Inside the Mashita Castle was the Princess Kanami, her fiance Prince Sugimura, and a knight. Kanami patiently waited on a couch while the two were talking. Their marriage was coming up quickly. Prince Sugimura had another woman he was going to marry, Princess Haru. But one day she vanished. No one knows what happened to her, but many theorize she ran away. An idea that Prince Sugimura subscribed to. While he was presenting a face of concern, even Kanami could tell he wasn't happy about it. He seemed rather bitter. Kanami did feel bad for him, as she felt losing a loved one must hurt.

"Please…! Do what you can to find her!" He exclaimed. Tears seemed to be forming in his eyes.

"We're doing all we can Sir. We'll find her." The knight responded.

Sugimura wiped his eyes and smiled at him. "Thank you."

The knight bowed and walked off to get back to work. Sugimura returned to his current fiance and sat next to her. He crossed his legs and placed his arm around her. Kanami looked somewhat uncomfortable, but she didn't want to be mean.

Sugimura on the other hand didn't mind being rude. "Our wedding is tomorrow my sweet. Did you forget? I know your memory isn't too much better than a goldfish's." He dug his hands through her hair. She cringed in response. "Have you considered a wig? Or makeup? It'd help make you easier to look at."

She forced a smile. "...I could give it a try."

"That's my girl." He kissed her cheek.

"Um… so you're still searching for Princess Haru?"

Sugimura griminced, his good mood seemingly gone at the mention of her. "Don't worry about her. I love you. And only you."

Kanami smiled at him, but there was something she was still confused about. "Why did she leave? Assuming it's true."

"Well…" Sugimura looked even angrier. "It's because she's an ungrateful bitch." He spat out. "She was given anything she could want. Jewels, a dashing husband, a giant house, and yet she still had the gall to run away."

"Hm." Kanami seemed to understand. "I see why you're upset."

"I know you do." He let go of her and stood up. "And you'll continue to if you know what's good for you. You won't follow in her footsteps right?"

"...Of course not." She looked up at him. Her nails dug into her thighs from anxiety. She wasn't sure why he'd say something so disturbing. She had been nothing but complacent.

"Good." He walked off, leaving Kanami upset. She felt tomorrow would be a happier day. It was her marriage after all. She'd never be alone again. She also dismissed his attitude as stress from not only the marriage, but searching for Princess Haru. He was never a particularly kind person, but tonight felt a bit worse. She forced herself up and walked off to her bed. The sun had set, and she had to be up early to get ready. Her room was filled with presents from Sugimura. Her bed was large, not unlike a normal princess bed. There were 4 brown pillars on the corners, and an orange sheet. She slowly made her way under it. She stared at the ceiling, wondering if this would be the last time she'd see her home.

"...My last night of freedom." She mumbled to herself. She had no idea why she said something like that. She closed her eyes and attempted to force herself to sleep. Before she could succeed, she heard something hit her window. She dismissed it as a bird and ignored it. The noise repeated, and in retrospect sounded more like a knock. She sat up and saw a figure in front of her window, causing her to jump. The figure smiled at her and put her finger to her lips, as if to say be quiet. But in a gentler way than Sugimura ever would.

Kanami got up and walked to the window. The figure put her hand on her side of the window, and Kanami put her hand on top of the strangers. At least as well as she could given the window separating them. The figure pointed up, and Kanami looked upward. The figure shook her head and touched the bottom of the window. She gestured for it to be risen, and Kanami understood. Against her better judgement, she decided to raise it.

The figure, now clearly a young woman not much younger than Kanami, put her legs inside of the room. "Hi! You're Princess Kanami Mashita yes?"

Kanami nodded in affirmation. The woman smiled and placed her hand on her chest. "I'm Noir."

Kanami gasps in realization. Noir was a thief who was infamous in her kingdom. She just let her into her home.

"Please don't panic." Noir reassured. "I won't hurt you. I'm only here for information."

Kanami calmed down immediately. Something about her presence was relaxing. "...What do you want to know?"

"Are you going to be married to Prince Sugimura?" She asked, getting straight to the point. Kanami once again nodded. "How is he? As a person I mean. Does he treat you well?" She seemed like she already knew the answer.

"...He's… smart. He's always looking out for me. He's a bit harsh and blunt but… it's only because he cares." She sounded as if she was trying to explain it to herself, as opposed to the thief.

Noir frowned at this. "I doubt that. He's a selfish man who cares for nothing but his own ambitions."

"You don't even know him!" She argued angrily.

"But I do." Noir winked at her unphased.

Kanami blushed, but continued her defense. "I don't appreciate you talking about my fiance like this. Who even are you?" She asked.

"That's a secret." She smiled again. Kanami noticed she seemed so happy. So unlike her. "Keep your eyes open Princess. Look objectively. With your head, not your heart." Noir turned around and jumped off. Kanami ran to look out her window, but Noir was nowhere to be seen. Kanami dismissed the entire event as a dream, and went back to sleep. She hoped things would make sense once she woke up.

A maid shook Kanami awake the next morning. She's groggy and disoriented, but she looked up at the woman who began to speak. "Today is the day. Come! Let us away!"

Kanami had completely forgotten after that odd dream. She did know something. She felt much more comfortable around that thief than she ever has around Sugimura. She forced herself up, and prepared to take a shower. She wondered, if last night really happened, how did Noir know Sugimura? She wondered if she was right, and Sugimura couldn't care less about her as a person. She dismissed the thought.

Sugimura caught her as she stepped out of the bathroom, covered in only a towel. She looked at her feet, feeling even worse about him. "It's… bad luck to see the bride before the wedding you know."

"I know, but I needed to ask you something." He gave a mischievous grin. "Would you like to have some fun before we're officially husband and wife?"

"...Fun?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"You know what I mean." He looked frustrated. "You already have your clothes off after all."

Kanami was surprised by the question. They had never done it before, not for lack of trying. He has asked multiple times, but she always said no. Today was no different. "I'd rather not."

Sugimura scowled. "Fine. But you'll give yourself up to me one day. And I'll love every second of it." It sounded like a threat.

Kanami thought back to Noir's words again. Feeling courageous, she defended herself for once. "You're going to wait until I'm ready." She said bluntly.

Sugimura was taken aback by this, but regained his composure and smiled. "Of course my love. I'd never hurt you. Unless of course… you were to bring it on yourself." He walked off after that.

Kanami walked back to her room. The more she thought about this marriage, the more uncertain she felt about it. "Damn that Noir… putting these thoughts in my head." Another knock took her out of her thoughts, and it was Noir again. It seemed it truly wasn't a dream. Kanami walked over to her and opened the window, planning to give her a piece of her mind.

"You rang?" Noir asked with a smirk. Her eyes were closed, having noticed Kanami was in a towel.

Kanami noticed this, and started giggling, her malice suddenly gone. "Give me a second." Kanami walked off and put on her wedding dress. She kept looking at Noir to see if she was sneaking a peak, but the entire time her eyes were shut. For once, Kanami felt respected. Once she was done, she notified the intruder.

Noir looked her up and down. "You're so beautiful. Are you sure you wanna go through with this? You can do better."

Kanami sighed, not wanting to go through this again. "I can't. No one else is going to love me. I have to. I've always been weird and unlovable. Now I've found someone."

Noir gave Kanami a sympathetic look. "It sounds like you're settling rather than being in love."

The princess looked like she realized something. But she didn't say anything. She just held onto her dress.

"Come with me." Noir offered. "I'll take you away. He won't hurt you." She stuck her hand out for Kanami to grab.

Kanami was shocked by the offer. They barely knew each other. She felt that Noir wouldn't gain anything from this. "Why are you trying to help me?"

Noir took off her mask, revealing herself to be the lost Princess Haru. "Because I know what he's like. And I know what you're feeling. I can't just let you walk into what I almost did."

Kanami took a step back surprised. She wondered how she didn't catch on sooner. They had the same fluffy hair and small lips. She looked at the mask, wondering if it was enchanted. "...Princess Haru. I wish I could take you up on your offer. Really I do. But I can't give up this chance. I'm sorry." Kanami turned around and walked away, leaving a saddened Haru.

Sugimura was already at the reception hall. Kanami would have to join him by horse. They'd meet there. She walked down the stairs, her eyes starting to water. There was no way out of this. A maid noticed her tears, and wiped them away smiling. She thought they were tears of joy, but they were anything but. She walked outside. It was a beautiful sunny day. The carriage was black, as if matching her mood. She stepped inside, feeling as if she was being arrested. Without saying a word, the driver began. She didn't feel like talking, so that was for the best. Kanami, in her despair, didn't notice they were going the wrong way. The carriage abruptly stopped.

"This is your last chance."

Kanami recognized the voice. She stood up, and the driver turned around and smiled.

"Noir!?"

"We don't have much time." She warned. "Come with me. Please. I don't want to see you under his thumb for the rest of your days."

Kanami looked on in surprise, before smiling and shaking her head. "You're really stubborn." However there was affection in her voice. This was the happiest she had felt in quite some time. She knew what she had to do. "Yes. Yes, let's go!"

She ran out of the carriage, and Haru blew her a kiss. There was a flash, and the horse became a cat. "Thank you Morgana."

The cat jumped towards Haru and landed on her shoulder. Haru patted her lap, and Kanami walked over to her, doing as told. She planted a kiss on Haru's cheek and laid on her shoulder. Haru was surprised, but happy.

"Hang on tight you two." Haru pulled out a grappling hook, and flew off into the sunrise. Today was the first day of the rest of their lives. No man would hold either of them down ever again. She'd need to return to stop Sugimura from just finding a replacement. He'd need a change of heart. But for now, they needed to enjoy the small victories.