Sakura was very flustered. How can a man kiss her like it was a normal thing, in no way that is normal! Especially if you've known the person for only a couple of days. She can never tell anyone about this, or her reputation will be ruined. She doesn't care what people say about her normally, but this case is different. This time it's not just an ordinary man but the duke. The whole town of Oxfordshire will think her as a gold digger or even worse. It would be different if they were engaged or that he proposed, but if he did she would definitely decline.
Sakura feels rain kiss her face, and of course she heard him behind her. She wants to go back to her friends but at the same time not want to go if it means going back to his palace. Making up her mind that she decides she will never ever see him again. Today is the only exception, on parties and dinners she will most certainly avoid him.
He rides past her and stops her by standing in her way. "We should ride back to the stable, if you don't mind?" Sakura huffs in response and misses his annoying smirk after turning her horse to the palace.
When they enter the palace, they are met by the others. Sakura and the duke are soaked to the bone. "It took you a while." the duke's brother says he merely glances at her but she can clearly see the disapproval in his eyes. She thinks that if someone told him about the kiss, he wouldn't be too surprised.
"We got lost in the forest, but let us change and then we all will gather in the reception room." says the duke to the group. Lady Mito walks to her and murmurs.
"You can borrow some clothes from me."
Sakura thanks her politely and follows her to her room. They walk silently in the long hallway; an awkward mood fills the air. Sakura has never heard of her or spoken to her before.
They enter a room, which of course has a majestically bed that is made of exquisite wood. On her left is a drawer in the same wood and as majestically. The walls adorned with big oil paintings and candles. Sakura can only imagine that the queen's bedroom would look this.
"I have heard you have met the duke several times." Lady Mito rings a bell to alarm a maid to come.
"Yes I have, but I think that you, my lady. Have you known him much longer than me?" Sakura really doesn't want to insult or come with the bad side with anyone more. Lord Izuna has probably already condemned her as a person of low interest.
"Our families have been friends for many generations. This means all my life." She is not unpleasant like what she expected but rather kind. Sakura felt like a mere peasant in her presence.
The door opens and a maid steps in. lady Mito, with her gentle voice, orders her to dress Sakura in one of her dresses. She also rises to choose which one. "This one should please the duke." She hears the marchioness mutter in a low voice and hands the maid the dress.
The dress is ruby red with roses adorned in pink lace. The dress is beautiful at least, Sakura doesn't know if the dress will fit her well.. The marchioness is not much taller, but her body is more feminine unlike Sakura's.
It went pretty quick to take off her soaked dress. Sakura was surprised when the marchioness ordered the maid away and starts assisting her to put on the dress.
"The duke's talked much about you, and I fear I have to tell you something. I'm merely warning that you should stay away from him. Not only is his family very snobbish but he himself can be coldhearted sometimes." Sakura is shocked by her words, but she accepts the advice. She knows that the marchioness only means well and that she is telling her for her own best.
"Yes, I have been warned by others to stay away from the Uchiha family. Because they don't think quite positively of the upper middle class." Lady Mito's face contorts to worry, this sets a chain reaction for Sakura gets worried as well.
"That is not the main reason why you should avoid him. Can I ask what happened in the forest before? He rarely gets lost."
"He…" should she really tell her about it, or should she not.
Lady Mito sense her hesitation and develops the question. "Did he do something more intimate?"
Sakura blushes by the question but still nods. "I see." is the only thing the marchioness replies for a moment.
"You see he is not a man that likes to socialize with new people, definitely not people from a lower class or from another family. My family is an exception. He doesn't either have a high regard towards women either."
"I thought he had plenty of women in his social circle?"
"Very few, and barely any of them are available."
"Aren't you, my lady?"
"Yes I am, but that is not what I wanted to tell you."
"What is it you want to tell me?" Sakura feels like she drags on the discussion.
"Have you heard about the Uchiha and the Senju family's history?" Sakura nods and wonder where this leads."It's an unspoken rule within the families to not speak to one another. This rule existed for many years, but the exception of the Duke of Oxfordshire and the Duke of Essex. You must've heard of him, he's a cousin to Lady Tsunade." Sakura didn't know about this until now. She knew that Lady Tsunade was close to him but not to fond.
"But what does their history have to do with me my lady?"
"It's not you Sakura; it's your family's fortune." The pinkette is now confused what this means. "The two dukes met when they were young, I don't have exact details except both of their families were visiting the same town. They met and became close friends, but when they got older their families found out about it and put distance between them."
"But if their parents split them when they were young, then couldn't they contact each other when they became of age?"
"No, because Lord Tobirama and Lord Izuna truly despised each other and both Lord Madara and Lord Hashirama loved their brothers dearly. They listened more to them than each other. But Lord Hashirama tried to contact Lord Madara, but Lord
Madara looked down upon him and simply ignored the lord."
"But how can he hate him, when they used to be childhood friends? Someone can't start hating someone by a night, can they?" Sakura still can't see where this is going, but she starts to lose the meager respect she had to the Duke of Oxfordshire.
"The details aren't quite known to me but rumour is that, Lord Hashirama's and Lord Madara's father hated each other. This part leads to you. Your grandfather was a fabrics owner, right?" Sakura nods, she is as excited as a child hearing a fairy tale.
"It was something about a part of land that had a certain value. Your grandfather owned that piece of land, and the Senju and Uchiha family wanted to buy it so it became like a competition. This competition led to an altercation which was not only about the piece of land but pride. And we are both familiar with the Uchiha's pride."
"What about the Senju?"
"I believe that it's beneath a Senju to lose to an Uchiha. But the altercation ended with your grandfather keeping it to build houses for the poor."
"Does Lord Madara still care about that land even if it both families lost?" it felt weird for Sakura to say his name.
"Yes he cares because his father died in the middle of the altercation, and he promised that he would do everything in his power to win. The Uchiha family takes nothing more seriously than family."
Sakura has never in her entire life truly hated someone to this extent. Only because it was his father's dying wish, doesn't mean she'll let him have his way. She has her own free will, and her own person. She will die before she would let him touch anything of her family's fortune.
Never had she felt more prideful than to know that her own grandfather stood up against two of the most powerful families in England. And not only that but to do something good of the land they tried to buy, by building houses to the poor.
She walks with confidence to the reception room. She isn't idiotic to say anything about it in front of people and in the man's home, but she will definitely use it if necessary.
When she thinks back to the conversation she had with the Marchioness, it was quite weird. She didn't think she would have such conversation with her, but she never thought the Duke would kiss her, and now both were achieved in one day.
Lady Mito arrives with her and all the attention lays on them. The Duke had changed clothes, but Sakura doesn't really care. Instead she sits herself beside Miss. Shizune. A conversation starts a moment after. The people in the room divide themselves in three groups. Naruto, Mr. Might, Lee and Mr. Hatake are one; another is all the Uchiha members in a group plus Ino and Lady Mito. The last one contains Sakura and Miss. Shizune.
"It seems like the party is quite divided. Have you had any conversation at all with the Uchihas?" ask Sakura, quietly to her friend.
"Just exchanged some pleasant words, nothing more. But I have talked to Lady Mito, when you were gone." she replies as quietly. "What happened at the riding tour?"
"Something I don't want to mention." answers Sakura, even if Miss. Shizune is the kindest of all, she doesn't want to repeat her story, because it will be a horrible reminder and it's better if no one knows what actually happened.
"So it was that bad. And what happened in Lady Mito's dressing room?" Miss. Shizune asks in a low voice so that no one can hear them.
"She told me the reason why behind the duke's actions."
"And what was that?"
"It was about a piece of land that the Uchiha and Senju family wanted to buy. Apparently the duke's father died under the quarrel and left his son on a mission to buy that land, by any means." Miss. Shizune looks shocked by Sakura's words.
"That is horrible. But not uncommon."
"Do you mean it's common for men to marry out of money?"
"Yes but it's even more common among women. But it doesn't explain his actions. If
he wanted that piece of land so much wouldn't he just buy it, plus even if he did buy it your grandfather and father have already built houses on it. In that way it is useless."
"Whatever the cause is, I won't let him win." is Sakura's final words before they depart into the dining hall for supper.
Author note: Here is another chapter! I don't have much to say except Thank you!
Yours sincerely
