Chapter 3

Hard words

Michiru passed the next weeks dreaming about her marriage. But she was worried… Haruka was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't caught sight of him the day her father had announced her they would marry. But Michiru was the most understanding person on earth, so she just supposed that Haruka was very busy.

Actually… Haruka was busy. She kept trying to convince her father to cancel the marriage… without any success. So at the end she just tried to have as much fun as possible, to make her last days as a single person unforgettable.

« Haruka, I'd like you to make a visit to your fiancée. » said her father at dinner, about a week before the wedding.

« And why? »

« Because you two soon will be married and you haven't even showed together in public. Engaged people must show at the court. I want you to come and take her to the court tomorrow… And it wouldn't be bad if you told her a little more about you… Telling her you are a woman for example… I hope you don't keep this surprise for the wedding night… »

« It's none of your business. You all forced me into marriage, so I'll make everything my way. I'll take her before the King as you asked me too, but not tomorrow, because I'll visit her first. I need to have an explanation with her. »

« Don't reproach her anything, Haruka… I know you are angry, but she's young and… »

« She's young but not stupid. »

« I'm the one who took the decision, not her. And you should be glad, she is the most beautiful lady around, and educated too. Women tends to be stupid and useless, I chose you someone different. »

« I always said I would marry someone I love. »

« And you love no one, but you must marry. »

« It's silly… Besides… It's cruel. Not really for me now I think of it… but mainly for her… She won't have any child from me, and each silly woman on earth want a child, don't they? Without talking of what she must expect from a real man… Let fall… I'll go and see her tomorrow, you should be glad with this. »

Yes, thought Haruka, her own fate wasn't that bad compared to Michiru's. She would be deprived of all the advantages of being married. She would never have children, and making love with a woman might not be her greatest desire.

The next morning, when Haruka arrived at Michiru's place, she asked the butler to wait a little to announce her arrival; she could hear giggles from behind the door. Michiru was trying her wedding dress, so Haruka couldn't enter; it wouldn't be correct, besides you mustn't see the bride before the wedding. But a week wasn't so near from the wedding. She listened at the door.

« This dress fits you perfectly; you will be the most beautiful bride I can imagine… » said a woman. Haruka couldn't help but look in the keyhole… « An Angel passed in the sky… » . Michiru was very cute, Haruka had to admit that she was lucky to marry such a beautiful woman, but she was feeling too angry after her to appreciate this luck. But an interesting conversation was taking place in the room between all those women, many of them older than Michiru, most of them being well-known gossipers.

« Miss Kaioh… You look like an angel… But why does it have to be him… There are plenty of gentlemen at the court… What a pity! A person like you, beautiful and educated… Marry such a jerk. »

« I don't see him like that… You must be wrong… »

« I guess you didn't heard half of the gossips that spreads abut him… He is said to be very bad guy… Personally I would never have thought that such a man would marry one day. »

« I heard the gossips, don't believe I'm deaf. Those awful stories might be true… But if they are… He has changed. I can see this in his eyes… I know he loves me, I trust him, whatever the life he had before. »

« What makes you think he changed? »

« I said it; it's in his eyes, something… A kind of warm light that surrounds me… Forget it, I'm confused… You know the marriage approaching and… »

« I guess he didn't visit you for long. Haruka Tenoh is like the wind, he doesn't care for anyone, Miss. »

« Yes, he's the wind, but he will care about me when we will be married. »

« Don't be too enthusiast, marriage isn't the ideal thing all the girl of your age imagine… Wait just a week or less, and you'll hear that your dear husband slept with the whole court. »

« He is not like that… I swear I will make him forget every single woman on earth… He said he loves me. »

Haruka preferred to go away, she had heard enough… Michiru didn't know who she was going to marry. She waited in silence, in a place where she couldn't here those women small talk. But still… some of Michiru's words had touched her a little… Did she really see something in her eyes? She always tried to have an empty glare… Then when? No… the poor girl was too enthusiast, she had imagined things.

Michiru finally went out of the room with the others women, in her casual clothes.

« Lord Tenoh! » Michiru's eyes were sparkling with love and joy.

« Miss Kaioh. I want to talk to you about some details concerning the wedding. »

« For how long are you waiting alone? Why didn't our butler announced me you arrived? »

« I asked him to wait, I didn't want to bother you, Miss. »

Michiru shuddered. Haruka's voice was polite… But so empty… Even cold.

« I want to talk to you… in private if you don't mind. »

« Of… Of course. »

The others women left. Michiru let Haruka enter in the room.

« It is not a good idea… Everyone will talk about it, we shouldn't stay alone together, we're not married yet… »

« Please shut up. »

« W… what? »

« I've got a few little details to explain to you. First I resent you for forcing me into marriage as you did. If you had asked me before talking to your father, the answer would have been no. »

« But you… We talked about it the next day and you… »

« Don't you see I was fooling you? But I think you are smarter than you seemed. I thought an innocent little girl like you wouldn't have talked to her father of a man she barely knew. You must admit it's not common. »

« My father is a great man, he asked me to choose… So you weren't in love, I was one of your games no more… »

« Exactly. »

« I'm not as smart as you said. If I were, I would have guessed it. »

« Everyone fall for it. But it seems that now we can't step back. You know… I respected marriage, but I think I won't. Your silly friends were right, husbands like me sleep with everyone. I'll make you regret this, Miss Kaioh, I hate being trapped. I trap women, women doesn't trap me. Tomorrow we are going to the court together; my father gently made me realize we didn't appeared together in public yet since we're engaged. Try to be as cute as you always are… I guess it isn't hard for you to look breathtaking. I should beware exceptionally wonderful ladies. »

« I… I'll make you… honour as a fiancée must. »

« Oh… And I reserve you a surprise for the wedding night. I think you won't appreciate, but it will be too late… We will be united in disappointment. Oh, by the way, you'll spend a week in Aquitaine to my family manor, and then your father invited us to spend a week in yours in Toscana. Well… that is all I had to say. See you tomorrow. »

Haruka left. When Michiru heard the door close, she fell on the sofa; her legs couldn't support her anymore. She began to cry. « How could I have been so stupid…? Now my life is ruined… But this sparkle in his eyes… I saw it, I know I saw it… and it was there today too… »

Haruka was resenting herself. She had been hard on Michiru. Suddenly she heard in her head the words Michiru had said before… about her eyes… « And if I really was in love with her… no way. » Then she remembered her mother, and her vision of love, only five years ago? When she was teaching her about feelings and desire… Strange conversation for a mother to her son… But her mother was the only one to see her as a girl. At this time, when her mother was alive, she was different, she believed hard in love. It is at this time she had developed her sacred vision of marriage. She was romantic and everyone kept telling she would be a real gentleman. What had happened to her? Why did she have become a jerk? Even she didn't know the answer.

The next morning, Setsuna had a hard time trying to hide Michiru's swollen eyes with make up. But the result was good. Whatever the situation, Michiru had always looked perfect. After having cried most of the night, Michiru had finally gathered herself and made up her mind. Haruka would not be nice with her for sure… But she knew that no one ever resisted her, and that was not that awful blonde that would be the first. He would fall for her whatever the price, then she would make him suffer as much as he had made her suffer. Today she would be more breathtaking and beautiful than she had ever been.

So when Haruka went to pick her to go the palace; she found an amazingly beautiful Michiru waiting for her. The make up made her look older and she was wearing a dress that gave a good view of her chest and shoulders, but which as still correct for a young woman. Haruka was out of words, she had thought all the way of all the mean things she could tell her fiancée, but when she approached her she simply kissed her gloved hand. Setsuna helped Michiru putting something on her shoulders for the trip, but Michiru took care to let enough skin visible to be sure Haruka would not go out of the state of mind he was in.

And the blonde was in a strange state of mind… every move Michiru made let a sweet scent in the air, she was feeling that her heart was jumping with many emotions, as the day they had kissed. Michiru's skin seemed so pleasant to touch… If only she could caress it only once… « Calm down Haruka, control yourself… Damn I have to enclose myself with her in a Carosse… During one hour at least! Where is the lake, I could dive into it just to be frozen a bit… »

But there was no lake around, so Haruka kept her distances during the trip as much as possible. Michiru had a wide smile on her face; she knew she had succeeded at least for this time. Haruka was gob-smacked for the day, she was too attracted to her, Michiru herself could sense the sexual desire emanating from him. So she sent her not a single hard word, not a criticism for the greatest part of the trip.

« Something wrong Lord Tenoh? You don't seem at ease… »

« Don't play this game with me! You did this on purpose, I know it… And I must admit you won this battle, but not the war. »

« Sure? Definitely It's too hot here…»

Michiru put off the thing she had on her shoulders. Haruka blushed. Her thoughts didn't ashamed her at all… They bothered her. She didn't want to admit that Michiru really was the perfect bride everyone told her she was. Haruka was too proud to admit that her father's choice wasn't bad at all.