Here's the next one, your Royal Readers! ^_^
Can we go one to the story? *Cat whispers* Yes? No? *Cat screeches* Okay...sheeesh
NOTE!: FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS TWISTED ROMANCE, PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER/S. *~nyaaaa* I SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND THAT SO YOU WOULDN'T GET LOST...BECAUSE THIS IS COMPLICATED IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PREVIOUS HAPPENINGS... *~nyaaas more*
Arigatogozaimasu, minna-san :3
Chapter V
Wandering at the royal gardens, Ritsu brought out her harmonica that was always been in her pocket. Even though there are painful years she's been through, the way she played can surely outmatch the professionals. It soothes the mind and soul. And whoever hears her enchanting melody, will feel what she feels in the inside. In the music she makes, there would you feel what her heart needs explaining, what her mouth can't put into words.
The smooth ballad made a certain maiden glance at her direction.
"Harmonica...R-Ritsu...?"
As if sensing the glancing girl's prescence, Ritsu turned around instinctively, stopping her little enchantment.
"Uh...who's there?", she curiously asked. Unfortunately for the hiding lass, the harmonicist noticed her behind the broad tree. Ever-so curious Ritsu then started her way to her.
'Black long locks...is she...?'
"Hey, don't hide...are you-"
"Oh, Tainaka-san! There you are!", Prince Shigehito suddenly greeted.
Hearing this, the black-haired beauty scampered away, leaving Ritsu even more curious about the girl's personality and how would that girl help her in finding Mio, or so what she believes. But the prince just destroyed the rare moment.
'Nice timing...', she thought.
"Oh I'm sorry, Your Imperial Highness. I'll be there..."
"Good thing you're here quite early as expected from a business personality, Tainaka-san", he smiled. "Let me introduce you to my wonderful wife, Lady Tsumugi..."
The golden-eyed bowed before them. "Good evening, Princess Tsumu-"
'What?!'
Did she just heard that one right?
"Are you alright, Tainaka-san?", asked the prince.
Her abruptly stopping really is disturbing.
"I'm really sorry, Your Imperial Highnesses! I'm fine, thank you. I'm so sorry for ruining such a sweet evening..."
Wavy fair blonde hair, sapphire blue orbs and trademark eyebrows. This really is the Kotobuki Tsumugi that she knows.
She never thought of her now ex will be the Crown Princess. Well she did, considering that Mugi's family is really rich and on top of that, she really can't deny the fact that the heiress is really captivating on her eyes but failed in her heart.
'This was an absolute stunner...'
Little did she know that this isn't the only surprise of the evening...
'Oh, so she married the prince. How come I didn't know anything about that?'
"Enough with the formality, Ricchan. We've been friends, weren't we?", the blonde beamed.
"Uh...yeah. We've been", emphasizing the last two words.
"Oh so you knew each other already? Well, that's great!", the prince gleefully walked ahead. "Let's get this dinner started, shouldn't we?"
Ritsu and Mugi was left casually walking side by side in the corridor.
Awkward.
Well, until the heiress spoke out of the prince's earshot...
"Ricchan, loosen up, will you?", Mugi held her ex's hand. Ritsu pulled her hand back in split second.
"Stop that..."
"Even after all these years, you're still cold to me..."
Without Ritsu's permission, the oujo-sama swiftly pushed her on a wall. Mugi pulled her necktie with her left one and started to unbutton Ritsu's suit with her other hand. This action made the tawny-haired being glare angrily at her.
"Mugi. Stop that!", she whispered harshly, as to not catch attention.
"But Ricchan, you know I can't resist you~. I never loved the prince even in the slightest bit, but you know that I love you so much. Why can't you be mine like before? Please come back to me..."
"Mugi-"
As Ritsu's mouth opened to speak, Mugi's lips forcibly crashed on hers. Driven by lust, the princess snaked her arms around her prey's neck. But instead of finding ecstatic pleasure, Ritsu felt extreme disgustness. She never closed her eyes, never wrapped her arms around the lustful lady, never responded to her ex's passionate attacks. And when she felt Mugi's tongue seeking for entrance, her mind's gears instantly clicked.
'Why do I have to wait for this to stop her?'
"Mugi! Stop this! We're over! I'm over you!", Ritsu harshly pushed Mugi down. "Now stop pestering my life! Don't force yourself on me, I never felt anything pleasant for you!"
And with that, she fixed her suit and walked away from the empty hallway. A crestfallen expression can't be seen from the princess' face, but instead, she bit her lip, looking more salacious than ever.
The heiress got up."...do you know who you just threw, Ricchan?~", she whispered.
Out of their knowledge, the raven-haired girl from earlier had heard everything. Had seen everything with her silvery gray eyes that Ritsu failed to notice.
"Ritsu..."
The splendid dinner of the royal family with Japan's most successful businessmen went by smoothly. But with two certain people, it wasn't. Glares were exchanged. The glare of absolute anger and the glare of lust and desire. But those were miraculously never noticed by anyone.
But the Tainaka chose to look at the bright side of the evening. New plans and proposals were mapped. Her quick thinking, business intelligence, intellectuality and tactics in the industry, these all made all of the people in the hall applaud. The Emperor and Prince Shigehito were definitely impressed that they were planning something to show their appreciation. Even Mugi was smiling in a way that can say that she wants a certain person more.
While it was Ritsu in Mugi's mind, it was Mio in the former's. The golden-eyed would often stare at her plate and had to be bugded to bring her back to life. It was always been her best friend that keeps her mind floating on thin air. Keeps her heart beating. Keeps herself alive. Keeps her life worth living.
'Mio...why do you have this effect on me even if I don't see nor hear your voice?'
But she forgot about the sad truth. The Akiyama has a fiancé. She's engaged, already. More than a couple of years have passed since they last seen each other. She was assuming that the gray-orbed was already married to the man, Ritsu thinks that was right for her childhood first love. But this night would prove everything wrong.
"Farewell, Tainaka-sama. Hope to see you in our company meetings!"
"I'm sure to be there, Takumi-san. Farewell."
Farewells and appreciations were exchanged by guests and the royal family as their little visit to the grand palace came to an end. For them, but not for Ritsu.
"Tainaka-san!"
"Shigehito-ouji-sama?"
The prince caught her attention, stopping her tracks and her harmonica's lullaby. Shigehito told her that something was being held inside the palace to extol her success and business excellence. The thought felt something quite suspicious for Ritsu, but knowing that it was the Crown Prince she was talking to, she shrugged the thought off and agreed.
"Just get over here! His Highness might get mad!"
"H-Hai!"
The screams felt like she heard them before. Like something from the past owns the voices. 'Mio...?', she asked herself but countered it. Thinking that it was just her uncontrolable delusion. She stared at the direction of the yelling, curious about her connection to those people. But the prince convinced her that it was nothing, yet again. He said that it was just their servants and it was a normal thing inside the household. If it was true, then why can Ritsu feel something brewing in the scene?
"Well then, Tainaka-san, it seems like your head's fleeting on some kind of business elsewhere", the prince turned his soft smile into something gentler that can give invisible hints. "If you feel like joining my type of 'fun', you're welcome inside the cabin at the back!".
Then he walked away casually, leaving Ritsu behind. 'Geez Mio, why do you always interfere in my mind just like that? Why don't you just show yourself?'
Wishing Ritsu suddenly realized, just what would she do if Mio were to show up. 'It's not like I can snatch her away from that man, Haru...It's not like I have the utmost courage to confess to her...It's not like that...she surely didn't feel the same!'
And mental arguing is one of her ways to pass time. 'It's not like I can do anything for my dreaming heart...'
But since she has no other options, she just followed what the prince told her. 'Don't mind the awakening commotion and just come inside the palace', to which the harmonicist agreed to.
'Maybe, this offer of the prince may refresh my mind from Mio...'
The forlorn being was too stressed. She doesn't know what to do. Good things came and stay, but why isn't Mio one of them?
'She's engaged, dammit! It's been four years!'
There were times when she just want to end her life, thinking that without her best friend, she's not worth anything.
'If I can see Mio no longer, then what's the purpose of staying alive, anyway? I can't find her here, then what am I doing here in Tokyo?'
You can never judge a person's emotion if you never felt their situation.
'...just what am I thinking, pushing her to someone rather than telling her what I truly feel?'
Ritsu hesitated on sliding the shojī open, it's like there's something stopping her from doing. She knows that this is Japan's royal headquarters, but why can't her body trust her surroundings?
'Ugh. That Shigehito's right, I should just have fun...'
Finally making her way through the entrance, her gaze fell upon the prince and a certain man with a familiar lady accompanying them. The lustrous moonlight shone upon Ritsu's long lost best friend in an almost naked state.
'No...'
O/N: Yay! Was it bad? Good? Either way, I love you guys for reading...and I know I just destroyed the thrill moment...well, if there was any XD
NO. I seriously love those guys and gals who read my tangled tales! 3 3 3
The story's gonna end soon BUT there's a new fanfic of mine coming out at the early September! Yay! ^_^
(Hint: What if their innocent play as 'Romeo' and 'Juliet' got tangled into their real world? Would it be just a school play? Or a blooming romance in the making?)
So, got excited? Oh well...
Bye! ^_^