The Rose Bride, still clad in her military-style gown, walked slowly from Saionji's dorm room towards the Chairman's quarters at the center of Ohtori's campus. She had done exactly what her onii-sama had instructed her to, and now the one Engaged was caught as well. Soon, the revolution would come, and she would be free.

Anthy supposed she was lucky.

As the Rose Bride, the witch who bore the brunt of all the world's hate, she was constantly in pain. It was her fate to endure that pain for all time, and as a result, she was doomed to be the Rose Bride, engaged to and abused by whoever might be lucky enough to win her in a duel. Whether it was physical, verbal, or psychological, the Champion of the Duels inflicted a portion of the pain that Anthy was fated to live with.

She could deal with physical abuse, and verbal abuse meant virtually nothing to her. Psychological abuse, however, was a different matter. That dredged up ancient, long-forgotten emotion, emotion that Anthy had spent a millennium trying to forget. The psychological pain was always the hardest. Being hit or yelled at usually had something to do with her disobeying her current fiancé's wishes, but psychological abuse always concerned her fate as the Rose Bride and her utter inability to change that fate.

Saionji-sama only abused her physically.

And no physical pain could compare to the pain of the Rose Bride's emotions.

So, Anthy supposed she was lucky.

"Anshi, do you love me?"

He had asked her this once, after a particularly grueling battle with another duelist.

"Of course, Saionji-sama."

Of course she loved him. He wanted her to. If they desired, she always loved her fiancé.

But she loved her brother more.

Anthy entered the tower through its rose-patterned doors.

* * *


Akio met her at the door of the planetarium. "Was the trap set?"

"Hai. I told Saionji-sama everything you said."

"Good girl." He led her into his room, drawing her onto his lap as he settled onto one of the white couches. Akio pulled the pins from her hair, combing his fingers through her violet tresses. The folds of her crimson dress flowed over him like blood.

Shutters slammed and all light in the planetarium was extinguished.

"Did you miss me this week, Anshi?"

"Hai, onii-sama."



~End~