Chapter Eleven: The New Accommodations
Haru finished rubbing the last of the four doorknobs with her magic, while they were still attached to doors that were lined up like ducks.
"Okay; each of you pick a door, and turn the knob. Your ideal rooms should be on the other side."
Toto rubbed his hands together with glee as the four ex-humans lined up, and reached out in sync with each other.
"I can't wait to see what it looks like!" His family had never exactly been well-off, and only his natural skill with a sword had allowed him to attend college.
"I'm certain that the rooms will be satisfactory," Baron said carefully, not quite knowing what to expect.
The four touched the doorknobs, which made their names appear in gold at about eye level.
Toto opened his room, and nearly started jumping up and down with giddy happiness.
"Hello, indoor tree house! You rock, Haru!" He ran in like a child to a candy store; the door closing behind him. Muta snickered while opening his door, but the look faded to be replaced by one of awe.
"My very own kitchen," he said softly, walking through the door like he was in a dream he didn't want to wake up from. And it was. He had never been allowed his own place to cook as he pleased. "I'm going to have to make some angel food cake for you, Haru."
"I'll be looking forward to it," she giggled as the door shut softly behind him.
Next up was Hiromi, who turned the knob fast, to see what her room looked like. She squealed with delight, and glomped the princess around the neck.
"I've wanted a fairytale room just like that ever since I was a little girl! You are the best, do you hear me?! The best!"
"I hear you loud and clear," Haru said weakly, not quite sure how she was supposed to respond when a friend jumped on her like that. All the friends she had been allowed to have before her rebellious streak kicked in were proper ladies, daughters of nobles that wanted to maneuver closer to the crown's favor, and Hiromi had been too scared of her the first time to try touching the princess. But for someone to just jump on her like that, with zero ill intent… it was almost beyond her comprehension.
Hiromi jumped off of the princess, and ran through the door with a yell on her lips as the door shut behind her.
"Hello, beautiful bed!"
Haru bit back another giggle before turning to see what kind of room Baron would open. She still knew almost nothing about him, but was aware that his true room would reflect his personality, as it had with his friends.
With a rather curious look, Baron turned the knob, and slowly opened the door. His eyes glowed warmly.
"Perfect."
It looked like a regular room to Haru, maybe a library or study, from the tall bookshelves that lined all the walls, but it was cheerful, and inviting. It even had a gleaming silver teapot on a counter. Judging from the layout, it probably had backrooms for sleeping and such.
Her fiancé turned to her, and reached out for her hand to gently press it against his lips while bowing like a gentleman. An unexpected blush flooded her cheeks, although she was completely familiar with the gesture of respect.
"Thank you, Haru. Thank you for everything."
She nodded and smiled warmly. It was amazing that any of the humans had lasted this long without sleep. She had been partially scared that they were going to faint on her while she was threatening her mother, like she thought she herself might, from using so much magic in such a short time span. But the queen had fully deserved the aggravation, all things considered.
"No problem. Sweet dreams, Baron."
He smiled at her, and nodded his head before walking through his door.
"Sweet dreams, Haru."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Baron sighed happily, looking around his new place. It looked so much like his father's study, before that terrible accident made them sell their house to pay the hospital that couldn't save him. Then his mother-
He sighed, trying to combat the returning depression as he looked through the cupboard, pleased that it was filled to the brim with any sort of herbs that he could possibly want to try in his personal blend of tea. But there would be time enough for him to play later. Right now, sleep was calling his name, louder than he could even hope to possibly ignore.
Since he knew that his ideal space had been based off of his childhood home, he knew exactly what door in the back to open, how long to walk, and which door would lead him to a comfortable bed.
'This is actually working out better than I thought it would,' Baron thought to himself as he got ready for bed. 'Haru's the complete opposite of her arrogant mother. I can hardly tell that they're even related, and she's a very considerate girl. If Mother had any idea that this would happen, she probably wouldn't have named me 'Baron'.' He chuckled, thinking about the concept of being addressed as 'Prince Baron'.
'Perhaps marrying the Cat Princess won't be so bad a fate as previously thought.'
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Haru breathed a sigh of tired relief while entering her own space, and hanging her sword with the others in her collection.
'I honestly thought that Mother would put up more of a fight than that. But at least this means I'm free from attending all of those stupid social events for a year.' The crown princess giggled evilly as she walked up the stairs to her living quarters, since the bottom half of the room was reserved for practicing fighting or dancing. She wondered how her mother would react when she realized what she had done. The social events were always a big deal for the Cat Queen, but to be honest, the Cat Princess could live quite happily without them.
'She'll probably blame Natori for not pointing that out at the agreement, and it was too public for her to take it back without taking risk to her image. Oh dear; Natori will probably be the one covering for me until I marry Baron. I hope he's as sharp as ever.'
As the brunette slipped between the soft sheets of her bed, she thoughtfully traced the sewn lines on the quilt. As the finger traced a leaf, she thought about the way Baron's lips had felt on her hand. She blushed again, and giggled like a little girl.
'Mother's methods may have been less than desirable, but… maybe this can work. I already have a better relationship with Baron than Mother ever did with Father.' She gave a yawn, and then surrendered herself to peaceful slumber.
'If the curse doesn't end with me, the royal line will; one way or another.'