berries and coughing hardly. "Lord Nitobe would like to ask you something darling. Please listen to him carefully" her mother said happily and smiled while her daughter only nodded. With a look at the lord she turned to him and gave him her perfect smile again. The Lord grinned at the girl and slowly rose from his chair to take Misheru's hand. The girl eyed the man's sweaty hand in agony and smiled even wider, hoping that he wouldn't notice anything.
"Misheru Sato.. you wonderful young lady, you are the most beautiful girl that has ever come before my eyes. Your smile shines wider than the sun and especially your white skin enchants me. I want to ask you now so that it becomes official and not just planned. Do you want to marry me and become my wife?" asked the Lord, falling on his knee and presenting Misheru with a gold ring in a box. For a few seconds there was silence at the table, a spoon stopped scratching in a bowl and a wine glass was put down with a clatter. Within a few seconds the information flooded the girl's head and she looked down at the ring in shock. Then slowly she looked up and saw her parents sitting at the head of the table, looking proudly.
"What does he mean by planned?" she asked in a shaky voice and tried to keep the mask she had put on, on.
"Well, darling Lord Nitobe asked us and we think he's the perfect husband for you. Imagine you're going to have a fairytale wedding and you have two children like your father and me. Like you always wanted. True love!" she called sweetly while Kaji looked back and forth between his sister and his parents.
"You promised him that I marry him?" Misheru yelled shooked and angrily while jumping up from her seat. No more trace of the smile and the perfection was on her face, now it was all over.
"Moderate your tone, young lady! YOU will marry Lord Nitobe in a week, no matter what! Now sit down immediately and accept his proposal" screamed her father who had also got up and glared at his daughter. Angry about to explode, Misheru grabbed the wine glass and threw it with full force towards the wall where it shattered and left a red stain. Now everything was getting out of control, the servants had run out of the room and Kaji had curled up under the table to avoid the thunderstorm that was about to break in.
"Never in my life will I marry this fat, disgusting, perverted, abysmal brat! Never in 1000 years! I'd rather die" the girl shouted and tore the gloves off her hands that fell on the floor.
"What's that supposed to mean?! I'm not a pervert, I only compliment a pretty girl" the lord threw in, who was still kneeling on the floor and staring at the angry girl. Angry, Misheru grabbed the bowl of ice cream and put it over the lord's head, which happened with so much force that he fell backwards, passing out.
"I am 16 for gods sake! I am a child!" She yelled, while tears began to ran down her face. Stained with ice cream everywhere and red like a tomato, Misheru grabbed the ring and let it plop down into the chocolate sauce with a splash while everyone stared at her. "My answer is forever no" she screamed angrily and left the hall with hurried steps, slamming the door so loudly that the chandeliers began to tremble.
Boiling with anger, the girl stomped down the hallway that led to her room. Her anger was out of this world it made her almost explode while she hobbled on and tried to get rid of her heels. After a bit of pulling and screaming it finally worked and the shoes sailed through the first window that appeared next to Misheru. When she finally reached her room, she threw the door open and stormed into the pink nightmare. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut and you could hear a key being turned. As soon as that happened, everything collapsed over her. She screamed like never before in her life, mixed with hot tears that burned her cheeks and a heavy aching in her stomach area. Sobbing, she sank to the ground and hid her face in her hands. Everything was ruined, her perfect life, her acting, her dreams and her future, everything. Screaming rather than crying, she got up after a few minutes and began to wander around her room. She stopped in front of her mirror and looked at the not so perfect girl who was standing there. Furious, she began to tear the diadem from her head, straighten her hair and tear down her dress. Scraps of cloth flew through the air and everywhere there were ribbons and other things from her dress. So she stood there sad and desperate while she grabbed the mirror image with her hand and saw what she looked like. But what she saw there didn't last long. It changed, formed, and appeared as she always looked. Perfect. Everything became too much and with all her strength she grabbed a chair and threw it on the mirror, the glass of which broke into a thousand pieces. Now she was just a pile of misery that sank to the floor and cryed like a little child. Her body was still shaking and everything was spinning around her. The life she had led was over, now she had the choice, get married or run away from here forever. She didn't know what to choose, didn't know what to do or what to say when her parents wanted to talk to her. With a sad expression on her face, she fled into the bathroom and turned on the water that was shooting out of the tap. With a towel she began to rub the make-up from her face as well as her tears. It was all just too much. She didn't know how long it had taken until she had calmed down, but after an hour Yuna had come into her room and swept up the glass, hadn't even paid attention to her and then left again. Now she was lying on her bed in her nightgown and sobbing into her hands while a little kitten snuggled up against her leg, Snow. She had found the cat in a bush 2 months ago and since then she had taken the kitten into her home. It was her only consolation because no one else was there for her. All alone she sat in the dark and didn't even notice how the door opened and a male figure slipped into her room. Startled, she jumped up when the bed lowered slightly and two strong arms hugged her.
"Hey Sis... you freaked out pretty bad down there huh?" her brother whispered softly and closed his sister tighter in his arms who immediately buried her face in his chest.
"I don't want to marry this guy. I just don't love him..." she sobbed and took a few deep breaths before looking at Kaji. "Do you understand? Or am I the stupid dreamer again?" Misheru asked and began to sob again, soaking Kaji's shirt completely.
"Mimi... I understand you. I was totally shocked when I heard what father and mother have planned. I actually like the lord, but that he should be your husband is going too far" the young man whispered to his sister and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"I just want to get away from here, Kaji..." the younger whimpered and wiped away her tears only to sobb loudly again.
"I'll help you. Somehow. I'll get you out of here" her brother mumbled softly and gently stroked the head of the girl who yawned tiredly.
"That would be nice" she muttered softly and leaned her head close to his chest where she could hear his heartbeat. It had a calming and relaxing effect, because after a few minutes the steady breathing of the girl who had fallen asleep could be heard.
"I promise you Sis... I help you. I want you to be happy" whispered Kaji and slowly pulled away from his sister. He covered her with a blanket and kissed her briefly on the forehead before he disappeared from the room. He was sure that he would find a solution and protect his sister.