Romeo and Cinderella: Noncest Version
Chapter 3: Always Bring a List
I woke up quite early that morning. The sun was just beginning to rise over the clouds. I took that opportunity to go into the kitchen and make some tea for Luka. I felt a bit bad for being so negative toward her the previous night. I chose a mint tea, one of her favorite kinds, and started boiling a pot of water. At least I could make something. I was a terrible cook.
Someone walked in after me. I could feel Luka's smirk from behind though I was too busy focusing and making sure the water wouldn't somehow burst into flames to look back and physically see her face.
"Well, well," she started, "what do we have here? Could it be, Rin Kagamine in the kitchen making tea?"
I smiled. "I woke up early and figured you'd like to be the one being served for a change." I moved the pot of water off the heat and got out two glasses.
Luka put a tea bag in each cup. "That was very considerate of you. Thank you."
I poured us each a glass of tea. "Care to join me in the dining hall? I'm sure it's been a while since you've gotten to sit down in those nice, comfortable seats." Okay, so I was being a little bit sarcastic about the chairs. Sue me.
Luka giggled. "I would love to."
Most of our conversation at the table was rich girl small talk that I no longer remembered because it's not the kind of conversation you're supposed to recall. Though, I do remember the end of our little chat.
"Are there any things that we need for the manor?" I asked.
"What?" Luka had seemed quite surprised at the question. She nearly coughed up her tea.
"Well the kitchen seemed a little bit empty. I just wanted to know if we needed to restock any. I could go into town and pick up the supplies for you. I know the vendors well enough. If you just give me a list…" I trailed off as I stared into the shining eyes of Luka. It was as if she were staring at the most beautiful rose in the world. It was a bit awkward.
"Never had I thought I would see the day where you would lift a finger without being told to," Luka admitted. "I'M SO PROUD!" And she trapped me in a vice grip embrace, nearly making me spill my tea.
"You're… welcome?" I said trying to find breath in the death squeeze. She eventually released me. "May I have a list of everything we need?"
"Sure," Luka said, her eyes still shining. "I'll tell you what. I'll deliver the list to your room while you dress after I check to see what we are missing."
"Okay. Thanks." I got up and walked up to my room where I found some of the less nice parts of my wardrobe that I used for marketplace-wear on regular days. A white blouse, gray skirt, and a black, leather corset which was made so not to kill you when you put it on. I grabbed a cloak from the back of my wardrobe—gray and lined with wolf fur—for it was very cold today and snow was an absolute promise.
I exited my room just as Luka was walking up to it. She handed me the list warmly. Taking it with gratitude, I bustled down the stairs and out the door feeling slightly guilty, for the reason I had offered to run errands was not selfless at all. The feeling did not lessen as I found exactly who I had been looking for, talking casually to the jeweler with her silver hair tied in a bow behind her back.
I began to walk toward him ever so cheerfully until someone caught my had from behind me. I looked back to see a very tall man with deep indigo eyes and long, violet hair. Before a sound could leave my lips, he put a hand over my mouth to muffle my voice. I began struggling to be free of his grasp.
"There you are," he crooned in a fairly dark voice. "I've been looking for you all over! You know you weren't supposed to leave my sight." What was this guy doing, pretending to be my father?
I tried to scream, but the combination of the noise of the marketplace and his hand on my face made it impossible for me to be heard. Surely someone would notice a strange man taking me away. He took me into a side alleyway just a few paces behind where he had me captive and took something out of his pocket.
Holding the knife against my neck he said in a low voice, "Now just give me everything you have on you and you might get away without bleeding."
I tried yelping again and in reply he pressed the knife hard and I felt something warm trickle down my collarbone. I let a tear roll down my cheek in silence as I reached into a hidden pocket in my cloak and got out all of the money I had taken with me. He snatched it from my hand, but he didn't let go of me.
My eyes widened. "Now, we can't have you sticking around to be a witness. I'll just dispose of you the old fashioned way." He took me farther back into the alleyway. My attempts to object only resulted in him cutting me deeper. "You know, you remind me of a little girl I saw around six months ago."
I let out a whimper and he edged his knife in just a little more.
"You poor thing. Did you know her? I bet she had a soft spot in your heart, huh?"
Without even thinking to mind the consequences, I bit his hand.
"Ah! Stupid bitch," he yelled. I was so lucky he only sliced my arm. I was sure he would cut my throat out right then and there.
It was very dark. The alley had many layers covering it from light, plus, it at began to snow. It was very light, a few flurries here and there, and on most days it would be a very pretty sight.
I hated how strong this man was. He refused to let go. I had struggled as much as physically possible and all of it was in vain. I ended up tiring myself and now here I was, in the middle of a strange place that obviously had seen very little human life in the past few years. I was going to die here. My body went limp. I could have thrown up at the satisfied grunt he made at that. I almost did. Sobs left me without control. The man kicked me onto the ground and put a foot on my skull, slowly adding pressure as the seconds ticked by. Then, a noise from behind us sounded—like someone landing from a leap.
He didn't get a chance to turn around. Len's arm constricted his neck. The man's step lifted. I rolled away and turned around to see Len's furious face as his arm flexed against the violet haired man's throat. The man's arms shot behind him, slicing his knife along Len's side, making him loosen the grip so the man could turn to face Len. He made a mad lunge at Len, barreling him to the ground. I narrowly evaded being caught up in the excitement. I stared in sheer terror as the man smashed his hand into the ground in the place where Len's head had been a moment earlier. I saw Len's hand reach for something and in a heartbeat a dagger was at the man's chest.
I knew I would regret what I was about to do…
Of course, I had never killed anyone before, never even had the thought to kill someone no matter how strongly I felt against them. I knew the penalties for murder. I knew that if anyone ever found out about someone's murder, the one at fault would be burned at the stake, but those weren't the things that were going through my mind when I jumped.
Landing on the man's back, the dagger Len was holding sliced in like butter. Blood spattered on his face. It was the most horrible sound I had ever heard. It's hard to describe—the sound of bones scraping, cracking; the rush of air escaping his chest as my weight crushed the both of them. I got up as quickly as possible and Len pushed the man off of him. Violent coughing erupted from the victim. I averted my eyes, wishing I could take away my hearing just as easily. Len started dragging me away to a different alleyway where I collapsed on the ground. I was shaking.
"Are you okay?" Len had leaned over me and said to me.
I shook my head. "I-I don't know," I answered. I found myself reaching up to my neck which was sorer than I had ever felt before. The worst injury I had ever sustained in all my life were skinned knees as a child. My parents always kept me away from anything harmful. And of course that didn't help me at all with my princess status. I could touch the gash, making me feel a bit lightheaded.
Len started un-tucking his shirt. He ripped off a strip from the bottom and tied it around my neck. It didn't exactly help with covering it up since the white would only stain red but hopefully it would stop the bleeding, or at least stunt it.
"Thank you…" I started, "for saving me." I tried to make my voice sound normal and not so strained and stressed. I don't know why I even bothered. "I would be dead if it weren't for you."
"Anyone would have done the same," he replied dully, though his eyes seemed very focused and worried as the bore into my throat. Somehow, though, it made it feel like the bleeding was going down, or maybe I was just delusional.
Probably delusional.
"That may be true," I said, "but don't I think—"
He cut me off abruptly. "I have to go." He put something in my hands then stood up and turned away. I watched him leave in disbelief, then, I looked down to see what he had placed at my fingertips. It was a note with the words "Garden- midnight tonight" scripted at the top and in its fold was the money that the man with violet hair had stolen from me. Considerably stunned, I stood and began to make my way out of the alley without a second thought.
.
I walked inside my home and was greeted by Luka, who had been looking quite concerned for a split second before seeing my face.
"There you are! I was beginning to think you had gotten lost," she nagged.
"Oh," I replied. "I'm sorry. I got a little mixed up with some traffic." I tried laughing to lighten the mood. It worked to some extent.
"Is that all?" She gave me a little smile. "You better not have been associating yourself with that boy—what was his name?"
I started blushing bright pink. "His name is Len and of course not! What do you take me for?" That sentence came out totally contradictory to itself. I managed to stifle a small giggle.
"You know I was just kidding," she chattered with glee. "Now we need to get you cleaned up a bit. We have more guests coming for supper tonight. Hmm?" She spotted a certain something wrapped around my neck. "What's this?"
My heart skipped a beat. What was I going to tell Luka when she saw that I had a knife wound? Not to mention the slash on my arm.
Luka reached out apprehensively and touched the edge of it. She looked at the smudge of red on her pointer finger. Just then there was a knocking at the door.
"You," she said toward me with a bit of a glare. "Get your ass in the upstairs bathroom and start cleaning up." She started shoving me up the marble staircase as the knocking repeated itself. I could hear her in the distance: "Hello. Come in, come in. We're so glad you could make it. The master is…" Her voice gradually drifted off as she walked down one of the halls to the Dining Room.
I went to the bathroom's mirror and started undoing the bow that Len had tied around my neck. The entire strip of cloth had been stained deep scarlet. The gash hurt as if I were still being attacked. I got a petite white cloth from beside the wash stand and began to dab off the blood from my neck. After taking off my cloak, I grimaced at the spots of red on the edge and arm of my blouse. That was about the time Luka entered with two armfuls of supplies including, to my relief, a fresh shirt.
She put some clear liquid onto a ball of cotton. "This might sting a bit," Luka warned. It stung a lot. I cringed away. "I have to clean it," she insisted, "and while I do you might as well tell me how you got this." Her voice sounded angry but I could tell that inside she was mad with concern.
I began my story about the tall man who had dragged me into an alleyway and tried to kill me, being sure to include my hero, but cleverly avoiding the cause of the end of the man's life.
Luka was speechless through the whole story, partly because she was working on cleaning and wrapping my injuries and partly because she was simply too stunned for any words to leave her mouth.
There was a silence.
"So he saved your life?" she clarified, almost sounding a bit guilty.
I tried to nod. "Yeah, if it weren't for him I'd be dead," I answered.
Luka didn't reply. She finished dressing me, wrapping the wound and tying a ribbon around the bandages, and walked me down to the Dining Hall. She dragged me along rather quickly, for I had kept our guests waiting for quite a long time.
Two servants let us inside. "I apologize for our lateness," I chimed. It felt weird talking politely again. I usually went through my father's company visits without a word and staying on the borderline of being rude.
"She was out and about for a bit longer than expected," Luka explained. "Your suppers will be served momentarily." Luka walked out as I found my usual seat next to my father.
Opposite my family were the two people that had visited our manor just a couple days before, but this time they were accompanied by another person. He was a man looking to be a few years older than me. His hair was bright blue and he sat very tall in his chair. He had the face of a gentleman; his eyes looked smooth and controlled. His body appeared to be very fit and his presence was very charming. Overall, he seemed to be most any woman's dream... I didn't like him.
"Rin," my father began, "I would like for you to meet Kaito Shion."
I nodded toward Kaito, trying to act friendly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaito."
He smiled and laughed deeply. "The pleasure is mine," he responded in the same sort of voice. I stifled a shiver. It was all too similar to that of the man who had assaulted me.
The servants came in with supper just in time to save me from awkward conversation. I tried not to eat too quickly; I didn't want to seem rude. But it was hard, knowing that the eyes of the blue-haired man were glancing at me periodically. After I finished, much quicker than everyone else present at the table, I sat still, staring off at a shining chandelier. The valuable jewels glimmered overhead, never changing the way they shined. The stillness about it was enough to make someone wary.
A sudden burst of laughter snapped me back to the conversation. It appeared that everyone had finished with the main course and was eagerly awaiting dessert, telling humorous stories to pass the time.
I scratched my fork against my plate in boredom as my father complimented Kaito on his story telling abilities. "My, what a funny man you are. It will be a pleasure for you to be my new son-in-law." I dropped my fork. Everyone looked toward the clang, in other words, at me. Awkward silence.
"What," I began, "was that you said father? It appears my ears are failing me." He did not just say son-in-law.
"I said that he will make a wonderful son-in-law," he explained. Okay, I was wrong. He did say son-in-law. "Ah. It appears that dessert has found its way here."
Considering I really didn't care as to what else he had to say, I picked at the cake Luka had served me not really tasting anything. I stared back up at the chandelier. It seemed to move a bit, making it twinkle at me. Maybe that was just some sign that everything would turn okay. I sighed. Or maybe it was the wind just speeding up a little.
After our guests had bid us adieu, what my father had said at the dinner table finally hit me. I was going to get married to Kaito, a man that I had barely met forty minutes ago. I was going to marry him. My parents had arranged a marriage for me. I suddenly became enraged and rather distressed. Why could they not just let me pick for myself? Could they really be just that impatient? Or was it all because of that? I could have bet money it was. Just trying to escape, get out of reality. Because they didn't have the balls to face it on their own. And I didn't either.
My conversation with myself had been held in my room, which was invaded by Luka a few seconds after I had completed my thought.
I blinked and looked over at her. "How long did you know?" I accused.
"Since Wednesday," she answered, knowing that I meant the marriage. "That's when your father told me. He made the arrangements with your mother."
"Why the hell would he do that to me!" I snapped. "Why do I even have to marry? Why can't I just take my time like any other girl and find someone I actually might care about?" I rubbed my neck. It still felt sore and rather stiff. It probably needed more medical care, maybe something to keep it closed. Then, out of the blue, I remembered my plans for tonight. "What time is it?"
"It's almost eleven. You should go to sleep soon," Luka answered, straightening stray things in my room by force of habit.
"I'm not going to sleep," I said like a six-year-old rebel.
"Why not?" Luka queried, getting that same worried look on her face that she always got whenever she knew I was planning something against the rules. Though, I had only stared doing that so often about three days ago.
"I'm seeing Len tonight, at midnight."
"Are you joking me? You're engaged!"
"Against my will!" I added quickly.
"That doesn't mean anything. You can't do that, especially not with him. Isn't he from the East City?"
"He's the most exciting thing that's happened to me! And if it weren't for him I wouldn't be here right now. I at least need to give him proper thanks! He deserves it..." My temper had started to cool down.
"How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that you are breaking so many laws just for the 'thrill' of being with someone illegal?" Luka pushed. Then an idea sparked in her eyes. "You're just looking for a way out. You're trying to fill a hole and all you have is empty space."
"I—" was stunned that Luka would even think that way. Just because she was gone didn't mean that I had a hole to fill. This was me… moving on. I was going on with my own life. I ignored the end of her statement and answered the first part. "It's not just thrill. There's something just different about him. It's rather… intriguing." I really had to try hard to stop myself from a teenage rant on how perfect he was. I didn't even know the guy.
Luka sighed. "So I'm guessing there is nothing I can do to stop you." Finally she was accepting my stubbornness.
"That would be correct."
"Well, then tell me when you're leaving. I'll make sure nobody catches you."
Ah, I loved it when she got that devious smirk on her face.
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Author's Note: Whoa. Why did editing get so hard all of a sudden? Oh. Because this chapter is 3,500 words long. That's why….. well then.
I hope you're enjoying this book so far~ I'm trying to pace out all my added in events. But it's so hard since I'm just so excited about the story. XD
Anyone have a guess as to what this accident was? I feel like it seems pretty obvious…. At least you might think that it seems obvious when I'm really lying to you. MWAHAHA! Jkjk~ I don't know if I'm quite that evil.
But I encourage you to guess! Js sayin…..
