It was a rainy, but bright, night. An adolescent girl lay in bed, staring out her locked chamber window. Judging by the rich silk fabric of her nightdress, she was obviously a girl of high class, a respectable woman of the ton. Even though it was so late into the night, the girl was awake, and had dark circles under her eyes, looking like great purple bruises. Her short black hair fell to her shoulders, swaying slightly in the light breeze. In the pale moonlight, she was like a porcelain doll; she was very beautiful, but somehow, so frail, so breakable, so vulnerable. How could someone so seemingly innocent look like she was about to fall apart at any second?
Little did the girl of only age seventeen know, she was being watched. Hungry, lustful eyes, which constantly followed her in the daylight, were watching her every move. Every yawn; every breath; every stretch. Each was naked to his gaze. The man, not but a year older, was deeply infatuated with the girl. He was hypnotized by the way she moved, solitary, at the large social gatherings. He always wondered how such a wonderful girl like her could be alone at any time; her grace and elegance were clearly evident. But the man threw this detail aside; it was of little importance to him. What was important, however, was how he was to collect his little doll, and keep her to him.
Not only would he be satisfied by her company, knowing that she belonged only to him, he was soon to become of age for marriage. He was determined to make this girl his bride. The man's advisers had told him of what would happen if he did not marry and bear an heir to his business within the next two years: the estate and branch of casinos his deceased father had left him would be handed over to the brother, as dictated in the father's will. The man deeply loathed his brother, and wished for him nothing more than the upmost suffering. Constantly, over the years of their lives, the two had always fought over everything, and neither could seem to overcome the other. Duels, bets, women, the brothers were equal matches for each other. But the man was revolted to call the other his brother, let alone his rival. He shuddered at the thought. No, this time, he would soon finally best his greatest enemy.
As the girl turned her head in his direction, the man had to shift to the edge of the balcony, out of her line of vision. She thought she had heard the shuffling of movement, but she thought it was most likely the insomnia taking hold of her mind. The girl sighed, and lied back down upon her cotton bed sheets, soon drifting off into a dream filled with visions of a man, his face covered in shadow, pulling her from a dark and gloomy room. As these images flooded her mind with curiosity, she did not awaken as the man easily picked the window's lock and slid past it from the balcony into the room. He then walked to her bed side.
He caressed her cheek lovingly, staring at her face, glowing in the light from the high moon, his eyes full of an obsession. He placed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll return soon, my dear Yumi," his voice barely more than a whisper. Lord William then slid down the railing of her balcony, paying little mind to the rain steadily falling. He had his goal set in mind, and was ready to seize any opportunity that would lead him to achieving it.
Even though William had spoken so quietly, nearly inaudible, Yumi's dreams were disturbed of a different man, pulling her back and away from the other's warm presence. A dagger was sent through the first man's chest, and he fell to the ground. The man's attacker knelt in front of her, stroked her cheek and neck, and spoke in his soft voice, laced with malice, "I'll return soon, my dear Yumi." The image dissolved, and her room became familiar. Awoken with a scream, her arms reached out in front of her, the girl silenced herself quickly and stared at her hands, which, a few moments ago, had been spattered with the unknown man's blood.
She didn't realize that her window stood wide open.