It was as if the blood that had rushed to my face last night was stuck there, because when I woke up in the morning I still looked flushed. The memories were a distraction as well, embedded in my head with a strong refusal to leave. I stared at myself in the vanity mirror, pulling down my night gown to see a bruise had formed on my chest. I bit down on my bottom lip, I hoped Mio has planned something out that would not reveal it.
"Alright, due to the fact that I snuck you a free day yesterday, we have catching up to do! You have a scheduled workout with your personal trainer for two hours, a lesson directly after, and enough time for a quick shower before your lunch date with Ikuto." She began to list off the schedule and my eyes widened.
"What?" I asked.
"I would give you the rest of the schedule but you would probably forget it anyway, so let's just focus on-"
"Why am I going on a date with Ikuto? I thought I chose my dates."
"Your parents are pushing for Hinyst and Dragran to become one country, so they decided that you had to alternate between dates." Mio explained and I clenched my fists in frustration. I could feel a sweat building on my skin, not knowing how any interactions between us would go after our exchange.
Yet another thing that bothered me was why they were so desperate to join with Hinyst, we never pushed the subject before. Perhaps it was the first time where both heirs were eligible for marriage in years, but something about that still did not click. I would never admit it to him, but the prince was right. My parents have never acted so defensively before, no matter how tough the subject.
"Clothes off, put on your workout gear." Mio commanded and I just stared at her. I could not let her see the blotch of purple and blue, but telling her to leave while I was getting changed would draw suspicion.
"I am, um, I have a confession!" I exclaimed, Mio rested one hand on her hip and eyed me warily.
"If this is another plot to try and get another free day, I promise you're not getting one. Is Rima making you do this?" She questioned me and I quickly shook my head.
"I have a discoloration on my chest, from…Rima punching me too hard." I said the first thing that came to mind and Mio raised a brow. "We were play-fighting and she just…struck me."
"Let me see." She asked and I took off my nightgown obediently. Mio looked at it, her expression unreadable as she put together a sentence to say.
"Princess."
"Yes?"
"…That…That is most definitely a hickey." She started laughing, clutching her stomach and I felt confusion take over.
"What is a hickey?" I wanted answers but she just kept laughing at me, making my face grow redder.
"It's when someone bites or sucks on your skin too hard. It's a little love bite, now who gave it to you? I want to say Tadase because you two hit it off so well, but he does not seem like the type." She began to analyze and I wanted her to stop before she figured it out.
"Mio, it really does not matter who-"
"Ikuto? I've heard the scandalous rumors but I never thought you, out of all people, would fall victim to his charms." Mio smirked as she took in the information she came up with herself.
"It was not like that." I grumbled, she handed me the workout clothes and patted my head. "A sympathy pat?"
"Maybe."
I stretched myself out in the castle's personal gym while waiting for my trainer to show up. Mio had teased me mercilessly on the walk here, since I refused to tell her what led up to receiving the 'love bite.' I heard a door open and turned around, expecting to see my usual but instead I saw Ichiro walking towards me.
"I requested to train you today." He explained, but that was not enough for me.
"Why has the archduke requested to train me?" I looked at him skeptically.
"I saw you leave castle boundaries yesterday with Ikuto." He told me and I sighed.
"So you came to scold me, well you could have done that while I had a free minute." I put on my boxing gloves, facing the punching bag instead of him. A part of me was still upset with him for ignoring me for so long, he was not allowed to waltz in and out as he pleased.
"I came to see what you saw. It was your first time out of the castle, you must have had a first impression." He said as I adjusted the gloves to fit tightly around my wrist. I turned around and saw him wearing the punching mitts. "I did come here to train you, after all."
"The town just outside the walls is run down, and that rebel group has visited there." I told him, punching one of the mitts on his hand roughly.
"If my predictions are correct, then they are probably targeting weaker towns. People who seek a change are easily manipulated." He pointed out and I thought of those two little kids Ikuto and I had run into. I swung with my right and left hand, hitting with strength and precision.
"Is it a serious threat?" I asked him, continuing with rapid hits to practice stamina. He practiced my reflexes by moving his hands but I still managed to hit all of them.
"They have not made any moves to worry us, but they are very assertive with getting their presence known." This calmed my nerves, but that did not mean they were not planning anything. They want as many supporters before moving in offensively, which was rather smart. They were building a bigger team, to send a message to me and my family.
"What are my parents hiding from me, Ichiro? You are not only an archduke but also a trusted advisor, despite the lack of the official title." I stopped hitting and watched him carefully.
"It does not matter, it will not become an issue for you as queen because it will be resolved by then." He looked away from me.
"There's something to be resolved then? Of course I could figure as much, the Hinamori family has always proven themselves to show they deserve the title they were born into. I want to be as much of a help that I can be." I practically begged. Seeing the town in that condition and the argument with Ikuto made me realize that it could be more than just that area, with more children that begged for a savior from the hell that was happening beyond the walls.
"It does not matter Amu."
"To hell with that!" I raised my leg and swiftly did a spin kick into the mitt, using enough power and quickness to knock Ichiro off balance. I was breathing heavily now, with anger and sweat flowing down my jaw to my chin.
"You want to help? Let us test your abilities." He ripped off the mitts and my eyes widened, taking a step back. He held a fighting stance, hands up for defense. "It's easy to hit a still target, let's try a real one."
His gaze met mine and I felt the challenge in it, I took a deep breath. I tried to swing quickly to get him with surprise, but I was outmatched with a man that had twice the experience that I had. Grabbing my wrist, he quickly spun me around and pressed my arm against my back. I winced, sucking in breath as he kept him in a helpless position, I could feel his heaving chest.
"Don't offer help until you can help yourself, you will slow everyone down. You're the princess, everyone is inclined to protect you before themselves." He reminded me and let me go. I felt embarrassed, I rubbed my wrist in attempt to comfort it.
"Is that why you stopped talking to me? Is it too hard to be close to me? Because I am just a nuisance?" I spat at him, feeling tears pricking my eyes but I blinked them away.
"I never said that, Amu." He tried to place a comforting hand on my shoulder but I slapped him away.
"Don't pity me. I will work to my fullest ability to help this country, and Hinyst and Dragran will be able to rule separately and still prosper."
"Who says that is why we need Hinyst?" He looked down at me and I let out a curt chuckle.
"There's a reason behind the desperation to unite us, and you also just admitted to me that there is a reason that we need Hinyst." His eyes widened. "I may be weak, but I am no fool. If you will not tell me, then I will figure it out."
Ichiro took this time to just stare at me, as if he was meeting me for the first time. The only noise was the velcro ripping from the gloves as I took them off and threw them to the ground. I looked at him once more, his coal-like eyes frozen but his hands balled into fists to indicate that he was frustrated with something.
"I have to meet with someone now. I appreciate you coming in today, it made me realize some things." I spoke up, curtseying politely before walking out of the room. As soon as I left the room, I was in a rush to finish a quick mission before Ichiro informed Mio I left and she would be looking for me. But as I started walking down the hall, I saw a flash of platinum blond hair and cherry-like eyes.
"Princess Amu!" He smiled brightly, I did not want to be rude so I approached him.
"Prince Tadase, how is your stay so far?"
"Very nice, Dragran is very beautiful and the castle is exquisite." He complimented it and I nodded. "Listen, I heard about your forced date with Ikuto. I wanted to acknowledge your strength in your current situation, to put up with a man like him for the sake of your family and your country."
"Thank you Tadase." I smiled lightly at the boy, my eyes wandering from him to see if my target was nearby.
"But tell me honestly Amu, who is winning your heart currently?" He asked, now having my undivided attention. The question seemed simple enough, I would not want to marry Ikuto but I still could not give Tadase the answer he was looking for.
"It is a bit early to determine that Tadase." I told him with a meek grin, hoping I did not upset him.
"Understandable. Well I see you have other things to attend to, so I shall leave you." He walked past him, I looked over my shoulder just to watch him walk away. Was everyone in this castle acting a little odd suddenly, or was it just me?
