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a/n. HELLO! AND THANKS FOR REVIEWS/READS/HITS/OR YOUR THIRSTY THOUGHTS FOR THIS PIECE. I can't thank you guys enough! Hope I can whip this story more :9 and here goes your update!
Big thanks to chyroation who gave the prompts and even beta-ed this story as always.
eternal oath
[ Chapter 04: Race Against Heartbeat ]
Apparently, her father's package arrived to the Nishikino household just awhile ago. He said that it was for her to 'do a better job being a bodyguard' (That's lie. She knows that it was a reminder to not slack off with her training.), but Umi hesitated as she opened the big box to find a traditional katana in it.
It's not like she didn't want to use it, she really did in fact, however she can't hide the fact that it will be sticking out clearly in the open, and Maki will undoubtedly berate her about it.
Umi decided to place it in her own room until the need arises.
Maki said that she felt unwell today so she decided to sleep more and skip class for the day. The blue haired servant had tried to knock a few times but was given no answer. This time though, she decided, she will take the initiative and intrusively check up on her master's well-being, as well as bring her a cup of helpful chamomile tea.
"Ojou-sama, may I come in?"
Again, no answer.
She opened the door to find Maki sitting on her bed, hugging her legs. Painted with worry, she quickly rushed to her master's stead.
"Ojou-sama?"
"Oh, sorry, I was listening to something, I didn't hear you,"
Apparently, Maki was listening to her phone with her earphones when Umi came in.
"You're …not resting?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired. Don't worry, this happens really often," she answered, which ironically made the bodyguard increasingly more worried. "Did you bring tea for me?"
" Yes, do you want some? Perhaps this can relax your body."
"No, it's fine. Just plain water, please,"
Umi took her time to go to the kitchen and return with the glass of water. She saw her master fumbling through papers when she came back.
"Ojou-sama, you should rest."
"Just a bit—"
"Ojou-sama, please, I beg you, rest." the bodyguard's voice was sharp and her infamous stern scowl already plastered on her face. "Your health is important," she repeated. "And I'm concerned about your well-being. I'm ordered to protect you, after all."
Maki was silent, as she muttered a low, "—O-okay."
The red-haired young woman put all her papers aside and lied down on her bed. Umi placed the glass on the nightstand closest to her charge just in case she feels parched in the middle of the night. As she was ready to bow and bid her a good night, a tug on the arm prevented her from leaving.
"Umi, can I ask you … a strange question?"
Umi nodded, as her master's hand didn't let her arm go just yet. Maki took her spot on the bed, but kept her bodyguard in arm's reach.
"Tell me, what if I die tomorrow?"
The midnight-haired bodyguard studied the woman in front of her quietly but nevertheless attentive. Pools of amethyst remained void of any expression, but the tug on the arm didn't. She only ever read from the papers that had described in vivid detail the threat that comes with being the Nishikino's heir, everything that she had been through, and even, her condition right now that her kidney is—
"If that happens, I—will be greatly saddened, of course. That I, Sonoda Umi, failed to do my own creed."
Maki's lips were open for a brief second, but closed it just as fast. Umi, realizing this, continued her words.
"But," she knelt in front of her mistress, akin to a knight and a princess, hands reaching for hers, as she placed a gentle kiss on the back of her master's hand. "I promise that I will be your shield until the very end. I won't let you get hurt as long as am I at your side."
Maki, however, was silent by this revelation. Her expression in return was nothing more than hiding her flustered face from Umi.
"Please rest well, my lady." she closed. "I hope that you'll be fine soon."
As Umi closed the door behind her, she heaved a heavy sigh. No, it was not an expression that meant she disliked her master's reckless attitude or anything similar, or that the act was simply to reassure her master's safety, she's just—
Umi. Calm down.
This is not right.
It's unusual for her to behave like that, to kiss the back of someone else's hand, to show this amount of compromise, to—
"Now," her amber returned to its dangerous gleam. "I should do some clean-up."
She's painfully aware from the very beginning that this big manor was not inhabited by two people.
There is one uninvited guest.
The mistress of the Nishikino house was sleeping soundly in her room, darkness engulfed everything as it was well past evening time. The window was opened from the outside, as a person with an all-black outfit entered the manor without a single noise or echo.
Knife at the ready in hand, glistening, as it had already been poised to strike the killing blow—
But his movements were stopped by the presence of something sharp and cold on his throat.
"Good evening, dear sir," her voice was deep and solemn, yet hushed as to not wake the sleeping princess. "I'm sorry, but my mistress cannot be disturbed right now, can you please come back later and use our front door instead of the window? It is considered very rude to enter through there."
He dropped his knife on impulse, as the sharp tip of katana lightly touched his throat, almost closing in on his pathetic life.
"I don't give a damn about where you came from or who sent you; be it Yazawas, Toujous, or even Ayases," she surmised. "Please be kind enough to leave before I behead you and force me ruin my master's rest."
However, the man wasn't able to utter a single reply as his head was snapped by the bodyguard, leaving him limp and unconscious. Umi, trying to minimize the noise, dropped the man's body outside, as she stepped out to check the man's belonging and find clues that could point to any potential suspects.
There were none.
"One assassin for today, huh?" Umi sighed. "I wonder if they will come out more in the open later on?"
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