Yuki: Uh… all right then. Thanks for your reply. I'll keep updating until my time comes. I could finish about 6 months from that date because my dad's giving me a laptop. I could type out the ending back in the residential college. Hehe…
Anyway, here you go. The next chapter. Please enjoy and review!
Chapter 9: Her Sufferings when He's Away.
Mikan didn't get to see Natsume leaving for England. She was angered by his attitude, that's why. But her heart aches a lot every time she thought of Natsume. She loved him a lot, due to her loneliness and he was the only one who's always with her. Prince William arrived to Japan. Mikan was having problems communicating with the foreign prince, but a translator helped her. The three of them, Mikan, Ruka and William became good friends.
Mikan actually sent Natsume e-mails everyday, even though she knew that he is Sumire's boyfriend. Natsume checked his inbox nearly everyday too, but didn't reply her messages. He looked at her beautiful picture which was taken on top of Mountain Fuji along with William and Ruka. He frowned, "Looking so happy, I don't feel like sending an e-mail reply back…" He continued staring at her picture. "Hm…"
Back in her palace, she dialled Natsume's number in England, but couldn't reach him. She left a message to his secretary. "Why didn't he reply me…? I said I was sorry in the e-mail…" A knock was heard in her room. She opened it and saw her maid, Maika Katsuhiro. "Yes, what is it?"
"Serina-sama would like to have a talk with Mikan-sama right away…" Maika said while bowing down.
"I'll be there…" She changed to her kimono and went to the Queen's quarters. After the maids opened the sliding door, she entered and bowed to Serina. "I'm here, Serina-sama."
"Good, I've wanted to tell you something…" Serina moved her eyes on her. "You're the Crown Princess, right? Prince William is here for a work, not to play around with you when you got bored, Mikan-sama." Mikan looked away from her, sadly. "Just because your dearest husband is away doesn't mean that you could use him." She sipped her tea and added, "You're not even good in speaking English. What a disgrace for a new Queen like yourself. It's humiliating! Bringing a translator wherever you go with William-sama, what kind of an image are you bringing towards this country?!"
"I… I'm sorry…" She bowed.
"You're dismissed, you can leave now." Serina said with her high-pitched voice. Mikan bowed again and slowly opened the door.
To her surprise, Ruka was standing in front of her, looking worried. Mikan gave a nod and walked away. He laid his eyes on his mother's face. "Mother, what did you say to her?"
"Hohoho… I was doing my job, dear Ruka." Serina said with her evil eyes. "A useless princess like her should be thrown away from this palace. It brings a disgrace to this family."
"…" Ruka didn't say anything after that. He only thought of Mikan. Poor Mikan… If only I was her husband…
X
Back in London, Natsume was in Kate's party with his foreign friends. He could speak English really well.
"Natsume!" A white haired teenager called, "Look, all of the girls are watching you…"
"Hn… I know." He said, drinking a glass of juice. His head felt dizzy. "Joshua, are you sure these are non-alcoholic drinks?"
He showed him the bottle, "Yeah, of course. Why?"
"N-no, nothing…" He said, frowning to clear his vision.
"Eh, Natsume…" A blonde called, "Why don't you call your wife? She's a beautiful person, isn't she?"
"… Why should I? She would be fine all by her own." Natsume said. At a corner, an old man gave a smirk and dialled his cell phone.
Natsume returned to his suite after the party was over. He was wandering around and found a bodyguard waiting for him. "What is it?" He advanced further.
"There is a guest who would like to see you. She is waiting."
"… She?" Natsume asked. The bodyguard nodded and gave a way for him to pass. When he opened the door, he found Sumire Shouda waiting for him while sitting on a sofa. "… What a surprise… Sumire Shouda."
She went towards him, placing a hand on his cheek. "A-are you okay? You seemed to be pale…" He blushed a bit and moved his face from her hand.
"I'm not used to the foods here, that's all." He stated. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a meeting here in London. I was thinking that I should pay you a visit." Sumire said. "What, now I can't even see my own boyfriend after being forced to marry a girl whom you don't even like?"
Natsume moved to the window and muted, "……"
X
"Everything's going on good, Serina-sama." The old man said on the cell phone.
"Good, let me remind you once more. Make him to use violence… clear?" Serina replied.
"Yes, Serina-sama. Leave everything in London to me." He said with hoarse tone. "Within a short period, your dream will be achieved."
"I'm glad." She said.
X
Hotaru and Misaki went to take a look on Mikan; unfortunately, she went out for a meeting with the Ministry of Education. They were walking along the road until they met Ruka, who's looking furious.
"Hey…" Hotaru called. "Ruka."
He looked up and smiled, "Oh, Imai and Harada-senpai."
Misaki waved and went up to him. "Looking angry?"
"Ah, no. I was thinking of something." Ruka changed his facial expression. "Oh, Tsubasa was looking for you. He's starting the band practice now."
"H-he is?!!!" Misaki raised her voice. "Ah, Hotaru-chan! I'll have to go!!" She dashed off to the opposite direction.
"…" Hotaru eyed him carefully from head to toe and finally said, "Mikan. It's about her, isn't it? Mikan?"
He was startled, "H-how did you know?!"
"With that kind of look on your face, everybody would've known." Hotaru said.
He blushed, "Oh… right."
X
Few days later, Mikan was in the restroom in her school. As she was about to go out of the toilet, she heard a group of girls chattering about her near the basin area. She listened attentively after hearing her name mentioned in the conversation.
"That Mikan, I tell you… She's one idiotic girl I've ever met." A girl said. "She thinks she's special, really. A bodyguard and an expensive luxury car to go to school with. That girl used to nag over 500 yen, saying that she was broke. Aren't you irritated someone like her as the new queen?"
"Yeah, it's a relief not being stuck with her in the same class, looking at her annoying face every morning." Another girl said, "How can an academic retard and ugly girl like her could seduce the prince?!"
Another girl said, "Hey, don't say like that… Someone could hear you guys out!!"
"All right, let's go back." All of them said in unison.
Mikan was stunned, hearing those words from them. She went out of the toilet and splashed cool water on her face. Her eyes lined in tears. The only person who can comfort me is… She opened her cell phone and dialled a number. "Em, hello… Is Natsume in?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, my Princess. He went out with Prince Harry to a party…"
"D-does he know that I called him several times?"
"Oh, yes. I informed him already. But, I think he slipped his mind about it… He was busy and I don't think he has the time calling back. He has been leaving his cell phone recently and… H-hello? Hello? Princess?" At that moment, she threw the cell phone towards the wall and cried.
X
"Are you sure about this, Imai…" Ruka asked, reconfirming.
Hotaru hugged the puppy and nodded. "She likes something that could distract her attention. A puppy might work…"
"Yeah, I know that it would but," Ruka said, "Dogs are not allowed in the palace… If my mother knew about this…"
Hotaru stroked the puppy's fur and said, "It's not yet an adult."
"… Well, I'll try to hide it from my mother, then." He said while he received the puppy from Hotaru. "You're really a good friend, Imai."
She placed both of her hands on her hips, "Hm… you liked her that much even though she's married?"
"… She was stolen from me…" Ruka said with his angered eyes. "I was kicked out of the castle all of a sudden, after my father passed away. How could I not be jealous?"
She shook her head, "That's a wrong move, Ruka. I think you should find a new partner, not stealing it from someone who's already married to her." He frowned, as a sign of annoyance. "I'm just telling you that, it's up to you to follow." She walked down the hill towards the Crown Princess's quarters. "It's wiser if you go to her personally." I'll just see what will happen for a meantime…
He watched as she stepped away to the Royal Student Meeting's quarters. Ruka took several steps ahead and saw Mikan on a chair, outside her room. He sat next to her and handed the puppy, "For you."
She was stunned to see a cute puppy from Ruka. Mikan accepted it and smiled happily, "Oh, Ruka! Thanks a lot! I… I'm so happy!"
"Yeah, I thought it would." He smiled. "This is nothing for a former fiancée."
She stopped from stroking the puppy and slowly moved her eyes at him, "W-what?"
"I've dropped so many hints…" He sighed as she enlarged her eyes. "The first person whom you got engaged with was not Natsume, but me…" Mikan hugged the puppy tighter. "Though it was changed due to my father's death… But, please remember even though it didn't work out in the end."
W-what?! I-is he talking the truth? She stared at him, as he walked off to his palace.
X
A month has passed by; Mikan's losing her weight drastically, worrying everybody in the palace. The maids were worrying a lot for her.
"Mikan-hime…" said Lady Otonashi, "You're losing weight again…" She checked the weight scale and shook her head. "That's 7 kilogrammes, in a month. I'm afraid you're nearly anorexic… I'll be in a deep trouble if Natsume-ouji finds out."
Mikan stepped down from the weighing scale and said, "Natsume's not the kind of person who would care of my health, anyway…" She sat next to Otonashi, "Otonashi-sama, by any chance, was Ruka-sama and I..."
"Yes, what is it?" Otonashi said while combing her hair.
"Um… nothing…" She shook her head.
"After this, you'll drink a medicinal ginseng from Korea. It'll gain your strength back." Otonashi added.
Mikan said, "Ah… I'm sick of drinking herbs…" She laid on Otonashi's lap. "Otonashi-sama… I miss my mom… dad… gramps… and also, Natsume…"
Poor thing, to be a princess at such a young age when Serina-sama bothers her so… She's so lonely and has no one to talk to her… She patted her arm, "You must be strong, Mikan-hime. Your body is not your own. You are to become an Empress."
Mikan blinked, "W-what?"
"Originally, the position of a princess was to train to become the future Empress. In near future, you would become an Empress who would help the lineage of the crown." The teenager immediately sat up straight.
"H-help the l-lineage of the crown… So, that means…" She paused to think, and blurted out. "I-I'm going to become a baby's mother!?!"
"Well, the term of 'baby's mother' is weird, but… It's close to that. When you two reach the age, the citizen will be awaiting for the birth of your child… Hohoho, the birth rate of the royalty is quite fast, you know… and you are to move to another palace in Kyoto. It'll be personally for you two."
"D-don't say like that while laughing!!" She said while blushing. Even though I liked him, I might get divorced before I become an adult… "B-but… a palace in Kyoto? Really…" She blushed when she thought of moving in a palace with Natsume.
X
"Y-you're saying…" Natsume said while facing to the police, "That I brought drugs here?! Are you crazy?!"
"These were found in your bag…" A police showed him a packet of white substance. "Someone found these in a bag and not knowing whose it was, he handed it to the police. But, we found your fingerprints on the bags… Of course we didn't suspect you, your Highness… So, please co-operate with us."
"Where's Rei?" Natsume asked his bodyguards, in Japanese. "That white haired old man, where's he?"
"We didn't find him everywhere. We're trying to reach him by the phone, right now."
"…" Natsume thought for a while. "He disappeared when the cops showed up… Vanishing at a time like this is inappropriate for a chief secretary to do…" He sensed something was wrong and remembered of Serina. "Look, cops. I was not in the right mind either. Rei was in charge of my possessions, so, we'll just wait for him to come back."
X
"That's absurd!" Matsuda said while banging his fist on the table. "Natsume, bringing in drugs, to England?!"
"I'm afraid it's like that, your Highness…" Said a man with glasses. "Even Natsume-ouji was investigated back in the Buckingham palace…"
"I-is there any progress of the investigation?" Karin asked, anxiously.
"No, because there were so many people during the party… I shall inform your Highness after I received a report." He excused himself.
Karin raised her voice, "Natsume-ouji would never do that, Matsuda-sama. I'm sure of it!"
"I know… How could he get his hands on so many drugs like marijuana…?" He said, wide-eyed. "It looks like Natsume's enemy has showed up."
Karin's eyes looked shocked at his words. "M-Matsuda…"
"For a future Emperor to have enemies, it will harm his position as the king of this country, Karin-sama."
"A-are you saying…" Karin asked, "That you would give the throne to Ruka, instead?"
"It is possible, Karin." He stared at her seriously, "It is possible,"
X