Coronation – Il Pezzo Mancate, Tessono la mia Gioia-
A/N: Sorry, the fluff would only appear on the earlier part. Next chapter would be full of them. Title? Delusion
"Good morning!" I greeted him as he sat by the window, reading a newspaper. In German?
"What are you doing?" I immediately asked before he could even respond to my greeting. He nodded at me and showed the papers. "Reading?" he answered and sipped on a cup of tea. "In German? Can you understand that?" I asked, peeking at his reading material. Ugh. Affirmative.
"Didn't you know? I can speak the language. But not that good." He simply said and flipped to the next page. "I didn't know that! When did you learn it?" I gasped and nagged at him. He curled his brows as he clicked his tongue. "You're a bad stalker, Nami." He said and flipped the page again.
"What? I'm not a stalker!" I defended myself, sitting on a chair across him. His serene expression made him look regal. "Yes, you are." He said with a slight mocking tone. He folded the newspaper in half and set it aside. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked as he sipped again. I felt my heart thump hard at his question. "Uh…about last night…" I muttered and looked away. Sheesh.
"Ah, okay. What about it?" he asked like it was nothing. I peeked at him and he was just there sipping his coffee. "H-How did you learn to sing those? When?" I asked. He chuckled lightly and set down his now empty cup. "At the hospital. I was given a good rest and when I came to, I was feeling a lot better and that's where I asked Mr. Lehrer to help me. He's a really great guy." He answered.
I wanted to ask him some more but the door swung open and in came a man in black. "Die vorbereitungen sind nun abgeschlossen." He said to Tsuchiura who nodded. "Danke." He responded. The man bowed and went out for a while to take in a couple of luggage. After that, he bowed in finality and left.
"What are those?" I asked as I eyed the bags. "Don't you know?" he asked me like the answer was common sense. Then it hit me. I covered my mouth as I gasped.
No…it's not that, is it? "Y-You're leaving?" I bravely asked. He looked away and sighed. "Well, I had to. You know that the moment we learned the-"
"But you promised me you wont leave me!" I shot at him. I was not going to cry…not now…
He held a pained expression. "Nami…" I took a step back and looked away, biting my lower lip. "You promised me…" I insisted and sniffed. He turned his back on me and stared out the window and paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, Nami, but…" he stopped to look at me.
Then his golden eyes twinkled. And a smirk came to life on his face. Oh God…
"I'm going with you to the manor. Mr. Lehrer bought me those clothing there, in case my papers will take more time processing." He said and walked to me. I was frozen on my spot and I was sobbing a bit. "Why? Did you think that I'd leave you just like that, when I gave you my word that I'll stay with you?" he asked with a soft smile as he tilted his head. I punched him, weakly though, and I cried for a moment. "Jerk! Don't you do that again! You scared me!" I muttered then wiped my tears. He laughed with a hearty one and leaned to me. "I told you, I'm going to stay with you until this is over." He whispered and hugged me. I felt a smile come its way to my face and closed my eyes as I leaned on his strong chest. "Jerk." I muttered.
The drive to the mansion took longer than I thought. We had to go through that mountainous and forested area to get to the house that was slightly visible from the town. Although the path was on a mountainside, the road was cemented and allowed easier access.
"I'm excited." I whispered to the man beside me. He grunted and rolled his head. "I'm nervous." He responded.
"Ah, Mr. Tsuchiura is finally going to meet Lady Nami's parents and relatives! How wonderful!" Rufus butted in and Tsuchiura and I looked at each other. The driver laughed a bit before shushing himself. "Uh…what I meant was he's going to uh…uh…"
"I-It's okay, Mr. Lehrer. We get your point." Tsuchiura responded quielty. I looked away and bit my lip. Jeez, heart! Stop pounding so hard!
Twenty minutes of silence followed and then we were on our destination. The manor was larger than what I have imagined. It was two storey high and had two great wings on its either side. Flower bushes were decorating the lining of the house and two large pillars posed themselves before us, serving as the arc to the main door. A small labyrinth garden accentuated the front garden. The path to the house was lined with tall pine trees and smaller trimmed decorative plants were in between.
The men in black hurriedly took our things. Yes, Rufus took the worry to buy us clothes since we didn't bring anything but our uniforms and our school bag. It seems like I wont be using mine anymore, though. The big wooden door opened, it's golden handle bars twisting a bit. The door gave a low moan and sounds of feet coming filled the silence. I took his hand (out of reflex) and walked up the marble stairs. Rufus was instantly beside me and he kept on whispering orders to the men in black.
The exterior of the manor was something I was not ready for. The lush red carpets and the orange curtains alone took my breath away. The tall glass window provided enough light to the huge front lobby before us. Two grand staircases, facing each other, were the main stars of the room. Huge portraits of men and some women decorated the walls around. Knight armors, landscape paintings, statues and large vases were beautifully posing at us. Fresh summer flowers gave the summer feel and fragrance around.
The men in black who were carrying our stuff rushed inside and went up the staircases. Rufus led the two of us to a hallway by the left side. Maids and attendants lined up and bowed as we passed. "Wow." I heard Tsuchiura whisper as we walked. The hallway that stretched before us had golden linings in its warm maroon wallpaper. More statues and vases lined up the hallway. "This is the Duke's rest house. Right now, it is used by your uncle and some of your relatives." Rufus explained along the way. "R-Rest house? Are you serious?" I asked. How can a house this big be called a rest house? What about the main house? "Ah, there are some issues in the capital right now so the Duke has ordered us to bring you here instead." He responded. Then we stopped walking until we reached a double-door room. He knocked twice before announcing something. A muffled response came from in it and Rufus looked back at us."Inside are your relatives, my Lady. They have been waiting for you for so long." He said and pushed down the handle.
I took a step forward and into the room. The whispers ceased and I was greeted by a crowd of unknown but very beautiful faces. Most were elderly, there were only about five young ones. Rufus cleared his throat and he led me in further…
"My Lady, I'd like to present to you your first and second degree relatives." He said and beams of smiles came to me. Some of the women were instantly dabbing their eyes with their hankies. "They speak your language, my Lady." Rufus whispered and I looked at him with disbelief. "They do?" I gasped and he nodded. "Try it." He said and cocked his head to them.
One man stood and walked to me. "Hello, Nami. It's been a very long time since I last saw you." He said, his accent different but his Japanese very good. "I am your father's younger brother. I am Duke Heinrich. I don't suppose you remember me. The last time we met was when you were only four months old!" He said and offered his hand for a shake. I saw that they were trembling a bit and his eyes getting watery. I wasn't able to stop myself and hugged him, to the surprise of everyone, including myself. "Uncle…" I said and he patted my head. "You've grown so much, Nami!" he whispered. Soon, ruffling sounds came and one by one, they introduced themselves to me. I wasn't able to memorize all the names and faces but I was glad with their welcome. I thought that I'll be meeting grumpy men and women who were already plotting my assassination or whatever but this was not what I had thought. I felt so welcomed and loved that my eyes would always be teary.
I was very much surprised that they knew how to speak my language. Rufus explained, that prior to this event, my father had ordered to give Japanese lessons to the immediate relatives. I was very overwhelmed at how he has prepared something like this for me. It felt awkward at first to have some foreign people hugging me and kissing my forehead and cheeks but knowing that they are my relatives, it made me feel so relieved of all the stress that I've encountered.
"Rufus," Uncle Georg called and whispered something to him. Rufus nodded and excused himself for a moment. I started to get calmer now and I turned back to introduce my companion when I was surprised that I didn't see him inside the room. But I was very certain that he went in with me.
Someone dragged me closer to them and began to ask me questions like how did my everyday life go or what were my hobbies and who were my friends and such. It was fun to answer their questions. They would give ooh's and aah's and the twinkle of interest in their eyes were very evident. Then, the door went open and in came Rufus. He cleared his throat and the rest of the lesser nobles around me looked up to him. "I'd like to welcome the arrival of His Grace, Vladimir, Duke of Swabia." He announced and in came a man who gave birth to sleeping memories.
He was the man that has been constantly present on my third birthday up to my eighth. He was the man who would always bring me the greatest presents during Christmas. He was the man who took me to parks and amusement centers whenever mother was busy. I knew him as Uncle Vlad.
A tear fell to my eyes as his full figure came into view. Those same blue eyes and the slightly curly grayish-auburn hair triggered my heart to skip a little bit faster. His eyes were warm and they graced me with kindness and gentleness. He walked quickly to me and hugged me tight. This encounter made my tears flow like a river. "Father…" I whispered as I clutched to him like a little girl. All my life, I thought that my father was long dead but now, here he is, hugging me like he has found the greatest treasure on earth. His whole body trembled as he caressed my hair and buried his face on my shoulder. "I've waited so long for this to happen. Finally, you're here. I'm so happy." He whispered as he sobbed together with me. I nodded and hugged him back, afraid that this might just be a dream that will soon fade away to eternity.
Eventually, we broke away from each other's arms and a small laugh emerged from both of us. Rufus went near and whispered something to my father's ear and his face looked serious. "Father?" I asked him. He took my hands and led me to the couch where most of our other relatives were. "Nami, I know that you still have a lot of questions going on into your mind right now but I ask you to please postpone them for a while." He stopped and I nodded at him. He took a breath and a sad smile appeared in his face. "Right now, there is someone that I want you to meet." He said and looked at the crowd. "It's time you meet your sister Fiona." He said.
The room that they led me was very airy and spacey. It has a very light and homey atmosphere. Two maids rushed out the moment our troupe went in. There were lots of flowers around and the windows were open, making the light yellow curtain sway softly as the breeze blew in, carrying the lively chirping of the birds. On the north side was a four poster bed and on it was the most beautiful pales faced girl I have ever seen. Her eyelids fluttered open upon hearing our trudges on the Persian carpet. She propped herself up and immediately, Rufus and Uncle Heinrich were assisting her. She looked like a beautiful yet very frail doll, her skin almost translucent white. She had some beautiful light freckles across her face and her eyes were the same blue ones that I had. Her hair was brown earth and was slightly curled like mine but hers fell more gracefully along the outline of her face. Between the two of us, she deserved the title Princess more than I did.
She smiled at me when our eyes locked. "Nami?" she asked, her soft voce ringing like little bells. Father placed a hand on my shoulder and led me closer to the girl before me. "It's our first meeting but I've been hearing about you ever since you were born." She said as she opened her arms to give me a hug. I smiled at her and embraced her. She smelled so nice and lovely. "You are Fiona?" I asked when we parted.
"Yes, I am your older sister. And supposed to be heiress of the name Duchess of Swabia." She answered. I looked at my father who looked gravely at us. "You see, Nami," he started then sat on the other side. "Fiona is my daughter from my first wife, Elizabeth, but she died of childbirth. We thought that the sorrow her mother's death had brought us was the last tragedy that could befall on our family." He stopped to hold Fiona's hands. "But…a few months after her fourth birthday, we found out that she was sick with…a very weak heart. Because of that, she was prohibited to leave the house and do very strenuous things. Eventually, she became bedridden." His voice faltered and a small tear escaped his eyes. "we were advised to keep Fiona away from the politics as it may bring too much stress to her. And so we did. Her existence to the world beyond the house walls was not informed. The media started to make news such as there is really no Fiona and that I could not bear an heir. It was all so discouraging and drastic. But it was also at that time that I met your mother, Shizuru, on my visit on Japan on my quest to look for a doctor elsewhere." He stopped again to hold my hand together with Fiona's. "Things happened between me and Shizuru and the fruit of it all is you, Nami." He said as a small smile appeared on his face. "You and Fiona were the best things that ever happened to me." He added.
"But because of that, you, Nami, were branded as an illegitimate. Shizuru was a secret affair and only the immediate family knew about her and you. We tried to bring you here in Germany but we thought that it might be best to keep you away from the prying eyes of the scandalous public and from having a normal life. Your mother would send me pictures of you every year to show us how well you are growing up. Secretly, without her consent, we used these photos to serve as evidence that Fiona exists. Soon, you were known as Fiona." He said and stood.
"The Union of the Blue Bloods is a very important and almost sacred organization among the nobles that exists today in the whole world. Our family is ranked as one of those who are in the pinnacle. In one month's time, there will be an annual meeting and presentation of heirs and heiress. The public is awaiting for your first ever public appearance and are very excited to meet you. Seeing this dilemma, I had no choice but to have you sent here for the event and eventually, having you live the life that you were known to have. But your mother knew of the scheme of the pictures and became enraged. She refused to hand you over so I had no choice but to forcefully get you. And thus, we all end up here today." He ended his talk. Silence hung over our heads and I was too stunned to speak. So, all these years, my face was known as somebody else in the other half of the world? No wonder mother would be enraged at this…
"Are you mad at us, Nami?" Fiona asked me. I looked at her and saw how sorry her face was. "It's all my fault. If I have been a little bit healthier, then you wouldn't be put in this predicament." She said and looked down. "No, Fiona. It is my fault. You did not have any wrongdoings in this event." Father defended.
"C-Can I think about it for a while?" I asked. They all looked at me and I saw how their hopes slowly fell. "This is all too new to me and I need time to let it sink in." I added as I clutched the covers of the bed. "I think so too." Aunt Elisa agreed to me. "Alright, we'll let you think about it. But if it is possible, can you please accept our offer?" Uncle Georg asked me, his gray eyes pleading. "I-I'll see what I can do." I said and offered a small smile.
"If in case you accept," Darren, a cousin or so, said. "You have to leave your life in Japan and start anew here. You have to forget that you ever existed there and that you had connections over there. You grew and lived here with us." He stated. I know, cousin… "Yeah, sure. I'll consider that too." I responded to him.
Then, the small yet adorable Phillip came to me, holding a camera and having a big toothy grin. "Can we take a picture together, Nami?" he asked. He was so charming that I forgot about what we were gravely talking about for a while. "Sure, kiddo." I said and smiled. He giggled in delight and handed the device to Rufus. "Ah," he said. "Since everyone is here now, maybe you should all be in the picture. This would be like a remembrance for the day when…the puzzle has been completed." He said and the nobles agreed. We posed by the bed and Rufus took our picture.
The puzzle is finally complete, huh?