He sits down and starts to rub his chin.
“I’m really glad you’re here. You’ll be guarding Setsuna-san now?”
“Yeah.”
“Watch her closely. I think….she’s hiding something. Just the other day she said, “I don’t have to marry you if I don’t want to.” I wanna know what other choice she has.”
All she talked about while he was away was how much she wanted to marry him. Seems he’s under a lot of stress. Why aren’t any drinks being served? Is it such a small house that servants can’t fit.
“Why’d you send Saki away? He’s pretty close to her.”
“Haven’t you heard? He’s in love with her. And she…might be in love with him.”
He keeps his head down. Ashamed of the words he’s forced to say.
“Why didn’t you send him away sooner?” I ask him.
“I didn’t send him away. He asked for time off. I need him so…I’m hoping this just blows over. Her words….what she said to me….”
She must not be in the house if he’s talking about it.
“You’re being blind,” I tell him.
“No! I’m just trusting her.”
We didn’t use to have women, now we’re both having problems.
“Where is she anyway?” I ask him.
“She wanted to go back to the crypt. She took Yumiko-san with her.”
I guess I’ll have to meet her again.
“We’re short on rooms. You and Chiyo-san will have to share.”
“No.”
“You have another arrangement?”
“Put all the girls together. I rather have a room to myself.”
“You just wanna watch them fight over you.”
Chapter 72: Yumiko
“I’m glad you went back to the crypt with me,” she says.
“It was calm just like you said. I can’t get use to that stone statue of your mother.”
“It’s nice they used her scowling face.”
That’s how I’ll always remember her. There’s no food allowed in the crypt so I’m extremely hungry. We’re in the car taking the short ride back.
“I’m gonna call ahead and get the cook prepared. Do you want something?”
“No, we can cook our own food.”
“But we don’t have to.”
“I want to,” she says to me.
She’s the one that had all those cooking classes, not me. Wait…I didn’t get my cell phone replaced yet. I have to tell Kyoya-sama so he can get me a secured line again. I’ll have to explain why it’s broken. It was a small hissy fit after hearing Chiyo-san’s voice. As long as I stay in this palace, I should never see her again.
“Um…I meant to ask you something. Did Captain Saki say anything weird to you?” she asks me.
“No.”
“He’s gone. He just disappeared.”
“Probably some official business. Just let him go.”
Doesn’t seem like she wants to. Maybe I should warn Kyoya-sama a bit more. She lowers her head like she’s sad.
“Setsuna-chan, you should calm down on the whole making him jealous thing.”
“I’m not trying to make him jealous.”
“You have to know you’re being pretty obvious about your fondness for the captain.”
She turns away from me and looks out the window.
“You love Kyoya-sama, don’t you?” I ask her.
“I do.”
“Then think only of him. He’s a good man. Lots of women would love to be in your position.”
She turns back to me with tears in her eyes.
“Yumi…”
I reach over and hug her. I don’t know what she’s feeling. She won’t say.
“I….I love Kyoya-sama but I find myself thinking about the captain a lot.”
“It’s normal at your age. Don’t beat yourself up. They’re both attractive men but…you have to know the captain is a sick person. He’s no one you should be thinking about.”
I didn’t know how sick he was till I slept with him. He cut my thigh and sucked my blood. I still have the mark.
“There’s nothing wrong with him,” she says to me.
“There is. I don’t know the whole story and I don’t think we should.”
He was pretty rough with me all while yelling out Setsuna-chan’s name. He never saw me once; all he saw was her. I don’t see how Kyoya-sama can know about that and still permit him to guard her. Perhaps Kyoya-sama is sick too.
We pull up to the house and she dries her eyes.
“This stays between us,” I say to her. “I would never tell your secrets.”
“Thank you.”
I’m thinking I might have to say something to protect her. The door opens for us and I lead her out the car.
“So what do you feel like cooking?” I ask her.
“I was thinking something with lemons.”
“You’re cooking lemons?”
“You’ll see. It’ll be tasty.”
I open the front door and stop.
“Hello, disgraced princess.”
Chiyo-san is here. Setsuna-chan looks up at me. I don’t have a nice thing to say. She leans over the couch like she owns the place.
“Oh I didn’t see you there. Welcome back, Setsuna-san.”
“What do I say to her?” she whispers to me. “Do I kick her out?”
“Just go upstairs,” I say to her.
She runs up the stairs. Chiyo-san stands and stares me down. Damn! She’s always so fashionable. These are my respectful, talk to the dead clothes.
Wait…if she is here that must mean Kantarou-sama is too. I look around. He’s not here now. She steps around the couch. Why do I feel like the one that doesn’t belong? This is my country and my palace guest house.
“What brings you here?” I ask her.
“I go where my hubby goes.”
“You guys have gotten so close.”
She steps closer to me flipping her hair over her shoulder.
“You got a problem with that,” she says.
She’s trying to intimidate me. It’s not worth getting in an argument with her; looks like she’s expecting it. Since the interview I felt so free. I can’t let her or her hubby take that away from me.
“Just the opposite,” I say to her. “I’m happy for you. Now please excuse me.”
I move pass her and take a step up.
“That was some trick you pulled in your interview,” she says.
I stop in my tracks.
“What trick?”
“You just made yourself look pathetic. You cling to Kantarou-sama cause you miss your precious title. It’s pretty obvious.”
I turn back to her. I have never seen him as an opportunity to get my title back. It’s never been like that.
“I love Kantarou-sama. His titles mean nothing to me.”
“Your love for him ends now.”
She’s insecure. Perhaps they’re not as close as I think. She stares me down thinking her eyes will keep me in place. I can’t bother with her.
I head upstairs. Why is he here? What business does he have in Morinaga? Midway up the stairs the dining room door opens with chatter.
“You’re going to have to redesign the entire palace. Too much exposure. A sun roof is an assassin’s best hiding spot,” a familiar voice says.
“Since when are you an architect.”
I turn around and see Kantarou-sama enter with Kyoya-sama at his heel. Chiyo-san quickly grabs his arm pushing Kyoya-sama out the way.
“Yumiko-san,” he says to me. “How have you-”
She pulls at his arm trying to pull him a way as best she can.
“Nice to see you, commander,” I say to him.
“We should talk about-”
She pulls hard at his arm again. He shakes her off angrily and takes a step up the first stair. I step up away from him. We can’t get any closer. I run the rest of the way to my room and shut myself in.
“It’s
so hard to see him,” I say to myself.
“Chiyo-san’s things are here,” Setsuna-chan says.
What are her bags doing in my room? I go forward and Setsuna-chan is already opening the bags.
“Don’t do that,” I tell her.
“There are only three rooms here. I guess she’ll be staying with you.”
“Huh? No, she’ll probably stay with Kantarou-sama.”
“Maybe it’s too soon for them to sleep together.”
They’re already sleeping together. That’s what she told me. How else would she have access to his phone?
“Ugh! Why is she even here to begin with? What business does she have in my country?”
“Kyoya-sama said our return has made a big impact on the media. Maybe now Kantarou-sama will announce his engagement.”
That doesn’t bother me. Or maybe it does. He looked so sweet on the stairs just now.
“Where the hell did the captain go?”
I need a distraction.
“If she stays here then I’ll stay too,” she tells me.
“Thanks.”
There’s a knock on the door.
“It’s me,” I hear.
I open the door and Kyoya-sama stands against the wall. Checking up on me again.
“Dinner’s in a few.”
“I won’t be going,” I tell him.
“I thought you were over this.”
I wave him inside. He steps in and I shut the door.
“Don’t make me do this,” I say to him.
“What am I making you do? I’m just offering you food. I know you like food.”
“You’re gonna make me sit at the table with her and act all normal and have to listen to-”
“It’ll do you some good to listen.”
“And you put her in my room. Why?”
“Yumiko-san,” he says exasperated. “I’m not going to baby you. Come down to dinner.”
He leaves out.
“He’s so fatherly to you,” Setsuna-chan says. “You should come down. I’ll sit near you.”
I have to change first. I can be as fashionable as her. I’ll make her know she’s no bother to me. I’ll show both of them.
“Plug in my curling iron,” I say to her. “We got work to do.”
“But I don’t know how to curl-”
“You’re gonna learn.”
Chapter 73: Kantarou
I sit on the bottom of the stairs waiting for her to come down. She looked at me like she didn’t know me. When she said “commander” it didn’t sound the same.
I have to admit, I don’t know much about my feelings. I keep thinking my life has to reflect my duty but she’s the exception. I can’t stand not having her in my life. She has to know that.
“AHHH! You burned me!” I hear.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Go get some ice!”
What’s going on up there? I hear a door slam and tiny steps come down the stairs. The little princess sees me, bows her head then continues running to the kitchen.
She hasn’t said a word to me. I thought she missed me. She runs back with an ice tray. She lifts up her dress to run up the stairs and I grab her arm.
“Did you lose your voice again?”
“Uh…hi.”
“Thought you’d have more to say to me.”
“I can’t right now. She needs ice.”
She takes off up the stairs. Once she’s upstairs I hear the door slam.
“Ready for dinner,” Chiyo-san appears in front of me.
“Oh…yeah, I guess.”
“I observed the cook. I made sure she’ll give you the biggest steak.”
“That would have happened on its own. There’s no need or you to interfere.”
“You should sit in the dining room with me.”
“Just go ahead.”
I’m hoping to see her when she comes down. Chiyo-san sits on the stair with me holding my hand.
“I…I put up my hair. Do you like it?”
“I hadn’t noticed. I’m not the type to notice those kinds of things.”
“Yumiko-san looked nice with her hair up today.”
“She wore her hair down. She always does.”
She gets up quickly and walks to the dining room. She’s never so quick to leave. I guess I found a trick. Wait….I get it now; her feelings are hurt.
“Chiyo-san,” I call after her.
I enter the dining room and she has her head down on the table. In all the training I had, there was no mention of how to be sensitive.
“I should ask you now….should I just stop trying?”
“What do you mean?”
“Should I stop trying to get you to like me? If you want I’ll call the whole thing off. It’ll be my choice. I’ll make sure you won’t look bad.”
A chance to get out of it. I can finally be by myself again. But….she’s crying. I don’t think Chiyo-san is a bad person. My actions have caused her to feel insecure.
I sit down next to her.
“I have a habit of…not making people feel secure. It’s my job and I’m bad at it,” I say to her. “I think only about what I want and how I want it to happen. I know I’ve hurt you time and time again and I’m sorry.”
She lifts her head up and I see her tears. I don’t think she’s strong enough to be queen. Perhaps I don’t need a queen just yet. My father is still alive and shows no sign of slowing down. It might be time to break tradition and refuse the marriage. Thirty is just an age; it’s no deciding point.
“I’m calling it off,” I say to her.
“What?”
“How about we become friends first instead of rushing off and getting married. I would love to spend time with you outside of your obligation to be my queen. I would love to meet the real Chiyo Subera, the girl I met in the marriage meeting. I know that’s the real you.”
I pass a napkin to her and she wipes her eyes. After her eyes are dry she nods to me. So we have an agreement.
I move the hair from her face and she smiles. She has a nice smile. I lean forward and kiss her forehead.
“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry.”
The princess stands in the doorway with Yumiko-san. They both look shocked. Her eyes quickly look away.
“What happened to your forehead?” I ask Yumiko-san.
“Not your concern.”
She goes to the seat furthest from me.
“You can’t get over her, can you?” Chiyo-san whispers to me.
“I guess so. No need for you to feel jealous about it.”
She sighs.
“You’re such a stubborn man.”
“I know.”
Chapter 74: Setsuna
“A surprise for me?”
He nods. What’s the occasion?
“I just wanted to take you somewhere special,” Kyoya-sama says to me.
“Does that mean we’re leaving the house?”
“Yes.”
A chance to leave the house with him. I wonder what prompted this. He’s been so unapproachable as of late. He’s planning our wedding and keeping up with the politics of the country. I’m surprised he has time for me.
I have noticed something about him. No matter how busy he is, he comes home to spend the night with me. Sometimes I never see him but I can tell he’s been here. It makes me feel like he won’t forget about me.
He’s putting the finishing touches on his outfit now. He puts his shirt on so carefully; he never misses a button.
“Thank you for always coming home to me,” I say to him.
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
I stare at him feeling happy. He really heard my concerns. Since we had that talk after the interview he’s improved a lot. He tells me where he’s going and asks my advice on decisions he has to make. He’s opened up a lot too. We watched a movie together the other day and I heard him laugh so hard he cried.
I see Kyoya-sama more and more. But still…I wonder wha
t the captain is up to. He’s been gone for three weeks now. During that time me and Kyoya-sama have gotten to understand each other a bit more. We still need more time but the wedding is approaching. He says it will be in a few more weeks.
“I’m happy to come home to you,” he says putting on his jacket. “You’re my wife.”
“Uh-not yet.”
“I’ve always seen you as my wife.”
I touch my ring nervously. It’s weird to hear it. I think I’m blushing.
“It’s good we get this night out. They’ll be a press tour in a few days. We’re expected to go on a tour of Highland Row. The outside at least.”
The so called “Killer’s Lair.” It’s the area under quarantine for harboring a terrorist that’s now dead. I read up on it since finding out. He turned a district already full of scavengers into a prison just by putting up a tall fence. The people there have turned destitute over the years believing that they really are terrorists. My reaction during the tour will be key.
He comes back to me while I’m distracted and sits next to me on the bed.
“Something on your mind?” he asks.
“Just wondering what the surprise is.”
There are a lot of things but I don’t want to bother him.
“I’ve had something on my mind,” he says to me. “I hope you don’t mind talking about it.”
He wants to confide in me. I sit attentive. Of course I’ll listen. I’ll try to help as best I can. He turns to me.
“I really want to have sex with you.”
“Uh-”
“I feel like it’s time.”
“W-what makes you think it’s time? I-is there some kind of t-time frame for this sort of thing. I wasn’t made aware.”
“Just calm down,” he says taking my hand. “I know you’re scared. Just tell me why and I’ll try to make it better.”
Why do we have to talk about such adult things? I want out of this conversation.
“You know I cherish you. I wouldn’t hurt you. We’ll go slow,” he says softly.
“I know. Can we not talk about this?”
“I think we should.”
“I really don’t want to.”
Please just let it go. Why is it such a big deal? Ah!
“You’re gonna cheat on me aren’t you!”
“No-”
“If I don’t give you what you want you’ll just find someone else again. You said you wouldn’t! You said you loved me!”
The Last Princess Page 30