Disclaimer: As always I don't own Uta no Prince sama and Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 4

-At the West Hall-

"This hall is so huge." Nanami gawked at the large suits of armor lined up at the sides of the hall, as she walk pass by it she felt like she's being watched but she continued on walking the hall.

*clink clank**tick tock*

"W-Who's there?" Nanami tried to must up the courage and looked behind her and saw nothing. Although she is not convinced but later she continued walking.

"Be quiet! She almost saw us!" Tomo hissed

"You're one to talk, all of us are making noise since we're like this." Ren replied as his arm or should I say his candle.

"I want my old body back! I have enough of being a teacup!" Syo exclaimed.

"Let's just hope that our master learns to love, and if she might be the one." Masato sighed.

"Ah! We lost her!" Tomo shouted.

"NANI?!" Syo shouted as well and hopped towards the end of the hall to see that the door is slightly opened.

"Maybe she went that way." Masato said.

"We can always use the shortcut." Ren said and they all went to another direction and enter a secret passage near the staircase.

-Meanwhile with Nanami-

"I-I guess I made the right choice. O-Obaa-chan might be here." She murmured to herself as she entered a dim lighted room, cobwebs formed at the ceilings and the boxes, suit of armor and many more are filled with dust. Then Nanami keep on moving forward until she stopped since she really can't see anymore.

"D-Doshiyo... I can't see any-" Her voice was cut off when she saw a small light, as she walked towards there slowly and it's a candlestick. The candlestick is somewhat has a tinge of orange but it looks like it's made from gold. Ren smirked and sneak a closer look at Nanami's face without her noticing it, since he is closer now to her face.

"Okay I found a light... Where's obaa-chan?" Nanami murmured to herself as she continued to walk upstairs until she heard a small and weak voice from upstairs.

"H-Hello..."

"N-Nanami?" A weak voice trailed coming from upstairs.

"Obaa-chan?!" She muttered and ran upstairs and there she saw her grandmother inside one of the prison cell.

"Obaa-chan!"

"Nanami you have to get out here. He might come back." She said with a weak voice.

"B-But I have to get you of here! And who is this 'he'?" She said and put down the candlestick and try to pry open the gate but a tattooed hand grabbed her hand and pull her away from the gate.

"What are you doing to my prisoner?" The voice said in a deep and cold manner while standing in the shadows, the only thing that can be seen from there are his beautiful yet threatening red eyes.

"You're the one who trapped her in there. What has she ever done to you?"

"She trespassed my castle and even try to steal one of my flowers."

"Y - You live in this castle?"

"Isn't that obvious?" The voice replied in a sarcastic manner.

"Just let her go. S-She doesn't know that there was someone living in this p-place. O-Onegai." Nanami said and bowed 90 degrees to him. Otoya looked at her bowing figure from up going down to her feet.

"Are you willing to take her place?" He asked still looking at Nanami.

"N-Nanami don't!" Her grandmother exclaimed.

"..."

"Well?"

"Hai. I'm going to replace her but first, can I see you properly?" She replied to him and then the red eyes looked hesitant for a second and then he walked towards her and Nanami gasped at the sight as she saw the unknown man with red eyes and shoulder length red hair; his face, arms and hands were tattooed with thorns of a rose.

"You still have a chance to change your mind." Otoya said while looking at her intently, Nanami closed her eyes for a few seconds and said,

"You have my word." Nanami replied.

"Done." He replied and opened the prison cell and roughly pull Nanami's grandmother out.

"Nanami please you don't have to do this!" She exclaimed but Nanami just shook her head and she was about to say something but Otoya dragged her outside towards their courtyard and whistled to call his coach and roughly put her inside and slammed the door and said to the wooden coachman,

"Near the town and don't let yourself be seen." Then the coach went away while Nanami watched from one of the windows of the tower and started to weep.

And then a few minutes later Otoya went back to the tower and saw Nanami crying in front of the prison cell, where her grandmother was imprisoned, and then she felt his presence and said while sobbing,

"I'll never see her again. I-I didn't get the chance to say g-goodbye or h-hugged her." With that said Otoya bent down to grabbed the candlestick and then Ren faced Otoya and whispered to him,

"Are you planning to leave her here? Plus she's crying at least give her some comfort sire."

"Tch. She'll be like the rest of them, why even bother to give her comfort? And what's with the tone at the last part?" He hissed back.

"Oya oya, sire if you don't control your temper, you might scare the little lamb over there even more." He replied while pointing at Nanami, who's still crying silent. Otoya sighed and said,

"Oi."

"..." Nanami tried to peek at Otoya, who was giving her a glare, made her scared even more. Otoya was slightly taken aback by the color of her eyes still filled with tears.

"Follow me." He said as he stood up and started walking.

"Huh?"

"I said follow me." He said a little louder and the cold tone was still there.

"H-Hai..." She stood up and wiped her tear then followed Otoya down the tower.

'Her eyes. I never seen anything like it. It looks like yellow crystals glimmering from the tears. W-What am I even thinking? You looked horrible Otoya, this girl won't like you as well. They'll just run away like the others.' He thought silently and slightly shook his head.

"Oya oya, sire are you thinking of something perverted to the little lamb?" Ren smirked.

"Huh? W-Who said that?" Nanami suddenly said and started looking around the place.

"Oh. This is Ren, I see that he wasn't talking since you took him to the tower with you." Otoya replied and showed Nanami the candlestick.

"Bonjour! Jinguji Ren at your service my little lamb." He said while turning off the fire on his candles and bowed at Nanami.

"Sugoi~ I-It can talk! I-I mean gomen. It's nice to meet you Ren." She replied and held out her index finger and then Ren grabbed it and gave it a kissed making Nanami slight pink.

"Oi turn on your candles I can't see anything." Otoya said and suddenly pulled Ren away from Nanami.

"Hai hai, gomen nasai sire." He replied and turned on the fire on his candle again.

"Moving on." He said and the two of them continued walking in silence.

-A few minutes later-

"Psst." Ren hissed at Otoya catching his attention.

"Nani?" He whispered back.

"Say something to her."

"Uhh..." He took a peek behind him and saw that Nanami is looking down.

"Umm... My name is Ittoki Otoya. Since you're going to stay here for a while I might as well tell you my name."

"A-Ah... My name is Nanami Haruka. H-How would you like me to address you?"

"Call me Ittoki." He replied shortly without looking at her.

"H-Hai." She said while looking around and noticed that the place has a complete different atmosphere than before.

"This is the east side of the castle. Your room will be at the end of the hall, if you're wondering."

"A-Ah I see..." She replied and then after a few steps Otoya suddenly stopped making Nanami bumped onto his back.

"G-Gomen nasai!" She apologized and bowed down.

"Tch." He opened the door and grabbed Nanami's arm and pushed her inside the room.

"Since you'll be staying at my castle, you have to follow everything that I say. And my first order is..." His voice trailed out and thought for a minute and then Ren murmured to him,

"Eat with her at dinner."

"My first order is to eat with me at dinner. No excuses." He said and slammed the door making Nanami flinch.

-Meanwhile with the other objects downstairs-

"Do you think she's alright?" The stove worriedly asked.

"Hmm... I wonder if she's really the one." The clock muttered while walking back and forth.

"Maa maa, we won't know Hijirikawa-san." Tomochika sighed with a wry smile.

"Well, the girl is really cute." Syo said who is a baby pink colored teacup with a tiny hat on his handle said while looking upward dreamily.

"No fair~ I didn't get to see the girl." A yellow chick with an ahoge and glasses whined to the teacup. Tomochika is about to reply to Natsuki but then suddenly,

*bang*

"Prepare dinner. Now Cecil. For two." Otoya barged in the kitchen and placed Ren on the table then he stormed off.

"What happened?" Natsuki asked.

"It seems that sire has taken an interest to the little lamb. I am, too infatuated by her eyes that glimmer when tears were swelling up on it." Ren smirked and then he jumped down the table to join the others.

"Enough of that we should prepare dinner before the master gets mad again." Tomochika grinned and everyone I mean everything, from utensils to plates, in the kitchen started to move and started to prepare for dinner.

Author's Note:

I just edited some parts of this chapter and I'm very very sorry for not updating the story for a long time because I was having a lot on my academics especially my thesis.