Chapter 43
One morning Deiji was called in the garden. She had to prepare quickly and leave without any questions. Watching the governor take her out of her room in a hurry, the girls started gossiping again, hoping that they were throwing her out. Instead, she met Takashi waiting for her in the back garden, next to his beautiful black horse. She bowed politely and wondered what this all meant.
"Come on. I am taking you out today." He said and gave her his hand.
"Where to?" She asked, feeling nervous.
"It's a surprise." He said mysteriously.
She gave him her hand, but when he moved her closer to his horse, he noticed the worried look in her eyes.
"You have never ridden a horse before?" She nodded her head.
"It's ok. It is not scary at all. Thunder is not wild."
She was not convinced, but did not want to look like a coward. Deiji tried to step on the edge of the saddle, but she was short and her dress made it hard for her. Suddenly, Takashi grabbed her by the waist and picked her up, helping her climb up the horse. Then he effortlessly jumped behind her. Her heart started beating faster when his hands circled her body to grab the reins.
They rode for an hour, during which she was mostly quiet, but was enjoying the beautiful nature around. Takashi did not speak too, enjoying the peaceful moment with her gentle presence by his side. She was always on alert, but he did not try to touch her or get too close to her. When they reached a steep road between the trees, he stopped the horse and tied him there. Deiji was worriedly watching the road ahead, wondering what was supposed to be hidden inside that forest. If he wanted her, he did not have to bring her here, but still she didn't know him. What if he turned out to be some maniac?
"It is 10 minutes away from here. Don't worry! I would never harm you." He said, having sensed her anxiety once again.
She felt uncomfortable in front of him. Of course he wasn't. He wasn't an animal like Koichi. She followed him on the road and climbed up behind him, until she saw bright light again, meaning that they were going out of the forest. When she stepped outside, she was mesmerized by the sight in front of her. A big lake with crystal blue water awaited them.
"It is so beautiful!" She exclaimed loudly.
Her spontaneous reaction and smile warmed up his heart.
"This is Lake Tohuru. The most popular and the biggest one in the whole Empire." He said proudly.
"I have heard about it, of course, but I have never imagined it so magnificent!"
She couldn't see where it ended but the mountain peaks in the distance made it all the more picturesque. She knelt close to the water and caressed her surface. The cold liquid was refreshing. Closing her eyes, she put both of her hands inside and smiled brightly. Then looked at the Prince again, like she was with Airi, wanting to share her excitement. He answered the smile. A slight blush covered her cheeks and she stood up, realizing that the hem of her dress was wet too. Takashi moved closer and in what seemed like just a moment to her, leaned down and captured her lips in a soft, short kiss, while putting one of his hands on her cheek. The sensation of her soft skin on his calloused hands was sensual. Frankly speaking she could have avoided it, but something stopped her. When he pulled away and looked into her eyes, she turned her head into another direction.
"Why do you fear me?" He asked, disappointed and moved his hand back.
"I am not scared of you." She answered.
"Then do you dislike me?"
"No."
He sighed and she could sense that he was confused and even annoyed.
"I just…I don't want to be your concubine. I want to live an ordinary life close to my parents. To go back home, get married, raise my children. Away from all this intrigues and glory."
"Then why did you go to the Palace in the first place?"
"Because of the education. This is the only place in the whole Empire that allows women to study."
She looked at him, expecting his reaction.
"It makes sense."
He nodded his head. Then after a short pause, instead of getting angry, he started laughing. She was confused.
"Out of all the women in my harem, only you don't want to become my favorite! They all strive for glory and riches and power and you run away from it."
"I am sorry. I know I don't have the right to say all these things, but I cannot lie to you."
He picked up a pebble and threw it in the water in an attempt to calm down.
"I will follow your orders. If you want me to become your favorite, I won't run away again."
He looked at her with a serious expression, taking offense to her words.
"If I wanted your body, I would have already taken it."
He turned his back to her and walked away. Feeling stupid and upset, she forced herself not to cry and followed him to the horse. On the way back she felt the distance between them even bigger than before. The only time he spoke was to ask her if she loved someone back home, if he was waiting for her.
"No." She said quietly.
His breathing became calmer afterwards, or so it seemed to her. When they reached the Palace, he helped her down again and she was dangerously close to him, feeling a strange sensation in her abdomen. When he put her down and did not try to kiss her again, she even felt disappointed. The other girls awaited her in the big hall with interest. Some were really displeased that she returned, having hoped never to see her again. Others noticed her gloomy expression and felt satisfaction. The prince had finally grown tired of her playing hard to get. Deiji was quick to return to her bedroom, feeling lonely. There were no friends here, only enemies. And she had quickly lost the favor of Takashi, which she thought she did not want.
Mashir accepted Toushiro's invitation and the whole Palace was busy preparing for his arrival. Toushiro insisted that Hideki and Tsunade stay for a few more weeks to take part of it. They were both happy to accept. Tsunade especially liked every opportunity to show off her power and position.
A few days before his arrival, Momo felt really weak and nauseous. She was truly worried about their new enemy and busy preparing for these important guests, but it was not the only problem. She realized that her period was two weeks late.
"Your Majesty, we can call doctor Isane, but I am sure you are pregnant already." Her older servant Bora said.
"I am too old to be pregnant. Besides I took precautions." She said, looking her pale face in the mirror.
"I have seen a lot of pregnant women, Your Majesty. You definitely expect a child again. Did you really drink your tea these past few months?"
Momo thought about it. After her problematic last pregnancy, Unohana had advised them to make a long pause before conceiving again and they had both agreed they did not want more children. Then she started taking some herbs to avoid it and it worked. However, when their relations became rare and she felt that at 43 it was hardly possible to get pregnant, she hadn't really paid close attention. Their last passionate endeavors had gone unprotected.
"My period might have just stopped due to my age." She tried to find another explanation, even though her bleeding had always been regular and she knew that there were no signs of it stopping soon.
"I do think you are pregnant too, Your Majesty. You look even prettier these days. And your breasts have become bigger." Young Chiyo added.
"Oh, God!" Momo exclaimed. "What will I do?"
"The Emperor will be ecstatic. He will feel younger and more powerful." Bora encouraged her. "Men are always more excited when they have children at older age."
"And you are not old at all."
Momo thought about it. She had always loved children. She cherished each one of her pregnancies. But this time it was different. Her youngest son was 15. She could not imagine raising another baby. And she had just become a Grandma. Not to mention all the other problems around her.
"I can't. No one has to know. Not even the Emperor. As soon as I can, I will take care of it."
"You will terminate the pregnancy?" Bora widened her eyes.
"I have to." Momo said, worried. "I already have 4 grown up children. The time is not right at all."
The maids tried to talk her out of this decision, but she had already decided. No more babies of her own, only her grandchildren.
When Mashir came with his family it caused gossip around the whole main district and Palace. He had 4 wives. The youngest one was just 18 and she was visibly pregnant. Mashir himself was almost 50 years old and his oldest son and presumed heir was 34. The stark contrast between the families was a funny sight. When the King first came Toushiro personally went out to greet him. Mashir acted like they were old friends and embraced Toushiro tightly. Toushiro barely patted his back. Then Mashir kissed Momo's cheek, much to Toushiro's annoyance and Momo's embarrassment. His 4 wives bowed politely to both the Emperor and the Empress as it was highly inappropriate to touch someone other than their husband.
During dinner time it became even more awkward. Mashir's son was carefully stealing glances of all of the girls in the room and his look most often fell on Airi and Kiara. The girls found it all funny. They used every opportunity to talk about Mashir's wives, who were all pretty voluptuous and overweight, except from the youngest. Mashir was also throwing dirty looks in Momo's direction when Toushiro was not around, while touching his mustache. The two wives of Mashir's son – Havri were already considered old. They were both over 25 and not particularly beautiful, so he was looking for a new young and fresh wife.
"Aren't they all cold and stuck up? And they eat so little. Do they want to demonstrate good manners or what?" Mashir's first wife and mother of Havri spoke. She was 44, just two years older than Momo, but her physique made the difference look much bigger. She had also given birth to 8 children, but only 3 made it to adulthood.
"And their music is also so boring. You can't even dance properly. Why are they holding a ball tomorrow night?" The third wife added. Her twin sons were 12 years old and she hoped one of them inherit the throne one day.
The youngest one was mostly quiet and did not fit in that company at all. She wanted to approach Airi and Kiara, but was scared to do so. She only managed a small conversation with Tsunade, who was really cold and impolite. The next day she even needed the visit of Isane in her room when she experienced abdominal pain. After a careful examination Isane was not afraid to warn Mashir not to visit his wife at night for a while, if he wanted her to give birth to a healthy baby. The poor girl was thankful, but also feared his reaction when they got back home. He rarely paid attention to her feelings and desires.
Toushiro and Mashir had a long conversation, after which Toushiro did not seem satisfied, but he told Momo the news about Masaru's marriage to Mashir's young daughter. The girl was definitely not pretty, but she looked well-behaved. Momo was disappointed. She did not want to force her son into marriage. Masaru was her little baby. She was also mad at Toushiro for hiding the truth from her. She had learned long ago that her opinion on these matters had little value, but she still suffered. The only thing, which made her feel better, was Toushiro's promise that Airi would never become Havri's wife. At least all of her children would remain by her side.
The ball they organized in Mashir's honor was definitely magnificent. Most high ranking officials were present. Airi was looking forward to meeting Kira again, but he tried to avoid her. She could not believe her eyes, when she smiled at him and he just bowed quickly and moved to the other corner of the room. She thought of herself as irresistible in her beautiful blue dress decorated with gem stones. Upset, she asked her mother to retreat to her room, but was rejected. When the dances started Havri wanted to ask Airi, but Teru was faster.
"I don't want to dance." Airi said.
"Why, Your Highness? Do you not feel alright?" Teru asked worriedly.
"Yes."
"Can I help you? Maybe bring you some water?"
"No, thank you."
She turned to the side coldly and the boy delicately moved away, feeling disappointed. Then Airi saw Havri moving closer to her. It was impossible to reject him directly, so she quickly changed her decision.
"Wait, Teru!"
The boy turned back hopeful. Airi smiled.
"I changed my mind. Dancing might refresh me."
He smiled and took her hand. He was young, tall and handsome and his eyes easily revealed his feelings for her, if only she was willing to see them. Seeing Kira in the distance, Airi was determined to make him jealous, so she smiled and laughed, feeding Teru false hopes. He was holding her body gently, careful not to pull her too close and offend her. Airi found him too cautious and timid, inwardly making fun of him.
Momo was watching the scene from the side. Her daughter and Teru were a good couple. Airi would mature, find love and form a strong family. King Mashir moved closer to her and asked her to dance with him. She looked around worried. Toushiro was not close to her and he was conversing with Soifon. They rarely danced together, because Toushiro did not like dancing, but she was sure he would not be glad to see her with someone else. Especially in such a slow and intimate dance, as a waltz.
"What is wrong, Your Majesty? The Emperor does not let you dance or…you think that I won't be able to waltz?" He teased her.
"Not at all, Your Majesty." She smiled and took his hand.
Mashir pulled her closer and moved them to the center of the hall. His hand was positioned appropriately on her waist, but she did not like the way he was touching her.
"Your husband is very lucky. You are so beautiful." He said. Momo looked truly mesmerizing in her dark red dress.
"And you have four beautiful wives. One of them is also really young."
"No need to be that polite. We both know that only Yasha is beautiful. But she is too young to know what she wants. I prefer mature women." His eyes were becoming darker. His grip on her waist hardened.
Momo stiffed and evaded the look. This dance started seeming too long to her.
"I really hope to reach an agreement with your husband. With your help."
She looked into his eyes again.
"I thought you had reached an agreement. Our children…"
"Oh yes. That is one part of it." He smiled. "The other thing I really want is one night with you."
His bold and rude words shocked her. She stopped moving and tried to pull away, but he held her tightly.
"Please, everyone is watching." He said. Momo looked around worried. No one had even noticed. "You are a grown up woman, Momo. You know this is not that much. Just one night with me and your husband will get the alliance he needs so much. Think of it as your duty as his Empress."
"Never." She looked at him with disgust and pulled away with force, smiling for the guests before excusing herself.
"I hope to see you again before we leave tomorrow, Your Majesty." He bowed.
Meanwhile Sachiko had taken a seat next to Yasha, much to the delight of the young girl who desperately needed a companion.
"Do you like it here?" Sachiko asked, smiling.
"Oh yes. We don't hold such balls in our kingdom. Usually some women gather to dance for His Majesty, but they wear revealing clothing and dance to drums and folk rhythms."
"Wow!" Sachiko found it hard to imagine such a sight. She thought these women were more conservative. "So it might be really strange for you that our Emperor only has one wife?"
Yasha shook her head.
"No. I like it. It is really romantic to love only one woman, even though you have many concubines." The young girl's eyes were sparkling with emotion. Then she suddenly froze and her smile disappeared. "I mean…I like it because it is so different and new to me. But our customs are different. I am not complaining at all." She felt scared she had said something wrong.
Sachiko looked at her with eyes full of sympathy. She just realized just how hard this girl had it and how little happiness she felt. Then she turned her gaze to the dance floor, where she spotted her sister with Havri. Her eyes widened. The tall prince had her sister in a tight hold and even though Kiara did not look content at all as she was knitting her eyebrows, she danced with him. What kind of a species were these men truly?
Momo was pacing around her room, biting her nails. She could not calm down after this awful and rude proposal. To spend the night with him? What exactly did he take her for? A cheap whore? Another plaything? She looked forward to him leaving the next day. After her dance with Mashir, Toushiro had secretly pulled her away to warn her not to dance with him ever again. Her arm still hurt from his tight hold. When she moved her hand to caress the spot her husband went inside.
"I am so tired, Momo." He rarely said that. But now he walked over to her and she saw his dark eyes and uptight face. She felt sorry for him.
"I know, Toushiro. I am glad it is all over. I don't like this man at all." She said and embraced her husband, trying to comfort him. "It would be better if you give up on this alliance. I don't really want us to unite our families. He is not a guy we can trust."
To her surprise Toushiro pulled away quickly and looked at her with disappointment.
"I thought we had discussed that, Momo. This alliance is important to me. I can't give up on it. It concerns the future of this Empire." He was terribly serious. His tone of voice became colder.
She was looking at him with her big innocent eyes, feeling a little bit scared. Feeling guilty in front of these innocently oblivious eyes, he snapped at her again.
"You have to support me in every way that you can as my Empress, instead of trying to jolt me."
"I am sorry." She said and looked down, feeling sorry for him, but angry too. "You have already reached an agreement, so my words don't matter at all." She said with sarcasm.
He might have caught onto it, but he did not answer in the same tone.
"I wonder about that. This guy is acting on my nerves, playing hard to get."
Momo raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? I thought it was all settled with Masaru's marriage."
"Mashir said he would think about it. This marriage and my promise to improve the trading conditions between our countries is not enough for him. He still hasn't signed the document. This arrogant bastard wanted our lands, but I am not giving them."
Momo stood in her spot without moving. Toushiro walked to the bed and laid down, too tired to think about it any longer.
"Come on, Momo. Let's go to bed. You can't do anything about it."
She walked over to him and moved under the blanket, deep in thought. Toushiro turned his back to her and dozed off.
That same night Takashi called Deiji in his room. She had started thinking that he had given up on her, so this invitation startled her. She felt both happy to be still in his mind and also a little bit scared, because she knew she could not run away this time. She had to spend the night with him. She could not even imagine herself naked in front of a man. As she walked towards his room, she was trying to calm herself by breathing deeply and slowly. The fact that she had not gone through the beauty procedures did not help at all. What she found when she came inside, however, surprised her.
Takashi stood in front of his desk with a document in his hand. He looked serious. She bowed politely and stood half a meter in front of him.
"I thought about your wish. And I decided to fulfill it. In my hand…is the document that grants your freedom from the Palace." He showed her the document. It was signed.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
"If you take it, you will be free once and for all." He made a short pause. "There is just one thing I want from you before that." He stepped closer to her. "Tell me that you truly don't feel anything towards me. Tell me that you keep rejecting me, because you truly don't want me, not because you are afraid of wanting me."
He looked straight into her eyes and she instinctively looked away. He caught her hand.
"Look into my eyes and tell me."
She was quiet for a moment, then decided that lying was pointless. Her eyes always gave it away.
"I like you, Your Highness. I like you…as a man. But I can't be with you. Because I can't compete with all the other women for your attention every day. Because I can't stand the thought that when I fall in love with you, I will have to share you with them."
"You think that I will get tired of you?"
"Can you promise me that you will never cheat on me with another?"
"No." His honest answer hurt.
She looked down.
"If you go back home and get married will you make your husband promise that? Probably not, because he will be married to you. But that does not mean that he will always be faithful."
"At least he won't be tempted by so many beautiful women every day."
"Why do you think that the other women here are more beautiful than you?" He asked, unbelieving.
Finally tired of it all and wanting to let it all out, she pulled one of her sleeves down to reveal her scar. He looked at her arm, visibly surprised, then calmly looked back at her face.
"Because of that scar?"
She widened her eyes. Was that his reaction? Then, he pulled up his shirt to reveal a scar on the left side of his otherwise flawless abdomen, just below the rib cage.
"I have more."
"You are a man. This is like a badge of honor to you."
"It only matters how you wear it."
She looked deep in thought for some time, then looked at him with sadness and reached out to take the document. He wondered for a moment, but gave her the piece of paper.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He said nothing more and she turned her back to him, walking towards the door. She was free. She looked at the document, at the words written there. There was no lie. She was free, but she was not happy. Maybe he would cheat on her with others, maybe it would hurt her more than her peaceful life back home, but she felt that leaving him would haunt her forever. Not trying will upset her more than anything. He valued her enough to be willing to let her go, to listen to her words and accept her opinion. She stopped in her tracks and sighed. Then smashed the paper in her hand and threw it in the fireplace, destroying it.
When she faced him again, he was smiling, his eyes sparkling. There were tears in her eyes. He moved towards her.
"Deiji…" He whispered, before taking her into his arms and kissing her lips. Her feet left the ground for a few seconds. "Deiji…" He moved his hands to her cheeks, wiping away the tears.
His tender look brought more into her eyes. She was so scared, but she wanted to live this love so much. Her breathing became calmer when she finally stopped crying but his own quickened its pace, as his eyes were perusing her body. The small breasts hiding under the thin material of her dress, her slender waist, the soft skin under his fingertips. He had waited so long and she was finally here, willingly in his arms. His hand moved to her waist and pulled her closer. She was determined not to look away in embarrassment.
"Deiji…I want you." Her whole body was on fire, hearing his bold words. "Will you let me take you?" He asked, hoping not to be rejected again, because he did not think he could hold back this time.
Unable to speak, she just nodded her head. He picked her up bridal style and moved her to his king-sized bed, while looking at her adoringly, like she truly was the most beautiful woman out there.
Happy Valentine's day! I dedicate the last scene to this occasion. Deiji has finally given in to our handsome Prince's charm, but maybe she is in for more trouble than she can imagine. Poor HitsuHina don't have it as romantic on top.
