AN: This is an idea that I've been tinkering around with for awhile now, for a collection of oneshot stories that all revolve around a fairy tale theme. I did consider publishing these in my other oneshot collection, The Beika Periodicals, but I decided it would be better to post the four of them in their own little set, so we've ended up with this new collection here, Fairytales for Good Children!
There will be four stories in total, at least that I have planned now. If something else catches my interest, I might write another, but I'd also avoid writing the same couple twice for this sort of thing. Somehow or another, we're starting off with a Kaito/Aoko fic, that of course, draws it's inspiration from Cinderella. These of course, won't be straight up retellings of preexisting fairy tales, but will have their own flair to them. None of them will be dark retellings though, let's get that right out of the way, because god is there nothing more boring and pretentious than dark fairy tale retellings.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave your thoughts at the end of the show!
Ashes and Glass Slippers
Characters: Aoko Nakamori, Akako Koizumi, Kaito Kuroba
Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a small village surrounding the royal palace, there was a young girl by the name of Nakamori Aoko. Although she was born to a loving mother, she lost her early on in life to a great fire, only faint memories of her words of kindness left behind. Although her father was equally loving and they lived in happiness, in spite of not having much to their name, only a few years passed before he too, left to join his wife, leaving her behind. Although in despair from the loss of her father, Aoko resolved that she would continue to live on strongly- even though she found herself alone in the world without even so much as a single cent to her name.
Knowing that she needed to do something to change her fate, Aoko set out to look for work, and found herself employ at a local inn- a rather cheap, somewhat rundown one that catered to those passing through, those not wanting to be found, and those without all that much to their name themselves. Although she was given a roof over her head, and food to eat, the convenience of such a thing was offset by the fact that her wages were low, the food wasn't much more than leftover scraps from the kitchen, and the room she was given was cold and drafty. Always a spirited girl, Aoko did not let this deter her- vowing to work hard and move forward in life, to better things than this.
It was her job to clean the inn from top to bottom, cleaning up the rooms after patrons left, and the inn's tavern once it closed in the morning. It was rather dirty work, and it wasn't long before she found herself without a single thing to wear that hadn't been stained by ashes and soot alike. However, as it was also the only place that had room and board she could find that was willing to hire a young girl with no experience of any kind, she endured it. Her spirit wouldn't yield to something like this. It wasn't all terrible- there were a fair number of kind patrons, those who slipped her the occasional bronze piece extra, during the times she helped out in the tavern, and those who couldn't spare her anymore than a kind word, but didn't hesitate to do so.
Some, she came to know rather well over time. The somewhat mysterious woman, with her long black hair which almost gleamed red under the right light, who never really quite seemed to be the type to come to a place like this. She had never actually gotten her name before, and only knew that she was rather generous with her tips, and always seemed to leave with a different man each time- who after awhile, Aoko began to vaguely notice never actually seemed to come back. She never quite missed them- they weren't really a decent sort of folk, at the end of the day, but she couldn't help but wonder.
She had heard some rumors that she was a witch- and she wasn't sure if she quite believed them or not. Still, she didn't think she was overall a bad person.
The second couldn't be more different from the first- and his was a name she did come to know. Kaito, he introduced himself as, the very first time they had met. With a flash of his hand, he produced a white rose, a cheeky smile on his face as he saw how it clearly pleased her. He was magician, she came to learn, who had come to this country in hopes of gaining employ at the king's castle- but failing that, a lord's manor would do for the time being. Sometimes he was there, and sometimes he wasn't- he told her that on occasion, he traveled to other places, in hopes of polishing his skills more.
There was always something of a secret gleam to his eyes whenever he said that, that Aoko couldn't help but wonder at. Still, in spite of the fact that there were times where he did nothing but annoy her, she found herself often enjoying his company, and feeling almost regretful when it ended.
She was never much of one to dream all that grand- a better job, better food, and a better roof over her head would be a great start. She had heard rumors that the prince of their kingdom, who was said to be handsome and charming, was looking for a woman to marry- but that had nothing to do with her. Certainly, she wished to see the prince at least once- mostly because she wanted to see if he really was as charming as the rumors made him out to be. Rumors always tended to exaggerate, after all, so she couldn't help but be curious if they were really true or not. While that interested her, her interest didn't go that much beyond that- besides, she was all but certain that a peasant girl and a prince would make a rather poor match.
When she considered what kind of man it was that she would be interested in, her thoughts inevitably drifted towards Kaito. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that, either.
And so, on the day that a royal masquerade ball was announced, one to which every eligible woman in the kingdom, rich or poor, noble or common, was invited to, her interest didn't so much lie at the prospect of potentially marrying the prince. It was the temptation of the night off, and the desire to, for once in her life, see the inside of the palace that glittered so brightly above her village, that piqued her interest. When she approached her employer about it, however, it would seem that he had different ideas.
"The night of the ball?" The man scoffed, almost looking down at her in a way that Aoko had to bite her tongue to keep herself from giving him a tongue lashing in return. She couldn't afford to be fired. "I can hardly let you go on that night, Aoko! All the eligible woman in the kingdom means that all the eligible men in the kingdom- or a certain fraction of them, at the very least, will be right here, drowning their sorrows in booze. I can't possibly afford to lose once of my most reliable staff members on what is doubtlessly going to be such a busy night."
"But all the eligible women in the land are invited." Aoko repeated. "Aoko included, as it were."
"True, true." The man admitted, nodding his head. "But do you even have anything to wear to such an affair? You'd only be laughed at if you showed up in anything that you own, and I doubt any of the dress shops will have anything in your budget." At the way she narrowed her eyes at his words, barely holding back a biting remark that it was the fault of his cheap pay she couldn't, he gave her a placid smile, placing a hand on her shoulder that half made her want to break it. "I'll even pay you a bit extra that night. One silver piece, in addition to your usual two bronze pieces, for serving on the busiest night of the year. Not a bad deal, is it?"
"If the only problem is a fitting dress, Aoko can solve that matter herself!" Aoko declared, this time putting her foot down. True, sewing wasn't quite her specialty, but she was certain she could manage to make something serviceable by then. "You have plenty of other employees who can help you on that night, you needn't have any cause for Aoko's services on top of them."
"Very well, I suppose you're right." The man said after a moment. "If you can come up with a proper dress by the day of the ball, I'll give you that night off. But that's only if you can manage it."
There was something in his tone that she didn't like- and sure enough, after painstakingly working to sew together a dress herself, she returned to her small room to discover that it had been torn and ripped, unfitting for even a ball hosted at the very dead end inn that she found herself working in. She had long since suspected that the owner disliked her for some reason- perhaps something to do with her father, she couldn't help but wonder, given the gleam in his eyes whenever he spoke of the man. Knowing that there was no way that she could make a new one by the time of the ball, Aoko wondered if she was going to have to admit defeat.
Whatever his issues with her were, she really couldn't afford to lose the job- and besides, maybe he was right. A peasant girl who worked in a rundown inn, always covered in soot, had no place attending a ball held in the glittering castle that loomed above, held by a prince who was known far and wide for how charming he was. She would only look like a joke in comparison to everyone else there, with her unkempt hair, her childish way of speaking, and her complete lack of knowledge of how high society manners worked in the first place. Perhaps it was better to stay where she was, and get that silver piece for working on such a night- even though she was certain that it wouldn't take long for the kingdom's drunken, lowbrow men to sink to unbearable levels.
"Are you throwing that out?"
The voice almost startled her, and she turned on her heel, still cradling the ruined dress in her arms. She wasn't sure what she was thinking there either- the fabric was mere curtain fabric, of the cheapest kind, and the design was that of an amateur who had clearly never made something like this in the first place. It was the perfect dress for a perfectly plain peasant girl, but not something suited to a grand ball, even had it not been ruined.
"Y-yes, Aoko is." Slowly nodding her head, Aoko clutched the ruined dress closer to her chest, only wondering for a moment what the mysterious beauty was doing back here. For a moment, she could only find herself thinking that she would have no problem with wooing a prince, should she choose to. "It's been ruined, after all, there's not much that Aoko can do to fix it in time for the ball."
"You have an interest in the ball?" The woman asked, reaching out a hand and touching the fabric, without waiting for permission to do so, an almost assessing look on her face. "Or is it the prince you're interested in, Nakamori-san?"
"Only the ball, miss." Aoko said slowly, frowning a little at the studious way the woman looked at the remains of her rather shoddy work. "Aoko has always wanted to see the inside of the palace. Will you be attending?"
"I've no interest in marriage, least of all to a prince. Too much trouble to be found there." Releasing the fabric, the woman gazed up at her, a note of mischief seeming to twinkle in her eyes, concealing the brief hint of disgruntlement mention of the prince had flashing through them. "But I believe that I can be of help to you, Nakamori-san. I can provide you not only with a stunning dress, but shoes and accessories to match. All you need to do in return is provide me with what I need to make them."
"Are you a dressmaker?" Aoko blinked. "Aoko must apologize, for even though your offer is generous, she doesn't have all that much money to her name. She used a good bit of it to buy this fabric as it was."
"Fear not, you need no money to gather what I need." The woman told her. "You may call me Koizumi Akako. Allow me to assist you, and not only will I give you that which you need to attend the ball, I'll also see to it that your employer never notices that you're gone to begin with."
"...But what for?" Aoko asked, blinking a little. If she wasn't a dressmaker, then, well... there were those things that she had heard said of her before. Perhaps there was some merit to them after all. "Aoko has... heard rumors about you before, Koizumi-san. Though she doesn't mean to be rude."
"Fear not, your apprehension is rather understandable." A rather coy smile crossed Akako's lips, carefully studying the young girl before her. "I may be a witch indeed, Nakamori-san, but consider me not a villain for it. My interests may not perhaps be entirely altruistic, for a witch does nothing for free- but not everything a witch does is so devious that it will make those around her balk at her actions."
"What is it that you want, precisely?" Aoko asked, a slight frown on her face. In truth, she did not really think that Akako was a bad person, not at her core- and yet she couldn't help but be somewhat apprehensive, as wonderful as her offer sounded.
"I cannot say, not exactly." Akako admitted after a moment, gaze once more falling towards Aoko's ruined dress, taking it in with slightly narrowed eyes. "Only that you could say that I have already in a sense, been paid for my assistance here. Quite well, in fact. So assist you I shall."
There was a long moment of pause there, as Aoko considered the witch's words, her hands tightly grasping her ruined dress as she did so. Some might call her naive, some might accuse her of being too trusting- but in this matter, Aoko slowly gave the witch a nod of her head, resolving herself to take this deal, come what may. She doubted that it would be the key to her happiness, as the witch seemed to claim- but a night off, wherein she could forget her troubles and dance the night away, in spite of her lowly status, in spite of how ill suited she was to the environment, sounded like something straight from heaven.
"Very well. Aoko will accept your offer, Koizumi-san. What is it that you need her to gather?"
There was a smile on the witch's face as she informed her what it was that she needed to gather for her. The ruined dress that she was going to throw out, which she passed over after a moment's thought. A scrap of cloth, the color of pale moonlight. Two shards of glass, taken from a mirror that had seen a thousand faces. A gleaming stone, worked smooth by the forces of nature itself. And lastly, a rose of a pure white color, untouched by taint and darkness. Although Aoko didn't quite understand how these items would allow the witch to craft her any of the things that she promised, she nevertheless set out to gather them.
The rose and the stone were the easiest of the bunch- and the smallest bit of asking around lead her to the shard of a mirror. A famous dress shop that had been around since her grandmother's time had recently broken one that had been with them since then, and was disposing of it- and so she took two shards from it, hoping that it had indeed seen a thousand faces over it's time. The scrap of cloth was the last thing she found, while going through her own trunk of possessions, nonetheless- a scrap of her mother's wedding dress, a small piece that had survived the fire that had claimed both it, and her mother alike.
Bundling it all up together on the morning of the ball, Aoko made her way towards where Akako indicated that she should leave them. Even with her heart pounding loudly in her chest- and she didn't know if it was from her nerves, or from anticipation, if not both- she still found her way there. Accepting the bundle with a hint of a smile, Akako removed it's contents, carefully looking them over, before nodding her head, apparently satisfied with what she had received.
"Everything will be ready come evening. Wait until then, and I will come for you."
With those words, the witch left her, leaving Aoko to wonder if she had really done the right thing. It was all she could do to put her faith into it- what was done was already done, and there was no turning back now. Besides, Akako had always been one of the people who had always been rather kind to her- and she believed that her truth lay within actions such as those, rather than some of the more unpleasant rumors swirling about her.
With that matter settled, she returned to the inn, and quickly busied herself with work to take her mind off of things. Already she could see the patrons in the tavern, coming in rather early for a drink, grumbling about that night's ball, muttering underneath their breaths that all the prince had to do was twitch his finger, and every woman in the country would come at his beck and call. Aoko wasn't quite sure that was true- doubtlessly there were any number of young woman attending the ball for motivations rather similar to her own.
Certainly, it would be nice to meet the prince, and perhaps dance with him- but it wasn't as if she craved it, or anything. For that matter, she didn't actually know how to dance.
Perhaps this really wasn't a good idea at all- and for a moment, all she could think of was once again, how ill suited she would be to the place. Even though she had scrubbed herself as clean as possible, making a rather earnest attempt to tame her bird's nest of hair, she still couldn't help but feel it wasn't enough. It was the sound of her name on familiar lips, and a familiar cheeky grin that broke her from her thoughts, and she couldn't help but feel a lightness to her heart to see that Kaito was apparently unaffected by the mood shared by the other customers.
"Will you be attending the masquerade ball, Aoko?" Kaito asked after she had taken his order.
Glancing around the tavern, Aoko clutched her serving tray to her chest, slowly shaking her head. "Aoko's not allowed to, at the very least. She has to work tonight. The boss won't have otherwise." It was best to let him think that- she didn't want to risk someone overhearing her. "Will you be attending? Aoko hears there are entertainers invited from all over the land."
"Not hardly. Couldn't manage to land a gig." Shaking his head, Kaito nevertheless frowned. "I think that old man works you too hard, Aoko. I'm sure you'd be the belle of the ball if you went."
The words were delivered in his usual teasing tone, so much so that she missed the rather sincere glitter in his eyes, and as a result, only scoffed at his words. "Don't tease Aoko like that, Kaito. You know such a thing isn't true. Besides, Aoko doesn't even know how to dance. She would only just make a fool out of herself in front of the whole kingdom."
"Well it's a good thing it's a masquerade ball, then." Kaito told her lightly. "Even if you were to mess up, nobody would have to know who you were. Besides, you've more of an excuse to not know how to dance that some of the noble women I've had the, ah... good fortune to dance with."
"Oh, so you've danced with other women, have you?" Aoko asked, lifting her brows, a light chiding tone to her words. "Aoko always did think you had a bit of a flirt in you."
"Well, I'd rather not have to, really." Kaito confessed. "Rather than dance with an endless number of girls I barely know, I'd much rather have a dance with one girl I've come to know very well." With a quick smile, he produced another white rose, this time reaching up to tuck it up on her hair with a rather pleased smile. "There, see? You're ready for even the finest of balls."
"In these rags? Aoko hardly thinks so." She observed, twitching her skirt. "Keep feeding Aoko lines like that, and perhaps she'll tell the chef that you've decided you don't need anything with sugar in it today. You're far too sweet as it is already."
Still, his words did serve to make her feel better, and more confident about the night to come. It would have been a comfort if Kaito would have been there with her- having someone she knew in such a grand place would have been a great relief. Besides, she had never had the chance to see Kaito put on one of his magic shows, outside of the simple parlor tricks that he showed her from time to time. She'd always somewhat wanted to.
Perhaps she would ask him about it in the future. Provided that she could find some time off, she was sure he would be receptive to the idea.
When the time came, Aoko nevertheless once more felt the sound of her heart hammering inside of her chest. This time, however, it was more with anticipation than anything else, and as the first few stars began to twinkle in the night sky above, Akako arrived, carrying with her a bundle wrapped in cloth. As she unwrapped it, revealing what was contained within, Aoko nearly felt her breath catching in her throat for the dress itself glittered underneath the moonlight like the very color of it. The once simple design of the dress that she had clumsily sewn herself had transformed into something magnificent.
In a corner, hidden from view, Akako helped her into it, watching with some amusement as Aoko spun around in place, one hand clutching at the fabric of her skirt. It glittered and gleamed, and altogether made her feel like something of a different person- a feeling which became even more prominent as she was presented with the other items that the bundle contained. A glistening necklace of a pale blue color, a white mask with a beautiful rose motif, and a pair of slippers that fit her feet rather perfectly, translucent under the pale moon.
"It's lovely." Aoko said softly, spinning around once more, finding the heels far easier to move in than she could have imagined. Perhaps that too, was magic. "Aoko doesn't know how she can ever thank you for this, Koizumi-san."
"No need. As I've mentioned, I've already been paid quite well in regards to this matter." Akako said simply, taking her by the hand, carefully leading her out the back of the inn. With a snap of her fingers, the moonlight itself seemed to glimmer and twist, forming a carriage with a color so beautiful, it nearly made Aoko cry, complete with a carriage driver and horses clad equally so in white. "Now then. I believe you have a ball to attend, Nakamori-san. Be off with you, before that wretch of a man comes looking for you."
"Ah... yes." Slowly nodding her head, half wondering if she should back out from this again- this would be her final chance to do so. Even clad in the glistening dress and shimmering jewels, her face partially obscured by a mask, she nevertheless still couldn't help but worry that she wasn't going to fool anyone. "Thank you once again, Koizumi-san."
"Think nothing of it." Akako said simply. "Only return here by the time the clock strikes twelve, otherwise everything will return to what it once was."
With that said, she took in and let out a deep breath, and boarded her carriage. Come what may, she would finally get to experience a night within the gleaming walls of the castle- a fantastic dream that was all but out of her reach ordinarily, something she dared not even think on most often. It would only be one night, to be sure- but it would be a night that would remain forever within her memories, come what may in the future.
Inside the palace was even more grand than she could have ever imagined. So caught up was she in marveling over it, she barely took care to pay attention to where she was going- until the sound of another young lady caused her to start, sheepishly turning her gaze back down towards the floor. Just as she thought, even dressed up as she was, she really didn't fit in this kind of place.
Perhaps it wasn't too late to turn back.
"And here I thought you said that you weren't coming."
It was a voice that she knew, and one that made her turn on her heel, letting out a small gasp of shock. Even behind his mask, and even though he was far more dressed up than usual- his pure white tailcoat looked far better on him than she could have ever imagined- she knew at once who the young man who had called out to her was. It was in his voice, in the cheeky grin that he gave her, as he carefully took her hand, kneeling down to playfully give it a kiss.
It made her heart flutter, even if she knew he was only teasing her.
"Aoko thought you said that you weren't coming yourself." Aoko said lightly, somehow regaining her composure in the face of someone that she knew.
"I wasn't, until I decided it might be fun to sneak in. They've always good food at these sorts of affairs." Kaito remarked, an easy grin on his face. "And a good thing I decided to as well. What say we have a dance, Aoko? You needn't worry about knowing how."
"Aoko is certain there are prettier ladies that you would prefer to dance with." Aoko mumbled, wondering when it was that he planned on letting go of her hand. Not that she minded, really.
"Hardly." Kaito was quick to reassure her, carefully taking his other hand in his own, leading her towards the ballroom floor, where other dancers were already in full swing. "There's no one here I would rather dance with than you, Aoko. Besides, someone needs to teach you the basics, since you're so worried about it."
"Well, if you're making such a generous offer, then I suppose Aoko can't entirely refuse!" Aoko said after a moment, giving him a bright smile as she glanced up towards him. Allowing herself to be lead into place, she allowed him to show her how to stand, carefully instructing her on what to do next. Everything would be just fine if she followed his lead, he promised her, and once again, she found herself putting faith into those words.
If she had any desire to dance with the prince before this, dancing with Kaito all but caused them to fade from her mind. This was far better than dancing with some stranger that she didn't even know- and in the ballroom filled with masked faces, she doubted she would know which one was the prince to begin with anyways. Although she had been so nervous at the start of the night, she felt all of that washing away, allowing herself to simply enjoy herself, having a grand night that she could have never even dreamed of.
She was so glad that she had gathered the nerve to come here after all. It was a night that would remain forever within her memories indeed.
So wrapped up was she, that she barely noticed time passing- not until she glanced up at the clock, and noticed that it was nearly midnight. Faintly recalling the witch's words, she felt her heart clench in her chest, slowing to a halt, giving Kaito a rather apologetic look. With a word of apology on her lips, informing him regretfully that she had to go back now, she didn't allow him to protest this, and quickly made her way back down towards the carriage that she had left behind.
Casting a glance up towards the castle that she was leaving behind, she noticed that it was drawing closer and closer to midnight- she had to hurry and leave. In so much of a hurry as she was, she didn't even have time to stop when one of her glass slippers came off, the heel catching in a crevice in the stone steps. It didn't really matter, she supposed- in the end, it would vanish along with the rest of her wonderful attire.
Barely making it back to the inn just before the final stroke of midnight, Aoko found Akako waiting there for her, a bundle in her arms that she knew were her own, ash covered clothes. Although she carried regrets in her heart, changing out of the wonderful dress that she had been given, watching it all but fade away, back into the moonlight, at the same time, she still felt as if this was more or less how things should have been.
When Akako cooly observed that she was missing a shoe, Aoko apologized, and told her that she had left it behind in her haste. It wouldn't be a problem, Akako had told her, something of a mischievous look on her face.
And so, Aoko thought that the wondrous night was put behind her. She hadn't managed to sneak a glimpse at the prince in the end- but she had been able to marvel at the palace, eat foods that she never would be able to usually, and had a rather splendid time with Kaito. As she slipped back into the inn, it was as if she had never left it- nobody seemed to have noticed that she had wandered off for several hours.
Clutching the scarp of fabric that her dress had been returned to close to her chest, she vowed that she would never forget that night, only to pause and remember that she hadn't thought to ask Kaito about being able to see one of his magic shows.
Well, he would doubtlessly come again- and she could ask him then.
So much so was she convinced that last night's events were now put behind her, that she thought nothing of the rumors that began to spread the following morning. That the prince had been so enchanted by one girl in particular, he hadn't danced with anyone else. Nor did she even think anything of the fact that the mysterious princess had left behind one of her shoes in her hurry to leave- perhaps there were slightly clumsy girls even amongst princesses.
She, after all, had not met the prince. Only a simple would-be court magician.
Which is why she certainly didn't understand when two messengers from the royal palace arrived for her late that evening, carrying with them a glass slipper that she recognized as her own. The other had returned to being a simple shard of glass, but this one had maintained it's shape, for reasons that she couldn't understand. Nor could she understand why these men were here, for her- this didn't just seem as if they were attempting to return a lost item to it's owner.
That was when it dawned to her that the rumors were about her.
Nevertheless, the shoe fit.
As she opened her mouth to protest, saying that she was quite flattered that the prince, for some reason that she couldn't quite understand, was interested in her, that she couldn't possibly marry someone she didn't even know, she was cut off by the sound of a voice that she had come to know quite well.
"And what if he was someone that you know?"
And it was then that it dawned on her that the prince of the realm was none other than he.
"I can understand if you still want to say no, Aoko." Kaito told her, kneeling down in front of her. The noise in the tavern had stopped in it's tracks from the moment the royal messengers had arrived, echoing Aoko's own inability to speak in this moment, really. "I'm not going to force you to marry me. But do allow me to take you far away from a place like this, where someone like you doesn't fit at all."
Taking her hand, he planted a kiss on it, and this time, she knew it for what it was- a sincere action.
"W-why Aoko?" She stammered out after a moment. "Aoko isn't that pretty, or graceful, and she's a childish peasant on top of all of that. There must be hundreds of other girls out there for someone like you, Kaito."
"Aoko is also cheerful, earnest, and hardworking. Nor is there anything wrong with being childish, or a peasant. There's no law in place saying that I have to marry a noble or a princess." Kaito told her, slowly rising to his feet, taking both of her hands in his own, his usual cheeky grin on his face. "And no matter what she says, I, at least, think she's pretty."
"Even if I were presented with the most beautiful, most graceful, most mature princess in the world, in the end, she still wouldn't be a match for you." Kaito told her. "So what do you say, Aoko? Will you come with me? Away from this place? I'm certain," he said, turning a sharp eye towards the inn's owner, his expression conveying a silent warning in it, that perhaps he ought to reconsider his business practices, "...that the owner can find someone else to exploit."
"But..." Opening up her mouth again to protest, Aoko glanced down at her own ash stained clothes, at her nails, which though sparkling clean last night, already had soot underneath them again.
"I chose you, Aoko." Kaito said lightly, his fingers twining with those of her own. "Have confidence in that, until you can manage it for yourself. Out of all the other girls in the kingdom, the one who caught my eye was you. The whole ball was thrown for you in the first place." He told her, watching as a faint look of understanding began to cross her face, as she slowly began to connect some of the dots. "Your father was a good friend of my own father, in the past. When I heard that he had died, I went looking for you, and found you here, working hard in spite of everything."
"I didn't mean to keep the truth from you, but I wanted to get to know you. I thought that if I thrust my heritage on you all at once, it might turn you away." Kaito told her. "The ball was for you, Aoko. It was always only ever for you. Trust me, it wasn't the gown that Koizumi created for you that has the whole kingdom whispering about the beautiful princess from last night. That was all you."
Almost not knowing what to say, Aoko slowly took in and let out a long breath, steadying her pounding heart. "Aoko doesn't know about marriage just yet, Kaito," she began, giving him a small smile, before shifting her gaze, turning back towards the inn owner, sharply narrowing her eyes somewhat. Turning back towards Kaito, she looked back up at him once more. "...but if you need help at the palace, Aoko is looking for a different job, with room and board, as it were."
"I think I just might be able to fit you in." Kaito told her, feeling a grin tug at the edge of his lips. "If not marriage, will you consider allowing me to court you instead?"
"Aoko will consider it." She told him after a moment, her smile growing as she spoke. "But only if you'll let Aoko see one of your magic shows. She's been meaning to ask all this time."
"I will. Until you're sick of them."
"Oh, Aoko doesn't think that will ever happen."
