Almost a week had passed since the foreign visitors had met the official master of the Kirkland mansion. During the few days, Sakura had learned more about the tall building, its owner and family. She had to admit that despite the rather awkward beginning of their acquaintanceship, she and Arthur had developed a delightful friendship. Not only had she grown accustomed to the new environment, but had spent time with the workers at the mansion. She and Miss Elizabeta Héderváry had conducted more than one conversation and discussed several topics. Both enjoyed their spent time together and Sakura could fairly express that the Hungarian cook was indeed a very good companion.

A few hours ago, the party had decided to visit the town which was nearest by the mansion.

"It is beautiful," Sakura whispered, holding the silk red ribbons in her hand. Although it was clear that Sakura should purchase the demanding attire – which for English standards was a must have – she was rather more interested in the classical buildings and cultural customs. Her uncle had promised to buy the required clothing as they had sat in the carriage. The older man had been overjoyed as Mr Kirkland had made the proposition to go to town. After they had arrived, Marguerite had suggested taking Sakura to the seamstress. It was a kind older woman who had then taken care of Sakura's measurements and proposed her different genres of English dresses for balls and quotidian purposes. From empire dresses to low cut ball gowns.

"You prefer that colour?"

The black-haired Japanese looked at Marguerite upon hearing her soft voice. "Yes," she answered honestly; she had always had a preference for warm colours, especially red. The two women were not alone in the shop, hearing laughter and gossiping conversations in every corner of the room. The customers were a melange of young fair women and older elegant Ladies. Apparently they were present due to preparations for balls and the next London season or to fulfil their social hobby in spending their leisure time with their friends. Lots of different looks were thrown at them: curious, questioning and conceiting eyes were watching them. It was an uncommon feeling which took over Sakura, but she tried to hold up her smiling face. As she walked to the gowns and other accessories, she overheard a conversation which involved a certain English gentleman.

"Have you heard, Mr Beilschmidt is hosting a ball in three weeks."

"Oh what wonderful news, do you happen to know who will attend?"

"I am not quite sure, but I am certain that Mr Kirkland is going with his two cousins."

Sakura moved her head but pretended to look at the clothes in front of her. She had not been informed of any ball – and she was told that she would certainly attend social assemblies – and felt her hands sweat as she recalled the conversation she had with Arthur almost a week ago. He had made the suggestion of teaching her English etiquette in order to attend balls – of course in favour of her uncle who certainly enjoyed that plan – and to introduce her to his friends. For her, three weeks were a short time.

"He is most agreeable and extremely gallant. I still cannot comprehend why he is not courting anyone. Every agreeable Lady is pursuing him. Have you heard that Miss Bonnefoy tried to catch his interest?"

In all honesty, Sakura agreed with that statement. For such a handsome and eligible man, he certainly had to be engaged or courting someone. Her ears perked up again as the two Ladies were continuing their talk.

"But apparently, Mr Kirkland entertains foreign visitors at the moment. Weeks ago his cousin, Mr Jones, had the nerve to invite a foreign tradesman and his daughter to the mansion without informing Mr Kirkland. I am surprised he is keeping such company at all."

Sakura's body stilled. Now they were talking about her and stating wrong facts such as her being her uncle's daughter. In addition to that the woman made the assumption of her and Mr Wang being an unpleasant company.

The two talking English women sniggered, mocking the situation. "I can't believe that he could have agreed on this. My family has known him for decades and never before has Mr Kirkland been in such a situation. He must have been pressed to accept and offered them a lodging."

"That only proofs what a good character he has; offering them a stay even though he did not want to. These guests should be grateful for not being thrown out."

Within a second, Sakura felt extremely uncertain about herself; the circumstance and her being in a shop filled with gossiping Ladies were overwhelming. Looking for Marguerite and her uncle, she quickly made the request of exiting the shop to have some fresh air.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, the room was a little stuffy," Sakura lied. She disliked lying to Marguerite, who had been nice to her since their first meeting. The conversation she had overheard forced itself in her mind. She mused if it was true; if Mr Kirkland had only been civil to them for the sake of politeness. Nevertheless her face never showed any sign of uncertainty. "Do you like to see the cultural aspects this town has to offer?"

Sakura need not to be told twice; she and Yao agreed immediately. After seeing several buildings, the Japanese and her companion decided to sit on a bench which was in front of the parish hall, adorned with wonderful antique architectonic elements. A perfect grand garden completed the breath-taking view. Without wasting a second, Sakura took out her sketching book, trying to catch the perfect entourage on paper.

Although Marguerite was not thinking about Sakura's change in mood, Mr Wang noticed it from the moment they had exited the shop. He did not question it, not wanting to make Sakura feel more uncomfortable. Marguerite's eyes wandered around; from the building to Sakura to other people who admired the scenery. As it seemed, many decided to take a walk in this area of the town. At the corner of her eye she detected her cousin and brother. Both were engaged in a conversation as they saw Marguerite looking and waving at them.

They all greeted each other again, except for Sakura, who was too focussed on her attempt to draw. Arthur, having noticed Sakura's absent greeting, seated himself next to her.

He observed the way she held the small chalk in her hand and how elegant the strokes looked on the paper. From time to time she would tilt her head to the side to inspect the scenery in front of her, comparing it to the painting in her hands. For the English Gentleman, it was an adorable sight. Never before had he witnessed any woman drawing in public; not to mention that any of the members in his social entourage would think of such an occupation. The Ladies, who were accomplished, drew at home but not in when they were socially engaged with other members of the Gentry. Most of them would have talked to Arthur upon seeing him; particularly the gentlewomen who would have paid him several compliments. It was an uncommon occurrence for him to be ignored or not noticed by the fairer sex. Considering their first meeting, these occurrences with Sakura seemed almost normal. At first she had been sure of his occupation of a gardener – he blamed his stained attire and walk to the backdoor – and now he was pure air for her; invisible for her beautiful brown eyes. Although he wanted to talk with her about her drawing, he remained silent. His hand covered his mouth as he let out a small chuckle. Indeed he had never been in such a position before.

Sakura was startled the moment she heard a soft laughing next to her. She stopped her movements and her body grew tense before she heard Arthur's reassuring words.

"Excuse me Miss, I did not mean to interrupt you. Please do not feel troubled by my presence."

She peered into his eyes; those intense green eyes which had claimed her attention since their first encounter. The Japanese detected his cousin Alfred behind him and realised that she had not noticed their approaching. "I-I am sorry Sir, but h-how long have you been watching me?" she asked a little shocked, realising that she had ignored him unintentionally without meaning it. Her eyes now focussed on the ground.

Arthur did not expect such a question as an answer (although he was aware of his light staring). He wondered if he had caused her any distress by sitting next to her. His sight fell on her painting and he concluded that Sakura felt unwell if someone was observing her while she was preoccupied with her drawing. "I-I do apologise Miss Honda, I did not mean to s-stare or t-to disturb you," he stuttered, an uncommon occurrence. The gentleman was reconsidering his words after uttering them. She was making him a little nervous and that was odd for the Englishman who had never been unsettled in the presence of a woman before.

"O-oh no you did not wrong me," she objected quietly, looking at him. "I-I did not notice your arrival and presence." His eyes softened immediately.

"I did not mean to startle you and I can see why you were so concentrated on your work." Arthur remarked how her cheeks heated up. An adorable blush adorning her face as she realised that he was praising her work.

"This looks absolutely fantastic," he exclaimed in complete awe. "May I?" Sakura was speechless as he admired the chalk painting. The only one who had seen and praised her work before had always been her uncle.

"T-thank you," she whispered.

"Who taught you to draw?" Arthur inquired curiously. It was the beginning of an interesting conversation in which Sakura explained him several things about her childhood. She had gained her talent for art by practice which her mother approved greatly. As she told him about her upbringing in Japan, Arthur's fascination only increased. He had noticed that she and her uncle were immensely different from their appearance. Albeit he had made several acquaintances with foreign people, he had never encountered a Japanese woman in his lifetime.

While Sakura confided in Arthur, he could not prevent himself from smiling as she told him about her beloved memories. Sometimes the Japanese's face was graced with a smile too. She was too much engaged in remembering that she did not detect the rosy colour on his cheeks. He discovered small details which he had never paid attention to; the way her face formed small dimples when she smiled, how she cupped her right cheek with her hand when she was pondering or how she would redden and stroke a short wisp of hair – which had fallen out of her bun – behind her ear. The latter two always occurred whenever she was unsure of her words. Arthur Kirkland concluded that Sakura Honda was indeed a wonderful and interesting woman who had not become infatuated with the latest London fashion – as most English Ladies had – but had great interest in immaterial values such as culture, art and social interactions (without taking the ranking of classes in consideration). In exchange, the Englishman told her about his vast unsuccessful attempt to cook for his family. The end of this adventure was too amusing for Sakura; the poor woman let out a loud laughter which attracted more attention than she had expected. To Arthur's dismay she covered her sweet smiling mouth immediately; her small blush expressing her embarrassment. To say that he was content to see her in such a state was an understatement. He admired her, and for him it was quite shocking to feel such an emotion for a person after only knowing her for several days.

"Oh Monsieur Kirkland, quelle surprise."

Upon hearing the French language, Arthur's body cringed. Sakura noticed the change in his demeanour; his once content facial expression hardened and she could almost detect his friendly eyes growing colder and more distant. She was unaware that the Englishman disliked to display his emotions – especially his personal feelings – openly. Both of them looked up; the source of the new voice was in front of them.

It was the Baronet Francis Bonnefoy who graced them with his presence. His companion was his sister Miss Marie Bonnefoy. The two siblings observed the odd couple on the bench and waited for Arthur to introduce Sakura to them. Alfred, seeing his cousin's struggle, reacted immediately and introduced them properly.

"Miss Sakura Honda," he motioned towards the French siblings, "Sir Francis Bonnefoy and his sister Miss Marie Bonnefoy."

The Japanese recognised the name immediately; having heard it an hour ago in the shop. Her eyes widened for a second before regaining her usual countenance. "It's an honour meeting you," she expressed softly, curtsying after she stood up. "Oh mais elle est très mignonne," Miss Bonnefoy complimented, regarding Arthur with a knowing look. He on the other hand was averting his gaze towards her brother with crossed arms.

"How have you been Mr Kirkland?" Francis asked, a great smile adorning his face. He knew – Arthur was certain of it – about the involvement of Alfred and the stay of their guest. And he was right because the French mentioned it the moment after their greeting.

"I've heard of your guests and I must admit that I am very pleased," he affirmed, eyeing Sakura whose cheeks in return coloured. Receiving so many compliments was an unfamiliar occurrence for her. Unfortunately, Arthur's scowling face and narrowed eyes – which were observing the French and Sakura – were left unnoticed. He opposed the idea of the Baronet having such conversations with her. The Baronet had often had his ways with young women, particularly during the London season. His sister detected the Englishman's disapproval look; she had her suspicions considering him and Sakura's acquaintanceship. Nevertheless she trusted her intuitive powers – which had never failed her before – and concluded that the British man was forming an attachment for the black-haired woman next to him. "Mr Kirkland, have you received news of the upcoming ball?"

Sakura's eyes wandered back to the beautiful French Miss and parts of the conversation in the shop came back to her mind. Have you heard that Miss Bonnefoy tried to catch his interest? Mr Kirkland was not courting anyone despite the amount of graceful and gorgeous Ladies who were trying to catch the British man's attention. That left Sakura with many different thoughts. Perhaps he was not interested in an engagement – although his rank forced him to have an heir – or he was already smitten by someone but decided to keep it secret.

"So, how have you met the lovely Lady?" Marie asked with innocent eyes which wandered between him and Sakura.

"W-well. . ."

Arthur's face heated immensely, recalling the memories of Alfred's letter, the awkward arrival at his home in dirtied clothes and Sakura's assumptions of him being a servant of his own mansion. He imagined Alfred and Francis planning this farcical circumstance to embarrass him and to his dismay Marie inquired to have a more detailed report of it.

Trying to explain himself, Sakura beheld the scene: Miss Marie's confidential smile, Mr Kirkland's failing attempt to talk and reddened face. For her those were signs of admiration – mostly from the Englishman's side – and thought that her former thoughts of him keeping his attachments in secret were true. It must have been extremely embarrassing for the man to realise that Marie had learned of Sakura's visit. To know that he was entertaining guests from a foreign country – under his roof – were an unfamiliar practice. These guests should be grateful for not being thrown out. Once again she was reminded of the words of the two Ladies in the shop. He must have been pressed to accept and offered them a lodging.

Without realising, Sakura excused herself quietly from the party and walked towards her uncle. Arthur was left wondering what had made her feel unsettled; he had felt her uncertainty but was not aware of what could have happened to made her feel that way. At that moment, his sight fell on the Frenchman, who – in Arthur's opinion – was to blame for Sakura's disappearance.

As she approached her uncle, she saw how he and Alfred were talking to new faces. Two young men were engaged in the conversation; one tall and blonde, the other white-haired with red eyes. Never before had she met a person with such an appearance. In spite of their facial features, both of the males were wearing a military uniform. "Hello, Miss," the tall blonde said politely introducing himself as Ludwig Beilschmidt while the white-haired man next to him exclaimed to be his elder brother. Their last name indicated their nationality and Sakura knew that she had heard of them hours ago. "I've heard of your arrival," Ludwig stated, talking to Yao. Sakura was still astonished of how fast rumours spread in England. It was the neighbouring village of their lodging and everyone was aware of her and her uncle's staying.

"Mr Kirkland, how nice to meet you here."

Arthur, who had joined their party – standing right behind Sakura without her remarking it – watching Gilbert's smile which had formed after seeing the British man. "I wanted to call on you this late afternoon in order to invite you to my ball."

"Yes, indeed I have heard of it. And," Arthur positioned himself next to Sakura, searching her eyes. Gilbert understood his alluding and corrected his invitation, "I meant to say, we, my brother and I would be honoured to invite you and your current guests to our ball."

Mr Wang smiled, thanking him for his kind offer, while Sakura's demeanour changed. It was certain now that she would attend it and had only two to three weeks to be prepared for it.

"Of course we will attend," Mr Kirkland said, "… right, Miss Honda, if you have no objections?"

All eyes focussed on the petite woman and she could not prevent herself from stuttering. "Y-Yes, of course. T-Thank you for inviting us."

"Fantastic! But I still wanted to call on you, to meet your lovely company."

Arthur agreed; it would be of great importance for Sakura and her uncle to acquaint the hosting family of the ball. "I will try to make arrangements for tonight to invite you formally to supper."

"Thank you, I hope your cook will make a marvellous dish. I am always looking forward to it," Gilbert expressed, not knowing that Arthur had made changes in his household. After informing the Prussian of it, the party returned home. During the drive, Arthur asked Sakura many questions, such as what kind of dresses she preferred to wear. Marguerite confessed that they had not spent a lot of time in the shop, due to Sakura's request of exiting. Although the seamstress had her measurements, the two women had not bought anything.

"Oh," he replied quietly, thinking that something had occurred to made her feel vexed.


[A/N: I did not intend to write a 3'000 words chapter :'D but I needed to introduce Prussia and Germany into the story :D.]

Replies to Reviews:
Maiden0015: Thank you :D I am happy you liked it :D
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Translation:

Monsieur Kirkland, quelle surprise – Mr Kirkland, what a surprise
Oh mais elle est très mignonne – Oh but she is very cute