The Pink Harlequin
Treachery & Loyalty
That evening, Hotaru's performance in court was less than appealing. During her tumbles, which she normally did so spectacularly, she lost her footing and slipped numerous times. Duke Yamato's father made a face of displeasure, as did every other courtier. However, Yamato was determined to see his dear harlequin regain her control.
She didn't.
Stumbling, tripping, and slipping, Hotaru performed so horribly that Yamato swore she would get kicked out of the palace. Once all the courtiers left for their chambers, mumbling and scowling, Yamato rushed over to help Hotaru up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, mingling with white and pink face paint. White and pink trails streaked her cheeks, making her look extremely odd.
"Hotaru, if something was wrong, then you shouldn't have performed at all," Yamato soothed the girl, holding her hand to steady her as she forced herself off of the ground. "This morning, I knew something was wrong."
"Yamato, I..." Hotaru looked as if she was about to say something to him, something secretive, from the way her eyes were darting back and forth apprehensively. She abruptly stopped and looked down at her feet. "Forgive me for the abysmal performance."
Narrowing his eyes, Yamato heaved a groan and ran his fingers through his hair, grumbling, "Don't act as if nothing's wrong, damn it."
"I-I was just thinking about Countess Sora's father and the situation with Spain," she suddenly replied, wringing her hands together.
"..." Yamato said nothing for a second, and then kissed Hotaru on the cheek. She flushed, and placed her hand on the spot where he kissed her. "Thank you for reminding me, Hotaru! I must tell Koushirou... and maybe even my father." With that, he ran off for his scholar friend's room.
Hotaru's eyes were sad when she watched him go. Then, she dragged herself to her own chamber and threw herself on top of the bed, weeping, tears of bliss and wretchedness mingling together.
* * * * *
"I figured something like that was bound to happen," Koushirou muttered once Yamato had had his say. Koushirou's quill was speeding across the parchment as he wrote down notes. "That good-for-nothing Count! A traitor to France! A disgrace to his family!"
"Yes, I know..." Yamato replied absentmindedly, thinking about Hotaru. There was something uncanny about her. Harlequins aren't supposed to know so much about state affairs, he thought, remembering the talk Hotaru and he had that morning.
"And HOTARU told you all this?!" Koushirou finished, disbelieving.
"Yes, there's something odd about her." Yamato added with a frown creasing his face.
"That's true. And did you know that another reason the Spanish king broke off the marriage alliance between you and his daughter was because his daughter was missing?"
"Oh? Hmm... there IS a resemblance between Hotaru and Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa..."
"Yamato! How could you not have known before?!"
"Known what?"
"THAT HOTARU AND PRINCESS MIMI ARE THE SAME PERSON!!"
Yamato gasped, disgusted with himself. He had known the truth all along, ever since he had seen the portrait of the Princess. But he always shoved it into the back of his mind, telling himself that he did not love the enemy.
"Really, how could you not have known this truth?" Koushirou asked, throwing his hands up in the air.
"..." Yamato knew that there was another reason as well, not just the fact that he didn't want to believe. Suddenly, he knew. "She... she distracted me with all of her knowledge about Sora and her father..."
"Yes, I believe that's it."
"I can't believe I got tricked like that! Led away from the truth so easily! I AM SUCH A BUMBLING FOOL!!!!" Yamato hollered out of the blue. "ARGH!"
"Calm down..."
Immediately Yamato let his companion help him to settle his nerves. Finally, Yamato stood up from his sitting position on the ground and angrily told himself in his head that he would force the truth out of that harlequin. Then he would ask her if she truly loved him, or if the whole thing was just part of a plot. He assumed that it was part of the plan. Damn girl, he thought.
Koushirou smiled. He knew what Yamato was thinking.
And he agreed.
* * * * *
The following morning, Yamato had an extremely grim look on his face as he strolled with Hotaru towards their miniature garden. Hotaru was anxious and tripped over nearly everything, from benches to large pebbles in the cobblestone paths. Yamato was unhappy and bleak looking, his face expressionless and his eyes forbidding. By the time the pair of them had reached their garden, Yamato could contain himself no longer, snapping, "Princess Mimi, I want the truth out of you. You're on hostile ground, and with a snap of a finger I could get you thrown in jail." Yamato could hardly believe the cruel words that were throwing themselves out of his mouth. As soon as he finished, he flushed.
"I..." The harlequin shook uncontrollably, and suddenly burst into tears. "Yamato, I'm sorry!"
"How could you have been so treacherous? You knew how I felt! Why did you toy with me like that, Princess?" Again he regretted his words.
"I..."
"I see, the plan was for me to fall in love with you, wasn't it? You Spaniards knew that we would reject your proposal, and before anything was signed, you came along! Knowing that I would quickly figure out who you were, the plan was for me to fall in love with you, sympathize with your country, and agree to the terms; after all, your lies weren't very convincing!" Yamato was surprised to hear the venom and the hiss in his voice. He was even more surprised to find that he knew everything.
"Yamato..." By now, Mimi was sobbing so hard that her words were difficult to interpret. Yamato could see that her eyes were even redder than they sometimes were after she had bouts of weeping. "I didn't want to do it..."
"Yes, that's what they all say, Princess. But it isn't that, is it? It's your treachery...!"
After a moment of hesitation, Mimi whispered brokenly, "For once, you're wrong, Duke. To you, it's treachery. But think about it... to me, it's loyalty to my country." Right after those words, she turned and fled.
Furiously Yamato landed on the grass in a kneeling position. He knew that his trousers were going to get stained, and Mother was going to give her famous lecture (it was even compiled into a book), "Cleanliness is Crucial to Us Catholics". He was outraged with himself and his behavior. He loved the girl; he shouldn't have said such things to her.
"To me, it's loyalty to my country..." He repeated, thinking of the Spanish Princess's words. Then he knew what she meant.
What a fool he was.
Treachery & Loyalty
That evening, Hotaru's performance in court was less than appealing. During her tumbles, which she normally did so spectacularly, she lost her footing and slipped numerous times. Duke Yamato's father made a face of displeasure, as did every other courtier. However, Yamato was determined to see his dear harlequin regain her control.
She didn't.
Stumbling, tripping, and slipping, Hotaru performed so horribly that Yamato swore she would get kicked out of the palace. Once all the courtiers left for their chambers, mumbling and scowling, Yamato rushed over to help Hotaru up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, mingling with white and pink face paint. White and pink trails streaked her cheeks, making her look extremely odd.
"Hotaru, if something was wrong, then you shouldn't have performed at all," Yamato soothed the girl, holding her hand to steady her as she forced herself off of the ground. "This morning, I knew something was wrong."
"Yamato, I..." Hotaru looked as if she was about to say something to him, something secretive, from the way her eyes were darting back and forth apprehensively. She abruptly stopped and looked down at her feet. "Forgive me for the abysmal performance."
Narrowing his eyes, Yamato heaved a groan and ran his fingers through his hair, grumbling, "Don't act as if nothing's wrong, damn it."
"I-I was just thinking about Countess Sora's father and the situation with Spain," she suddenly replied, wringing her hands together.
"..." Yamato said nothing for a second, and then kissed Hotaru on the cheek. She flushed, and placed her hand on the spot where he kissed her. "Thank you for reminding me, Hotaru! I must tell Koushirou... and maybe even my father." With that, he ran off for his scholar friend's room.
Hotaru's eyes were sad when she watched him go. Then, she dragged herself to her own chamber and threw herself on top of the bed, weeping, tears of bliss and wretchedness mingling together.
* * * * *
"I figured something like that was bound to happen," Koushirou muttered once Yamato had had his say. Koushirou's quill was speeding across the parchment as he wrote down notes. "That good-for-nothing Count! A traitor to France! A disgrace to his family!"
"Yes, I know..." Yamato replied absentmindedly, thinking about Hotaru. There was something uncanny about her. Harlequins aren't supposed to know so much about state affairs, he thought, remembering the talk Hotaru and he had that morning.
"And HOTARU told you all this?!" Koushirou finished, disbelieving.
"Yes, there's something odd about her." Yamato added with a frown creasing his face.
"That's true. And did you know that another reason the Spanish king broke off the marriage alliance between you and his daughter was because his daughter was missing?"
"Oh? Hmm... there IS a resemblance between Hotaru and Crown Princess Mimi Taichikawa..."
"Yamato! How could you not have known before?!"
"Known what?"
"THAT HOTARU AND PRINCESS MIMI ARE THE SAME PERSON!!"
Yamato gasped, disgusted with himself. He had known the truth all along, ever since he had seen the portrait of the Princess. But he always shoved it into the back of his mind, telling himself that he did not love the enemy.
"Really, how could you not have known this truth?" Koushirou asked, throwing his hands up in the air.
"..." Yamato knew that there was another reason as well, not just the fact that he didn't want to believe. Suddenly, he knew. "She... she distracted me with all of her knowledge about Sora and her father..."
"Yes, I believe that's it."
"I can't believe I got tricked like that! Led away from the truth so easily! I AM SUCH A BUMBLING FOOL!!!!" Yamato hollered out of the blue. "ARGH!"
"Calm down..."
Immediately Yamato let his companion help him to settle his nerves. Finally, Yamato stood up from his sitting position on the ground and angrily told himself in his head that he would force the truth out of that harlequin. Then he would ask her if she truly loved him, or if the whole thing was just part of a plot. He assumed that it was part of the plan. Damn girl, he thought.
Koushirou smiled. He knew what Yamato was thinking.
And he agreed.
* * * * *
The following morning, Yamato had an extremely grim look on his face as he strolled with Hotaru towards their miniature garden. Hotaru was anxious and tripped over nearly everything, from benches to large pebbles in the cobblestone paths. Yamato was unhappy and bleak looking, his face expressionless and his eyes forbidding. By the time the pair of them had reached their garden, Yamato could contain himself no longer, snapping, "Princess Mimi, I want the truth out of you. You're on hostile ground, and with a snap of a finger I could get you thrown in jail." Yamato could hardly believe the cruel words that were throwing themselves out of his mouth. As soon as he finished, he flushed.
"I..." The harlequin shook uncontrollably, and suddenly burst into tears. "Yamato, I'm sorry!"
"How could you have been so treacherous? You knew how I felt! Why did you toy with me like that, Princess?" Again he regretted his words.
"I..."
"I see, the plan was for me to fall in love with you, wasn't it? You Spaniards knew that we would reject your proposal, and before anything was signed, you came along! Knowing that I would quickly figure out who you were, the plan was for me to fall in love with you, sympathize with your country, and agree to the terms; after all, your lies weren't very convincing!" Yamato was surprised to hear the venom and the hiss in his voice. He was even more surprised to find that he knew everything.
"Yamato..." By now, Mimi was sobbing so hard that her words were difficult to interpret. Yamato could see that her eyes were even redder than they sometimes were after she had bouts of weeping. "I didn't want to do it..."
"Yes, that's what they all say, Princess. But it isn't that, is it? It's your treachery...!"
After a moment of hesitation, Mimi whispered brokenly, "For once, you're wrong, Duke. To you, it's treachery. But think about it... to me, it's loyalty to my country." Right after those words, she turned and fled.
Furiously Yamato landed on the grass in a kneeling position. He knew that his trousers were going to get stained, and Mother was going to give her famous lecture (it was even compiled into a book), "Cleanliness is Crucial to Us Catholics". He was outraged with himself and his behavior. He loved the girl; he shouldn't have said such things to her.
"To me, it's loyalty to my country..." He repeated, thinking of the Spanish Princess's words. Then he knew what she meant.
What a fool he was.