By : angelofvenus_l3
CHAPTER EIGHT
Minako sighed blissfully, letting the cool water lapped her hand. The water looked so clear, so refreshing that she was so tempted to dive in. Yet her attire was inappropriate for such activity, not to mention her status as a guest and a fiancée to a respectable politician. Still, it would be nice to stay in the water after a long, tiring journey.
Suddenly remembering Quatre's arrival and their dinner date, Minako gasped at the time and frantically rose to her feet. When she spun around and took a step forward, she instantly collided face-to-face with Quatre. Bewildered and completely taken aback by his sudden presence, she instinctively let out a shriek and before Quatre could react, her leg slipped beneath her at the contact and she felt her body began to fall. Her hands frantically reached up only to grab Quatre's shirt, bringing him downwards into the pool.
Both felt the cold water making sharp contact with them as they were pulled below, their skins pricked by the intensity of the cool temperature. Before Minako was dragged even deeper into the pool, she felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist protectively and pulled her to the surface. Once her head had emerged, Minako gulped in huge breaths after coughing up water and steadied her pounding heart, all the while clutching Quatre's shirt tightly in reflex.
Forgetting his own soaking state, Quatre let out a chuckle as he studied her features carefully. Her hair was soaking wet and clinging to her back and cheeks in strands. Her face flushed from the cold and her eyes seemed even bluer than he remembered. Transfixed by her beauty, his mind went completely numbed, unable him to wrack a witty remark or a mere greeting to her.
When her eyes finally locked with his and the realization had finally registered in her head, she exclaimed in surprise, "Quatre! W-what…how d-did you…w-when did…" Her lips were numbed from the cold, making it harder for her to speak and her mind to think. Her heart skipped a beat, then began to hammer rapidly once she realized the closeness of his form pressed against hers. She felt her cheeks grew warm all of a sudden. Of all the possible encounters she had envisioned with Quatre, this was definitely not one of them. But it was certainly romantic.
"Q-Quatre, you're back," she finally managed to utter, trying desperately to hide her blush. "H-how did you know I was here?"
When Quatre opened his mouth to answer, another voice interrupted sarcastically, "And to think we were actually worry about both of you."
Startled, the couple jerked their heads to the side, only to find Duo and Lyon standing across from them. Lyon was frowning in disapproval at the scene but he remained silent as courtesy did not allow him to comment on his employer's behavior. Duo on the other hand, was grinning from ear-to-ear, staring mostly at Minako who was now an even darker shades of pink.
"Towel, sir?" Lyon spoke quietly as he magically produced a pair of neatly folded towels.
Quatre could feel himself blushing but his smile was still plastered on his face when he led Minako to the edge of the pool. Before Lyon could offer his assistance to her, Duo immediately grabbed Minako's delicate hand and helped her up, though not before Quatre caught the mischievous glint in Duo's eyes. Duo grinned even wider when his eyes fell on the dress that clung to Minako's curve, emphasizing her figure that was almost too perfect for a spoilt child.
"Thank you," Minako said sheepishly as Duo wrapped a towel around her shoulders. "But I'm afraid Quatre didn't mention about you at all…"
"Well, figures he wouldn't," Duo replied with a wry smile, motioning his head towards Quatre. "He's just afraid I might be a little too much competition for him." Pausing briefly to mock a bow, he continued soberly, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name's Duo Maxwell but you, my pretty lady, may call me Duo. Now the thing you must remember about me is that I may run and I may hide but I never ever tell a lie." Then, he planted a swift kiss on the back of her palm which prompted Minako to chuckle. She was more accustomed to the formal courtesy she received at home but she liked Duo's version much better.
"Duo?" she suddenly echoed as another realization hit her. "Duo Maxwell? As in the Gundam pilot? The Deathscythe pilot?"
Duo regarded her with unconcealed amusement, immediately intrigued at her genuine interest and he beamed proudly, "The very same…Perhaps sometime we can get together and I'll tell you more about myself and Deathscythe…"
"Yes, you'll have to do that some other time, Mr. Maxwell," Lyon intruded after offering Quatre his towel. "Because dinner has been served for almost fifteen minutes now, we don't want it to get anymore colder. Come, Master Winner, Miss Calvert, we must get both of you out of those clothes."
At that point, Quatre's head jerked up at the mention of her family name, his expression twisted in a mixture of horrified and disbelief. He turned to Minako questioningly who suddenly regarded him with a guilty look. Quatre appeared so shock that he was loss for words.
Minako was silence but she remained on her ground and stared back at Quatre, noting his despair. She could sense an inkling of bitterness that was slowly deepening in his eyes and she ached at that thought. Before this, she had analyzed the situation carefully and even though she dreaded the confrontation, she had prepared herself for the mixed emotions that trailed with it. Now, she realized how much pain his eyes could express and he had yet to discover she was not his fiancée.
Quatre could feel his world crashing down on him at the heartbreaking discovery. It sounded dramatically exaggerated but that was what he truly felt about it. Up to now, he didn't realize how much he resented Caroline's presence until he discovered that she had been with him all this while. He recalled the memories in Venus, the glimmer of interest in her eyes, the warmth of her smile, the feel of her hands and her comforting presence, all of them seemed to ache him even more and worst, those memories seemed to mock him at every turn, reminding him over and over again at his stupidity and naïve. Despite her honesty that he would find out her identity soon enough, he felt cheated in many ways. All of a sudden, she appeared so different now. There was an aura of arrogance surrounding her and her features weren't as soft as before. Nor was her sweet and innocent demeanor. He tried to ignore or at least suppress the resentment that was slowly building up in him as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze, challenging him to deny her existence.
"Is something wrong, Quatre?" she asked quietly, as though noting his dread and sharing his revelation.
Taking a step back, he looked away and casually rubbed the towel on his neck, pretending to wipe the last remaining ounce of dampness. "No, Caroline," he answered with calm authority, not cold enough for resentment but enough for her to interpret his feelings towards the confrontation. "Of course not. I just didn't expect it was you all this while. But you've always been quite a bundle of surprise since I've known you. However, this certainly tops all of them."
Minako hesitated, not certain how to regard his meaning which was why she was grateful when Lyon interfered once more, "I'm deeply sorry to interrupt you, sir, but you and Miss Calvert really need to change into a more…appropriate attire. You both might catch a cold if we delay this any longer. Please, shall we? That is, of course, if Miss Calvert would not run out on us again."
Quatre smiled in appreciation at his butler's concern, though his smile did not reached his ears. With another forced smile and a nod to Minako, he led the way back to the mansion, completely ignoring Minako's presence. Duo instead had taken Quatre's position to entertain the blonde princess, prating randomly about various subjects, eager to impress her with his jokes and witty remarks. Minako listened to him earnestly, appreciating Duo's effort to make her feel at ease and comfortable with her surrounding.
It did not however erase her guilt and longing for Quatre's warm company.
Dinner was quiet, much to Minako's dismay. Caroline wasn't kidding when she claimed how much they resented each other. The tension was so evident that even the servants were shifting uncomfortably in the room and exchanging skeptical glance. Quatre had tried to strike a polite conversation about her father and his business, which Minako was surprisingly not prepared for and she only answered him with meager interest which led Quatre to misunderstood her ignorance for hostility and resentment. So he had instantly lapsed into silence, eating quietly and refusing to meet her gaze. Minako, on the other hand, was wracking her mind for an opening but seeing Quatre's sudden disinterest to converse only made her even more tensed. She wished Duo hadn't decided to leave all of a sudden, she felt much more at ease with his friendly smile and down-to-earth nature.
The meal looked delicious and delectable, for it was specially prepared on her account but Minako couldn't stomach the thought of eating in her state of mind. She poked and pushed her food until it was beyond recognizable state. When she realized the servants were eyeing her, she managed them a weak smile and quickly yet forcefully swallowed a small amount.
When Minako had earlier descended down the stairs, Quatre was momentarily caught off-guard by her appearance. It wasn't much of the clothes that caught his attention, but with the simplicity of her attire and her sunshine hair tied neatly in a common half ponytail, she posed herself exactly like a common teenager, instead of the wealthy and spoilt young girl she really was. Next to her, Quatre felt that he was a little overdressed for dinner and he had to restrain himself from constantly stealing glances at her.
Quatre politely rubbed a napkin on his mouth after he finished his meal. When he finally looked at Minako across from him, he was startled to find her food barely eaten. He didn't have the appetite either but he had forced himself to swallow a few bites as courtesy for tonight's 'special' occasion. He wanted so much to leave the room and proceed to work on his proposal yet seeing her in such a miserable state made his heart melancholy. Something was bothering her and as much as he refused to acknowledge that fact, he felt obligated to find out since she was still a guest in his home. And his fiancée.
"You haven't touch your food," Quatre started softly.
Minako shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny but quickly registered a polite smile on her face. "I'm not that hungry, I can only manage a few bites tonight. But the chicken is wonderful, my compliments to the chef."
"Um, actually that's emus," Quatre pointed out with unconcealed surprise.
Minako blinked. "Emus?"
"Yes, it's another form of bird," Quatre elaborated half jokingly, at the same time sending her a skeptical look.
"I know what emus is," Minako quickly replied as she continued to poke her meal. "I just never had one before."
Quatre stared at her in puzzled. "But it's your favorite."
Minako's fork suddenly cluttered on the plate and she mentally kicked herself for letting her ignorance slipped so easily. After she recovered, she forced a nervous chuckle as she fabricated, "Well, I haven't had any for a long time ever since I launched an all out campaign against…er, against…"
"Emus?" Quatre offered in uncertainty.
"Against animal," Minako answered nervously before continued in a confident tone. "Yes, that's right, against animal!"
Quatre's frowned. "But you're not a vegetarian."
"I know," Minako replied defensively, her mind reeling for some sort of fabrication. "But my friends are and I support them." She then let out a soft chuckle, "I don't know how they talk me into it, it still seem like a such a good idea…"
Quatre restrained the urge to point out that she was not one to indulge in this sort of 'community service' but he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. It had been a long time since they last met and she did seem to have change in many ways. However, he didn't intend to find out whether it was for good or bad. He still had a lot of matters to deal with, mostly involving her.
After he signaled for the servants to leave, Quatre cleared his throat and began more solemnly, "So what were you doing in Venus?"
Minako shrugged but this time, she was prepared to counter each of his question head on. "I was on holiday with a friend," she answered nonchalantly. "You're not the only one who's been working hard all this while. I run my own business, too, you know."
"Yes, so I've heard," Quatre remarked politely.
"I really didn't expect to see you there," Minako replied softly after a moment of silent, figuring she owed him some sort of explanation. Or consolation.
"Neither did I," Quatre agreed thoughtfully. "But why didn't you tell me who you really are? You know I am bound to find out sooner or later. Why did you.…" He paused and let out a bitter chuckle, aching at those treacherous memories. "Why did you have to play with all those mind games?"
Minako drew in a deep breath, suddenly finding it difficult to broach that subject without appearing heartless. "I was just having fun. I didn't know it was you until you told me and I thought it could be just a…" She paused to recall back what Caroline had described her current relationship. "Fling. It's impossible to gain a serious relationship on a foreign planet, Quatre…"
"It certainly didn't appear foreign to you," Quatre said bitterly, almost gritting his teeth when he recalled back their intimate discussions about Venus and the way her every movement caused his heart to race and his face to flush. "So you were pretending all this while to be fascinated with everything? For a mere…" He grimaced as he finished his sentence, "Fling?"
"Yes," Minako embittered as she smiled in mockery, all the while fighting the urge to rebel against her own words and blurted out the truth to him. "I can't believe you actually bought that. Was I that convincing? I guess I didn't realize what I'm really capable of..."
Quatre scowled, disappointment and hurt clearly evident in his eyes. He had wanted to discuss with her about their engagement but at this moment he couldn't bring himself to speak without allowing his anger to cloud his better judgment and strategies. He had never felt so betrayed and heartbroken to the point of speechlessness. He didn't know what else to think, he was afraid that if he contemplated on the previous events he would become vindictive and thus, heightening his resentment to new lengths. So instead, he decided to shove the matter aside until he sorted out his feelings and reassessed his plan.
"Caroline, if you would excuse me, I have some proposals and paperwork to deal with. Lyon will be at your service if you need anything." Without waiting for a reply, he rose to his feet, gave her a polite nod and left the dining area.
Minako was startled at his lack of manners but she was a little relief that he handled it better than she thought he would, although she couldn't help wondering about the outcomes of this confrontation. Forcing herself to dismiss her worries for Quatre's feelings, she consoled herself by thinking about tomorrow's plans. But a realization jarred her thoughts and prompted her to rush to her room to make a private phone call.
Daniel heaved out an angry sigh as he slammed the phone so hard that he actually thought for a moment it might break. But the contraction remained in one piece, with its owner glaring angrily at it as if it was at fault for all his troubles. Alya came in his room just in time to witness his previous display of frustration.
Daniel tore his gaze away and softened just slightly when he noticed her tired look. They had been up the whole night, waiting anxiously for information regarding the princess's whereabouts and participated in the search as well, making phone calls to several communication centers and rechecking their lists of passengers. He was so engrossed in the search, he barely realized they didn't slept or ate anything for almost two days. After a lot of persuasion from Anthony and several of his officers, the two generals had agreed to retreat to their hotel and waited for their reports. Which so far, did not contain any of the information they needed.
It didn't help matters at all when he received an email from Andrite several hours ago, who had earlier made an agreement to contact through mail so that the princess wouldn't suspect that her movements were strictly and currently monitored by Andrite himself. Daniel hesitated to tell his head general about the current status so he left it at that, refusing to reply or call as he was expected.
Dreading his answers, Alya inquired weakly, suppressing her own sigh, "Another dead end?"
"It's hopeless," Daniel told her dryly as she sat on his bed. "If she really did travel under different alias, she could be anywhere at this point. The security cameras couldn't even catch a glimpse of her entering any of the shuttles so there's a possibility that she's still on Venus." Heaving out another frustrated sigh, he added solemnly, "It's been only two days, and I've a feeling there won't be much of a progress without Andrite's knowledge."
"No, please," Alya pleaded weakly. "Just a couple more days…"
"I'm more concern for her safety than our positions," Daniel stated firmly and with patience that seemed to be thinning at each moment. "Do you really understand the risk we're taking here, Alya? If we don't tell Andrite now, he will surely find out from a different source and we'll still be in as much trouble, if not worst. We're lucky if this doesn't get to the press but I can't say the same thing if she is discovered by her acquaintances without a proper escort and involve in some sort of ridiculous parties or events teenagers got themselves into these days. If word do gets out, the planet will start to question her capability and involvement, which will lead them to question the court's decision of placing her as the future ruler and also the generals' lack of control over a sixteen-year-old. But Andrite will solely receive the blame for our recklessness and since the court couldn't possibly dismiss Princess Minako from the palace, they will dismiss Andrite instead and permanently at that."
Alya wanted to protest but realization dawned across her features at the truth ringing in his speech. She was silence for several minutes before she spoke up quietly but with equal firmness and determination, "Two days." Daniel rolled his eyes and turned away in helpless frustration at his comrade's persistence. Alya ignored his reaction and repeated a little louder, "Two days, Daniel. Just give it two days and then we'll tell Andrite what actually…"
Alya's statement stopped abruptly when she felt her cell phone vibrated beneath her jacket before erupted into loud rings. Suddenly filled with hope, she lifted the phone to her ear without even a glance at the screen.
"Anthony?" Alya demanded in anticipation.
"Anthony?" the soft voice on the other line echoed with mild amusement. "Is that a new friend?"
Alya's eyes widen in a mixture of shock and relief when she finally recognized the voice. "Minako?!" she cried worriedly "Minako, is that really you?"
"Of course it's me," the princess answered with a soft chuckle.
"Oh god, we were so worried if something terrible happen to you," Alya replied urgently, pacing back and forth and all the while ignoring Daniel's scowl. "Are you alright? Did anything bad happen to you? Are you hurt?"
"No, I've never been any better…"
"Really, that's great," Alya said with fake sweetness before her tone increased to higher octaves, "Because you won't be after this!! Minako, how could you do this to me?! Do you know how much trouble you've cause us?! You could have been killed or kidnapped and no one wouldn't even know how to locate you!! Do you realize how…."
Alya's statement was cut off when Daniel yanked the phone away from Alya's hand and demanded calmly to Minako, "Where are you?"
Minako swallowed hard when she heard Daniel's voice. She anticipated their annoyance towards her previous behavior but she didn't expect Alya to react this bad, which prompted Minako to ponder the extent of her behavior and reassessed her strategy to convince the two generals of her plan.
"Princess, answer me. Where are you?"
"That doesn't matter right now," Minako answered with ease, waving her hand dismissively as though Daniel could see her. "What matters is that I'm fine…"
"I'm afraid Andrite won't jump in joy at that perspective," Daniel stated through gritted teeth. "You, as well as everyone in the palace, are familiar with his rage so let's try our hardest not to provoke it. If you tell us your location, we'll pick you up from there, grab the earliest shuttle to Pluto and forget that this ever occur."
Minako let out a bitter laugh. "You expect me to accept that?" she exclaimed incredulously. "That's what Ally and I've been doing ever since I understood the concept of bribery!" Daniel's protest was instantly cut short when Minako intruded firmly, "No, Daniel, this vacation is mine and mine alone and I intend to enjoy it all by myself. I'm tired of having every single thing in my life plan out in detail ahead of me when I'm not even aware of that process…"
"If you don't, then who else will?!" Daniel snapped back sternly. "You are just a kid, you're bound to make errors! And we're hired to ensure that you do not make any because you can't afford to right now, not when you are months away from rising to the throne."
Minako rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Look, I don't have time to argue with you, Daniel. I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you because you clearly will never understand. But you know what, you don't have a choice here. I'm not coming back until my vacation's officially over. Just be glad that I intend to contact you and Ally as often as possible to assure you of my safety. In the mean time, I suggest you both just continue our schedule as planned. We don't want anybody to suspect something's amiss now, do we?"
"You can't be serious!" Daniel cried in disbelief.
"I've never been anymore serious in my life," Minako insisted stubbornly.
"And if I report this matter to Andrite?"
"I don't think you would," Minako challenged. "Aren't we suppose to try our hardest not to provoke his rage? Why are you making things even more complicated? Technically, we are on our vacation, only we're having it separately. If we're careful not to reveal the situation, everything will work out the way it's suppose to be. In a few week's time we'll meet up again, return back home together and Andrite won't know the difference. What do you think?"
"I still think you are making a mockery of the whole court," Daniel spat angrily. Then, his tone lowered in defeat. "But as you said, we've no choice. It's either that or you'll proclaim yourself a missing royalty."
After Minako hang up, Daniel drew in his breath in a manner to regain his composure and taking in the gravity of the situation. Alya looked pleadingly beside him, her fists raised in anticipation. "So?" she demanded anxiously. Daniel regarded her with a skeptical glance before tossing back the phone to her and peered outside the window, compiling his thoughts.
"Any chances we can trace that call?"
Alya hesitated and glanced at the phone screen. "No, it's a private number…"
"I thought so," Daniel murmured thoughtfully.
The next day, Quatre went to work earlier than usual in hopes of avoiding any confrontations with his fiancée which obviously would drag yesterday's argument and further quarrels. He decided to worry about their current positions later for there was too many significance business issues he had to deal with on Earth. He was still managing his father's empire in Colony L4 and also involved in various political affairs that contributed to the development of the space colonies. Although it would be more convenient for him to reside on Colony L4, Quatre made a startling decision to live on Earth instead as he had grown fond of the beauty on Earth that no colonies could ever mass-produce.
As soon as he entered his office, his secretary quickly went in to remind him of his schedules and as she began to read the daily planner, he was already in the midst of surveying the accounts. If not for his occasional nods and encouraging smiles, his secretary would perceive his silence for ignorance or oblivious to her presence. He had his eyes focused on the documents scattered on his desk and the only time when he looked up was to greet her when she entered and to thank her when she left. His usual warm camaraderie seemed to have reduced drastically over the past year and it didn't come unnoticed by his staffs, leaving all of them slightly worried that this young man would lose himself completely.
"Wait."
The blonde woman jerked her head up in surprise from the file she had been reading to Quatre, instinctively shoving a strand of hair nervously behind her ear in a manner to calm her nerves. A habit which she acquired over the past few weeks since she was hired and also stemmed from the desperate need to impress her employer with her capabilities. She did not want him to regret ever giving her this job and although he had several more publicists working under him, he had gave her the chance to prove her worth as a member of his respective corporation.
"Y-yes, Mr. Winner?"
"Is it possible if I do not attend that charity gala next week?" Quatre murmured halfheartedly, preoccupied with signing some papers.
"You mean the one organized by White Rose Ball?" Doris shook her head solemnly. "I'm afraid that can't be done, Mr. Winner. You donated the Klineman sculpture to the charity auction that precedes the ball and you're to be honored for your generosity."
"Perhaps if I send someone else…"
"It has to be you," Doris persisted softly but enough force to ensure him the firmness in her decision. "When public relations suggest you make a donation, you a made a very generous one. The proceeds go to the L4 Cancer Society and the ball is a major media event. The timing is perfect for a little publicity here, followed by a press conference the following week."
"Press conference?" Quatre echoed in between astonishment and irate. "What for?"
Doris licked her lips nervously and reluctantly explained, "Well, rumors has been spreading among the colonies that you are engage to the daughter of a wealthy businessman from a nearby colony. After being voted as the most eligible and successful entrepreneur for eight months straight, people want to hear something different aside from your usual achievements and believe it or not, everyone is more interested to know about your personal life rather than your business affair."
Quatre shifted uncomfortably at the thought of facing those rampaging paparazzi and medias. Caroline would enjoy being the center of those frenzy whirlwind attention but not him. He preferred to keep his personal life private and separated from his work life. When he first decided to monitor his father's company and involved in the rebuilding of earth and colonies, he was constantly 'attacked' by medias. Especially since his identity as the Gundam pilot was revealed, he was hunted down from his office to his own mansion by medias who wanted to get a scoop of his latest news. The unwanted attention became so bad that he was forced to flee to another home and take refuge in one of his mansion with the rest of his friends.
"I heard your fiancée, Caroline is in town," Doris continued with a slow, conspiratorial smile, seemingly trying to dig out some sort of confession from him. "It will be a great idea to bring her to the White Rose Ball as your escort…"
"No!" Quatre quickly interjected before Doris could go any further. Then, he forced himself to calm down and replied in a more dignified tone, "I'm not sure if I should. I don't think Caroline is that kind of person who enjoys this kind of charity event. She's just arrive today and I don't think I should trouble her…"
"The ball is in two weeks, Mr. Winner," Doris told him dryly. "Unless there's some skeleton in your closet that hadn't been removed yet, you have nothing to worry about."
Quatre leaned back against his seat and sighed in defeat as he weighted the situation before coming to a swift conclusion. "There's something Caroline and I need to discuss before we make our relationship official to the public. Until then, I will not accept any questions regarding our status, nor should the rest of the staffs. Send word to the others about this please."