“Yes,” Aoi answered. “When we look at Kumiko, we don’t see her face. Her real face.”
“How—” he began to ask but then stopped abruptly when Fuyumi took a threatening step forward.
“She’s more than her curse.” Fuyumi’s shoulders slumped. “And she’s our baby sister.”
“Every day we wish we were stronger. We wish we were able to undo what the witch did. But we were children, and the way we countered the curse was the way a child would,” Miori went on.
“With a prince’s kiss,” I said, realization dawning.
“Yes,” Miori said. “But the prince must truly love her.”
“It is too bad we added that caveat,” Fuyumi said, dreamily. She straightened as if digging deep for her strength. “Get yourselves together, boys. Your faces…don’t look at her the way you’re looking at us.”
Between the forest and the bedroom, I hadn’t examined myself in a mirror, but I had a sense of how I appeared to them. I’m sure the pale skin and wide eyes evident on my friends was also reflected on my visage.
“We will,” Reiji promised and I nodded.
Fuyumi didn’t say another word, but spun on her heel and left us. Apparently she was confident of her unspoken threat, and so were her sisters, because they followed after her, leaving us alone.
“What do we do?” Reiji asked, collapsing on my bed. He covered his face as he lay on his back. Dropping his hands onto the mattress, he stared at the ceiling. “What do we do?”
“What do we say?” Dai asked. My friend’s broad frame and wide shoulders seemed hunched and diminished. His gaze caught mine, but I didn’t know. Words usually came easily to me, but now, they’d deserted me completely.
“What did you see?” Goro asked. “When you looked at her? What did you see?” He had sat cross-legged, and now lifted his knees to his chest and rested his head against the wall. “I’m trying to recall her features, but I can’t. All I can remember is the overwhelming desire to cover my eyes. To run away…” He trailed off and stared at the ground. “But I don’t…I can’t describe her.”
Earlier in the day, I’d put my long hair in a low ponytail, but now I ripped the tie out of it. I stretched it between my fingers, letting it snap my skin as I pondered Kumiko’s face. Had she had lips? A chin? Was her skin scarred or her bones malformed?
Goro was right. Her features were lost and all I had left was my emotional response. Shame, revulsion, anger.
Anger?
Why would I have felt angry when I saw her? I explored the emotion, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“Her curse was designed to affect each person differently,” Dai said. For a man of few words, this was one of the longest sentences I’d heard him utter. “When I saw her, I was repelled, but also—I don’t know what to call it—like someone had taken advantage of me…” He moved to the low window, bending at the waist to stare outside. “Powerless.”
“I wanted to hit something,” Reiji muttered. “Rage just welled up inside me and I was suddenly so ashamed of myself.”
My friends had perfect described my own feelings. “Me, too,” I said. “All of it. Everything you’ve said is what I experienced.”
“So how do we move forward?” Reiji asked, sitting up. As he pushed himself against the headboard, he grabbed a pillow and chucked it to the end of the bed.
I didn’t know what to say at first. How did we come back from this? We’d begged Kumiko to show us her face and she did. How smug we’d been, thinking we’d be able to do what a hundred other men hadn’t. This curse…
Suddenly, I got it.
“We need to learn more about this curse,” I said. “I feel like we’re missing something.”
11
Kumiko
Once I was certain the princes had made it inside, I lifted my scarf to my face and hurried into my house. The servants glanced away as I sped through the rooms toward the stairs, and for that I was grateful. I couldn’t take one more person looking at me—and not seeing me.
When I finally made it into my room, I ripped the scarf and the glasses off my face and threw them. A scream welled up inside of me, but I swallowed hard, again and again.
It’s not fair! It’s not fair!
Thank goodness I couldn’t see their faces when I’d finally removed my scarf. I’d seen fifty other princes cope with my appearance, so I knew what to expect. Prince Hideto had been here a week, though his preening and platitudes made it feel longer, but his opinion hadn’t mattered.
It would be different seeing their faces, though. In twelve hours, I’d come to care more about what they thought, than anyone beside my sisters.
Groaning aloud, I threw myself onto my bed and covered my face with my pillow. A soft knock on my door had me removing the pillow just enough to call out, “Come in!” and then it went right back over my face.
“They’re not leaving,” Fuyumi announced and the bed shook as she jumped onto it. Her shoulder pressed against mine and for a moment, the pillow pressed harder against my face. “So tempting.”
I smacked her with the back of my hand and she let out an “oomph,” before stealing my pillow.
“How did they seem?” I asked and then wished I hadn’t.
Fuyumi lifted her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to know? Didn’t you have them leave so you wouldn’t have to see their reaction?”
“I did.” But… “Don’t they want to leave?”
“Probably,” Fuyumi answered and shrugged. “But they aren’t. So that means something.”
“I just wish you could break the curse for me,” I said without thinking. Fuyumi stood immediately, turning her back to me. “Fuyumi. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and cupped her hand around one of the shrubs I’d shaped. “It’s not like we haven’t tried.”
They had, but whatever curse-breaking magic they possessed had only worked that once. It had saved my life, and the last thing I should be doing was complaining about how they saved it.
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
“It’s fine, Kumiko.” She shrugged, took a deep breath and faced me. Her gaze dropped immediately. My face didn’t typically affect her, but today it did. I could tell by the way her gaze skittered across my face before focusing on something over my shoulder or by my knees.
Like it had earlier, my room stopped feeling comforting and instead had become confining. I didn’t want to stay here anymore. I wanted to go where I wanted to go, do the things my sisters and parents did without a second thought.
Gathering my hair at the back of my head, I let the air sweep across my overheated skin. My neck was sweaty and prickled uncomfortably. “I want to go somewhere.”
“Huh?” Fuyumi asked, now her gaze landed on mine.
“I can’t take it anymore. This room is smothering me!” I held up my hands then let them smack into my thighs. “I have to get out of here.”
Fuyumi nibbled on her lip. “I don’t know how to make that happen.”
“We might,” a voice blasted through the speaker and I winced. I’d forgotten to turn it off when I’d spoken to Dai last night. My conversation with Fuyumi had filtered into the study where Wataru, Dai, Goro and Reiji now waited. “We could help you get out.”
“You’d do that?” I approached the mirror. The four of them stood shoulder to shoulder. Their faces were serious, their posture rigid, but when I spoke, Goro smiled.
“Of course we will,” Reiji answered. “You probably need a hat. What do you want to do?”
The world suddenly felt huge and exciting. “Everything. I want to do everything. I want to see the fishermen at the pier. I want to watch the naval ships come into the harbor. I want to ride the Ferris wheel at Suita and then go to the aquarium.” The things I hadn’t been able to do poured from my lips.
“I want to shop. I want to go swimming at Minna beach and watch the dolphins leap in the air.”
Goro’s smile grew and when I ran out of breath, he laughed. Dai chu
ckled as well, and even Wataru’s long face split with a grin.
“I want to do those things, too,” Reiji said. “I’ve always wanted to ride to the top of the Ferris wheel. But Wataru is afraid of heights, and with school and responsibilities…”
“I’m not afraid of heights. I just don’t see why riding the tallest Ferris wheel is necessary when there are other, adequately tall ones closer to Iriogaki,” Wataru said.
While they spoke, I approached the mirror and splayed my fingers on the cool glass. “You’ll really take me out of here?”
“Yes,” Reiji answered and Goro nodded enthusiastically.
“We can do it,” Dai said. “As long as we’re careful.”
Excitement made me stand on my toes and bounce. It wasn’t just that I was getting out of here, it was that the princes, these princes, were going to go with me. They’d stayed and now were making plans with me.
“When can we go?” I asked. The two weeks until my birthday loomed over me. “Today?”
“Today?” Dai glanced at Wataru. “We can try.”
I had a desk and my laptop sat on top of it. I woke it up to find when the Ferris wheel opened. It was early spring, so it may still be closed.
It wasn’t.
It had opened a week earlier.
“It’s open,” I called out. “The Ferris wheel and the amusement park.”
Fuyumi flicked off the button between my room and the study. “The paparazzi, Kumiko. If they see the princes leave, with a girl covered? They’ll know it’s you and they’ll follow you.”
“Then I’ll sneak out,” I said. “Fuyumi, I have two weeks left.”
All the color drained from her face, but the door to my room opened before she spoke. Miori and Aoi glanced between her and me and then shut the door quickly. “What happened?”
A thunk against the mirror interrupted us. Goro waved in the mirror and I turned on the audio. “Sorry. We’re talking about the paparazzi.”
“Why don’t we talk about it all together? Can you come out here, Kumiko? Or maybe we could come in there?” Let them into my room? I examined the space only my sisters, and rarely, my mother, entered.
“Hold on,” I said. I wrapped a thinner scarf around my head and face. I found my sunglasses and stuck them on. “Okay. Ready.”
“Wait!” Miori pressed her hand against the door to hold it shut. “Are you sure?” she asked.
“Two weeks,” Fuyumi said, her voice harsh. “She only has two weeks.”
“But we never did this with any of the other princes,” Miori said.
“And where did that get us?” Fuyumi asked. “She’s still alone and her birthday…”
“Let them in,” Aoi said quietly. “If it’s what Kumiko wants, do it.”
Miori narrowed her eyes and watched me, waiting. When I nodded, she gave a deep sigh, but opened the door.
If I thought my room was small before, as soon as Dai’s broad shoulders came through, it shrunk to half its size. He smiled at me before he looked around, gaze immediately landing on the baby grand I had. “It’s beautiful.” Striding to it in two steps, he didn’t seem to notice anything else. Gently, he touched the keys and the room filled with music.
“It’s a little smaller than a baby grand…a tiny baby grand. I went through a period when I was reading a lot of Jane Austen. I wanted a fortepiano…but they only exist in museums, so…”
Dai nodded, his back to me until the last note faded. “You tuned it perfectly.” He faced me and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
“Wow!” Reiji’s voice got my attention. He was bent over one of my topiaries, studying it closely before standing to glance around. “Oh. You have lights. I wondered how you had succulents without natural light.”
Goro hurried toward Reiji to examine the garden himself. Next to the garden I had fixed terrariums on the wall. “You brought the outside in,” he said.
“Since you couldn’t go out…” Wataru filled in.
I followed his gaze, trying to see my room through his eyes. I still had my puppet theatre and dollhouse. It was a snapshot of my entire life.
He picked up the long-haired Rapunzel doll who was still propped inside her tower and faced me, lifting an eyebrow.
“Even a princess can pretend to be someone else,” I said.
Goro took the doll out of Wataru’s hand and studied it. “Ha! My toys are packed away. I think my mother thinks they’re historically significant or something, but I’m hoping my Optimus Prime is worth some money.” He pulled out his phone. “I should check.”
“Can we sit?” Dai asked, and Reiji, who’d already found a spot on a settee, jumped up, causing me to chuckle.
“Of course,” I said. Miori and Aoi had found a place on my bed while Fuyumi watched from the doorway. Goro had taken her usual spot. She glared at him, but he was oblivious.
“How did you leave your home when you were younger?” Reiji asked, settling back onto the settee.
“I didn’t,” I answered.
“No,” Aoi interrupted. “You did. Mama and Dad would buy out a movie theatre in order to take us. They’d send off a car like ours before we left and then we’d take a roundabout way there. It worked for a while, but eventually the media outlets figured out our tricks. After they chased us through downtown, they decided it was easier to pay for advanced copies of the movies and watch them here than risk being run off the road.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught Wataru leaning forward, a frown carving deep grooves next to his mouth. “You were lucky.”
“I suppose so,” I answered. “There wouldn’t have been many princes coming to visit if they’d seen my face in the newspapers.”
“Not that.” Wataru stared at me, drawing his eyebrows low. “You could have been hurt. Run off the road. Some journalists and photographers will stop at nothing to get a story.”
Oh. I shut my mouth with a snap then studied him and then the other princes. Reiji seemed especially upset. His knee bounced and he rubbed his chin. Goro frowned, but Dai’s cheekbones were stained with an angry red.
“If four male guards went out with one of you…” Dai spoke to my sisters. “It might fool anyone watching the house.” The red deepened on his skin as he spoke, as if he was uncomfortable with having all our attention. “But I could be wrong.”
“No.” Goro stood and clasped his hands behind his back until he reached my piano and tapped the keys. “It’s a great idea.” Whirling around, he pinned me with his gaze. “Can we ask the guards to do that?”
I wasn’t sure, but Aoi answered for me. “Yes,” she said. “They do it all the time for my parents. But I don’t think buying out an amusement park is going to work. That’s going to get a lot of attention at this time of year when everyone is spending more time outside.”
“She’s right,” Reiji said. “You’ll need a disguise.” His dark eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. “This will be fun.”
“We’ll go organize something with the guards. It will be better if you go at night,” Miori said. She stood and grabbed Aoi’s arm, pulling her up. “Make your plans and we’ll make ours.” With a wink, she dragged Aoi, and then Fuyumi, out of the room and shut the door behind them. A second later, the door opened again. Miori hurried in, flicked off the audio to the study, and hurried out.
“Do you have any hats?” Reiji asked, strolling around my room. I had a huge wardrobe and he reached for the handles.
“Wait!” I yelled, but it was too late. Shoes, bags I never had a chance to use anywhere, and dresses spilled from inside. He jumped back with a squeal, but the entire pile landed at his feet.
Goro belted out a laugh. “Are you okay?” He left his spot to gather an armload of dresses. He reached inside the wardrobe for hangers.
“Yes,” Reiji muttered. I joined them, grabbing an armload and shoving it back inside.
“You’re going to wrinkle everything,” Goro warned, but I was too embarrassed to care.
“I’m not used
to having anyone see my things,” I murmured. “I’m messy.”
“I don’t know,” Wataru said. “There’s a method to your mess. It’s not dirty, so there’s that.”
“No,” I huffed. “I’m not dirty. But I don’t have a lot of storage and I’m not great about getting rid of things.”
“Like this?” Reiji asked, bending down and lifting a floppy-eared bunny in his hands.
“Oh!” I cried and grabbed it quickly. “Mopsy. I thought he was lost.” My childhood stuffie had seen much better days. His ears and fur were ragged and worn smooth in places. I ignored the rest of my clothes to place him on my bed in a spot of honor that befitted his station.
The back of my neck itched and I glanced over my shoulder to see all four princes watching me. Goro’s dimples appeared in his cheeks, Dai smiled, and Reiji laughed silently. Even serious Wataru smiled broadly.
“What else is in here?” Reiji asked. “Should I be searching for Flopsy or Cottontail?”
“No,” I replied. I was too happy about Mopsy’s return to be bothered by his teasing. “Mopsy is an only bunny.”
“There.” Goro pointed to my wardrobe. “Maybe there are hats in there?”
On the top shelf of my wardrobe was a hat box. I’d forgotten about it, but I’d gone through a phase of wearing fascinators and had stored them there. I couldn’t remember what else was in there. I stood on my tiptoes to reach it, but my scarf started to slip down my face. Holding it over my face and reaching left me off balance, but still I stretched as much as I could.
“Let me,” Reiji said and a moment later the heat of his hands warmed my hips. With a gentle pressure, he urged me to move and took my spot. My skin throbbed where he’d touched me and I found myself pressing against my side, as if I could hold the feeling of his hand in place.
The hat box had my collection of fascinators, one of which had a fake bird in a nest. “What in the world? I know you’re a princess, but these…” Reiji lifted an eyebrow. “Do we have royal horse races I don’t know about?”
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