Chapter 7

Not a real man?

« Setsuna… Why are you yelling like this? » asked Lord Tenoh.

« I found a baby in front of the door! »

Michiru approached Setsuna. She took the asleep baby in her arms.

« It's so cute… How old do you think it is? Is it a boy? A girl? »

« I didn't check, I just found it. »

« Look at this little smile… You found it at the door? Alone? »

« Look like someone abandoned it. »

« We must take care of it… Lord Tenoh… Do you think I can keep it… at least till we found its parents. »

Lord Tenoh was lost in his thoughts… An abandoned baby… It was an idea… Since Haruka would never give one to her wife… And Michiru seemed so excited… The look on her face would have made melt the coldest heart you can imagine… Would it make melt Haruka's? His daughter surely wouldn't like this…

« You… You can care it for the moment… But you'll have to ask Haruka as soon as she'll be back… Oh forget this; we'll keep this baby whatever she will think… It's definitely too cute… And I don't think we'll find the parents… I always wanted to be grandfather. »

« Great! »

« A minute! You'll have to attend the court at least for two or three days. The king asked you to come. Setsuna will care the baby in your absence. »

« But Haruka… »

« Haruka won't know; you'll tell her yourself since you're the only one able to argue with her and win. »

Michiru regretfully left the baby. The idea of attending the court wasn't very pleasant before, now it was a torture… As she was ready to enter the carosse, a maid came to her.

« Setsuna said it's a baby girl, how do you want to call her? »

« … I don't know… maybe… maybe Hotaru? This name inspires me; it reminds me of someone I liked very much though I can't tell who… »

« Right… I'll tell her. »

Michiru left with a strange impression… for a minute she had remembered something… A scene of her caring a baby… But it couldn't be a memory… She never had baby.

Haruka from her side was arrived at the Longley's mansion. She was welcomed well by her mistress as always, but when the moment came of having some fun, Haruka suddenly felt that something was wrong… It wasn't as it always was… The desire wasn't there.

« Haruka? What's wrong? »

« I don't know… I don't think like making love today… »

« You came for this… Are you ill? »

« No… »

« Come on… Since you're married we barely saw each other… You changed lately… You're not having fun. You spent all your time in your house. What does keep you in there? »

« I read, I… I listen to music. »

« Music? Let me guess… Violin? And I suppose you watch some pieces of art, sculptures of aqua goddesses by keyholes in your own house? »

« Hey… How do you know that? And what is this aqua goddess thing?… No I don't watch her by the keyholes, I don't care about her! »

« You do! And that's why you can't sleep with me since you married her. Tell me… Did she enjoy the wedding night? Does she join you in bed at night? »

« NO… She's not like us… She's not… »

« a lesbian? So you are pathetic, Haruka. Loving a person that sees you as a freak… »

« She… No… Well maybe. »

« Look at her; she's far too well-mannered and innocent to be interested in what you can give her. This sort of pleasure is not for correct people like her. Now get out of here, since you're not able to make love to me anymore. »

« I didn't say that! I'm just… I'm just… »

« In love. »

« NO! »

« Well, well, as you wish… But you fought for her the other day, remember… The duel with my husband… It was for her honor, wasn't it? »

« He asked for it… And I had to defend my fiancée, if I hadn't; they would have thought I was weak. »

« They already think so… »

« What? We fought and I beat him. »

« You left him alive. It was a sign of weakness… But you didn't go out very often lately… You can't know what everyone says… »

« Gossips… »

« Some say you are dominated by your wife, since you stay home with her since the marriage… Oh and the rumor tells that she argues with you, and a strong husband don't let his wife argue with him, he makes her shut her mouth. Oh, and the fact that you left my husband alive made people think you are too weak to kill someone… They begin to say that you're not… A real man. »

Haruka's blood was boiling with anger, she was standing in the room, and her fists were clenched.

« I let him live because I wanted him to be ashamed, and because you asked me. »

« Come on Haruka, I know you, you don't like to kill, that is all. »

« OK. I'll provoke your husband in duel, so those gossips stop. This time I'll kill him. »

« And you should make your wife shutting her lovely mouth too. She has a sharp tongue. »

« It is my problem; I'll deal with it my way. Now I'm going in town to see your husband. He must be having fun in a bordel. »

« You should try your wife's bed before. »

Haruka left, she was very mad now. She found easily Lord Longley, in a bordel as she had expected « So he's not with her… »

« I want another duel. » said Haruka entering the room where he was… The young woman with whom he was freaked.

« Tenoh… You're not very polite. You said a duel? The first we had didn't please you? You ashamed me before a crowd of powerful men, wasn't it enough? »

« I want to let you a chance to win… Unless you're too afraid of me. And this time I won't let you live. »

« I didn't expect less from you. In fact… I'm glad you asked for it, I will be able to take my revenge. Let's say tomorrow night. »

« I will be there. »

Then Haruka left the bordel and headed for her usual bar. She drank very much. At night, friends of her brought her back home, she couldn't walk properly. When she passed the door, her father was in the stairs, like the night he had announced her she would marry Michiru.

« Haruka Tenoh, what have you been doing? »

« Drinkin' isn't it obvious… »

« I thought you had learned to behave. »

« Where's my wife… Michi! Need to talk… been told that… You got a sharp tongue… have to solve this… They say… say that a real man has to close his wife's mouth… »

« Haruka! What are you saying? You're wife is spending the week at the court; you know it… besides it's not a way to address a Lady like her. »

« The court? Didn't want her to go there… »

« You had choice, the king asked for her to come. »

« KING? Michiru is with the King? She's spending the night at the court? »

Haruka's brain was clearing… The alcohol was still there but made her more aggressive than confused now.

« Father, how could you let her go? I didn't want her to go! I had a plan to avoid this… She won't forgive me! »

« She knew she had to… I agree with you, our king is a pervert but… there are plenty of women sleeping in the palace… maybe he won't…. »

« You didn't see how he looks at her! I won't let a pervert King sleeping with my wife, she's mine and I won't bear anyone touching her! »

« Haruka… He's the King… »

« I won't let him touch her… She's mine and I'm hers… I love her! Please lend me a horse; I'm going to bring her back home! »

Haruka headed for the door, but she collapsed, she had drunk too much.

Michiru had passed an awful day. She knew she was the subject of all the attentions and gossips. Many persons talked to hear, but behind their nice tones, all made understatements about her husband bad habits. But of course, all this stopped when the King addressed her and invited her to walk with him on the afternoon… But Michiru would have preferred to listen to the gossips again when she began to talk with him… He made her feel uneasy… The way he looked at her made her feel like a rabbit in the eyes of a hunter. But the worse of the day definitely was the evening. Michiru had to stay, she was not the only of course, the palace was huge so many persons of the court stayed. But she noticed quickly that she was a special guest, since her room was next to the King's, and the sight of a door between the two rooms didn't make her feel better. But Michiru had to behave, she knew it. Even if she wanted to run away, she couldn't. So she acted as a perfect mundane, she attended the poker, supporting the king when he asked her to. She was surprised to see the difference between the palace's atmosphere by day and by night… Everyone behaved by day, but now she could easily see that everyone was drunk and they lost their manners. Maybe she should get drunk too; offering herself to the king might be easier if she was totally drunk. But she didn't. And she went sober to bed that night, hoping that the king himself would be too drunk to remember that she was in the room next His.

Michiru was in the bed, crossing fingers… But she heard someone trying to open the door… Her reaction was immediate. She got up and hid herself. The king had entered. Not seeing her, he searched for her, calling her rude names. Michiru made her best not to breathe; she was hidden under the bed. The king finally exited the room. But she knew he would search for her. She dressed and packed her things, she wouldn't stay a week, and Haruka would hear of this! How could she have done her something like this! She went downstairs to ask for her carosse to get ready.

« Tell the king that I was feeling sick and that I preferred going home to see my personal doctor. » said Michiru to one of the footmen. She knew the information would be passed without problem, when scandals like this occurred everyone knew.

Less than an hour later, she was back home, to the surprise of everyone. She arrived just on time to see two of the footmen carrying Haruka upstairs.

« Lord Tenoh, what happened? »

« Nothing, nothing, don't worry like this… She's drunk. »

« Drunk? I thought she had stopped this. »

« Bad habits die hard. »

« Well… Tomorrow I guess she'll have a huge hangover, but I won't let her relax, believe me. »

« Why did you come back? You were supposed to sleep at the palace. »

« I… The king… When he entered the room… I felt so bad… I hid myself then I left. »

« Michiru… »

Michiru cried.

« If you had seen him, this old pervert totally drunk, calling me rude names… »

« You'd rather go to bed, we'll discuss that tomorrow. »