Chapter 7

Sakura was eating a meat bun while suddenly having a craving for chocolates when the order came that she must be scrubbed and cleaned all over again in order to prepare for tonight.

Both Sadako and the elder servent who delivered these messages were extremely happy for her, "you've certainly made an impression with the Royal Highness! Quickly! You need to be cleaned and powdered..."

So against her will, Sakura was dragged to the wooden tub and be scrubbed. They even used a silver pick to clean underneath her fingernails, clipped them, and filed them until they're round and smooth. Apparently if she scratched him, whether accidental or intentional, the end for her is death.

Sakura only wanted to talk about her memories and if he potentially has memories of his previous life time. She imagined she accidentally slipped through the fabric of time and fell into this world. So she can't be the only one in this entire world to have slipped through. Maybe Sasuke was hiding something, maybe he came from 21st century too. How would she approach this subject without sounding like an idiot or get herself killed? She mentally prepared herself and wondered back and forth what to say to him.

When she went back to her chambers, they left her in the courtyard and told her to stay under the sun and let her hair dry naturally. She was falling asleep under the warm sunshine when she heard giggles come from inside one of the room.

A few of the many other girls who reside in this Wing came and brought tea and snacks.

"Sakura-chan. We heard you're getting the chance to serve our master again tonight. You must be thrilled."

Sakura smiled bitterly. "Of course I am."

This was seen as sarcasm by one of the girls in a double hair bun. She bit her lips and quickly hid her jealousy and offered up some fresh mochi, "I heard you're not allowed to eat for the rest of the day. I went to the kitchen and begged them for a plate, you must be starving."

Sakura is starving. She gratefully thanked her and ate them all.

The girls gawked as Sakura wolfed down the entire plate.

"Are there more?" She asked shamelessly, snacks are snacks after all, not actual meals.

The girl stuttered, "ye... yeah, I'll go get more.."

Sakura waited for them to get more snacks, but to her dismay they never came back.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxx

By midday afternoon, Sakura's stomach begin to growl. She thought it was just hunger so she paid it no mind. The servant girls are rubbing essential oils into her hair strand by strand. Her hair is ridiculously long because according to customs, hair is something you are born with and given to you by your parents. You cannot cut it unless under extraneous circumstances. Like, forsaken material possessions, enter a temple, and become a nun.

Then her stomach growled louder. One of the servant girls giggled, "Sakura-chan, why don't I go and grab some sweet tea for you to drink up, just to quench your hunger for a little."

Sakura thought about it and said, "add fruits in it and make it a fruit tea!"

Her stomachs growled louder.

That's when the pain started to hit, and she quickly jumped off from her dressing table and ran towards the bathroom.

She spent the next hour there, until everything in her stomachs has been emptied out, and she can't possibly vomit anything else up other than her stomach acid, then she was escorted back into her chambers, where she fell asleep, pale and sweating.

When night fall came, an elderly servant named Riku came to get her, and when she saw Sakura's state, she decided, "you can't possibly serve our Master with your current illness. I'll report back to his Royal Highness and he'll decide what to do."

Sakura rolled her eyes while holding her stomach. She actually feels a lot better, but she'd much rather not sleep with him.

Riku-san has served with the Royal Prince for a long, long time. She has also been in this household long enough to know its people and irregularities. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Sakura fell sick the night she's supposed to serve the prince. Thinking of this, she shared her description of the event with Sasuke, hiding her suspicions.

Sasuke isn't an idiot. He frowned for a moment before saying finally, "I loath these little tricks. Investigate and bring all parties involved here before me."

Riku-san quickly answered, "yes", and did as she was told.

Therefore, Sakura was descending towards dreamland when she heard loud screams, beating sounds and begging sounds.

She quickly bolted up, found her stomach is actually feeling much better, and with the help of Sadako, she ran to the central courtyard.

Soldiers were standing in a line, every other soldier is holding torches, looking emotionlessly ahead. In the middle, there are two soldiers using huge paddles to repeatedly beat the girl who fed Sakura mochi snacks at midday today. Her hair and clothes have been ripped apart, and she's bare naked, being beaten to death. One servant stood beside the scene, emotionlessly counting, "11," a hit. "12", another hit... The girl was screaming and crying hysterically from the pain, and three other girls standing behind behind her are also stripped naked, waiting for death.

The girls saw Sakura and immediately knelt down to her and yelled with the utmost sincerely, "Sakura-chan, please forgive us, we didn't mean to.."

"We just wanted to play a little prank..."

"Please, Sakura-chan, please..."

Sasuke sat on a jade armchair above the steps of the courtyard with some servants standing behind him. Looking down at these scenes coldly. He raised his arm with a cup, and the servant quickly filled his cup with wine.

Sakura felt sick again, she quickly realized what's going on and wobbled up to the steps, and knelt down with the utmost sincerity, "Your Royal Highness, I... I..."

Sasuke raised a hand, and the beating stopped at 18. Reason is because the girl was screaming so loudly he couldn't hear what Sakura was saying.

Sakura turned her head away from the bloody sight and keeping her head down while stuttering to Sasuke. "I... I actually feel a lot better... it wasn't anything serious. I've always had a stomach problem... p...please, let them live!"

Sasuke frowned.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxx

A/N: teehee.