The two of them were alone in the dark, pressed together, breathing each others' scents. Others were away, in one of the rooms down the hall, the noise they made barely reached the two in their corner.

Madara held the handmaiden by her skinny waist, hungrily kissing her neck and jaw. Everything felt right for him – how thin and small she felt under his hands, how hot and flushed was her skin under his lips, the sound of her yelps whenever he'd bite her soft flesh… then he stopped, as his kiss upon her wet lips ended up tasting somewhat… salty?

She was crying. No sound, no cracking up, just silent tears trailing down her cheeks in small streams.

She's frightened. He concluded.

He wasn't new to people being scared of him, but rarely in this sort of situation.

He sighed, irritated, and stepped away. He was neither an animal nor a rapist, he didn't care how she felt about the whole thing but if she's obviously unwilling, he wouldn't presume to touch her; more because it would be degrading for him, than because it'd be hurtful to her.

Turning away, he was about to leave, go back to the feast, but he felt the urge to say something. It bothered him that she cried from his touch, instead of just telling him to stop. He was scary, but he wasn't even trying now.

"You know, you could've just said no. I wouldn't have forced you." He said over his shoulder, as a matter-of-factly, then left. She didn't stop him, nor said anything else.

Anyhow, by the time he reached the main hall and was seated in his spot, he had pushed the whole ordeal to the back of his mind. That wasn't the first, and most certainly won't be the last girl he failed to seduce. Truth be told, he wasn't very charming with her.

After dining – in peace – he glanced over to Izuna's spot, to see how he's doing, but averted his gaze elsewhere, scanning the room, as he saw that the bride and groom weren't in their seats. They were dancing, laughing and staring at each other.

I'm going to throw up. He told himself, not impressed. They literally met today! What's with all the loving behavior? Sure, he was glad to see Izuna happy, but it's way too soon for them to be so close.

Well, the sooner they get close, the sooner will they produce a child. That's the whole point of this mess.

Mego slowly opened her eyes, squinting when she was welcomed by dim sunlight. She could hear chirping birds, chicken, a loud rooster, and buzzing of different little creatures through the thin walls. She let her gaze roam the unfamiliar room, taking in the details, pleased with the amount of space and decoration.

Last night, when she and Izuna came in, they carried one candle just to see the way. She couldn't see the room at all. Even now, it was slightly unclear, as it was so early that some corners of the room weren't even lit up.

Izuna was still soundly asleep next to her. Slowly, she got out from under the cushion and went to get dressed. She had to meet Madara in the garden. There was still a custom left for her to perform before she can become the bride of the house.

As she finished fitting her dress and brushed her hair, she heard the cushion move and turned around to face Izuna. His face was a little pale, his eyes squinting and his hair all over the place. She giggled at the sight. He looked funny.

My husband… The thought sounded so unfamiliar that she almost laughed again, but composed herself.

"Good morning, shujin-sama." She greeted and he blushed, looking taken aback by the honorific, and probably due to facing her after their first night as husband and wife. It somehow encouraged her not to feel as embarrassed, herself.

"Good morning." He returned, softly.

Mego looked into the mirror once more, then went out. She would meet her brother in law in the garden and fetch water for him, then prepare breakfast for the household. After the first day, those responsibilities will belong to the servants once again. She had to perform them as a part of the custom.

She lingered around in the garden, enjoying the freshness of the morning and the sounds of the waking day, while she waited for Madara to join her. Once she spotted him coming out of the house, she put a wooden bucket under the tap and waited for it to fill up.

All she had to do was bring him water to wash his face. That's supposed to be easy.

Come to think of it, she never once interacted with Madara during the wedding and the feast. He came by once or twice to speak to Izuna, but she wasn't a part of it.

"Good morning, brother in law." She said cheerfully, offering a smile, which he didn't return. Instead, he nodded in recognition and stood before her, waiting.

So, she complied, lifting the bucket up with her both hands, barely holding back the frown at its weight. She might have overfilled it, so it was quite heavy and unstable. However, he was already leaning in to take the water in his palms, she felt it would be too rude to pull away and go to spill some of the water to make the bucket lighter.

And the predictable was starting to happen. Her arms became shaky and unstable because of the pressure and, against her will, they refused to keep supporting the bucket.

She could very well see it already: soaking her brother in law with icy cold water the first day she came. He seemed pissy even on his own, she couldn't bring herself to imagine his reaction.

However, it didn't happen. Cold, wet hands covered her own and helped her keep the bucket in place. He took it from her, spilled the excess water with ease and handed it back. He didn't look angry or exceptionally annoyed… bored, maybe.

She smiled politely, not really knowing what else to do, as they finished up, when he finally washed his face and she returned the bucket to its original place, than gave him a towel.

The rest of the household still slept, or they just chose to stay in their rooms since it was still so early. Only Mego was in the kitchen, and Madara with her… silent.

Well, it was a beautiful morning, so many noises came in from outside, as well as from the pan and the fire, while she was preparing the food. In different company, this would be one of those enjoyable silences. But it wasn't.

See, Mego didn't have any problem with keeping the conversation, quite the opposite, she usually failed to see when to shut up. But this was a weird setup. She had never been alone in the same room with Madara and he really didn't strike her as much of a talker.

"So… did you sleep well, brother in law?" She asked slowly, stirring the food.

"Yes." Came a simple response. "Did you?" Madara added several seconds later, sighing, as if he didn't really want to ask but felt like he should.

"I slept wonderfully. I could have stayed a bit longer, but I had to get up really early… well, you already know that, you did too." His lack of enthusiasm didn't affect her, as she babbled on, to which he smiled; very, very lightly, but nevertheless, he smiled. She felt encouraged, and the awkwardness had left her almost entirely.

"Would you taste this?"

"You could add more salt."

She smiled, heeding his advice and fixing the almost done breakfast. Alright, we're going places. She told herself internally, happy because of the successful interaction.

"Hey, don't go anywhere!" She called out when she saw Madara head for the door, then proceeded to panic because of her tone and the way he looked at her. "I mean… the breakfast is about ready… brother in law. I'll go wake up the others."

Her first day as a married woman was nice…just not quite as exciting as she always hoped it would be. Her husband was busy for the most part – she last saw him at the table during lunch, then he went out again; Sumi was strangely secretive and worried; Madara and Tajima were doing something too.

Mego made breakfast, and she kept herself busy with helping the help prepare lunch too, then cleaned up after with Sumi… and now she was left with nothing to do again, but hang around in the kitchen and hum a song to herself while Sumi worked.

Fine, she was always aware than not every day of her married life would be a crazy romantic ride, but when the first day was so boring and fruitless she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Where are the other servants?" Came a question from the door.

Madara stood there, his dark eyes flowing from her to Sumi, his gaze became a tad bit more intense when the handmaiden faced him. That left Mego slightly confused, especially after Sumi gave no answer – she'd obviously know better about the whereabouts of the other help. Nevertheless, she took it upon herself to answer.

"We don't know, brother in law. Did you need something?"

"Tea, at the training area."

When he left and his steps could no longer be heard, Mego went to face her friend and voice out her suspicion.

"What was that? Why didn't you answer?"

"I… didn't…" The girl tried to come up with something, but failed as always. She was a terrible liar.

"Was it because he called you a servant?" Mego frowned. She never used that name for Sumi, but it would be a little too much to expect everyone else to refrain from using it.

"No, lady, of course not."

"I know you find him scary, well… as you do all three of them, but they're my family now. And you're my family too, so I really need you all to get along."

"I know. I will answer first in the future." Then she turned away and began preparing ingredients for the tea, leaving Mego's question unanswered still.

However, Mego didn't want to push her either. She excused herself and decided to take a stroll through the small garden, with a scroll she would read. She discovered that they had quite a library in the house. There were no romance novels, but she enjoyed this one she had found anyway.

Her reading didn't last long for the sun was already setting, but the evening was fresh and calm, and all the sounds of the coming night kept her senses pleased. She walked between the flowers and bushes, admiring their bloom.

Regrettably, they reminded her of her fantasies about the kind of life she would lead in this house. It was almost unbelievable how beautifully the day began, just for it to come to an end in such a dull fashion.

For a moment she felt blue, but then again, it's only the first day. And so it happened that Izuna was very busy. One of these days he'll surely have some time to devote only to her. Besides, she had to provide understanding and comfort for her husband during this time, not pressure him with her needs right off the bat.

With newfound resolve, she let her eyes take one more admiring look at the colorful, slightly starry sky and then headed towards the house. She still had to join everyone for dinner and then get ready for bed.

"Can't you get over yourself? I don't want anything with you, just my scroll."

She stopped walking upon hearing whispers. She didn't really try to eavesdrop or hide, but it happened anyway. She leaned against a tree that was before her, and watched the two people whom she recognized to be none other than Madara and Sumi.

"I don't have your scroll, my lord! Believe me." She was almost about to walk over there upon seeing Sumi so upset, but then she'd never learn what this was all about.

"You do. I don't have it, and the only person who can have it besides me is you, or Mego. I want you to find it now!" He insisted, unbothered by the handmaid's claims.

"Even if I took it, it's all back in the lady's parent's house. We didn't bring any novels here with us." Her voice cracked, as if she was suppressing tears.

"Alright, calm down." Madara sighed, lowering his tone as well. "Listen," He placed a hand on the maid's arm, then immediately pulled it back when she flinched. "Find a way to bring those novels here, let me find my scrolls, and we never have to speak again."

She nodded, and with that Madara turned away and left, and Sumi finally broke down in tears.

Mego did want to know why there was so much tension between the two of them, but now she was confused even more. What scroll would Sumi take from him and why? He wanted to see their nov—

"Oh god…" She whispered, as embarrassment suddenly overwhelmed her. He knew about their books the entire time?! How the hell will she face him now?

I just wanted to note that all this morning "custom" that went on between Madara and Mego wasn't made up by me. I recently read this book that belongs to Serbian literature of realism, and the author talks about such a custom that exists in some remote village. I thought it might serve some purpose in this story.

Thanks for reading!