The Pink Harlequin
Arrangements
Note: There are a bunch of conspiracies and a ton of political stuff in this chapter, so BEWARE! (and read carefully)
"Oh dear..." Hotaru replied, shocked and with the hint of a smile on her face, after Duke Yamato had told her what had happened the day before. The two of them were alone, yet again, in their secret garden. Yamato was surprised to find that he could trust in his pink harlequin so easily and that he could be around her without blushing (at least, not too often). Hotaru was by far the most beautiful person he had ever met in his life. However fond Yamato was of Hotaru, though, he did not consider proposing. First of all, there was the political matter: he was a duke, she a harlequin. Second of all (he had created a mental list in his head): time. They knew each other for around three days or so. Surely they could not build a very strong relationship beyond simple love in such a short span of time!
"Hotaru, what would you have done, if you were in my place?" Yamato asked, looking straight into her eyes questionably.
"What would I have done? Yamato, I would have had a little chat with Countess Sora's father."
"You would have done WHAT?" Yamato could not contain his surprise.
"Yes, I would have done such a thing. I would have persuaded him that the Marquis was a much better match."
"Oh? Something so simple as that?" Yamato raised his eyebrows. He, for one, did not think that that was such a clever idea.
"Oh, no, no, no, Yamato. Not just like THAT. That's too easy," Hotaru shook her head quickly. A sigh of relief escaped Yamato's lips. Hotaru heard it, and laughed, continuing, "I would've used any means I could and any persuasion that would have been possible to convince him that the Marquis was a rich, wealthy man who would please his daughter. I would have then told him that if she married me, the duke, she would most likely refuse to have such a thing happen anyway. If that didn't scare him, I would've said the two words, 'they'll elope'. That would probably frighten him off." Hotaru finished with a triumphant grin.
"Wow..." Yamato was stunned. "How did you know that Sora and Taichi were lovers? That they would probably elope? I was the only one who Koushirou told about Sora and Taichi's plan..."
The pink harlequin shook her head, her lavender skirts flapping as she did so and as a mild zephyr whished by. Giving him a mysterious smile, she pressed her index finger to his lips and wagged the index finger of her opposite hand.
Little did Duke Yamato know it, but he was shaking uncontrollably at her touch. His face was rather scarlet, too. If Hotaru noticed, she didn't say anything about it. All she did was look amused and pleased. Surprisingly, Yamato did not notice the pained expression in her eyes and the tears that were ready to pour out in cascades. He disappeared into his own mystic, romantic world.
No longer was he just fond of, or really LIKED Hotaru; he LOVED her. Loved her, loved her, loved her. Her mysterious expressions allured him and he couldn't do a thing about it. Suddenly, Yamato snapped back to reality and heard a choked sob issuing itself from the harlequin's mouth. He grabbed her shoulders and gasped, "What's wrong? Hotaru?"
"It's n-nothing," she brushed him off gently, wiping off a tear that had rolled down her cheek.
"You're lying," he accused darkly. "If something's wrong, you should tell someone about it. It doesn't even have to be me." The glance full of fear that Hotaru cast towards him caused him to regret his words. He did not wish to hurt his precious harlequin.
"No, I told you that nothing's w-w-wrong," she smoothed her skirts worriedly and gave a sniffle. Yamato sighed. Hotaru was a good performer, a beautiful lady, and a wondrous companion, but she was a horrendous liar. There was indeed something wrong.
"All right, if it suits you," he grumbled irascibly, sounding brusquer than he had intended. "Be that way, then."
A moment of silence stood between the two of them; the beautiful pink-haired lady and the handsome blond duke. Neither said a word or looked at each other until an ecstatic laugh was heard from one of the rooms of the South Wing.
"Sora..." Yamato's face broke out into a wide smile. "Her father must have broken off the marriage."
"I'm betting she threatened to elope," Hotaru laughed along, "There's nothing a father hates more than rumors about his family, his worth, and his honor."
"How did you know that?" Once again, Yamato was astonished by Hotaru's knowledge of court life and gossip. "Do you visit the servant's quarters every single day?"
"Yes, in fact I do."
Satisfied with her answer this time, Yamato murmured, "If Sora and I had been married, we wouldn't be friends anymore."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Sora and I were childhood companions, always riding horses together along with my closest friend, Taichi. Sora was forever tagging along with us. She hated being called a 'weakling girl' and tried to beat us at so many things: archery, racing, fencing, and arithmetic. She did beat us both at arithmetic. When she competed with females her age, she never lost once, except to a foreign visitor who was her age. This foreign visitor, I remember, was a Spanish girl. Although I cannot remember any details about her, I do remember one thing: her beauty and her skill at archery. That day, Sora was so angry that she broke her bow right in front of the whole court. We all watched, appalled, as her temper got the better of her, and she destroyed one of her most prized possessions. Then she shrieked at the Spanish girl to 'never come back again'. She has never been so angry again."
Hotaru listened politely, and once Yamato stopped to breathe, for he had uttered the whole story in one breath, she asked, "But why does she despise marrying you so much, if she's your friend?"
"Why, it's simple," Yamato replied in wonderment, astounded that so clever a girl could not figure such an obvious thing out, "She's in love with Taichi. Would she not enjoy the marriage more if it were with the one she loved? She loves me as a friend, but Taichi is her true love!"
"Think more closely, Yamato... there must also be another reason behind it all. One covered by everything obvious. Something subtle. Something hidden."
"Er..." Yamato thought for a second, then responded, "I believe I see what you mean. I was originally betrothed to Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa, but due to odd circumstances, the marriage was broken off. If I married Sora, her family would profit more than if she married Taichi. A marquis has lesser status than that of a duke. Sora does not wish to be viewed as a pawn."
"That's good, now think even deeper... think about Sora's father... think about how he's corrupted and wicked..."
"Hmm, that's true, there have been rumors that he is secretly allied to Spain."
"What if those are true?"
Suddenly suspicious, Yamato asked, "Why all the questions, Hotaru?"
"I just wish for you to think deeper."
"If you already know something, then out with it, damn it!"
"S-sorry, Yamato," Hotaru's lips quivered, and she drew back in fear at Yamato's unexpected irritancy.
"Hmm..." Yamato's mind bent back and forth, processing everything, until he finally got it within half a minute. "If those rumors about Count Takenouchi are true, then the truth must be that HE was the one who wished for the marriage arrangement to be broken. After negotiating with the King of Spain, the two of them must have come to an agreement that the Princess was to marry the second most important person besides the king, the marquis. Count Takenouchi would profit the most of all, with his son-in-law as a duke. But why would the king agree to such a thing??? ... ..." Yamato pondered his own question for a minute while Hotaru watched him cautiously.
"I see... Taichi, the marquis, is also the general of the French army... if he were married to the king's daughter; the king could control him through her. Rumors state that Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa is a lovely female who could persuade anything and anyone just by her appearance... if this is the case, then the Spanish king would have the ability to combine the French military with his own. Then, war against England would be waged. Sora probably knew all along that her father was a traitor, but didn't say anything, for fear the dire consequences. She is angry to know that her love would become a puppet..." Yamato concluded the facts. Immediately after he finished speaking, he took both of Hotaru's small, fine-boned hands in his own and thanked her graciously. "Thank you, Hotaru, for getting me to think about all this... you have been a wonder, dear harlequin!" Right after those words, he raced off for breakfast. Mother and Father dearest would be SO upset to see me missing for the first meal of the day, he thought sarcastically.
As he left, he glanced back at his loved one.
She appeared to be crying. Again.
Arrangements
Note: There are a bunch of conspiracies and a ton of political stuff in this chapter, so BEWARE! (and read carefully)
"Oh dear..." Hotaru replied, shocked and with the hint of a smile on her face, after Duke Yamato had told her what had happened the day before. The two of them were alone, yet again, in their secret garden. Yamato was surprised to find that he could trust in his pink harlequin so easily and that he could be around her without blushing (at least, not too often). Hotaru was by far the most beautiful person he had ever met in his life. However fond Yamato was of Hotaru, though, he did not consider proposing. First of all, there was the political matter: he was a duke, she a harlequin. Second of all (he had created a mental list in his head): time. They knew each other for around three days or so. Surely they could not build a very strong relationship beyond simple love in such a short span of time!
"Hotaru, what would you have done, if you were in my place?" Yamato asked, looking straight into her eyes questionably.
"What would I have done? Yamato, I would have had a little chat with Countess Sora's father."
"You would have done WHAT?" Yamato could not contain his surprise.
"Yes, I would have done such a thing. I would have persuaded him that the Marquis was a much better match."
"Oh? Something so simple as that?" Yamato raised his eyebrows. He, for one, did not think that that was such a clever idea.
"Oh, no, no, no, Yamato. Not just like THAT. That's too easy," Hotaru shook her head quickly. A sigh of relief escaped Yamato's lips. Hotaru heard it, and laughed, continuing, "I would've used any means I could and any persuasion that would have been possible to convince him that the Marquis was a rich, wealthy man who would please his daughter. I would have then told him that if she married me, the duke, she would most likely refuse to have such a thing happen anyway. If that didn't scare him, I would've said the two words, 'they'll elope'. That would probably frighten him off." Hotaru finished with a triumphant grin.
"Wow..." Yamato was stunned. "How did you know that Sora and Taichi were lovers? That they would probably elope? I was the only one who Koushirou told about Sora and Taichi's plan..."
The pink harlequin shook her head, her lavender skirts flapping as she did so and as a mild zephyr whished by. Giving him a mysterious smile, she pressed her index finger to his lips and wagged the index finger of her opposite hand.
Little did Duke Yamato know it, but he was shaking uncontrollably at her touch. His face was rather scarlet, too. If Hotaru noticed, she didn't say anything about it. All she did was look amused and pleased. Surprisingly, Yamato did not notice the pained expression in her eyes and the tears that were ready to pour out in cascades. He disappeared into his own mystic, romantic world.
No longer was he just fond of, or really LIKED Hotaru; he LOVED her. Loved her, loved her, loved her. Her mysterious expressions allured him and he couldn't do a thing about it. Suddenly, Yamato snapped back to reality and heard a choked sob issuing itself from the harlequin's mouth. He grabbed her shoulders and gasped, "What's wrong? Hotaru?"
"It's n-nothing," she brushed him off gently, wiping off a tear that had rolled down her cheek.
"You're lying," he accused darkly. "If something's wrong, you should tell someone about it. It doesn't even have to be me." The glance full of fear that Hotaru cast towards him caused him to regret his words. He did not wish to hurt his precious harlequin.
"No, I told you that nothing's w-w-wrong," she smoothed her skirts worriedly and gave a sniffle. Yamato sighed. Hotaru was a good performer, a beautiful lady, and a wondrous companion, but she was a horrendous liar. There was indeed something wrong.
"All right, if it suits you," he grumbled irascibly, sounding brusquer than he had intended. "Be that way, then."
A moment of silence stood between the two of them; the beautiful pink-haired lady and the handsome blond duke. Neither said a word or looked at each other until an ecstatic laugh was heard from one of the rooms of the South Wing.
"Sora..." Yamato's face broke out into a wide smile. "Her father must have broken off the marriage."
"I'm betting she threatened to elope," Hotaru laughed along, "There's nothing a father hates more than rumors about his family, his worth, and his honor."
"How did you know that?" Once again, Yamato was astonished by Hotaru's knowledge of court life and gossip. "Do you visit the servant's quarters every single day?"
"Yes, in fact I do."
Satisfied with her answer this time, Yamato murmured, "If Sora and I had been married, we wouldn't be friends anymore."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Sora and I were childhood companions, always riding horses together along with my closest friend, Taichi. Sora was forever tagging along with us. She hated being called a 'weakling girl' and tried to beat us at so many things: archery, racing, fencing, and arithmetic. She did beat us both at arithmetic. When she competed with females her age, she never lost once, except to a foreign visitor who was her age. This foreign visitor, I remember, was a Spanish girl. Although I cannot remember any details about her, I do remember one thing: her beauty and her skill at archery. That day, Sora was so angry that she broke her bow right in front of the whole court. We all watched, appalled, as her temper got the better of her, and she destroyed one of her most prized possessions. Then she shrieked at the Spanish girl to 'never come back again'. She has never been so angry again."
Hotaru listened politely, and once Yamato stopped to breathe, for he had uttered the whole story in one breath, she asked, "But why does she despise marrying you so much, if she's your friend?"
"Why, it's simple," Yamato replied in wonderment, astounded that so clever a girl could not figure such an obvious thing out, "She's in love with Taichi. Would she not enjoy the marriage more if it were with the one she loved? She loves me as a friend, but Taichi is her true love!"
"Think more closely, Yamato... there must also be another reason behind it all. One covered by everything obvious. Something subtle. Something hidden."
"Er..." Yamato thought for a second, then responded, "I believe I see what you mean. I was originally betrothed to Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa, but due to odd circumstances, the marriage was broken off. If I married Sora, her family would profit more than if she married Taichi. A marquis has lesser status than that of a duke. Sora does not wish to be viewed as a pawn."
"That's good, now think even deeper... think about Sora's father... think about how he's corrupted and wicked..."
"Hmm, that's true, there have been rumors that he is secretly allied to Spain."
"What if those are true?"
Suddenly suspicious, Yamato asked, "Why all the questions, Hotaru?"
"I just wish for you to think deeper."
"If you already know something, then out with it, damn it!"
"S-sorry, Yamato," Hotaru's lips quivered, and she drew back in fear at Yamato's unexpected irritancy.
"Hmm..." Yamato's mind bent back and forth, processing everything, until he finally got it within half a minute. "If those rumors about Count Takenouchi are true, then the truth must be that HE was the one who wished for the marriage arrangement to be broken. After negotiating with the King of Spain, the two of them must have come to an agreement that the Princess was to marry the second most important person besides the king, the marquis. Count Takenouchi would profit the most of all, with his son-in-law as a duke. But why would the king agree to such a thing??? ... ..." Yamato pondered his own question for a minute while Hotaru watched him cautiously.
"I see... Taichi, the marquis, is also the general of the French army... if he were married to the king's daughter; the king could control him through her. Rumors state that Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa is a lovely female who could persuade anything and anyone just by her appearance... if this is the case, then the Spanish king would have the ability to combine the French military with his own. Then, war against England would be waged. Sora probably knew all along that her father was a traitor, but didn't say anything, for fear the dire consequences. She is angry to know that her love would become a puppet..." Yamato concluded the facts. Immediately after he finished speaking, he took both of Hotaru's small, fine-boned hands in his own and thanked her graciously. "Thank you, Hotaru, for getting me to think about all this... you have been a wonder, dear harlequin!" Right after those words, he raced off for breakfast. Mother and Father dearest would be SO upset to see me missing for the first meal of the day, he thought sarcastically.
As he left, he glanced back at his loved one.
She appeared to be crying. Again.