DISCLAIMER; I DON'T OWN G.A
CHAPTER 2
Mikan lost her job at the Nogi's after what happened yesterday. At that time, she wasn't at all sad to hear about it because; escaping without meeting the prince's eyes was her only intention.
But, right after seeing her mother and brother looking at her expectantly, wanting to know how well her day was; made her feel depressed. She didn't have the strength to tell them how stupid she was. But she knew that, hiding it would make matters worse.
Her mother, Yuka was silent, even after hearing about each and every incident that happened at the Nogi's. Mikan was angry at herself….because she hated to see her mom like that, silent and calm. Just like before a storm. It simply, always creeps her out.
"Mom, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was him."
Mikan said as she sobbed hard into her mother's chest. She was surprised to see her mom stroking her hair as she hushed her off. Usually, her mother would break into hysteria over situations like this; but today she was comforting her daughter as she cradled her in her arms as if she's an infant.
"I understand honey. It's okay I'm here… I'll always be here for you." She heard her mom whispering. Mikan quickly wiped her tears off from the back of her hand and tilted her head to look into her mother's eyes which were filled with tears.
"Mom, please don't cry. I promise I won't do it again." She said as she wiped her mother's tears with both her hands.
"I know… you hate them because you think they were the reason for your father's death."
Mikan looked at her surprised, at how her mother knew her too well. Of course that was the main reason for her hatred towards the royals. Because she thought that if the castes weren't there, her father wouldn't end up dying in a mine in the first place.
"Mom, do you miss him?" Mikan asked silently as she pictured her father's bright and cheerful smile that made even the most horrible days, better.
"There wasn't a time I never missed him. He was the bravest man I've ever seen. He loved you and Yoichi more than himself. It's just sad, that he couldn't live till the day you married, which was something he had always wanted to see. Mikan if your father was alive, he wouldn't let you work…. It was just that, it was meant to be that way. I'm sorry….I'm sorry for being such a horrible mother…" Yuka said as she closed her tear streaming eyes and shook her head as if to shake off whatever which was in her head.
"NO mom! Don't say that. I ….. love working. It's…. it's my born talen-"
"Honey, I'm your mother. I know you more than anyone in this world. The best solution for both of us is that from tomorrow onwards I will be the one working. All you have to do is look after little Yoichi.
"Mom you don't have to do that. I don't want to see you doi-" A firm knock on the door made both of them silent at once. Of course they usually never had anyone banging on their doors at night.
Mikan hurried towards the door. She slightly inched it open and was shocked to see two men who were dressed as palace guards glowering at her. Fear crept all over her, as she thought what to do. She tried to close the door with all her strength, and failed over the manly hand which pushed the door wide open as if it was a piece of paper.
"I'm sorry….Miss Sakura for coming here at this time of day." How did they know my name? She gulped.
"His majesty, the prince wanted us to escort you to the palace." At the mention of the word prince; made her eyes pop out. She heard her heart beating furiously in her chest. She now realized how painful it was to be a criminal who had been caught red handed. Of course, they might've taken all the information from Mrs Nogi who must have willingly given them.
"Mikan who is it?" she saw her mom come into the door way with a shocked face.
"Good heavens! What business do you have here in my house?!" her mother demanded, as soon as she got over the shock.
"So, you must be Mrs Sakura. We're really sorry for scaring you by coming without any notice. But we really appreciate if you'd let us take your daughter with us for a while. Mrs. Sakura, this is the prince's order. We promise that nothing bad will happen to her." The man with a ponytail said in a strong monotone.
Her mother eyed the men suspiciously and looked back at her daughter. Mikan gave a confident nod when truly her insides were churning in fear. She really didn't want them to kill her whole family for something she did on her own accord. She'd rather die alone and get this over with. Well, that's what she thought.
0-0
The next thing she knew was that she's on her way to the palace. She had a hard time convincing her mother that it was all okay. She knew one thing for sure, that tonight was her last day breathing.
"Miss Sakura, we've arrived." She heard the same voice tell her. This is it…. Time for me to pay for my mistakes…
She was quite surprised at the fact that she's marched into death in a beautiful carriage. A maid from the palace escorted her into the huge yet, breathtaking palace which was the most beautiful place she's ever seen.
The maid looked friendly but distant. Mikan wanted to talk to her, but didn't because she didn't want this innocent person to fall in danger for talking to a criminal.
They walked through a large hall way which was richly lighted with chandeliers giving a grand look to the surroundings. She couldn't stop looking at the photo frames that hung on the walls in dramatic ways which made her swallow down a giggle- sheesh how could she laugh while stuck in a situation like this?
At the end of the hall way, stood a photo of a man who looked like he was in his late forties. Is this…the king? Mikan wondered.
"Miss Sakura, this way please."
She raised her head and saw that she's being ushered into a room that was filled with more than ten maids. She blinked several times, unable to understand what was happening.
"Hello ma'am, I'm Nonoko." Said a girl with a stern voice. She looked like the same age as her; 18. Mikan gave a weak smile.
"Hey? Um… please call me Mikan. Do you mind if I ask you, what I'm doing here?" She asked timidly. She was a criminal so why were they calling with honorifics.
"Ma'am! We really don't feel comfortable calling you that, and I'm sorry for not explaining before. This is where we dress people who are scheduled to see the prince." she said rather excitedly.
Dress? As far as she knew, criminals aren't taken into huge dressing rooms with a great number of elegant dresses. Whoa so maybe they dress up the prey before hunting them down? She even shivered at the thought. Or maybe they didn't know what she was called here for and got her mixed with someone else?
Before Mikan could ask anything else, a set of maids crowded around her and the next thing she knows was that her cheap dress had been ripped off from her slim body. She stared at all of them in bewilderment, when she realized that she's almost naked.
"Don't worry ma'am. We just want you to look perfect in front of the prince" Nonoko said.
They took Mikan into a bathroom which was of the size of her whole house, and rubbed every inch of her body as if she was covered in a thick layer of coal. She was baffled at how strong they were, because she tried to free herself a several times, but they were no match for those ladies tight grip. Can you believe that they even waxed her whole body?! Mikan had no time to wince because they were really fast at accomplishing the mission; making her perfect. She was so annoyed since each time she opens her mouth to explain to these maids they would immediately hush her and after some time she gave it up.
Mikan once again, stood naked in front of the maids as they examined her body as if she was some rare species. Within seconds, she was standing in front of a mirror wearing a dark blue long dress which touched the ground. It was sleeveless and had a lace net at the back of it, which revealed most of her back. What the hell?
She was astonished as she stared at herself…. She looked like a porcelain doll. Her hazel eyes were dazzling under the lights. Her hair was tied up in a bun while curly bangs hang down in a stylish way. She looked more like a… princess?!
She had tears streaming down her eyes, as she realized that this beauty was not going to last more than a second, since she knew that she wasn't here to woo the prince. Instead, she's here for her punishment. She felt guilty since all of the hard work of these cute and innocent maids would be wasted.
Nonoko wiped off Mikan's tears with a soft smile and announced that she was ready to go. She headed towards the door and looked back at Nonoko and mouthed 'thank you'.
"Be safe" Nonoko said in an inaudible voice, the excitement she had, was nowhere to be found.
Mikan had the sudden urge to, cry, and tell her everything. But she held on to all her feelings and gave Nonoko a wide smile, revealing her perfectly cleaned white teeth.
Another maid came from the outside to escort her to the prince's quarter. They had to walk through a hall way that looked just like the previous one, but here, stood a large number of guards standing on either sides of the wall, looking ahead emotionlessly. Mikan felt weird. Never has she been to a place that had high security like this. Well, of course this is the palace.
Mikan suddenly saw a guy winking at the maid who walked alongside her. Mikan unconsciously stared at the girl and saw her blushing. Mikan looked back at the guard and saw him looking straight ahead as if nothing happened. He was good looking and had a tattoo on his left cheek. Aw…they look perfect together she thought as a smile crept up on her face. She tried her best to look as if she saw nothing, because she felt the girl stiffen.
Finally they reached their final destination; the prince's quarter. Mikan's heart began to drum hard in her chest, as a guard opened the door.
"Don't worry, you look beautiful" Mikan turned and saw her maid smiling sweetly at her.
She felt happy. Happy that she met new people who really cared, even at the last moments of her life.
Before she could tell anything nice to her, the door closed behind her, leaving her alone in a spacious, gold draped room. She gulped.
0-0
"What took you so long, love?" asked a cold yet husky voice from behind.
Her eyes widened.
She turned around and her eyes met a pair of familiar crimson eyes. A handsome figure was leaning on the wall, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, as drops of water dripped out of his wet messy raven hair.
Mikan had a hard time taming her consciousness, while it started acting all weird. Her heart was beating furiously, but this time, for a different reason.
End of chapter 2! :D
-Niv
