The sunlight shone down on Baron and Haru as they lay in bed. Haru opened her eyes and smiled at the new day. She sat up and stretched her arms in the air. Her fist rubbed her eyes as she yawned. Unfortunately, her eyes were still sore from crying the night before. Haru went to step on the floor when she spotted the bandages on her feet. It wouldn't hurt to just take a short walk to the bathroom would it? Haru shrugged. She didn't want to wake Baron. She'd be really quick.

Haru placed her feet firmly on the floor and stood up, putting her weight on the slices. Haru hissed at the pain. She didn't remember it hurting this bad last night. "Haru?" Baron's voice said. Haru looked over her shoulder innocently. Drat! She must have woken him up when she hissed.

"Yes?" she said as she took confident strides to the bathroom, hoping Baron didn't notice her wincing. If he did, he didn't say anything. He let her go to the bathroom and come back out by herself.

"Please ask me for help next time" Baron said as she came back in the room. Haru sighed. So he did notice.

"Baron, I can't have you carrying me everywhere. I told Lune I wanted to go to the Cat Kingdom today!"

"Then let me come with you!"

"But you have so much work to do. Did you not see that pile of paperwork on your desk that built up?"

"It can wait. Most of those papers are invitations to social events. I usually don't attend those unless it is for a close friend or beneficial to the company" Baron said stubbornly. Haru huffed out in aggravation. She planted her hands on her hips.

"Fine. You can come, but what are you going to do the whole time?" Haru questioned with a raised eyebrow. Baron frowned and put his hand to his chin. He began rubbing it in thought.

"Paperwork" he said weakly with a sheepish grin.

"Uh! I give up. Just bring your paperwork along" Haru said as she climbed back under the covers and turned her back to Baron.

"What will you be doing in the Cat Kingdom?"

"What I arranged to do with Lune on the first day I went there. Lune and I set up a schedule so that every other day, I would go to the Cat Kingdom to do some research on your curse. I'll be using the Cat Kingdom's library and historical records."

"Do you think you'll find anything?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out eventually" Haru said tiredly.

"Haru?" Baron said timidly.

"Yes, Baron?"

"Did you want the wedding to still be held in three weeks, or did you want to postpone it?" Haru rolled over to look at the anxious male. Haru smiled at his worried looking expression.

"I suppose we better get planning then, huh?" Haru said as she attempted to climb out bed and get ready. Baron beat her to the punch. He handed Haru her robe, and when she put it on, he lifted her up. He carried her to the dining hall for breakfast.

Several hours later, a blue portal opened up in Baron and Haru's room. Haru was just finishing up with a quilt when Lune entered the room. "Haru!"

"Lune! I've been waiting for you" Haru said.

"Well, I'm here so we can get going now" Lune said as he turned his body towards the portal. Haru frowned.

"I'm afraid Baron said that he wouldn't let me go today unless he came with me. You're going to have to fetch him and tell him you're here" Haru said. Lune looked at Haru questioningly. Not that he was acting like a spoiled cat or anything but why did he have to go get Baron? Lune didn't protest though. He calmly walked out of the room and to Baron's study. It wasn't long before Lune and Baron entered the room. Baron was carrying a stack of papers. Haru rolled her eyes.

"Haru, can you hold these for me?" Baron asked as he held out the stack of papers to her. Haru nodded, and Baron transferred the papers to her. Haru shifted the papers so that Baron could pick her up without them being in the way. Haru could hear Lune gasp when he saw her feet as they came out from under the covers.

"Haru, what happened?" Lune said as he rubbed his body against Baron's legs. Haru ignored Lune's question and trained her gaze on the portal.

"We really should be going" she said stiffly. Baron gave Lune an apologetic smile.

"It's a sensitive topic. Maybe I'll tell you about it once we get to the Cat Kingdom" Baron said. Lune nodded. He led Baron and Haru into the portal, and they ended up in a grand library. Baron's library looked puny compared to Lune's. And to think that Baron's library was huge in the eyes of the other noblemen.

"Wow, this is amazing" Haru breathed. A huge smile lit up her face.

"Thank you" Lune said. He was smiling at the praise.

"Do you have any idea to which section I should start looking in?" Haru said as Baron slipped her into a chair at a table. Haru set his stack of papers down to get them out of her way. Baron took the seat opposite of his fiancée and started on the papers.

"I believe you should start in the section about cat magicians" Lune said thoughtfully. He looked over at Haru who was sitting in her seat and staring at something under the table. Lune realized she must be glaring at her feet. He chuckled.

"Let me get someone to help you with your research, oh, I know!" Lune quickly left the room through a pair of extravagant double doors. He came back with Yuki trailing behind him.

"Yuki can help you fetch what books you need. Besides, I'm afraid that not many of our books are in English. Most of it is in cat. Yuki will have to help you translate. She picked up on the language pretty quickly. Maybe she can help teach you it as you go along" Lune said. Yuki nodded her head in agreement.

"Just name the type of book you want and I'll find it for you. And the language of the cat is really fun to learn. They use hieroglyphics, and some of the symbols are funny in correlation to their word. It's too bad you already know how to speak cat, I thought it was fun learning how to pronounce everything" Yuki said excitedly. Haru grinned. At least all this research would help her learn another language. Suddenly, a thought came to Haru; she gave a pointed look to Baron. Baron was too engrossed in his work that he didn't notice.

"Baron?" Haru said softly. Baron looked up at Haru, who was already sporting a coat of light brown fur. Her ears flicked to the side every once and a while.

"Hmmm?"

"Can you read cat?" Baron cocked his head to the side at the unusual question.

"I don't believe I have ever tried. Let me have a look" Baron said as he looked around the room at the signs attached to the sides of the bookshelves. He squinted. "I can't do it. Let me try in my cat form." Baron pulled his ring off and turned into a half-cat. He looked back at the sign. "I believe that one says Royalty of the Cat Kingdom" Baron said. He looked over a Yuki. She smiled and clasped her paws together.

"That's right. It must be your cat genes" Yuki said. Baron looked back at Haru with a grin.

"I can teach you too, if you want while we're not at the Cat Kingdom" Baron said.

"I'd like that" Haru said.

"It's settled then" Baron confirmed.

"But for now," Haru began, "Yuki, could you get me a book on past cat magicians?"

"Yes" Yuki said. She scurried away to the other end of the library. She came back with about five books. She set them down in front of Haru then fetched a pen and piece of paper for Haru to write on. They got to work. Baron observed Haru as she shifted through books and whispered questions to Yuki who answered them enthusiastically. Haru scribbled down notes in the middle of talking, even if her writing was sort of sloppy from her not being use to writing with her paws. Baron looked back down at his paper and signed his name at the bottom. A smile came to his face. Maybe Haru would be the one to do what his ancestors couldn't.

One week later…

"Haru, are you ready to go to the jeweler's?" Baron said as he walked into the library, where Haru was going through some of Baron's old family records. Haru slammed a book shut and pushed it to the side of the table.

"Yes" Haru said as she went over to Baron and latched onto his arm. She pressed her body as close to his as possible. Dr. Edgar told him that she might have separation issues for a few years. It broke Baron's heart when she told him that she didn't mind being away from him, but he knew she was lying. She was just trying to be strong.

Baron led Haru out of the mansion and down the street to the jewelry store. Mr. Crawford was at the counter tinkering with a watch. "Mr. Crawford, I'm back" Baron stated. Mr. Crawford looked up from his work to see Baron and a girl around eighteen years old. She was beautiful with her shoulder length brown locks and warm brown eyes. Her skin had a healthy pink tint to it making her glow.

"Humbert, is this your fiancée? She's even lovelier than I imagined" Mr. Crawford said as he set the watch aside to speak to the couple.

"Indeed" Baron said as he put his hand on Haru's and gazed at her angelic face. Haru blushed at the compliments.

"You're all too much. I'm just an average person with average looks" Haru said as she waved a hand around to show her embarrassment.

"Nonsense" Mr. Crawford added. "Now, what is your name, my dear?"

"How rude of me to not introduce myself, my name is Haru Yoshioka" Haru said with a small curtsy.

"It is so nice to finally meet you. Humbert surprised me when he sent an order to me for an engagement ring, especially one as unique as yours" Mr. Crawford said as he eyed the ring on Haru's finger.

"He ordered my ring from you?" Haru asked.

"Yes, it took a while to make, but it came out better than I expected."

"It's lovely."

"Thank you, Miss Haru" Mr. Crawford said. "So are you here, by a chance, for the wedding rings?"

"Yes!" Haru said eagerly.

"What kind of rings would you like? I have a lot of different styles" Mr. Crawford said as he gestured to a glass display in the far right corner of the store.

"There is no need to look. Haru and I have already discussed what kind of rings we want" Baron said as he stepped forward. Haru stepped with him.

"We just want plain gold bands" Haru explained. Mr. Crawford nodded. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"Yes, now that you mention it, I do recall either Toto or Muta saying something along those lines" Mr. Crawford said as he bent down behind the counter and searched for something. He came back up with a small box in his hand. "I made these just in case!" Mr. Crawford opened up the box to reveal two gold rings in the box. There was nothing extravagant about them. One was slightly larger than the other, but that was it.

"They are absolutely perfect" Haru gushed as she rushed forward to grab the box. Mr. Crawford chuckled.

"I have never seen a woman so ecstatic over plain gold rings. She is one of a kind, Humbert" Mr. Crawford opinionated. Baron smiled in agreement.

"Indeed, she is."

Two weeks later…

Haru was standing in her room getting ready for her wedding which would commence in a few hours. Haru was running her hands up and down the sides of her dress, feeling the fabric. In the mirror Haru was looking at, she could see Yuki, Hiromi, and Abigail behind her. All of them were smiling in the reflection.

"You look beautiful" Yuki said as she stepped forward. Her hands grasped Haru's. Yuki was back in her original form of a human thanks to some temporary magic from Lune. She was wearing a light pink dress that was loose enough to fit over her large stomach. Yuki only had a month left until her due date. Abagail was quite shocked to see the ex-maid with a stomach that looked about six months into the pregnancy. The only explanation Haru and Yuki could come up with to why she was so far along when she showed no signs of pregnancy during her last months in working for Baron was that she knew Lune before he started visiting and that he had gotten her pregnant. Abigail was a little harsh in her scolding, but she didn't say much since she knew that some girls got pregnant at younger ages from their older husbands.

"Haru, I knew you would choose Baron. He's such a gentleman" Hiromi said happily. She went up to Haru and began fluffing up Haru's hair which was in curls. Her cat hair comb was tucked in her hair. Hiromi's fingers traced the design on it lightly. She smirked. "Those girls had nothing on you. You and Baron are made for each other. You both have cat fetishes" Hiromi giggled. She was wearing a dusty orange dress to compliment her redish-brown hair.

The door to Haru's old room opened to reveal Toto and Muta. They were both wearing black tailcoats and trousers. "Are you ready, Chicky?" Muta asked as he stepped into the room. Haru gripped the bouquet in her hand tighter.

"As ready as I'll ever be" she said breathlessly. Her nerves were getting to her. Toto went up to Haru and held his arm out to her. He would be the one leading her down the aisle. Toto led Haru out of room. Muta, Yuki, Abigail, and Hiromi hopped in one coach while Toto and Haru got in another. They travelled all the way from Baron's mansion to the Von Gikkingen Orphanage, where Haru wanted to get married.

When Haru and Baron announced their marriage to the papers and word got out, not everyone was happy. It wasn't because the baron was marrying a peasant girl; it was the location that bothered them. Nobody wanted to go to a place that commoners lived, but that was their decision to come or not. The mayor of the city even tried to persuade them to have the wedding at City Hall. Someone as high up in social class as the baron should have a wedding in a place worthy of the title. Haru shook her head in amusement. No one could change her and Baron's mind.

When the coach pulled to a stop, Toto stepped out and held a hand out for Haru. She grabbed his offered hand and stepped out onto the cobblestone street. Toto led her up to the doors and stopped. He turned to face her. "Muta, Abigail, Hiromi, Tsuge, and Machida went to take their seats. Yuki just needs to get Lune and we can begin" Toto said with a reassuring smile. Haru smiled back. As soon as Haru turned to face the doors, Yuki and Lune appeared around the corner. Yuki went up to Haru and hugged her.

"Good luck" she whispered. She turned back to Lune who was waiting for her. The double doors to the orphanage opened and Yuki and Lune led the procession. Once they got to the end of the aisle, Lune went to stand beside Baron and Yuki stood on the opposite side, mirroring her husband. The wedding march started and Toto stepped forward. Haru followed him step by step, beat by beat, until the end. Toto kissed Haru's hand before going to sit in the spot beside Muta on one of the front benches. Haru let Baron take her hand and led her to stand in front of the priest.

Vows were exchanged as well as rings. And when the priest said to kiss the bride, Baron did so vigorously as well as passionately. Haru laughed as Baron led her outside and to the coach that was waiting. Before she got in, Haru turned around and threw the bouquet. One of the teenage girls from the Von Gikkingen Shelter caught it. She ducked her head, causing her blonde hair to fall in her face, and she blushed. She cast a shy glance at Toto. Toto saw her gaze directed at him, and he blushed. He raised a hand to his eyes trying to avoid the girl's gaze. Muta clapped his friend on the back with a knowing look on his face. Oh, Toto had an admirer. She must have seen him when he visited the Von Gikkingen Shelter with Baron. The girl that caught the bouquet went over to another girl, who had chestnut colored hair, and began talking to her in whispers. She must be the girl's friend. The chestnut hair girl looked up with wide eyes and a blush as she looked at Muta. Toto's embarrassment immediately disappeared and was replaced with a wicked grin. It was Toto's turn to pat Muta on the back. Muta grumbled and turned away.

Haru shook her head at their childish antics. She climbed into the carriage with Baron's assistance. Once the door shut, Haru looked up into Baron's eyes. His eyes sparkled in pure happiness and love. Haru leaned over to kiss him. "Mrs. Von Gikkingen. Baroness Haru Von Gikkingen" he murmured against her lips. Haru giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Humbert" Haru teased. Baron growled and kissed her again. A purr erupted from his throat. Baron pulled Haru close and held onto her.

"My wife."

"My husband."

A/N: The story is not over yet. Only a couple chapters left. Please review and tell me what you think. This is the last chance for suggestions for the story. Any scenes you want added, just PM me or review.