Disclaimer: Well it is pretty much Christmas Evish Dayish, so here's another chapter! As always all credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Enjoy.

捕まえた

Got You

Kasane x Nobunaga

Part Four

Forcibly dragged along the dark corridor, Kasane raised her voice.

"Let go of me!"

"I refuse. If I let go, you'll just run away."

"Uu…"

Hitting right on the mark, Kasane snapped her mouth shut.

He took her into his room and brought in her against her will.

"You still don't understand why you should also break this engagement."

"...Why."

"...?"

Drooping her head, she quietly inquired.

Nobunaga silently gazed down at her.

"...That beautiful princess… and Tono-sama looked… nice together…"

Almost whispering, she continued on.

"...Rather than using someone like me to play pretend in order to create this lie… can't you just make her your wife? ….It wouldn't trouble you one bit, right...?"

"..."

She said on the verge of tears; Nobunaga faintly laughed.

She's just trying to act strong.

Before he thought of this annoying, but to see Kasane obviously jealous made him feel pleasant.

...Not bad.

Nobunaga began to reach out his arm to embrace her.

"Such insolence!"

"!"

Suddenly called out, Nobunaga's arm halted in place.

Once he turned around and glanced out of his open door, he found the princess and her attendant standing out in the corridor.

"..."

"That person…"

Kasane dumbfoundedly glanced up.

"Lord Nobunaga! For you to bring a woman to your chambers this time of the day…! Who in the world is that servant!?"

As the maid angrily yelled, Nobunaga snorted.

"...Sado hasn't informed you? ...This is my mistress."

"Wha-!?"

Grabbing onto Kasane's shoulder, he pulled her closer to him and plainly announced to the maid.

Kasane's eyes widened in surprise,

The maid's voice steadily became louder. The princess remained calm throughout the course of this event.

"Even though you begged our country's princess for this meeting; even though she traveled all this way to meet you…. What insolence is this!?"

"...Hmph."

Though the maid yelled at the top of her lungs, everything passed from his right ear to his left.

"Um! I'm not."

Kasane began to deny it, but Nobunaga silently subdued her.

She worriedly gazed up at him while the maid's forehead creased.

"Not only that, even though the princess is clearly in front of you, why is that miserable servant…!"*

As the maid turned her glare to Kasane immediately eeked and hid behind Nobunaga's back.

"..."

"...Tono-sama?"

The maid snapped her mouth as the air around Nobunaga suddenly became threatening, Kasane looked up to him.

"Kya!"

"!"

With his eyes still fixed on the maid, he slammed his hand onto his room's wall with a BAM!

Kasane had raised her voice in surprise by this sudden action.

Completely frightened by his raw anger, Nobunaga used this to pull her closer to him.

"...I couldn't possibly think your pretty-faced girl would pleasure me more than my 'miserable servant'."

"Are you intending to insult the princess!?"

"You are the one who insulted my woman first."

Nobunaga sneered as his grip on Kasane's arm tightened.

"Hold your tongue, fool."

"..."

Crushed in his overbearing body, Kasane held her breath.

She could clearly see him angry at the maid's comment.

Daunted, the maid remained silent, but still looked annoyed.

Nobunaga scorned that look as he snorted.

"We can't have a decent conversation! I'll have you know that we won't see through this engagement!"

"Do whatever you want."

"Princess! We mustn't accompany this rude fellow any longer! Let us hurry to your room!"

"..."

The maid announced as she pulled along her long robe and quickly glided over the surface of the floor.

She wished not to be in the same place as Nobunaga.

At the same time, the princess, who had not spoken during the entire duration, faced Nobunaga and Kasane.

Her expression wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"...I have known you were against this engagement, Nobunaga-sama."

"Heh...?"

"..."

Kasane raised her voice as the young woman spoke.

The woman before her continued on.

"If you weren't satisfied by me, I was prepared for your opinion to remain unchanged… However knowing that sending me back to my castle would leave me humiliated, you went your way to act as the villain…"

"Eh, is that so!?"

Kasane looked at Nobunaga in surprise at the Princess's words.

Nobunaga only silently exchanged glances with the princess.

Indeed, normally Nobunaga would forcefully repel anything that he doesn't like; it would have been immediate.

However Nobunaga didn't do that.

He had schemed this plan so that the 'other party' would turn him down.

So that he wouldn't need to refuse, that on their side the plans for marriage would demolish.

Though Kasane didn't know much about the marriage system of this world, she somewhat understood that if a lord turned away a bride that didn't match up to his tastes, it wasn't a good thing.

"...Tono-sama…"

Kasane felt a great amount of astonishment for Nobunaga's consideration for the woman.

Although he had no intentions of marrying her, Nobunaga made sure to follow the etiquette and

still retain the princess's honor.

That was amazing, she truthfully thought.

"Tono-sama…"

"What's with that expression."

So he was actually considerate of others, he's amazing. Thinking that, she was so moved that tears came from her eyes.

He gave her an annoyed look.

"...It's true that I created a trick to make your party refuse."

Answering the princess, Nobunaga turned his attention to Kasane and gave an unusually calm smile.

"?"

As Kasane turned her head to the side at his smile, she was then tempted to give him a smile of her own.

"However, my words earlier were no means a mere joke."

"..."

He then turned his gaze back to the princess, and gripped her arm a little more tighter.

"...? Eh? ...Heh?"

Not catching on to the meaning of those words, Kasane found herself busily wondering what as going on.

"...You there…"

"Y-yes!"

Hearing the young woman call out for her, she immediately sat up in attention.

The princess lowered her face slightly, but soon looked up.

For the first time she's seen her, the young woman faintly smiled.

"For you to be worthy to receive this man's affections; you are a fortunate one."

"P-princess…?"

"...I shall take my leave now. My maid is waiting for me, after all."

"...Heh? Um…"

With a slight nod, the young woman quietly left the area.

Until the situation finally got into Kasane's head, she blankly started off at the retreating figure.

"...Now your role is done."

With that said, Nobunaga roughly ruffled her head.

"You sure this is okay...?"

Still looking uneasy at him, Nobunaga heaved a sigh.

"You're still not backing down."

"Because… well…"

She began to start something, but as she opened her mouth none of the words came through so she withered away.

Nobunaga placed a hand at her hand and pulled her close to his face.

"Even though I said it's fine, you're still dissatisfied?"

"I-I'm not dissatisfied, it's not like that…"

'Hmph', he snorted and crossed his arms.

"...Rather than that woman…"**

"Heh?"

"... ... ...Nothing."

Nobunaga faintly muttered, for Kasane it was almost so low to hear so she questioned him.

However he awkwardly looked away so that he didn't have to look at her.

Somewhat he felt his cheeks redden a bit.

"Besides that… You're in my room, not to mention alone with just a man, you know? Does that not bring anything to mind?"

"...Ah."

Suddenly realizing this, Kasane made a 'oh shoot' face and drew herself away.

Nobunaga smiled at that reaction.

"Um… Since I'm done here! Ah, well, I will now go."

As she turned to run off breezily like the wind, Nobunaga caught her at the scruff of her collar.

"That reminds me, you sure gave me a great chase…"

Feeling the threatening atmosphere, Kasane broke out into a cold sweat and held her breath.

She shouldn't look behind her.

"Ahhhhhhhh, aum, wwwwwwweelll…! !"

Half in tears, she tried putting all her strength into her legs, but because he had caught her at the back of her uniform it made her hard to breath.

Nobunaga snorted out an amused laugh and opened his mouth.

"I won't let you escape."

Trapped in his arms and forcibly pulled around to face him, she then realized there were no options to run away.

Feeling the sweat drop down her brow, Kasane nervously looked up at him.

"You've given me quite the trouble after all…"

Whispering quite happily into her ear, he felt her jolt and shiver.

Whether she took notice it or not, he continued his words.

"...Just what sort of responsibility should I make you take?"

Afterwards there have been witnesses who've seen a crying Kasane zooming out of Nobunaga's room.

*The translation is female servant or maid, however she uses はしため which is a really low classed servant. Hence why Nobunaga would get pretty pissed off.

** Because of the structure of the sentence, it was hard to make this vague without revealing too little. What he means is that he likes her more than that princess.

Oh, you almost confessed Nobunaga. Almost, but well... you kinda got the girl anyway? Although she'll be running away from you in the meantime.

Well then, I shall now be scooting myself to 10 Strays so I will see everyone there! So until then, I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe day.